Random Nursing Question for all on getting started

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Hello all! First of all I apologize in advanve for what may seem an ignorant or naive question. I am a senior in college and a recently declared Corporate Communications major.(business marketing mumbo jumbo)I work part time in marketing and am very good at it, but cant see myself doing it forever. As you may tell by the "recently declared" part, I am not sure this is exactly what I want to do. My mother is a RN of 40 yrs and I have always had this urge to follow in her footsteps but never followed through. I have come to a point being a scared senior not ready to be thrown out into the real world realizing I want nothing to do with my major. I want to follow my mother, not for her but for myself and work in the pre-natal field. The root of my question IS... how do I go about doing so with out wasting four years of my life at a very good school to do what I will be happy doing? Has anyone been in my position? I have a Friend who is in her senior year at the University of New Hampshire and already doing clinicals and working in a Hospital and she really enjoys it. I would hate to have to live a life in a career which I am very good at but dont love. Is there a way to avoid starting over? Thank in advance for youre feedback and thank you for listening!!

~Whitney:heartbeat

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I think you should do whatever your heart is telling you. Nursing is such a flexible, good paying, fulfilling job that I can't imagine your Mom wouldn't be very supportive if you told her you wanted to pursue it. Perhaps she could set up a shadow day at her hospital so you can see first hand what goes on and make a more informed decision. Now a days it isn't unusual for people to have more than one career in their lifetime so I say go for it and if it doesn't suit you make a change. Best wishes, Jules

Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.

I finished an undergraduate degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, worked a few years and then went back to nursing school It is never too late to change you major or pick up another!

I havent been in your position since I started pre reqs for NS right out of high school BUT there are many people currently in my program that have chosen nursing as 2nd careers. Many others have bachelor degrees in other fields and like you, realized a little later in life that nursing is what they want to do. Unfortunatly, Im not sure what you mean by saying " is there a way to avoid starting over"... you mean a whole other 4 years of college?? If that is what you mean, well........ the pre reqs for my BSN program took me 2 years to complete, however GE's were mixed in as well and I know some (crazy/motivated) people that were able to get the pre reqs done in 1 year, but its pretty tough. From the pre reqs on, my program is a 3 year program for a BSN, so obviously if you do the math thats 5 years in college. HOWEVER, if you do an ADN program, the pre reqs are the same im pretty sure (as for the sciences and what not) but I think RN programs are 2 years long...Also, i think there are accelerated BSN programs for people who already have degrees in other fields, but im not familiar with these programs at all. This is getting lengthy but I think the point of all this was to say, I dont think there is any way to "avoid starting over", unless you already have some of the pre reqs done... Nursing is very different from marketing so you may have to start over, but if its truly what you want to do, i say go for it!!!! Follow your heart.

Good luck with your decision!

:redbeathe A.

Specializes in ED/trauma.

Ever since I was a junior in high school (up until 3 years ago), I wanted to be a surgeon. When I started university in 1998, I was a bio (pre-professional) major. After the first semester, I was scared poop-less and switched to undeclared. I did that for one semester while exploring other options. I'd always thought about nursing -- but never seriously! I didn't want someone to give ME orders. I wanted to be the one giving orders! So, after some searching, I decided on management information systems (see also: the computer side of business) because (a) I had an extensive computer background and (b) thought I'd land a 6-figure job easy with the dot-com boom.

So, after spending 5 years getting my FIRST degree in business management (MIS), I got a job in telecom -- very little relation to my degree. All the while, I grew dissatisfied, wondering what I'd ending up doing with my life. After 10 months, I had enough of the M-F 8-5 job where I found little satisfaction. I decided to go back to school for pre-med!

After the first semester of 3 sciences and 2 clinicals, I was burned out! I took 1 semester to reconsider. In the mean-time, I had a girlfriend who was considering the CNA program at our local community college. I decided I needed a break and some way to decide what the heck I really wanted to do and thought that might be a good temporary option. Also, on the side, I had been volunteering at the kidney transplant clinic at our county hospital and at a hospice. Part of what made me even consider being a CNA (which I had no knowledge of prior to this) was my experience with the nurses!

So... one day, my dad and I were having lunch, and I told him I was going to take a semester and do this CNA program at the community college. He point blank asked me, "Why don't you just go to RN school?" That was like a revelation to me! Part of becoming a doctor was to fulfill my father's dreams. This question was essentially him giving me permission to do something else -- to become a nurse -- to follow in the footsteps of the hard-working souls who I'd come to admire so much while volunteering.

With little hesitation, I contacted the nursing department at the university from which I graduated and inquired about enrolling. I started on my pre-reqs (instead of doing the CNA program)... and graduated this past December!

Although, when working with the docs, I often wonder what it would have been like had I taken that different path, I don't regret any moment of it.

My dad often asks me if I regret taking so much time (and money!) to get to where I am now. I say no without a second thought. At 23 (even older than you!), I would have been far too naive and unassertive to go through and complete nursing school. Not that I couldn't have done it, I'm just convinced I couldn't have done it as successfully as I did 4 years later.

