I need your help! :)

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 2, 2007

Why would you think it's too late? If you have the time, the money, and the opportunity to go to nursing school, it's not too late.

It definately sounds like nursing might be a good fit, given you like high stress and long hours an helping people.

creature · Apr 2, 2007

Go for it. This world needs caring people who love stress and working long hours. Ha! But seriously, try it. There are so many aspects of nursing. If you don't like doing one you can try another.

I worked acute care and ER for 7 yrs. I loved the acute care, but the ER was pritty stressful for me. Alot of males do really good in the ER for some reason, so theres a thought. Now I do Utilization Review and Infection Control, but I sure miss the hands on nursing.

Good luck to you and welcome to allnurses.

Thedreamer · Apr 2, 2007

This profession needs caring people! If you can handle nursing school and pull through youll end up with a very nice job. It will be stressful but to me stress

I went from a degree in film to a degree in chemistry to getting my EMT and now working on my LPN. im 23. Youll do fine! :)

p.s. its never to late to change your situation and start fresh. Living is about change, worry about being too late when youre already dead!

JDunk · Apr 2, 2007

Big Thanks to each of you! Its nice to see so much encouragement. Its a hard decision to make after working in my field since 15. I'm just more mature now and have been thinking about a job that has more fulfillment and long-term satisfaction. Ive been thinking that volunteering at my local hospital might be an excellent way for me to get a feel for what nurses actually do day-to-day. Thank god for these forums as it is so beneficial to read real experiences from practicing health care professionals.

insa · Apr 3, 2007

Hi my name is Jason, I am a 32yo male. I am currently considering a career change to nursing. I have been reading this forum for over a week and decided to join tonight. I really could not think of a better group to pose my questions too.:) I'm interested to know what you love, and what you hate about your jobs. I am particularly interested to hear from people who changed their career to nursing after pursuing other careers with both positive and negative reactions to that decision.
Here is a little bit about my history: I left undergraduate work in Theatrical Lighting Design at age 23. Since then I have worked as a professional Lighting designer touring with concerts and flying all over the country for corporate shows and other live events. (Its really not as cool as it may sound) Several years ago I started thinking about going back to school to finish and then move on to my MFA and pursue college level teaching. I hoped that coming back would re-infuse me with a desire in my art. Well... I'm back (just started in Jan) and I finish my BFA here in summer, but the course work has done the opposite of what I had hoped for. Instead I have become heavily interested in medicine, a career I had long since thought I was too old to pursue... but now I'm starting to think that it may not be too late to change. I am a mild man with a cool head and enjoy working out solutions to difficult problems. I enjoy high-stress environments and like long hours of work (I know its sick.. but its true). I like a collaborative environment and communicate well with others. On top of this I have a lot of interest in helping other human beings. Please let me know your thoughts I would love to hear from you! :)

Too late at 32? I'm taking prerequisites at 35, so I sure hope not!

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2007

Heh. I went to nursing school at 52.

Go for it!

gitterbug · Apr 3, 2007

Jump into nursing school with gusto. Good luck.

jill48, ASN, RN · Apr 3, 2007

Welcome to our forum. I am 33 years old. This is what I love about nursing. I help people who cannot help themselves. I hold their hands and tell them it's okay to go when they are dying and no one else is there for them. I help the families go through it. I explain things in words that people can understand, whether I'm speaking to the grieving spouse or a little child who doesn't understand what is happening to grandma. I teach people about their medicine, their disease process, their insulin injections, etc. I treat every patient like they are my own family member. I call the family to the hospital at the end as soon as I would want to be called if it WAS my family member. I like to work under pressure; if there was only one thing to be done today I would forget to do it. I love to teach new nurses; SOME nurses on this forum have accused me of eating my young, but I don't. My anal retentiveness and type A personality is what makes me so good at the paperwork aspect - which, by the way, I LOVE. My number one priority is my patient; and if that means I have to take on a rude family, a doctor, a supervisor, another department, or an insurance company, I will do it happily. I love having a job that I love. I love knowing that if I get burned out, there are a million other things I can do in nursing. I love learning - and everyday I learn something new. I am a sponge. I am a leader. What do I hate about nursing? As I am getting older, I don't look as good in the scrubs as I used to. I hate being referred to as "only an LPN". I hate lazy people who think they are too good to help wipe a butt or answer a call light. I hate when administration is more concerned with saving a buck than backing their nurses. But that can happen in any line of work. As you can see, my loves far outweigh my hates. The bottom line is that I love being a nurse. I was born to do this. If you love your job, it makes you a happier person outside of the job. I hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to p.m. me.

JDunk · Apr 4, 2007

What do I hate about nursing? As I am getting older, I don't look as good in the scrubs as I used to. I hate being referred to as "only an LPN". I hate lazy people who think they are too good to help wipe a butt or answer a call light. I hate when administration is more concerned with saving a buck than backing their nurses. But that can happen in any line of work. As you can see, my loves far outweigh my hates. The bottom line is that I love being a nurse. I was born to do this. If you love your job, it makes you a happier person outside of the job. I hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to p.m. me.

First off, thank you for the vote of confidence and including both the good and bad. I think poor management can screw up a good job in any profession. Second, TOTALLY IGNORE people who preface anything with "only". It was the LPNs & Rn's taking care of my mom (after both brain surgeries and multiple bladder cancer surgeries) who my mom and us looked to for assurance, and we got it! It was them who let me stay by her side in ICU day and night and it was them who risked their jobs to pray with my mom when she asked. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the nursing profession and its the only other job (besides maybe MD) that I have ever considered outside of Lighting Design. Currently I am still not sure if I will continue on to be an educator or change careers to nursing, either way I know Ill make an impact on peoples lives. This is the most important thing in a job for me. However, Alot of what my decision is coming down to is my ability to pay off the 60-70k in schooling it will take to get my MFA. It is a fool who does not consider the financial implications of his/her career.