Second career, nontraditional background NURSES w/UNIQUE HISTORIES!-help our quiz

FockerRN · Mar 3, 2010

[/size]demographic and previous career details:

how long have you been a nurse? 13 months

age? 33

gender?

male

what was your previous career?mechanical engineering

did you receive a college degree in that specialty?yes

how long did you work in your previous career?5.5 years

what was the hardest part about changing careers?losing the income

what was your motivation in changing from your previous career?not happy as an engineer, wanted something more rewarding

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing?

[/size] more in my last couple years of engineering than i have made in the last year

what qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field?

thirst for knowledge, critical thinking skills, math and science background

was your first career in the healthcare field?

no

is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time?

no, someways i think i would have gone to medical school out of college the first time but i needed to try engineering for awhile so i think it has all worked out well

do you regret choosing the nursing field as your second career option?

if i were planning to stay in bedside nursing then yes, the middle school atmosphere between nurses is getting really old

rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing?

8

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier?

had no desire or interest in nursing previously

on being a nurse:

why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline? was headed to medical school but got married and the flexibility of nursing combined with the varied options made it more appealing than pa, pharm, pt etc....

are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape? if i were to stay in bedside too long then i would burn out quickly but not worried about alcohol/drug use.

how do you feel about the glorious american healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or rant!]

7, it has its issues that need to be addressed (americans need to become better consumers of their healthcare and less passive-you want to control costs? then shop around and know what you are getting--we shop diligently for the best deal on the best tv but we don't consider the cost/benefit ratio of being healthy or doing this or that treatment) but it is a better system than many other countries have

on being a nursing student:

did you have another job while in nursing school?

briefly as a cna and a tutor for a couple semesters

what obstacles do you/did you face being a student?

ummm, none? sometimes the nursing system can treat everyone like children so as an adult learner that was a bit frustrating at times

which class is most important for student nurses? physiology and anatomy as prereq's, pathophysiology and pharmacology classes in nursing school, if you don't know anything about the disease process, it's causes and effects then you can't be an effective nurse

which is the least? public health (bsn), leadership (bsn)

what other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take? more and more difficult chemistry, biology, higher level mathematics

Neats, BSN · Mar 3, 2010

demographic and previous career details:

how long have you been a nurse? 14 months

age? 48

gender? female

what was your previous career? health care administrator

did you receive a college degree in that specialty? masters

how long did you work in your previous career? 20 years

what was the hardest part about changing careers? going back to school

what was your motivation in changing from your previous career? always wanted to be nurse

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing? made more

what qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field? health care arena

was your first career in the healthcare field? yes

is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time? no i would not be who i am today

do you regret choosing the nursing field as your second career option? only once when i had a really bad day

rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing? 9

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier? kids

on being a nurse:

why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline? direct patient contact

are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape? no i have great boundaries

how do you feel about the glorious american healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or rant!] i think we have a good system as compared to other countries. we are retired military so we have seen what national health care can do. i do think we need some basic coverage and laws so people do not have to lose their life savings. when we do go national we will lose our competitive edge of medical technology/services and be just like everyone else. i do not want the government telling me my wart is not medically necessary to burn off my hand, national health will do this. lastly we do have national coverage it is called medicare and medicaid...how is this working for us???

on being a nursing student:

did you have another job while in nursing school? no

what obstacles do you/did you face being a student? being older i just had a hard time memorizing

which class is most important for student nurses? assessments

which is the least? medical terminology

what other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take? some type of computer and business class relating to cost saving daily expenditures.

christieb01 · Mar 3, 2010

how long have you been a nurse? just started orientation this monday

age?36

gender?female

what was your previous career?retail management

did you receive a college degree in that specialty?i have a degree in theater, but a bachelor's of any kind was required for my position

how long did you work in your previous career?9 years

what was the hardest part about changing careers?nursing school- required a lot of time away from my family

what was your motivation in changing from your previous career?i wanted a job that would be portable (my husband is usaf, and i wanted a job where i wouldn't have to work 60+ hours/week

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing?so far less, but a lot less hours

what qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field?people skills, delegation

was your first career in the healthcare field? no

is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time?i would have gone to nursing school the first time

do you regret choosing the nursing field as your second career option?no

rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing?previous-2, nursing (so far) 8