Take a good, close look at your life and see what you TRULY want to do and be. If you think nursing might be a better fit for you, then aim for the stars with it! Some may think you've wasted time and money, but -- like me -- I think you've only gained a better perspective on why you truly want to be a nurse. Also, this additional perspective may help prevent you from burning out, like so many young nurses do after 5 or so years.

Also, there are SO many avenues to explore in nursing, it wouldn't be a stretch to think you could apply your current degree experience to some specialty area in nursing -- just like I can with mine and nursing informatics.

Good luck in your decision!

if you finish your current bachelors, you can apply for an accelerated BSN program. these are programs intended for people with a bachelors in a different field that would like to switch to nursing. you'd still hafta do the pre-reqs but the program itself is usually around 18-24 months. they're usually quite intense and don't follow a typical semester schedule but it's prolly the fastest option for someone who already has a bachelors.

Well, I am in a similiar position as well. Well, sorta. I was a marketing major, untraditional student. (I dropped out after my freshmen year and didn't go back until I was 23) So when I went back to college, I thought I still wanted to be in marketing but halfway into the curriculum, I realized I that it wasn't for me. Around this time, I was blessed to see my nephew born. I fell in love with nursing there in the delivery room which is amazing to me because I have always hated hospitals. Anyway, being a Junior already, I didn't want to throw away all the credits that I had but I knew my heart wasn't in it. I thought about finishing my marketing degree and then getting into an accelerated program but that would put me at 4 or 5 more years before I will be doing something I want to do. I also thought about dropping out again, and just getting by ADN, work and get into a bridge program but I really wanted to graduate from my university. The best option for me was to delay my graduation by 2 years and get a BSN from my school. But if I was closer than that to graduation, maybe I would have just entered into a accelerated program. I wish you the best of luck, and just know that you aren't alone. So many people chose nursing as a second career, or a second major, and its such a noble profession...:mad:

Specializes in Adult Stem Cell/Oncology.

I'm pretty much in your boat! I graduated in 2005 with a double major in English Literature and Philosophy with a Religious Studies emphasis. Originally the plan was to work for a year and apply to Ph.D. programs in English since I wanted to become a professor, or at least I thought I did :nuke: I got a job in marketing right after graduation and lasted three months. I hated having a desk job and felt like I was being held in jail! I applied and interviewed for several jobs after that and nothing ever worked out, so I ended up getting a job at a daycare because I love children and also because I had to pay my bills somehow!

I ended up deciding against pursuing my Ph.D. for many reasons....one of the main reasons being that apparently there's barely any jobs for English Ph.D.'s and the pay isn't that good considering the many years of schooling that are involved! I had always wanted to work as a doctor or a nurse but I've always excelled in the humanities and not the sciences, so I told myself at a very young age that I couldn't pursue nursing.....

Towards the end of last spring, I finally decided to pursue nursing, no matter how hard it will be. As of now, I have two prerequisites left and will hopefully be starting nursing school next fall, hopefully at UCLA's Master's Entry Level Program :bowingpur since I would like to put my degree to some use!

I'm working as a nanny right now for pretty good money and living at home to save money for school, etc. It's very frustrating not having a career/my own place, etc. but I know that in the end, it'll be worth it. I cannot wait to become a nurse! :redpinkhe

from a financial standpoint it's also worth considering that once you receive a degree you become ineligible for a lot of scholarships and finanical aid. the nursing advisor at my university actually told everyone considering the nursing program NOT to graduate if they were close to finishing another degree.

my original plan was to finish up my BS in mathematics and then start the ADN program at a community college in the area. after taking the nursing pre-reqs at my university, i came to realize that i wanted the more theory-heavy curriculum of the BSN program at my university rather than the more technical ADN program. as such, i've decided to refrain from graduating and will instead double major in math an nursing. i'm receiving nearly full financial aid for this coming school year so it works out to be quite a bit cheaper than if i'd finished my BS math and paid for my ADN or BSN out of pocket.

Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.

Whit, you are in the perfect position to go for your second degree BSN. Where I live there are several programs including a new one that is associated with a hospital where you do all your clinicals and you do your classes online with a University. It takes just 14 months :) It is faster to get into these programs and you complete them sooner. You are with other students who are also in the same position as you-those who have their degree but are now going for nursing.

If you've never taken anatomy or physiology before or microbiology you will have to take those courses first. Check out your local schools and check online. You will find a lot of information also if you go to your local forum here for your state.

Definitely complete that degree you are in school for. That way you can do an accelerated 2nd degree BSN :) But you might want to start a few of those science courses I mentioned before you graduate just so you can be ready :D Keep us posted on your progress!

Good luck and get going!

Thank you ALL for each and everyone one of your inspiring stories as well as advice! I will befinishing my degree in one year and have already applied for the prereqs for a 15 month nursing program:yeah:! I am so excited and cant wait to talk to you all very soon!!!!!!!!!

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