Does it seem like EVERYONE is trying to be a nurse?

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I've been contemplating going back to school to do prereq's for nursing. All of a sudden it seems like everyone I know is going to be a nurse! Does anyone else see this? Four girls I work with, about fifteen friends on Facebook, and at least 1 or 2 random people a week.

Do you think this has to do with the recession? Are people just all going back to school to get a healthcare career for more job security? I can't think of why else this would be happening so quickly??

i've never felt this way... and i live on the health occupations floor at my school and volunteer at a hospital. well, in my health and human services class, more than half the class is pre-nursing but thats obvious. i keep hoping people will just think it's too hard and stop trying so i can get my spot! lol i don't even like saying my major is "pre-nursing" because people always say "oh it's so hard to get into a nursing school!" or "i would change my major if i were you" =/ i've never been so motivated in my life and i feel like i still won't be good enough but it's just my first semester so we'll see.

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Specializes in ICU + Infection Prevention.

People think that nursing is an easy guaranteed good paying secure job that you can go do the bare minimum to scrape by and collect your paycheck.

They will eventually find out that it's a very difficult, hard-to-get, ok paying job that you'd better be in for the right reasons.

Also, if you are taking prenursing classes, you'll meet even more gonna-be-an-RN types since they naturally take prenursing classes too.

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I don't think it matters why people pursue nursing, as long as they come out as great nurses. There has to be an understanding that different people are motivated by different things. Passion for some, money for others and there is nothing wrong with that. As far as everyone wanting to become a nurse, I can see that to a certain extent. Job security, decent wages, and many career options are attractive benefits for most people, myself included. However, like many others, I love to help people and want to spend my life doing that. Nursing was not my first choice, but because of a COMBINATION of things, it is the best choice.

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People think that nursing is an easy guaranteed good paying secure job that you can go do the bare minimum to scrape by and collect your paycheck.

They will eventually find out that it's a very difficult, hard-to-get, ok paying job that you'd better be in for the right reasons.

Also, if you are taking prenursing classes, you'll meet even more gonna-be-an-RN types since they naturally take prenursing classes too.

I can't say that I agree with your assessment. Nursing, however, is one of the highest paying jobs you can get with "only" an associates degree.

Most associate degrees are essentially worthless. In most fields, you need that bachelors to get hired.

That being said.... I have a BE-EE. I have been programming MF computers for the past 18 years. I make significant $. I am going into nursing now. Nursing will be a pay cut. Why would I do this?

I am tired of being laid off every 2 - 3 years.

My income has been stagnant for 15 years.

Tired of sitting in a cubicle farm.

You can't ship nursing jobs to India or China!

I'm too old to go to med school....and my first GPA would preclude that anyway! LOL!

I am not in it for the passion. To some extent, one could say that I am in it for the $....it is the most $ you can earn with the least investment of your own $ and time! IMHO, I am in it for the right reasons! My reasons are just not your reasons. :D And I don't believe *anyone* seeing what is required for pre-reqs alone would think that this is EASY!

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Specializes in Infusion.

I agree it seems like everyone is going into nursing, or at my school right now, all 3 medical program are equally full, nursing, rad tech and surg tech. I found out yesterday that the waiting list for the LPN is 2 years!!! I still have about 4 classes to do before I can get on the waitlist. CNA is a requirement as part of the pre-reqs too.

I have to say I am surprised at the amount of men that have been in bio and now anatomy that were fishermen, construction workers...etc.

I think where you place your attention, you will notice it more.....for example when I thought I might have been pregnant the first time......suddenly it seemed everything and everyone around me was pregnant or talking about pregnancy......and the same holds true when you decided to go back to school....and go into a certain career...now you are suddenly noticing everything and everyone talking about going to school and or becoming a nurse....it's where your attention is right now, and you are thinking about it all the time.

DH has done tonnes of research on the economy (for years already...he predicted this housing market crash 10 years ago)......and I agree with a previous poster that the baby boomers have not retired yet...and once they do....there will be a huge surplus of jobs for nursing. I am glad there are so many of us going to school right now....because the thought of being a nurse when all of these people get old and need healthcare, is terrifying if there are not enough experienced nurses to take care of them.

One projection I read about was a predicted 800,000 jobs in the US alone by 2020. That is HUGE!!

There are not enough of us Gen X's and echo's to take the baby boomer's places....

I remember talking with my high school advisor about health care back in the 80's, she told me it would be too competitive and I would be better off going into travel or something which was up and coming!! HAHA!!! I worked as a travel agent and with air canada for 10 years before agencies started closing up....went into computers...as that was the next guaranteed hot job....yeah...we all know how that went! LOL!!!

Now at 38 years old, I am finally going back to what I originally always wanted...health care.....I admit I first wanted to be a doctor..but now with small kids and almost 40....I just don't want to deal with residency and the length of time it takes to get there......that is why I have decided on nursing....

Sorry for the long post! Just had lots to say on this! LOL!!

Have a great day!

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But with a shortage of experienced nurses now leading to higher stress and more responsibility...won't an even BIGGER shortage lead to making it an even higher stress job?

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At the school I am now attending it seems everyone is trying to get into nursing. 90% of the people in the three classes I have taken are in the nursing program or had plans to apply.

I have a class A driver license and I think nursing is similar to truck driving. Truckers and nurses seem to switch from job to job because they are never satisfied and always looking for more money. Truckers complain about dispatch and nurses the administration. Truckers complain about nafta and mexican truckers, nurses complain about MA's. Because truckers and nurses switch jobs often the employers have to spend a lot of money retraining.

Due to the media everyone thinks there is a shortage of truck drivers and nurses. Maybe it is just me but it seems everyone is trying to get into nursing school or truck driving school. It costs around $5K to go to a 2 week driving school and it costs $7K to go to a 2 yr. nursing school. That is pretty cheap if you figure you can make $30K-$40K a year after graduation.

After looking at the challenges of going back to school and the difficulty of getting a job after graduation I have decided to chance it with nursing. I think I have a good chance because I have a good work ethic, I am male, and I speak spanish. I'll know better in two years.

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In our school the all the anatomy, physiology and micro classes were filled the first day they were open for registration.

I'm now driving 45mins to another school to take mine.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.
In our school the all the anatomy, physiology and micro classes were filled the first day they were open for registration.

I'm now driving 45mins to another school to take mine.

That happened to me too this semester, but i just had to drive 20 mins to go to the other school for A&P. I'm glad I got closed out of my other school with A&P, because I got great teachers and I have an A in that class. We got to do what we got to do so we don't get kept back another semester.

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That is too funny!!!! I'm glad I took the physiology class 45 mins away! My teacher was the best, I learned a lot and got a "A";)

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In our school the all the anatomy, physiology and micro classes were filled the first day they were open for registration.

I'm now driving 45mins to another school to take mine.

Same thing where I got to school. They give priority registration for a week to currently enrolled students. The first day A&P I, A&P II, and Micro fill up. That sucks for anyone who wasn't a student the semester prior.The only way to get into the class is moniter the internet hourly, or wait until the drops for non payment happen. That is how I got into the classes I needed last summer.

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I'll try that. I'm going to still enroll in micro in the 45min-drive school incase I don't get in the local college.

Thank you for the advice.

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