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier?i was a stay at home mom for 8 years

on being a nurse:

why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline?love people, enjoy helping people feel better

are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape?burn out- possibly drugs/alcohol- no!

how do you feel about the glorious american healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or rant!]i think it's a work in progress- 5

on being a nursing student:

did you have another job while in nursing school?i was a mom

what obstacles do you/did you face being a student? family responsibilities, husband got deployed, wanted to get all a's but eventually learned that it was ok if i didn't

which class is most important for student nurses? ethics

which is the least? policy

what other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take? i think there should be a math for nurses class, my school did not have one, also, students should have to take public speaking

teensmom · Mar 3, 2010

how long have you been a nurse? 21 months

Age?50

gender?female

What was your previous career?television news editing and shooting

Did you receive a college degree in that specialty?yes

How long did you work in your previous career?25 years

What was the hardest part about changing careers?being a newbie after being an expert

What was your motivation in changing from your previous career? I was injured on the job and had to find a new career.

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing? I made less money

What qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field?sense of humor, forced myself to be organized

Was your first career in the healthcare field?yes

Is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time? I would have gone back to school when my daughter was away for 2 years.

Do you regret choosing the Nursing field as your second career option? not at all

Rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing?9

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier? cost

On being a nurse:

Why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline? always interested in healthcare, nursing model v doctor's model is more fitting for me

Are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? Becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape?I may burn out but I doubt at this late stage I'd become reliant on alcohol or drugs.

How do you feel about the glorious American healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or RANT!]

3, I was without health insurance for years, I made too much money for public insurance but not enough to pay for insurance, there should be basic healthcare for everyone

On being a nursing student:

Did you have another job while in nursing school?no

What obstacles do you/did you face being a student? had a hard time getting loans

Which class is most important for student nurses? psych because you run into psych patients no matter which specialty

Which is the least? med-surg just because I hated it

What other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take? how to get along in the workplace with others different from themselves

SunnyRose · Mar 3, 2010

Demographic and previous career details:

how long have you been a nurse? LPN student about to graduate.

Age? 45

gender? Female.

What was your previous career? Web/graphic designer and technical writer.

Did you receive a college degree in that specialty? Yes.

How long did you work in your previous career? 14 years.

What was the hardest part about changing careers?

Going to back to school. Having homework instead of a life!

What was your motivation in changing from your previous career?

Tired of getting stuck in 1-2 person departments with nowhere to advance career. REALLY tired of working in a cube with computers instead of people!

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing? I will make less money initially, but will even out in about 3-4 years.

What qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field? I am very detail-oriented (OK, a perfectionist). I am good with people, I am good at prioritizing, and I like to be challenged and use my brain and skills.

Was your first career in the healthcare field? No. Retail.

Is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time? Every career I have had (healthcare is major change #5) has contributed to who I am, so, no.

What prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier? Lack of knowledge in the career options available once I became a nurse (not just hospitals/Dr.'s offices). Lack of confidence in my ability to do well in school.

On being a nursing student:

Did you have another job while in nursing school? A grateful "No."

What obstacles do you/did you face being a student? Time, time, time-never enough of it. Personal life is almost zero. Haven't had the grandkid overnight in 6 months.

Which class is most important for student nurses? Tie between Skills and Med-Surg. Skills: hands-on is where you start to feel like a real nurse. Med-Surg: you have to have an idea about what you are looking at.

Which is the least? We have a pretty lean curriculum at our LPN school. Everything is necessary. However, I am baffled by the Speech Class requirement that all the local RN schools have here in E. Tenn.

What other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take? I took all but one RN pre-req before starting LPN school (as has 1/2 my class). I would not have been able to do this without college A&P, because the LPN A&P is so fast and general, yet you need the knowledge for med-surg.

