going back to school?? teacher to nurse??

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hello everyone I have been considering nursing for quite some time. Well actually since I was a teenager I wanted to be a nurse. However, after having my son I decided to go into teaching. I have been teaching for 5 years and absolutely love working with my students, love my administrators, etc. However, because of the budgets cuts in good old california I have been pink slipped.

For the past four years I have managed to squeeze by the layoffs... but my luck ran out this time. My prinicpal told me and others that the future looks quite dim for young teachers like myself and it is projected that things will not start to get better until 5-6 years from now.

So I thought to myself maybe this is a sign and chance to go back into nursing school? I met with the counselor at the local community college and I have to take 5 science classes and then I will apply to nursing school in April 2011 and will start the actual nursing program in 2012. So sorry if i am rambling, or going on a tangent here but I wonder if this career change is realistic, or am I not thinking straight. I have a bachelors in sociology and my masters in teaching, plus my Multiple subject teaching credential, not to mention student loans!! I guess I just need a place to let my thoughts go and find some sound advice:rolleyes: Is there some of you out there that have gone through a similiar situation like myself and made that change?

Thank you :rolleyes:

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I was a teacher but stopped teaching when my kids were born, and then when I went back to it, there weren't any jobs, so I went into nursing. I ended up teaching nursing, as well as doing lots of other things in the nursing field. I like nursing much better than I liked public school teaching. I love teaching nursing!

You can do it. I was 42 when I got my BSN, so even if you're not 20something, it's doable!

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Specializes in MR/DD.

There are many programs out there that are for people who have BA degrees already... alot of them do not require any pre requisites and you just have to take the nursing classes... if i were you i would look into these programs.. do your research before deciding on a school

for example one of the local colleges where i live offers a BSN in 18 months if you already have a BA .. and many of the colleges will allow you to take the classes online and only have to go on site for clinicals.. good luck!!

btw i am 37 years old i worked in the field of MRDD for 15 years.. i just earned my LPN license!! im going for my RN.. :)

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I've been teaching for 25 years with my Master's degree but have always wanted to be a nurse and regret never going back. Do it!

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i am a licensed elementary school teacher. i graduated 2 years ago and have not even come close to getting a job. i live in a rural area so there aren't many prospects even when the economy is hopping. i can't put my life on hold and wait around for who knows how long for a job. soooo, this fall, i am entering the nursing program.

i'll be honest, my choice in careers is teaching but that just doesn't seem to be working. everyone thinks i am nuts for going right back to school but i believe in being proactive and nursing is going to be my back up plan. when i first entered university, my major was nursing but the chain of events rerouted me into teaching.

so, to answer your original question, yes, this career path is realistic. you said things might not improve in education for 5-6 years. that is a long time to wait around. why not work on something else in the meantime?

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I am going to school with two former teachers and they are great classmates! They interact well with the patients and help to educate/explain things to them very well. I warn you though, the process and wait to get into nursing school is pretty long. Some of your pre-req's you can probably take from your teaching degree. Others you may have to take or repeat if they are out of date. And then there's that waiting list . . . ugh. But if you are really motivated I say go for it! :-)

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I am going to school with two former teachers and they are great classmates! They interact well with the patients and help to educate/explain things to them very well. I warn you though, the process and wait to get into nursing school is pretty long. Some of your pre-req's you can probably take from your teaching degree. Others you may have to take or repeat if they are out of date. And then there's that waiting list . . . ugh. But if you are really motivated I say go for it! :-)

Lucky for me, my school doesn't do a waiting list. A lot of my classes counted and lucky for me (again), my school took all of my courses, no matter how old! YAY!

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Really the 2 professions have huge chunks of overlap.....I do tons of teaching every time I talk to a patient....(Comes from being a psych nurse...)

Your educational assessment skills will carry you far in school...

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele.

Just make sure to do your research regarding the job prospects for new grad RNs, especially in Cali. The job market is super tough right now for us!!

I graduated back in December of 09 & have sent out lots of applications, and done plenty of follow up calls to nursing recruiters & have only landed one interview.

I have an excellent gpa, work history, letters of rec...etc, but I am competing with 1000+ applicants for ~50 positions.

Unfortunately, the job market for new graduate nurses (in So Cal) does not seem to be much brighter than for our beloved teachers.

Just something to think about....

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Good luck! Go for it. Don't ignore your dreams.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

It seems the job market is tight right now in nursing, but over the course of my career, that has happened and always ends. It goes from no jobs to jobs all over the place in a kind of wave pattern. Thing is, the baby boomers are hitting the age where they will need care and there still aren't enough nurses to care for them. The current job market reflects the economy of not being able to afford to hire people, not the need, I think. In my newspaper, there are always jobs listed for nurses, and lots of them.

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I was in a very similar situation. I had 2 degrees before going into nursing. I have a bachelors and masters in education. I decided to return to school for nursing. I took my pre-req classes while teaching part time. The program I decided to attend was an accelerated BSN program. I completed my BSN in one year. If it is your dream you should go for it. I think teaching gives you a good background for nursing school.

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