Confused!!!

suebird3 · Mar 8, 2006

Hi, First of all, what a fantastic site. I am a 38 year old female living in Los Angeles. I have had 2 substantial careers...flight attendant for 12 years, and sold Real Estate for the last 6 years. I am so interested in becoming an RN, but am so confused. I have no idea what path to take...?? There are so many options/so many waiting lists. I have the most interest in becoming an ER Nurse or Critical Care...Does anybody have ANY advice for me? I work best under pressure and would really like a hospital Job in the ER...I need advice/help!! Thank you so much for being out there for all of us considering a career change. By the way, I don't have any college behind me..so I suppose I'll have to start there...I've been working since I was 16 with no time to go to college! Will this take forever? Am I dreaming??
Thanks again!!!!

Welcome to allnurses.com! I know the choices are confusing. When you can, drop by the CA State Forum at: https://allnurses.com/forums/f137/ You can possibly "meet" people from your area there. The General Nursing Forum is at: https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/ Since you have no Nursing experience, drop by the Pre-Nursing Forum at: https://allnurses.com/forums/f198/ .

Hope this helps some. Good luck!

Suebird

NaomieRN · Mar 8, 2006

Hello and welcome to allnurses. The best place would be to take some classes at a local community college. I wish you the best of luck. I am also going back after two different careers. It is never too late to do something you like.

moorpark · Mar 8, 2006

Thank you...is it true it will take approximately 4 years to become an RN with the general ed requirements plus the nursing portion of it??

Thanks again!!

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 9, 2006

Moved to General Nursing Discussion. More people interract and participate here and may help you out! I wish you much success!

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TexasPediRN · Mar 9, 2006

Thank you...is it true it will take approximately 4 years to become an RN with the general ed requirements plus the nursing portion of it??
Thanks again!!

This depends on which type of RN degree you choose (I know this just adds to the confusion right? )

There are RN with associate degrees, which are 2 years of schooling not including pre-reqs in most states.

There is also RN, BSN in which schooling is 4 years total (full time) and you obtain your bachelors degree. RN BSN schools focus more on management, and you need to have a BSN if you ever chose to go higher up in nursing, such as for your Nurse Practitioner, or Masters in nursing.

RN is a great career choice and I wish you the best of luck! ER/Critical care would be great for you since you say you like to work under pressure :) Not everyone can say that.

Good luck!

moorpark · Mar 9, 2006

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me..that is so nice...and I really really appreciate it! Thanks so much for being a part of this sight!! I love it here!!!!

casualjim · Mar 9, 2006

It's so do-able! I'm in school now in San Diego. after retiring from the Navy. Good luck.

aloha

Jim

moorpark · Mar 9, 2006

How much school do you have ahead of you? I am sure you have already graduated college..? Do you get to apply directly to Nursing school? Thanks Jim for taking the time to respond!!!! What field of Nursing are you interested in??

moorpark · Mar 9, 2006

It's so do-able! I'm in school now in San Diego. after retiring from the Navy. Good luck.
aloha
Jim

How much school do you have ahead of you? I am sure you have already graduated college..? Do you get to apply directly to Nursing school? Thanks Jim for taking the time to respond!!!! What field of Nursing are you interested in??

casualjim · Mar 10, 2006

Actually when I retired from the Navy, I only had a handful of college classes under my belt. I'm in an associates degree nursing program right now. I'll graduate in the spring of 08. Seems like forever but it's not. Like you, I want to work the ER. I'm fairly used to never knowing what's next from minute to minute so it seems like a logical fit. Whatever you do or decide, good luck to you.

aloha

Jim

nursemike, ASN, RN · Mar 10, 2006

I took 3 calender years to get my Associates Degree in Nursing, but the first year was only four classes, to overcome academic deficits from my first try at college when I was much, much younger. I'm a big fan of the community college/ASN route, because it allows you to become a working RN in the least time, but there are some strong arguments to be made for a BSN, especially if you plan to go beyond bedside nursing. My fellow newbies include ASNs, BSNs, and LPNs, and in truth I have yet to see anyone hit the floor as Supernurse, but with a lot of help from our mentors, we're all starting to get it. Nursing school is hard, and the work is (in some ways) harder, but it's very rewarding.

If you do decide on an associates program, there are lots of ways to go from RN (ASN) to BSN, which is what I plan to do, eventually.

P.S. Several of my classmates went straight from school to critical care--ICU or ER. For some, it seems to be working out okay, but others have found wisdom in the traditional view that you should get a couple of years of med-surg floor nursing before you go into critical care. From my own experience, orienting to med-surg is hard enough.