Career change-teacher to nurse

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I have been visiting this website for several months now and this is my first posting. I have read many posts that were encouraging of people going into nursing and many that were discouraging. I stay on a constant roller coaster with my decision to go back to school to be a nurse.

I was an elementary school teacher for 8 years and stayed stressed out most of the time. I took about 4 years off and did some soul searching. I have always loved science-really wanted to be a veterinarian- but took the easy way out, so I thought, and went to college to be a teacher. I decided to make a career change to nursing because it interested me. Anyway, I entered nursing school last fall and quit mid-November. I decided to go back to teaching and realized after only a few short months what a horrible mistake I had made because I did not want to teach for the rest of my life. I will be returning to nursing school this fall and really hope to stick it out this time.

I guess what I am looking for is some encouragement. I am aware that nursing can be very stressful, however I feel like I will have more opportunities to pursue in the nursing field if I become dissatisfied in certain areas of the profession.

Also, I would like to know and hear from any nurses that were formerly teachers and how they feel about their career change. Do you feel like you made the right decision? I feel like I will make an excellent nurse, however I really doubt my decision when I read some of the posts from unhappy nurses.

Thank you for your advice and any wisdom you would like to share! :)

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I have an el. ed license and degree as well. I live in Indiana where no teaching jobs are available and have subbed for many years and that is such lousy pay that I am trying to make a change also. The biggest problem is if you have a degree you probably cannot get any grants or federal or state money. Loans are difficult to get too if you maxed out at the bachelor level amount. My state only has a couple master programs and they are way to expensive. The community colleges get 1000 qualified applicants for 40 slots. I would have been an RN 6 years ago if I could get into a community college. No hospitals here offer to pay for it in exchange for work either. But I do think people with many types of degrees are entering nursing and other medical professions because of job availibility. Depending on where you live and your money situtation you could be an LPN or RN in 2 years or less. Some of your more basic classes should transfer as well.

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Hello! I cannot answer from the perspective of someone who has already made the change from teacher to nurse, but I am in the same situation as you as I just finished my 11th year of teaching a week ago. I will enter an accelerated BSN program in August. I think that nursing is still very stressful but as you, I also look forward to multiple opportunities and not the thought of teaching in the same classroom for 30 years. So... here it goes. Good luck and do know that others understand the reason for your change from teaching to nursing.

Vermonster

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Y'all should be great. I haven't started the program yet (but have two nurses in the family) but did teach for a couple ofyears. But, you'll have a lot of transferrable skills that you can take from teaching to nursing. Keep it up and don't lose site of your goal!

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Cowgirlup,

I was an early childhood education major before I became a nursing major. I had always had this interest in becoming a nurse, but fear of it being a goal to hard to attain stopped me and I thought that teaching little children would be a great consolation. Somehow along the way I lost the passion of being in the classroom, dealing with all kinds of rants from certain parents and the pay was horrible. There isn't enough money that you could pay a teacher.....especially the passionate ones....no pay in the world. So I decided to change my major....I just went to my CC and did it....I didn't discuss it with my dh, my family or friends. After I did it....they couldn't believe it....they all thought I was lying. Mainly because I didn't like hospitals as a child.....lol. But my love for taking care of the sick and helping the healthy stay healthy....has turned me to the nursing profession. I have done tons and tons of research and it's a lucrative field..as you know. I think you're making the right decision....follow your heart....taking a shortcut always leads to a dead end....imho

Fatima

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I have an el. ed license and degree as well. I live in Indiana where no teaching jobs are available and have subbed for many years and that is such lousy pay that I am trying to make a change also. The biggest problem is if you have a degree you probably cannot get any grants or federal or state money. Loans are difficult to get too if you maxed out at the bachelor level amount. My state only has a couple master programs and they are way to expensive. The community colleges get 1000 qualified applicants for 40 slots. I would have been an RN 6 years ago if I could get into a community college. No hospitals here offer to pay for it in exchange for work either. But I do think people with many types of degrees are entering nursing and other medical professions because of job availibility. Depending on where you live and your money situtation you could be an LPN or RN in 2 years or less. Some of your more basic classes should transfer as well.

Thank you for your reply. In my state, we are experiencing a big teacher shortage, so I am constantly receiving teaching offers. I was even offered a job at my daughter's private school last week. With 8 years of experience, they can only offer me $28,000and no benefits. :rotfl: The offer did make me question-briefly- my decision to go to nursing school. I know my daughter would like to have me close by, however I do not think she remembers how irritable the job can make me.

You are right about receiving financial assistance. Since I have a degree already, I do not qualify for any grants.

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Y'all should be great. I haven't started the program yet (but have two nurses in the family) but did teach for a couple ofyears. But, you'll have a lot of transferrable skills that you can take from teaching to nursing. Keep it up and don't lose site of your goal!
Thank you. I have already found that my teaching experiences correlate very well with the skills I will need to be a successful nurse.
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Cowgirlup,

I was an early childhood education major before I became a nursing major. I had always had this interest in becoming a nurse, but fear of it being a goal to hard to attain stopped me and I thought that teaching little children would be a great consolation. Somehow along the way I lost the passion of being in the classroom, dealing with all kinds of rants from certain parents and the pay was horrible. There isn't enough money that you could pay a teacher.....especially the passionate ones....no pay in the world. So I decided to change my major....I just went to my CC and did it....I didn't discuss it with my dh, my family or friends. After I did it....they couldn't believe it....they all thought I was lying. Mainly because I didn't like hospitals as a child.....lol. But my love for taking care of the sick and helping the healthy stay healthy....has turned me to the nursing profession. I have done tons and tons of research and it's a lucrative field..as you know. I think you're making the right decision....follow your heart....taking a shortcut always leads to a dead end....imho

Fatima

WOW! I couldn't have said it any better "Somehow along the way I lost the passion of being in the classroom, dealing with all kinds of rants from certain parents and the pay was horrible. There isn't enough money that you could pay a teacher.....especially the passionate ones....no pay in the world."

Thank you for the encouragement. Good luck to you!

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Hello! I cannot answer from the perspective of someone who has already made the change from teacher to nurse, but I am in the same situation as you as I just finished my 11th year of teaching a week ago. I will enter an accelerated BSN program in August. I think that nursing is still very stressful but as you, I also look forward to multiple opportunities and not the thought of teaching in the same classroom for 30 years. So... here it goes. Good luck and do know that others understand the reason for your change from teaching to nursing.

Vermonster

Thank you for your encouragement. It's nice to know that their are others who really understand. Good luck to you as well!

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Specializes in OBGYN, Neonatal.

I am not speaking from the teacher standpoint but I have a degree in Psych and wanted to be a psychologist. I realized that becoming an RN will open many more doors for me. I am still working and I work in Human Resources/Personnel, but I know that once I become an RN I can do lots of different things, as one of my teachers said once, you can become an RN and never touch a patient. Now I do want to work with patients, but I am sure that eventually I will look to do different things, all nursing related, who knows, maybe become a nursing teacher one day!

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I just got accepted into an accelerated program that will begin in the Spring. I am currently a teacher and do not know when would be an appropriate time to let my AP know that I will not be returning. I want to give them sufficient time to find someone to replace me as well as not burn any bridges.

Any suggestions?

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Why dont you go to school to be VET if that's what you really want to do? You already started teaching, and quit, then you started nursing, and quit, and went back to teaching and quit, now your going back to nursing again. I think you'd probably be happier and find more satisfaction if you did what you really wanted to do and stopped settling for good enough.

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