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Discussion

Career Change

So I'll share a little bit about myself. I am currently a teacher and hold a B.S. and M.S. in both Biochemistry and Chemistry respectively. I am enjoying teaching but I am honestly tired of not being compensated for my 50-60 hour work week. I got into teaching because I love sharing knowledge and helping others improve their lives. Education helped get me to a better place in this world and I have always want to serve others. Unfortunately, the real world requires you to pay for food, shelter, and the whole shebang. Anyway, I see a lot of back and forth about RN vs. BSN and all that jazz. I can't afford to be in school for another 4 years. I can manage two but 4 just wont work. Will my bachelors and masters help me if I go the ADN route or will I need to get a BSN to be considered for great paying jobs? Also, will I be eligible for all types of jobs (like in the ER) if I "only" have an ADN? I'm not sure what kind of nursing I'm going to want to do but I'd like to know if door will be closed to me based on my education. Oh, and I'd like to know what type of volunteer programs are out there that might help me get a better understanding of hospital/nursing life. Any info you could share would be AWESOME! Thank you in advance!

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    Your past degrees will not help you when a hospital requires that you have a BSN. However, you may not be in school for 4 years for a BSN if you've taken the majority of the general education courses in your past degree. Different places have different preferences, but the trend is moving toward wanting BSNs. That doesn't mean you'll never get hired with an ADN, but it may not be the best job at your dream hospital, or you may have to return to school.

    I'm not sure nursing is going to change your life as far as income goes -I believe the average RN starts out making around $44,000 a year with long shifts, dirty work, and high levels of stress. But i suppose the upside is that you get paid for every hour you work, unlike teaching!

    Also, the job market is in the tank. Many new grads (especially ADNs in my area) are job hunting for over a year before they land their first gig. So add any potential job-hunt time to how long you'd be out of work. Of course, who knows how the market will be in 3 years or so!

    The best way to experience the world of nursing is probably to become a nursing assistant, but I'm sure you aren't planning on quitting your job for that, so I'd call a local hospital's volunteer coordinator and ask what kind of opportunities they have for people interested in health care. Many moons ago, a hospital near me had a a program specifically for health-care students that rotated is through various specialties so we could see everything.

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    Since you have previous degrees, why not look into an accelerated 2nd degree program to get your BSN. That way, you still finish in a shorter amount of time and you also get the BSN? Many schools have 2nd degree BSN programs.

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    No not really you having a bachelors in chemistry will not help you with nursing you have to actually have your BSN for nursing. You may not have to go to school that long if you use your classes from your other degrees such as chemistry, sociology, psychology, english classes, math classes, languages, electives, selectives, etc. You still have to have all of your sciences, and biology classes as well. You could always do a CNA program to see if nursing is for you or Volunteer 1-2 times a week at a hospital and follow the nurses to see if its really for you good luck though.

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