TheCakeIs Good · Mar 3, 2010

how long have you been a nurse? in my last semester of an adn program

age?28

gender?f

what was your previous career? cake decorator!

did you receive a college degree in that specialty? no

how long did you work in your previous career? 10 years

what was the hardest part about changing careers? not being the expert!

what was your motivation in changing from your previous career? i wanted to go to culinary school to get my pastry/baking arts degree, but the jobs available in my area were less than stellar and did not make much more money than i did.... so i decided to challenge myself and take nursing

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing? about the same as a beginning rn

what qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field? people skills, people skills, people skills... and attention to detail

was your first career in the healthcare field? yes

is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time? no, though i would have gone directly into a bsn program instead of an adn

do you regret choosing the nursing field as your second career option? not yet, but i haven't begun!

rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing? 9 vs 5 (i hate to not know everything and thats impossible with nursing)

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier? i never considered this career path because i always thought it was creativity death

on being a nurse:

why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline? the challenge, flexibility, and specialization

are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape? no because i have wonderful support system

how do you feel about the glorious american healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or rant!]

haha..... no comment!

on being a nursing student:

did you have another job while in nursing school? yes, full time, baby's got to pay her bills!

what obstacles do you/did you face being a student? having enough hours in the day

which class is most important for student nurses? a&p, microbiology, a good solid foundation on how things work

which is the least? touchy/feely stuff

what other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take?

math for nurses, more pathophysiology!!

MB37 · Mar 3, 2010

Demographic and previous career details:

how long have you been a nurse? 18 mo

Age? 30

gender? F

What was your previous career? Bartender

Did you receive a college degree in that specialty? No, but I have a prior BS

How long did you work in your previous career? 8 years

What was the hardest part about changing careers? No longer being one of the best in my field, and losing the ready access to cash

What was your motivation in changing from your previous career? I had one of the best jobs imaginable - but the field is so precarious that it was time to learn something new while I was at the top. The older you get, the fewer opportunities you have in the bar business.

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing? Slightly more, at my last job.

What qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field? People skills, "customer service," time management, multitasking

Was your first career in the healthcare field? No

Is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time? I would have majored in something different the first time I went to school, so I didn't waste an entire degree.

Do you regret choosing the Nursing field as your second career option? Not yet

Rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing? 7

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier? Never thought about it when I was young. The public perception that nurses don't need a ton of education, and are just "doctor's helpers" led to the profession not crossing my mind until I was older and actually got to know some RNs.

On being a nurse:

Why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline? So many opportunities to advance

Are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? Becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape? No

How do you feel about the glorious American healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or RANT!]

It's broken, and we need universal single payer health care yesterday.

On being a nursing student:

Did you have another job while in nursing school? I continued to bartend, although for much less than I used to make

What obstacles do you/did you face being a student? It was just time consuming.

Which class is most important for student nurses? Med surg, patho

Which is the least? Ethical/legal, leadership

What other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take?

313RN, BSN, RN · Mar 3, 2010

how long have you been a nurse?

age? 39

gender? male

what was your previous career? outside sales (b2b)

did you receive a college degree in that specialty? yes. bs, marketing/sales

how long did you work in your previous career? 15 years

what was the hardest part about changing careers? $0 income for the year of nursing school

what was your motivation in changing from your previous career? deepening recession in michigan, continued commoditization of my industry, desire for career stability and broader opportnites for growth and employment.

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing? should be pretty close, maybe a little less as a nurse if ot is added in on average. to exceed top years i will need to earn my dnp.

what qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field? people skills primarily. i don't mind taking difficult patients or families because i have thick salesman skin and the tools to manage them.

was your first career in the healthcare field? nope.

is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time? i think i would have looked into dental school. spent some time in that industry and the income of an endodontist or orthodontist is almost staggering.

do you regret choosing the nursing field as your second career option? not at all. i think that i'll eventually move inot a midlevel provider role in the next 6-7 years though.

rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing? oh, probably a 6-7 before, 7-8 as an rn. there is no perfect job, it's what you make of them.

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier? no desire really. family had other ideas for me and i went alog with their recommendations.

on being a nurse:

why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline? i was able to earn my bsn in an accelerated program in 12 months. no other disicplines had that kind of fast-track entry.

are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape? if i burn out, i burn out. again, there is no perfect job. but i have a family to provide for and i am capable of doing whatever is necessary to do that. substance abuse is the least of my worries. it's just not in me to seek escape that way.

how do you feel about the glorious american healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or rant!] it's terrible, probably a 7. but it's still better than the alternatives.

my biggest issue is with insurance.

