Burnt Out STNA looking for direction

Nurses General Nursing

Published

:(

im 44 and have been a stna , started out as a pca in 1983

i have worked in home health and critial care , from the emergency room to icu

and even home health care

im getting burned out

i dont know what path to take

to go for the lpn or rn

or take another field in the medical like respitory therapist

i love the medical field

love the patients

hate the drauma and polictics of working a regular job in a hospital setting

im with the agency and i float perdieum

but it not enough hours

i want a better salary

i have alot of skills but im just stagnating as a stna

can you offer any good suggestions

for what i can do ?

ok i will confess i havent taken the nursing entrance exam CAUSE I SUCK AT MATH

and i have anxiety

im great in everything else have all the prequets , and ready to go

HELP !!!

angel wings

ps im single and what i make is barely getting me buy

and i want to finish school

its easier when you have a spouse to help

doing this alone is so hard .

i want a more stable financial future

when i get older

help the clock is ticking !

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

I would think that being single would be to your advantage, since you don't have a relationship to maintain, and thus can focus as much of your attention as you please on your education.

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not when you have to pay all the bills

and collge and go to work

its no that easy

sure you can focus on self

i dont make enough as a stna to do all this

how will i get through college ?

i finished the prequests

but i lived with my parents for 1 year on a cold back porch

and worked part time to pay for my classes

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

I worked full time, raised two kids as a single parent, and took out student loans during nursing school. I know it's hard.

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Take the loans you need. I was 45 when I went back to school for an accelerated RN. It was very hard but 2 years later it has paid off. I have a job I love with minimal politics. I think you will feel much better about yourself if you start moving forward again.

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thank you , i love working in the E.d where i am a stna

just dont like the pay

and i know i would be a good and compassionate lpn or rn

i guess i have to take that leap of faith and go

get that lpn degree ! im 44 so that is a nice complement

i just feel like im too old to go into rn school

but i see lots of older rns

in their 50s and even 60s

i would have loved to do it in my 20s but that was a bad time for me

divorced 3 children trying to raise alone

and welfare

i finally got my stna in 2005 and my phlebo liscense

so theres only one more thing laft to do go for it as a lpn or rn !

:D

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

You're only too old if you think you are!

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At least apply to an lpn/rn program. You get the LPN in phase I and in phase II you complete the RN.

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Specializes in LTC, Memory loss, PDN.

Most of us, if not all, experience burn out at one time or another. The fact that you posted your message shows that you are well equipped to successfuly deal with this. My suggestion for you is to try and enroll in the PN program. The wages are (in those states that I have worked) significantly higher and you would have a running start due to your STNA experince. Your age is an advantage, not a problem. You have more life experience and you know what you want. Besides student loans, you can look for grants and other assistance programs.

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