Considering changing careers

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hello, I am a 27 year old single mom to a 6 year old son. I have been in the banking/accounting field for over 6 years now. I am seriously considering switching careers to nursing. I do not have any degrees. I have about 70 college credits, mostly business and a few pre reqs for the nursing program. I have always been interested in the medical field but did not think it was possible for me to pursue it with having to work full time. I recently had a discussion with my dad (we both live with my dad), I explained to him that I don’t see myself in the accounting field forever and would like to do something more with my life and have something more stable & make more money so I can move out with my son. He said he wants me to be happy and be able to eventually provide for myself and my son which is my goal as well. I live in NYC and make about $43,000 a year which after taxes is about $29,000 and that’s not a livable salary in NYC. Nurses where I am start at about $60,000. I don’t want to struggle for the rest of my life. I want to be able to help people and do something more fulfilling. I know it’s not a glamorous job. I know the hours are long and sometimes you don’t always get the nicest patients. I have 4 nurses in my family. I just don’t know if I am being selfish for wanting to take this risk & quit my job. I am also extremely nervous for nursing school because I hear horror stories but I wouldn’t have a job, so I would just be focusing on school and my son. I would be finished with the program Spring 2023 with an associates in nursing and I would continue to go for my bachelors while working. Anyone experienced similar feelings? Do you regret it? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Sorry this post is so long!

Thanks so much!

1 Votes
Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

My advice is to be very careful in your choice of schools. I don't know the schools in New York ... but do your research before making any commitments.

You are exactly the type of student who is sometimes victimized by the worst schools out there -- a single mother without much money, who may be looking for the easiest, fastest, cheapest way to become an RN. Such schools will take your money and provide you with a sub-standard education. You will have bad experiences in school and get your nursing career off to a bad start, ending up with a degree from a school that is not respected -- if you graduate at all.

Do your homework and find a school with a good reputation for providing its students with a positive experience and a strong nursing foundation. If you are going to do it, do it right and get a good education that will be worth the time, energy and money that you will be investing.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

7 Votes

You can try taking some prerequisite courses at CUNY and see how you do in the classes. BMCC has great options for evening & weekend classes. I took these classes as well while working full time and the benefit is that they also transfer over reducing your debt load if you get into a private school RN school. You can look into taking CUNY prereqs and then trying to get into a school like SPSON which has evening schedule. The downside is it will take a bit longer. There are other options as well such as getting your LPN at a school like LAGCC and then working as LPN while bridging to RN. You could also try making an investment into CNA school and getting a feel for the nursing world before you go all in only to realize you don't like being a nurse. There are many many ways to become a nurse.

2 Votes

If you can do it while you're young and have the advantage of living with your Dad, assuming that living with him is a help to you both financially and with child care, then you are not being selfish, but are making an investment for you and your kid. I 100% agree to be careful about the school you choose and not get roped in by a school that gives you a nice sales pitch.

Investing time into a CNA course will help you get your feet wet in the nursing world.

3 Votes

Thanks for the feedback.

I would probably apply to the nursing program at Queensborough Community College or Nassau Community College. I hear great things about both programs.

If anyone here has attended either one I would love to hear your experience!

1 Votes
Specializes in Dialysis.

You will most likely need a BSN in NYC-or be prepared to move, per many threads on here, as ASN/ADN nurses are not in high demand, in fact NYC, like most large metro areas, are oversaturated with new nurses. Do your homework on that as well. Many on here in your area with a BSN struggle to find a job. Research before you make the jump. Good luck!

3 Votes

Yes I would absolutely do it however just make sure if possible you have a stable home life to go back home to. I never thought I would end up revoked however I am finding nearly countless revoked nurses and without income in it you go broke and lose everything unless you can find a job you can live with doing full time if you can make ends meet. Being single in this world is no fun cause two incomes under one roof you can survive but just one income for one roof is very hard... plus a car food and everything else

Go for a lpn fast track if you want to try two years of education in nursing at once

1 Votes
On 12/7/2019 at 7:37 PM, Fun4two said:

revoked nurses

On 12/7/2019 at 7:37 PM, Fun4two said:

countless revoked nurses

Why are all these nurses getting revoked? I thought there has to be some major issues to get your license revoked?

2 Votes

I looked some up recently and it was for very minor errors in medication administration..... basically over the counter medication dosage error.... some are severe and need to be revoked.... I was not going to the doctor however I have been going to my mental health provider for 5 years straight now

1 Votes

I went back to school for nursing at 45 after working in banking/finance and staying home with my kids for a few years. I basically had to start over with classes since my business degree did not include much science. It was the best decision I ever made. I decided to get an associates degree at a community college so I could work as an RN sooner and have my employer pay for my BSN which I did. I worked on a very busy joint replacement unit at a great hospital for 2 years and now I am an RN case manager at the same hospital. I absolutely love going to work every day! I never said that about banking. I say go for it!!

2 Votes
22 hours ago, Hoosier_RN said:

You will most likely need a BSN in NYC-or be prepared to move, per many threads on here, as ASN/ADN nurses are not in high demand, in fact NYC, like most large metro areas, are oversaturated with new nurses. Do your homework on that as well. Many on here in your area with a BSN struggle to find a job. Research before you make the jump. Good luck!

This is a really important point.

Unfortunately, there are new grad single moms on this site all of the time who are really struggling due to child care issues. Many are frustrated because they hoped they'd be able to find day shift jobs, but discovered that night shift was the only option available as a new grad (especially in the hospital setting).

As of right now that isn't an issue since you can stay with your dad. However, will you have a contingency if you are unable to find a job in NYC? If it turns out that you need to move away from the city for a year or two as a new grad in order to find work, what will that mean for your finances and your childcare situation? What will happen if you need to move away from your family and you're working night shift?

I don't want to deter you from nursing because it is a great, flexible, diverse profession. However, it breaks my heart to see the same story over and over again on AN of single moms who are struggling to work nights with a limited childcare support network. If you can't find work as an inexperienced new grad ADN in NYC and have to move away from your dad, will you have a back-up plan?

I'd carefully consider that possibility before you find yourself tens of thousands of dollars in debt from student loans.

Wishing you luck and clarity as you make this decision.

2 Votes

I have been admitted to SPSON and was planning on getting my BSN at Capella FlexPath right after. Do you think this is a bad plan and I will not be able to land a job? I already have my bachelors degree but this route would still be cheaper than many ABSN programs in NYC which is why I chose this route. Also, SPSON is ridiculously close to my house so I don't have to worry about commuting. Should I give up any hope of landing a job after graduating from there?

1 Votes
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