first, insurance is just that, insurance. it's there to cover you when things go really wrong. your auto insurance will fix your car after a wreck. but we don't expect it to negotiate the price of gas, tires, wiper blades or tune ups for us. we don't expect our homeowners insurance to take care of the landscaping, buy paint or change our furnace filters either.

yet we expect our health "insurance" to pay for all of our medical expenses. why is that?

next, insurance compaines. they have an incredibly powerful lobby in wahington and in most state capitols. that lobby does everything within it's power to ensure that laws are written to protect insurers. they have too much influence on the debate and too much influence on policy.

insurance companies also complain about rising health care costs. what is hard to understand is where those costs are rising? does anyone know of any cost, salary, operating or capital expenditure that has increased more than 3-4% last year? so where are the costs coming from?

i believe it's because we allow insurers to determine the prices of healthcare services instead of allowing the market to set them fairly. an md may bill an insurer $50 for a lab test. the insurer then decided that test is only with $15 and the md is out $35.

let's take this same scenario and apply it to buying groceries. what if you took a full cart of food for a family of four to the checkout and when the cashier was done ringing it up the total was $156.87. you then take the bill, go through it line by line and tell them what you're willing to pay. in the end you pay the grocery store $67.45 i can pretty well guarantee that the next time you went to the store a gallon of milk would cost $50.

i think tort reform might also be a good idea. i like the european model of "loser pays". that means the loser pays the court costs of the winner. this would put a real damper on frivolous law suits, and fewer attorneys would be willing to take weak cases looking for settlements or on a contingent basis.

there's more that needs to happen on the consumer end, but that's an efort of generations.

on being a nursing student:

did you have another job while in nursing school? no. there's no working in a 12 month absn.

what obstacles do you/did you face being a student? loss of income was the hardest thing. at times choices had to be made between family time and studies.

which class is most important for student nurses? med/surg, peds, ob- the core or nursing.

which is the least? some of the theory courses. they're ncie to have, but a litle like sociology. they might inform a converation, but have little direct or immediate aplication.

what other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take? i'd almost like to see the minimum entry into nursing be an msn. other specialties have done it and it gives them a greater amount of credibility within the healthcare arena (pt, ot, soc work). pt and pharm are now treding towards doctorates. an adn is fighting out of his or her weight class in that area.

if not then i would like to see more management training. nursing schools turn out good nurses but often lousy managers. i'd like to see more managing/leading taught. i'd also like to see employers work to develop good nurse managers.

LizBSN2010 · Mar 3, 2010

demographic and previous career details:

how long have you been a nurse? less than one year

age? 29

gender? female

what was your previous career? state government: made the medical decision on social security disability claims

did you receive a college degree in that specialty? not really

how long did you work in your previous career? 5 1/2 years

what was the hardest part about changing careers? losing my income/benefits as i went to school and throughout the job search

what was your motivation in changing from your previous career? more options, better schedule, better working environment

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing? the same

what qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field? working with others, organizational skills, time management, understanding of medical conditions

was your first career in the healthcare field? no

is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time? maybe become a nurse sooner; however my maturity level and dedication now is not nearly like it was when i was 18 :)

do you regret choosing the nursing field as your second career option? not for a second

rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing? so much more happier now. previous career: 6 (10 being best) nursing: 9

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier? never even considered it. didn't really know what nursing was. didn't know what kinds of opportunities nursing had.

on being a nurse:

why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline? just called to me. offered what i wanted out of life.

are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? yes becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape? no

how do you feel about the glorious american healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or rant!] ha. haha. hahahaha.

on being a nursing student:

did you have another job while in nursing school? no

what obstacles do you/did you face being a student? family life is much different the second time around.

which class is most important for student nurses? clinicals! patho!!

which is the least? stats

what other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take? can't think of anything at the top of my head, although i'm sure there's something.

MauraRN · Mar 3, 2010

Hi everyone, I am writing on behalf of a group of 4 seniors attending a AA RN program in NYC.

