(!!!) From Accounting to Nursing: I'm in Louisville, KY and Need Your Advice (!!!)

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Specializes in I have an interest in Travel and OB/L&D.

Last year, I graduated from Bellarmine University with a BA in accounting and an MBA degree. To make a long story short, I absolutely HATE accounting and the cubicle-desk jobs, and I would like to become a nurse. I want to make a difference in others' lives and to interact with more people. Plus, I've always had an interest in the health/sciences field...I don't know why I went to school for accounting... I think because I saw that it was an easy way out of school.

Anyway, this is what I'm thinking about doing...please let me know if this plan sounds good:

I have applied to Bellarmine's accelerated 2nd degree BSN program for Spring 2009. All I need to take is 5 courses for prerequisites. I plan on taking 1 class each semester at Jefferson Community College up until May 2009. I currently work at UPS full-time as an industrial engineering specialist (the worst most miserable depressing job I've ever had). I'm making a goal to save up $25,000 by Spring 2009 so I can quit work and dedicate my full time to Bellarmine's nursing program.

Now here are my concerns and questions:

1. What has been your personal experience going through school and working as a nurse in Louisville, KY???

2. After graduating college with an accounting degree, I could not land a public accounting firm position at all. I have interview with other non-CPA companies for accounting positions and could not get those either. I am very scared that this might happen again after going through the nursing program. Does the nursing market in Louisville really have a shortage and is it in high demand of nurses??? I don't want to end up jobless after graduating and passing the NCLEX exam.

3. I have been contemplating whether or not I should become a CNA, but what's holding me back is the fact that a CNA makes around $11-12 an hour here in Louisville and I make more now at my current job...Will becoming a CNA really help jump-start my nursing career before starting the nursing program and before becoming an RN?

4. What is the starting pay for an RN-BSN nurse? Does the pay differ for different departments (ER, OB-GYN, Labor & Delivery, etc.)?

5. Bellarmine's nursing program costs over $35,000. Are there any hospitals that will pay this off or at least most of it off if I contract to work for them for a certain amount of time?

I may have more questions later. Thanks in advance.

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Specializes in ICU/CCU/ER.

First of all, I want to let you know I am and RN in Lexington. Which is a little south of Louisville. But, I have been looking into jobs in Louisville. There is no pay difference in Lexington for ADN or BSN. (My friend did the same thing you did and now she hates her job! She works at a county courthouse now doing absolutely nothing with her acct. degree.) Anyways, you will be able to find a job out of nursing school, I had mine before I even graduated and took NCLEX. There are plenty of nursing jobs in Louisville available. I was an echo tech and an er tech before I ever started nursing school and it helped a great deal. You should be able to find a tech job (pool maybe) making pretty good money if you don't need benefits. I was making 13.00/hr in Lexington. So, good luck and I would encourage you to pursue a career you will love and enjoy!:balloons:

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Specializes in ICU/PCU/Infusion.

You'll have no trouble finding employment as an RN in Louisville, that much I can guarantee! :)

As far as getting a job as a tech, I'd recommend that for sure. Many of the local hospitals (if not all) have $$ available for peeps who are continuing their education onto the RN level. For instance, if you get $2500 from Baptist East, you get the check. You sign an agreement that when you graduate, you will work for them after graduation, and they will say that you paid $500 for each month that you worked for them. So if you get $2500 each semester for a year, (that's the max I think), it'll take you 10 months of working to pay off that "loan". You must complete your contractual obligations or else pay them the total in full. Btw, the $500/mo is taxable income on your paycheck. I have several friends who utilized this.

Personally, I didn't use any facility money at all while in school. I managed to get scholarships and grants to cover most of my schooling. With you having a previous degree, you won't be eligible for grants I don't think.

Bellarmine is very $$, as you pointed out. The difference in pay between ADN and BSN is maybe a .25-.50 an hour.

Spalding offers an accelerated BSN as well for those with other degrees. But their program is also $$$.

Norton's also has a scholar's program, which works much like Baptist's program.

If you're going to be able to save $25K towards your schooling, you're doing great!!

Good luck, and WTG!

:)

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

UL will give you $5000 yr plus money for books. For every 5000 they give you, you owe them a year. If you don't then you just have to pay it back. I reccommend that you have a liitle experience as a CNA. It really helped me. And don't worry there are plenty of jobs out there. Good luck

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
last year, i graduated from bellarmine university with a ba in accounting and an mba degree. to make a long story short, i absolutely hate accounting and the cubicle-desk jobs, and i would like to become a nurse. i want to make a difference in others' lives and to interact with more people. plus, i've always had an interest in the health/sciences field...i don't know why i went to school for accounting... i think because i saw that it was an easy way out of school.

anyway, this is what i'm thinking about doing...please let me know if this plan sounds good:

i have applied to bellarmine's accelerated 2nd degree bsn program for spring 2009. all i need to take is 5 courses for prerequisites. i plan on taking 1 class each semester at jefferson community college up until may 2009. i currently work at ups full-time as an industrial engineering specialist (the worst most miserable depressing job i've ever had). i'm making a goal to save up $25,000 by spring 2009 so i can quit work and dedicate my full time to bellarmine's nursing program.

now here are my concerns and questions:

1. what has been your personal experience going through school and working as a nurse in louisville, ky???

