Career change looming... need advice.

[Komelika]

Hi all. I'm considering a change to the medical field and I have a few questions about nursing and I'm curious as to how much experience is needed to get hired as an RN in the VA healthcare system. I am not an RN, but I am likely facing a career change in the near future due to coming lay offs. In previous layoffs, affected employees have successfully petitioned for Trade Agreement Assistance (TAA) benefits through the federal government since their positions have been considered outsourced to overseas employees. This is a great benefit that pays for their re-education. I expect that I will be able to take advantage of TAA if I am let go. I am a veteran with a 10 point veteran preference. So a little background.

So yeah, I'm about to be 42 and after working at a great company in a historically cyclical tech industry for the last 15 years it looks like the ride is likely coming to an end in the near to not too distant future. We've gone through several rounds of layoffs in the past 15 years and I've been fortunate to stay on. I've even managed to get promoted to the top pay grade, which has kept me safe from previous layoffs, but unfortunately it looks like they are going to cut from the top this time. In previous layoffs they focused on lower level employees with performance and disciplinary problems, but for reasons I won't get into the new management is more focused on high pay grades to reduce the overall payroll.

My problem is there are very few comparable jobs in my very poor State and the job pool for those jobs is ever increasing as highly qualified people leave my company. If I get laid off I actually would prefer to change fields and find something with more job security. Medical immediately comes to mind. Frankly, the challenge of going back to school is exciting. I have some concerns though. I've read all the negatives of male nursing. My wife works in a hospital in a support (non medical) position and she says the nurses are mostly miserable! That probably isn't always the case, but I hear it a lot from people in the nursing field.

Am I cut out to be a nurse? Maybe a nurse can tell me... I would consider myself to be pragmatic. I've never considered myself an expert at anything, but more of a mile wide inch deep kind of person. I like ideas and exploring topics, but usually I dig deep enough to satisfy my interest before moving on to other ideas and interests. I like working with my hands and I'm very mechanically inclined. I like to build things. I like welding as a hobby. I like figuring how to make an idea work using things I have on hand. I am definitely not organized (to my wife's dismay), but I am able to work in an organized environment (just don't look at my garage). I'm not a techy or computer savvy, but I have made a good living maintaining and repairing high end, complex electro-mechanical systems. I have a Bachelors in Business Management, but no management experience although I tend to gravitate toward leadership roles on the teams that I work within. Generally speaking, I work well with others, but if I'm being honest I have to admit that I can be a little strong headed (maybe even a little opinionated), which can and sometimes has lead to conflict with similar personalities. I'd say I do well unless I feel disrespected or condescended. I usually go with the flow, but I sometimes feel like I can be too direct when confronting a problem. Then I'm told that people respect me because I do confront problems instead of avoiding them. So how does all that fit in with the possibility of being a nurse? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Actually need that kind of person in nursing.

Are you comfortable with long shifts on your feet? Can you wrap your head around giving the most personal hands on care patients will need? Do you deal well with blood and guts and other bodily fluids do you think?

[Komelika]

I've worked 12 hour shifts for the past 15 years (11 years on nights). Before raising two kids I probably would have had a problem with some aspects of nursing, but after wiping butts for so many years I think I can deal with it. As far as blood and guts, when my daughter was born 8 years ago I was the guy that was playing with the placenta! LOL. I mean, how often do you get to see that! To this day that I can't believe how soft it was.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Frankly, if you have trouble with patronizing and condescending people & lack of respect..... nursing may not be a good fit for you. We're the lowest rung of health care professions in most organizations. We do all the stuff that no one else wants to do. We actually perform a lot of the work that physicians billfor .... srsly, there are studies of CPT codes to back this up. In hospitals, we're pretty much invisible - we come with the towels and running water. Not a lot of notice unless something goes wrong & a scapegoat is needed - LOL. Education-wise, RN (& other health professional) education requires a pretty deep dive into the life sciences.

I have a friend (now a Chief Nursing Officer) that became a nurse via a similar career change - an industry layoff started him on the nursing pathway 20+ years ago. His clinical background was in OR & he loved it. He told me that he regrets not going into nursing in the first place. Hopefully, if you're prepared for the reality of nursing, you will have a very successful transition also.

[Komelika]

Thanks for the advice HouTx. I can see your points for sure. I have a strong personality, but I can control myself too. When I have had issues with co-workers in the past it is generally due to working in a competitive workplace where some people think being louder makes them right. I can and will admit when I lack knowledge on a subject, but in my field many people tend to think it is better to make something up than to not have an answer, especially when very often the people whom ask the questions aren't well versed in the subject and can be fooled. When I see that I will call them on it and that often leads to disrespectful attitudes. I think I could empathize with grumpy patients given their circumstances. I'm sure most nurses have to have thick skin. I can see arrogant doctors being a pain in the ass, but I've dealt with arrogant engineers for the past 15 years too so I think I can manage. I've read that many doctors will actually treat male nurses differently and with more respect than female nurses. Has that been your experience? I have a couple distant aunt's and even a half sister that is a nurse and I know they deserve all the respect in the world.

[Komelika]

Does anyone have any experience with the VA? I'm interested in the VA because I have a 10 point veteran preference and I like the idea of a 20 year retirement. If I get laid off this year then I will likely be 44-45 before I am ready to begin my new career, which will put me in my mid 60's with a pension and my 401K. Is it difficult to get in with the VA straight out of nursing school?

Thanks

[PhoenixDevil]

Hi Komelika,

I read your posts and wanted to weigh in. I just graduated with a BSN--a career change--after 20 years in the pharma sales industry where more than half of my time was spent as a manager. Nursing's very challenging but I'm glad I did it and, yes, wish I'd done it sooner. The education aspect was tough and it can be difficult to be humble, especially for those of us who have been successful in another career. I've found that humility is part of the nursing profession (not a bad thing at all!). Despite knowing some things, one must go into nursing as if one doesn't know much beyond the pre-requesite classess, this way, wrong beliefs don't cloud current, correct information (never a good thing). If you have a strong desire to pursue nursing, then do it! But if your decision is purely financial, imho, there are other more lucrative careers out there. I'm not saying that one can't live comfortably on a nurses' salary, however. I've heard the nursing profession called "a calling". As such, there should be a discernment period prior to applying. Consider your motivation and see how you like the pre-requisites. A happy worker does good work! I hope this is helpful. Best of luck!

~Jeannine

[Komelika]

Thanks for the advice, Jaennine. Much appreciated! I've been mulling this over since July or August and still haven't made a decision. I can honestly say I haven't experienced a "calling" for any career that I have explored. I do, however, think I can be successful in nursing. I like that the field is wide open when it comes to the directions it can take you. It looks like the layoffs are imminent. Nothing announced yet, but plenty of talk from people who know people in the decision making department. I should know within the next 3 months whether I stay and prepare for the next one, or go and prepare for college, again.

Wish me luck either way!