My group and I are a conducting a brief, informal, & utterly unscientific survey for our "Transitions to Professional Nursing" class
You may have guessed the topic already; second career nurse. I realize there are many other posts on allnurses that cover this topic to varying degrees, and we are pulling data from those threads as well. However, the below list of questions are what we are curious about and hopefully covers some new ground.
All answers you provide will be used to quiz our class during the required 45 minute presentation. So, have fun answering and help us stump the class with your unexpected and unique answers.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

(copy paste questions you choose to answer and post in your response)

Demographic and previous career details:
how long have you been a nurse?
3.5yrs

Age
53

gender?
female

What was your previous career?
Commercial real estate paralegal, broker, college instructor

Did you receive a college degree in that specialty?
sort of; BA in Political Science/pre-law

How long did you work in your previous career?
20 years

What was the hardest part about changing careers?
the actual decision

What was your motivation in changing from your previous career?
finding some meaning in life? duh

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing?
more

What qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field?
humor

Was your first career in the healthcare field?
no

Is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time?
I would not have done nursing, perhaps a different area of healthcare

Do you regret choosing the Nursing field as your second career option?
yes

Rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing?
previous 5. nursing down from an 8 to a 2

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier?
money, brains, family

On being a nurse:
Why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline?
I thought it would be great to work as a team with mostly women after a career with mostly men
I really love the elder population, just can't stand the way they are being treated

Are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? Becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape?
Burn out has occured

How do you feel about the glorious American healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or RANT!]
0

On being a nursing student:
Did you have another job while in nursing school?
mom

What obstacles do you/did you face being a student?
crazy husband, child care

Which class is most important for student nurses?
pharmacology

Which is the least?
bed-making

What other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take?
accounting, professional business practices

again, TY.

good luck on your survey project

Mission · Mar 3, 2010

how long have you been a nurse? 3.5 years

age? 33

gender? f

what was your previous career? applications developer

did you receive a college degree in that specialty? masters

how long did you work in your previous career? 8 years

what was the hardest part about changing careers? loss of money

what was your motivation in changing from your previous career? wanted to do something more meaningful. saw a need for people who understand both healthcare and information systems

did you make more or less money in your previous career compared to nursing? right now i'm making much less but that's because i'm getting my phd, eventually i will make more

what qualities do you possess (if any) from your previous career that help you in the nursing field? critical thinking, problem solving

was your first career in the healthcare field? i worked primarily in community health centers or managed care companies but almost always in the information systems dept

is there anything you would change, in regards to your career choices if you could go back in time? hard to say, the experiences i have really helped me in what i am doing now but there are things i would have liked to learn/experience.

do you regret choosing the nursing field as your second career option? no

rate your previous career, 1-10, or, how happy were you with your previous career vs how happy are you with nursing? previous career: 7, current career: 9.5 (it'll be 10 when i get a raise lol)

what prevented you from becoming a nurse earlier? hadn't thought of it

on being a nurse:

why the nursing field as opposed to another discipline? i knew eventually i wanted to do informatics research, not clinical work. 12 month accelerated bsn just made more sense for my long-term goals as opposed to medicine or pa.

are you worried about 'burning out' on being a nurse? becoming too reliant alcohol or drugs for coping/escape? no, i only do clinical nursing per diem at a community health center, which i find really enjoyable. my fulltime job is research nursing in an academic setting, there's not a lot of burnout that people don't cause themselves.

how do you feel about the glorious american healthcare system? [rate it 1-10, or rant!]

2 or 3 maybe. i think we have great clinicians. other than that the whole system is broken. people complain about the government making decisions about there healthcare, which i don't understand, is it better for some bean-counting pr*ck at an hmo who only cares about his bonus and the company's bottom line to make decisions about your care? some of the conversations had in meetings at the insurance company i worked for still make my stomach queasy and make me feel all kinds of dirty.

on being a nursing student:

did you have another job while in nursing school? i did some consulting during the clinical-only portion and ta'd one class.

what obstacles do you/did you face being a student? frustrating being in a program that was mixed between people who had years of work experience and students fresh out of undergrad, their lack of professionalism was often embarrassing to us "older" students.

which class is most important for student nurses? all the clinical classes, assessing evidence-based medicine

which is the least? none, they cut out all the fat in an accelerated program

what other classes do you feel student nurses should be required to take? something on cultural competency, patient advocacy and beside manner, some people are just to clueless to talk to other human beings. also, i think some students are too obsessed in learning skills and not in critical thinking and assessment skills, which imho, is way more important (and harder to learn). to often students want to know a skill without understanding why something is done a certain why, why it should (or maybe even shouldn't) be done that way.