Getting Discouraged

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm sure there are many of you who have also gotten very discouraged especially when your name is on a wait list to start the nursing program. My background is I have a BSN and 12 years experience in Accounting and boy do I hate accounting. The biggest thing I hate about it is sitting all day alone at a desk. I am a people person and enjoy helping others and being active all day; which led me to choose nursing as a second career path.

But I am just getting really discouraged. I am trying to look for a job doing phlebotomy (since I have my certificate) but I'm not having any luck because I have no experience. I was thinking maybe I should just stick with the accounting for the next year and save money for while I'm in school. Accounting will make more money than working an entry level medical position.

What have ya'll done? Is it worth it to gain experience in the medical field before starting the program? Or would you rather save money for the time you wont be able to work?

Im also getting discouraged thinking about the hours I may have to work when I get out and just start. Are the hours really that bad? I hear a lot of people on hear complaining about them.

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I don't understand, you have a BSN but are working in accounting? Why? Have you passed the NCLEX and are an RN? If you have a BSN already, what do you mean you are waiting to get into a nursing program?

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Specializes in ICU/UM.

A BSN is a Bachelor of Science in nursing. I'm guessing you have a degree in accounting or finance? Anyway, I'd stick to the better paying job for now and switch to hospital work part time while in school.

The hours can suck. It depends on where you end up.

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Specializes in NICU, RNC.

You do not have a BSN. BSN = Bachelor of Science in Nursing. You may have a previous bachelors degree, sounds like most likely in Accounting or business.

As far as what to do, only you can decide what is best for you. Since you have a bachelors degree already, then going the ABSN route may be a good option for you, but it tends to be much more expensive, in which case staying at the accounting job may make more sense so you can save up and graduate with less debt.

If you are completely miserable in your job though, then it may make sense to work as a CNA, but you will make substantially less income, and since you won't qualify for financial aid (previous bachelors), you may end up with a lot of debt. However, good part of this job is that if you get a job in acute care, you may be able to still work two 12-hour shifts each week during nursing school. There were a few people in my class who did that and still managed to graduate. Though, I know it was extremely difficult.

I tend to think that you've already put in 12 years in accounting, what is one more? And if you can save up enough money and then not have to work during nursing school, so much the better.

A lot of people love working 12-hour shifts. Others loathe it. You will have to work holidays, weekends, and possibly nights. Whether you consider that schedule "bad" or not depends entirely on you. I prefer longer days with more days off, personally.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Just a couple of quick comments. IMHO, Accountants "help" people a LOT!!! I'd be lost without my tax gal - she's saved my bacon on more than one occasion, including an IRS audit (scary). Maybe OP is a non-people area of accounting. If OP is making the big switch to focus on "helping people" - it's probably going to be disappointing. About half of a nurse's time is spent on paperwork & extraneous fol-de-rol such as hunting for supplies and trying to straighten out communication mix-ups.

Too many people rush headlong into nursing based on an idealized notion of how fulfilling it it and how much people will admire them. The reality . . . not so much. Inevitably, those ideals come crashing down into a pit of despair & disillusion. Sure, just about every nurse has a some of 'those' moments to be treasured, but they are few and far between. The solution? A realistic job preview. Don't expect nursing to fill all the gaps.

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I have my BS in Accounting and 12 years experience in accounting and now trying to do a career change. I think its harder changing careers than it is to just starting out in it while still right out of high school. Im 31 so going back to school is tough but I just cant stand sitting at a desk all day anymore. I am waiting to get into a nursing program through the community college. I dont start until January 2018.

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I have my BS in Accounting and 12 years experience in accounting and now trying to do a career change. I think its harder changing careers than it is to just starting out in it while still right out of high school. Im 31 so going back to school is tough but I just cant stand sitting at a desk all day anymore. I am waiting to get into a nursing program through the community college. I dont start until January 2018.

oh ok. then you need to change your User Name as you do not have a BSN and can't use that designation. When you get that degree you can plaster it anywhere you like lol just can't do that now.

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/LTC/homecare/correctional/.

Hi Jen. Just some advice to you from a friendly observer who also had a career in accounting and switched over to nursing. All I can tell you, is from my own perspective, I made a huge mistake. I too was bamboozled by the fake nursing shortage, which never existed in the first place. I thought nursing would be a way to get me out from behind a desk, and work around people more than paperwork. Nursing has overall been very negative for me. I have student loans that piled up and not paid because I was never able to earn any real and sustainable wages. The entire profession is now per diem with zero perks and benes. It is a dog eat dog career with nurses and other staffers who eat each other alive. It is loads of paperwork that cannot conceivably get done in a shift. You will be spread so thin, that the employer places your license in jeopardy. You will give 200% in any given shift, yet someone will find a reason to complain about something. I really wish I knew what I was getting into before taking the leap into nursing school...again, my regrets are endless and my experiences on the job almost entirely negative, mainly because there is such a surplus of nurses, at this point, that the employer can get away with anything, and always have a fresh stack of 200 applicants waiting on her desk. This surplus has driven down wages, has increased our workloads, has made benefits disappear, and is the source for a hostile work environment at every single turn. Please do not make the same mistake that I made years ago.

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