Career Change

Yes, ma'am!

For me, I started out as a newly-minted grad (oh, so many years ago...) with a Computer Science degree ready to set the world on fire with my programmin' chops! 20 years later, I was spiralin' in with an out-of-date skill set and a job market that had almost disappeared. I'd spent a bit over 4 years taking care of my mom, and during our vigil I had something of an epiphany - I realized that even with all the gray hairs, the yelling, the fighting, the ulcers, sleepless nights, pushing myself beyond any reasonable limits trying to keep my career & my mother alive, that taking care of her was the most meaningful thing I'd ever done.

So, when my job got axed I made a pact with myself - gave it 1 year to find work in IT; if that didn't work out, it's time to move on. Well, the year passed; no job in IT & even with interviews on the books I wasn't getting job offers, so I took an Adult Ed class for Pharmacy Tech. Trouble was - so did everyone else! Even the stand-bys (CVS, Walgreens, etc.) would hire the interns (when they had positions available) - but not me. Gave that a year, then sat down & thought the matter through - since you're interested in nursing (went with Pharmacy Tech because (a) more money & (b) thought I could bridge to nursing from there, plus I'd have a way out if nursing didn't work for me) why not try actually DOING some nursing?!?

Which brings us to today - passed both Red Cross & State testing, and I'm a newly-minted CNA (yep - still have that factory smell!) taking a short breather before hitting the job market. Turns out that during my clinicals I have a real affinity for the field; quite a bit of empathy & compassion for my patients, and "code browns" don't faze me at all - denture cleaning makes me gag though.

----- Dave

Wow that sounds kinda like my story with caring for my mom. Aside from the time span of yours, I've only been in the job market 6 years out of school. Speaking of pharmacy, that is kinda what my ultimate goal is. With my CNA and maybe an RN I will be hoping to work at UNC or another hospital, using the nursing career and slowly taking my chemistrys I need for applying to Pharmacy School. They have a great 3 year program and I have always always wanted to do it, so I think I'm finally headed in the right direction.

My take is, if you do well in Pharmacology when you're working on your RN, then a Pharm.D should be a breeze for you. The math requirements sound pretty intimidating (full calculus sequence plus statistics), but really it's about what you'd run into for an MD, and it's about half of what you'd be doing for Engineering/Computer Science/other tech degrees. Lots of memorization, though - top 200 pharmaceuticals, plus all the OTC stuff, relevant laws, etc. I actually considered the Pharm.D, but decided that a) it would take too long, and b) it just wasn't my calling - nursing is.

In any case, the very best of luck to you, ecugirl - BTW, just barely missed a job offer at a LTC facility on Thursday. They had a day shift & a swing shift position - but no night shift. Since I have evening classes at a local CC, just couldn't make it work. I'm going to sling some applications out there later today, and get to doing some serious applying this coming week. I'm feeling pretty positive, so I should be CNAing professionally pretty soon (I hope!)

----- Dave

Yup, nursing has been my calling since I was 6 years old and was hospitalized for a severe kidney infection. Those pediatric nurses made quite an impact on my life, taking time out of their day to come play stuffed animals with me. That's why I don't mind being a CNA; I love what I do and I like doing things for patients/residents that make them happy. :)