2. after graduating college with an accounting degree, i could not land a public accounting firm position at all. i have interview with other non-cpa companies for accounting positions and could not get those either. i am very scared that this might happen again after going through the nursing program. does the nursing market in louisville really have a shortage and is it in high demand of nurses??? i don't want to end up jobless after graduating and passing the nclex exam.

3. i have been contemplating whether or not i should become a cna, but what's holding me back is the fact that a cna makes around $11-12 an hour here in louisville and i make more now at my current job...will becoming a cna really help jump-start my nursing career before starting the nursing program and before becoming an rn?

4. what is the starting pay for an rn-bsn nurse? does the pay differ for different departments (er, ob-gyn, labor & delivery, etc.)?

5. bellarmine's nursing program costs over $35,000. are there any hospitals that will pay this off or at least most of it off if i contract to work for them for a certain amount of time?

i may have more questions later. thanks in advance.

i have an mba and i loved my accounting classes. i've never tried to work in the field, however. i went and got my mba during a period of extreme burn-out with nursing, but by the time i graduated, i was over the burn out symptoms.

i don't believe i've ever been to louiseville, but i can't believe you'd have difficulty finding a nursing job just about anywhere. it does go in cycles, though. and you'll find that nursing is very flexible in terms of hours of work, geography, specialties and employers. husband got a transfer to anchorage? there's plenty of places to work in anchorage. have a new baby and no babysitter? you work nights, hubby works days and you muddle through without child care. (not a solution i'd be enthusiastic about, but i've known several people who chose to go that route!) have six young children at home and can't afford full time daycare? work part time and have the chance to talk to/interact with adults and get away from the kids part of the week. hubby wants to start his own business and won't have benefits? you can cover the whole family.

working as a cna may be helpful in a lot of ways -- you'll learn the basics -- how to clean up poop, change an occupied bed, tell a patient "no" and deal with visitors. that's good experience to have. plus you'll get an up close and personal view of what nurses actually do. but if you're making a lot more money doing what you're doing, then do what you do. i became a nurse without one iota of actual cna or volunteer experience, and although there were times i really wished i'd had that experience, in the end i did ok. if you have the time you might think of volunteering in your local hospital to get more of an idea what nurses do.

you can research starting pay on line if no one is willing or able to tell you. sometimes, you can get into the human resources web sites for different hospitals in your area and get an idea of the pay scale and the benefits packages. pay varies more with experience than with specialty within the hospital. and some areas pay more than others. you'll probably find that most hospitals within a geographic area are comparable in pay although the benefits may vary. but again, check the employment websites for the hospitals you're interested in.

you may find that if you work for a hospital as a cna, they'll be willing to contribute to your nursing school tuition, but usually you have to sign a contract to work for them for x number of months or years after you graduate. it's something to check into, for sure.

good luck!

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Specializes in I have an interest in Travel and OB/L&D.
i have an mba and i loved my accounting classes. i've never tried to work in the field, however. i went and got my mba during a period of extreme burn-out with nursing, but by the time i graduated, i was over the burn out symptoms.

i don't believe i've ever been to louiseville, but i can't believe you'd have difficulty finding a nursing job just about anywhere. it does go in cycles, though. and you'll find that nursing is very flexible in terms of hours of work, geography, specialties and employers. husband got a transfer to anchorage? there's plenty of places to work in anchorage. have a new baby and no babysitter? you work nights, hubby works days and you muddle through without child care. (not a solution i'd be enthusiastic about, but i've known several people who chose to go that route!) have six young children at home and can't afford full time daycare? work part time and have the chance to talk to/interact with adults and get away from the kids part of the week. hubby wants to start his own business and won't have benefits? you can cover the whole family.

working as a cna may be helpful in a lot of ways -- you'll learn the basics -- how to clean up poop, change an occupied bed, tell a patient "no" and deal with visitors. that's good experience to have. plus you'll get an up close and personal view of what nurses actually do. but if you're making a lot more money doing what you're doing, then do what you do. i became a nurse without one iota of actual cna or volunteer experience, and although there were times i really wished i'd had that experience, in the end i did ok. if you have the time you might think of volunteering in your local hospital to get more of an idea what nurses do.

you can research starting pay on line if no one is willing or able to tell you. sometimes, you can get into the human resources web sites for different hospitals in your area and get an idea of the pay scale and the benefits packages. pay varies more with experience than with specialty within the hospital. and some areas pay more than others. you'll probably find that most hospitals within a geographic area are comparable in pay although the benefits may vary. but again, check the employment websites for the hospitals you're interested in.

you may find that if you work for a hospital as a cna, they'll be willing to contribute to your nursing school tuition, but usually you have to sign a contract to work for them for x number of months or years after you graduate. it's something to check into, for sure.

good luck!

i think you misread what i said in my original post... i'm having a hard time finding an accounting position!!! because of this, i'm worried about finding a nursing position if i decided to pursue nursing. but just recently, i have started to develop an interest in pharmacy again. by the way, i don't have any children and i'm unmarried. thanks for sharing your post.

