Career Change==>Accounting to Nursing

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i have been an accountant for over 18 years now and i am just getting tired of all the office politics, laid off, long hours without pay, and staying all day on the computer. i also have my masters degree in business management. i am a people person and have a very strong passion for helping people. i possess a very strong interpersonal skills which i think would be a very strong asset in the nursing field.

in spite of the fact, i have no science background, i am more than ready to start from the onset. i know i might not make more initially, but at least i am able to meet people and be of help to others.

i planned to start taking my prerequisite in a local community college, complete my adn, take the nclex exam. i also plan to complete my msn after a year of clinical experience.

i need your advice. i am a little nervous over the whole thing. what are the pros and cons of nursing? what are the pitfalls to avoid why in the nursing program? does anyone have similar experience of changing career to nursing? if yes, how was it like?

please, i need you advice. thank you.

I am quite with you on the career change. After working as an Accountant for a little over 10 years, I think it's about time to call it quit. I am tired of the cubicle all day, I am tired of starring helplessly on the computer all day, I am tired of the continuous job insecurity, and I am tired of the lack of personal satisfaction of the profession. If you are ready to go back to school full-time, there are bunch of MSN programs for non-nurses. Once done with the MSN program, there would be unbelievable amount of opportunities for you.

Accounting is not a profession with real satisfaction. No impact on people's life, and you have to deal with a whole bunch of office politics. Please, give it a try and make the change. I truly wish you the best of luck.

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I am experiencing the same thing. I have been doing accounting for 15 years now

and is just tired of it. Let's do it guys. Let's study nursing. I have been thinking of out for awhile now. I am just scared of going back to school after so long.

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since I'll be a second courser, I am actually thinking of pursuing this degree in the philippines. It's a lot faster plus you finish work a bsn. The only thing that is holding me back is that I am not sure if I would have to take the local board exam there which I don't really want to do.

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Well I am going to try to keep this post going. I have been working in Accounting for 6 years. I recently completed my Associates in Business (June 2009) and was planning to continue my Bachelor's in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, but first I took the summer off. When it was time to start looking at going back to school I knew I did not want to continue on this path. When I was 12 I volunteered for a hospital and LOVED IT, then when I graduated from High school my plan was to go to nursing school when my (now ex-husband) told me I wasn't smart enough to become a nurse, so I dropped that dream (should of dropped the husband!). Then I went to school to become an EMT and ended up not finishing because my ex-husband was shipped to Iraq and I have a baby to take care of and no support. Then 4 years later I knew I had to get my butt in school and Business seemed like the easiest and best thing to do.

One day, about 2 weeks ago, I had an epiphany and decided that I don't care how hard, or how long it took me I was going to do what I wanted to do in life. So, I made an appointment with the local college and I go to take my entrance exam tomorrow! :yeah:

When I told some of my collegues they were like "you actually want to do that?" And I honestly can't think of anything esle I would want to do more in my life. I am so tired of stressing for nothing! Stressing out for someone elses business, someone else's money! I am just so over it!

I have a long way to go, but my goal is to eventually become a Research Nurse for Pediatric Infectious Diseases. I hope all of the posters on this thread have succeeded in what they set forth to do! :p

Hello... I hope you are able to go back to school. I still start my prerequisites this fall. I am so scared to go back to school after 15 years but I really want to become a nurse. I hope I can finish and work as an rn one day.

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I'm curious if you went through with the career change and how that has gone for you? I've taken all my pre-reqs and got into a Community College ADN program last year and did not accept the spot. I've early 40's and although I desperately need a career change, the loss of flexible work hours and huge cut in salary scared me away and has given me pause to rethink this change. I've not given up on it and will reapply to the same program this year. I've also applied and been accepted into the Masters of Public Health program at Univ of Colorado - Looking for any advice to help make a decision - I'm STUCK!

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Greetings!

My circumstances are similar in nature but, I am coming from a different field. I have been a teacher for 25 years. I am in a helping field but, my reasons for leaving are different. I have been considering a career change for at least 10 years; I have not had the finances to accomplish this mission so I have stayed. I am not a core area teacher. I do have both a Bachelors and a Masters in my area.

In addition I have been teaching out of my experienced area for the last 8 years. My certificate is similar to an umbrella covering several areas. I was trained mostly in one area.

My brother is an oncologist and we have talked alot over the last 10 years about switching. He has encouraged it and has said that he thought I would do well.

I have read posts from students trying to get into nursing school. Some of them are 1 out of 400 applicants trying to get one of 40 spots. Seems to be very competitive. In this portion of the forum competition is not even mentioned. I have been told that career changers have an advantage. My daughter tells me that schools look for non-traditional students. Certainly, I would fit in that category. I would be much older than the others.

It scares me to think that I would have taken the prereqs and applied for a school only to find out that I would not be accepted. I know there is a nursing shortage where I live. I am not sure that I could support myself from year to year waiting to be approved. I have to enter my daughter into the picture. She is in the process of

finishing up her degree and studying for the MCAT. And like you Accounting majors I am almost science-less.

I did take physics in college the first time and made an A. I know that that will not count.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I live in a city that has a nursing school. Looking forward to your responses.

P.S. Teaching and helping people is very rewarding :redbeathe but, there is a serious problem with the education systems in this country. In my state there have been massive layoffs. I have dodged that bullet thus far. Layoffs are not why I want to quit.

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I started working in banking when I was 18. I landed a job at a large credit union and worked in the accounting department for eleven years. I unexpectedly lost my job in October 2010. I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, and began working on a Master of Science in Accounting. But, after the first class, in which I earned an "A", I withdrew from the program. I am also tired of sitting at a desk all day and have a deep desire to help people, and to do something meaningful, and to feel like I accomplished something that matters at the end of the day. I have also considered nursing (and teaching in an elementary school), through the years. Unfortunately, my husband, sister (who is an LPN), and my friends are all very bold and tell me that they do not think nursing is for me because I am a germaphobe! I keep telling them my fears stem from the unkown, and if I learn more about what I am afraid of and face my fears I will overcome them. My desire to help people and to find fulfilling work outweighs my fear of germs. I just enrolled in a couple of the pre-requisite classes at my community college and I start in about ten days. I am nervous and excited about the classes! I am also worried that my family and friends will be right and I will somehow find that nursing is not for me. Does anyone have any experience with changing careers to nursing, and having started with a fear of germs? Did you overcome the fear? Were you happy with your decision to change careers? I would like any responses: both negative and positive experiences. Thank you!

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Specializes in Obstetrics/Case Management/MIS/Quality.
does anyone have any experience with changing careers to nursing, and having started with a fear of germs? did you overcome the fear? were you happy with your decision to change careers? i would like any responses: both negative and positive experiences. thank you!

i have to be honest....i never had any fear of germs until i was in nursing school and now i'm a germophobe! taking microbiology did it for me.....:uhoh3:

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So happy I found this forum! I graduated from college in 2008 with a degree in Financial Management. I started my first job as an accountant straight out of school and have been working with the same company for 3.5yrs. I have been going back and forth between nursing for the past 1.5yrs. It's tough to give up the pay, job security, and great coworkers, but I've decided that I'm going for it! I have several science pre reqs that I still have to take, but I've met with the advisor at the local community college and I have orientation this Saturday and start my pre reqs in the spring! I do not think my time was wasted as an accountant because it is where I met my husband and have some great work experience, but sometimes you have to take a chance and I am excited about what the future holds. I plan to work and save save save while I take my pre reqs then we'll become a one income family while I go through school and then hopefully find a job! I am blessed to have an amazing husband who supports me in this journey despite the rest of my family's uncertainty :)

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