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LadyJ- I know this post has been up for a couple months but I too am in Louisville and plan on getting an accelerated 2nd degree BSN. I have a BFA in Illustration and have had NO luck finding a job here (though I expected as much!). However, me and my hubby now have a 15 mo old and the idea of moving to NY or Chicago away from all our family breaks my heart. I have always loved science and loved the anatomy courses I took for drawing so I thought this would be a good option for me. I also have about 6 prereq's I need to take. I'm hoping to get into UofL's accelerated program which also begins May 2009 (can't have all prereqs finished by summer 08). UofL is much less expensive than Bellarmine (I think it's about $3600/semester) and lasts 15 months as opposed to Bellarmine's 12 mo program. For me 3 extra months is worth the money especially since I don't qualify for grants since I already have an undergrad degree! I will probably apply to Bellarmine too though so that I have more chances and options. Good luck with your prereqs (they're probably similar to the ones I need considering your degree)!

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Melissa, I also got a degree in art and had very little luck finding a job. Hence, I went back to school and got a nursing degree. =)

Anyway, I concur with everyone else here. Nursing degree, pretty much = job.

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I got my degree in communications because I wanted to get out of school. I have a decent job making an average salary in Louisville, but I'm sitting in a cubicle all day and I absolutely HATE IT!!!! I am very much a people person and a helper of humanity so I have decided to return to school to pursue my BSN. I will be taking the prereqs at JCC and possibly some at UL. I will be applying to the accelerated programs at Spalding, Bellarmine, and UL (I want to make sure I get in some where next year in 2009).

If you go to the Norton Healthcare website they have information on their about all the programs/scholarships they offer nurses.

My only concern is that I will still have to work while attending nursing school - although my current employer offers work at home positions- so I am really hoping that I can take advantage of that while in nursing school. I have a young child and can't afford to lose my healthcare benefits.

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That is so me!! I have a BA in Accounting- worked as an Accountant for past6 years and i hate it. Moved to Tennessee and the wages suck for Accountants- Why get my CPA when i am not happy? i am currently getting my pre-reqs for nursing school and i cant wait to start in Jan. I will be working full-time taking classes online RODP program- yoiu can do it

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Specializes in Nurse Educator; Family Nursing.

Excuse me if I weigh in here, but I just couldn't let it go by. . .SweetladyJ, keep your job at UPS and work to get the money you need for the program you have chosen. Becoming a CNA will not be in your best interest. Believe me, as a nurse educator in the L'ville area, I know how many bad habits people have to unlearn in nursing programs that they learned before entering their nursing program. Why carry all that "baggage"? You will be taught the bedside skills you need in the program and you will learn the evidence based practices, not something that someone has been "doing that way for years".

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What a great post to finally start contributing to the forums! I'm in a very similar shape that several of you are in. I graduated from UofL in 97 with a BA in Communication. I never used my degree. In fact, I enlisted in the US Army in 1999 in order to repay my Stafford loans. While in the Army, my MOS (job) was Surgery Tech, so that's pretty much how my interest in nursing began. I still work as a surg tech at Baptist Regional in Corbin,KY. I'm applying for next fall's nursing program at EKU within the next couple of months. Even if I'm not accepted the first time, I plan on knocking out a few of the classes that I never got around to taking at UofL, such as Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology etc. I think I can answer a few of your questions though. First, I would look into a less expensive program such as UofL or Jefferson Technical. Bellarmine may carry a more elite name, but at the end of the day, the paycheck will be the same as the nurse who graduated from Jefferson or UofL. I really don't think you will have a problem at all with finding a job. My friend's wife was hired at Suburban only a week or so out of school. I'm not exactly sure what the starting pay is in Louisville. In Corbin, they are starting new grads around $19 an hour. Baptist East may start at a similar rate because they both hospitals are part of the Baptist Healthcare system. I'm not sure what you are making at UPS, but if you can sock that much money away, then it must be a very livable salary..but I'm sure being single helps. If you start having problems with tuition, I think it's a very good idea to seek employment at the local hospitals. I know it's been posted in this thread, but Baptist Healthcare does pay $2500 a year towards reimbursement. Most Technician jobs, such as Surgery,Radiology, require a 2 year program. One option is ER Tech, I'm almost sure it does not require any degree, and ER requires 24 hour staffing..so you will have some choices in shift work. I'm against CNA work as well, I think we'll get plenty of basic nursing experience in clinicals and during the first few years. Finally, congrats on choosing nursing. Believe it or not, I looked into an Accounting program a few months ago. Fortunately, I had plenty of advice deterring me from jumping into it. Plus, I woke up one morning and reminded myself that I hated crunching numbers all day and working in a cubicle farm. Please keep us updated....

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