Is nursing your second career?

I graduated a few years back with a BS in biology and have finally figured out that nursing is my calling:) If you already had a degree prior to entering nursing school, did you enter the accelerated program, or the upper level admission program? I've heard the accelerated program is really intense...let me know your thoughts or opinions. Thanks!!

[arciedee]

I have a BA in math and have been working in corporate finance since college. I'll be quitting my job and starting a direct-entry MSN (generalist)program in January. I obviously can't say anything about the intensity at this point, though I hear that it's rough. My first semester will consist of five classes worth 19 credit hours. I'm thankful because they recently changed their curriculum... the first semester used to be six classes for 24 credits! Our class schedule is four days a week, two lecture days and two clinical days. I'm looking forward to it, though.

[mvanz9999, RN]

Hi.

I actually have a degree in Fine Arts. That didn't work, so I slipped into I/T, and I've been doing that for the past 12 years. I'm planning on attending a direct-entry MSN program.

Unfortunately the accelerated BSN's around here require so many pre-reqs that I don't have, I would essentially spend 4 years getting another BSN anyway. So I'm skipping all that and going MSN.

[Dreamer-RN]

I have a BS in Computer Science and have been working in the IT industry for nearly 10 years as technical manager/software programmer.

I was accepted into an accelerated BSN/MSN program and will start Fall 2007. I expect it will be intense. The first semester is a total of 18 credits (with three credits being a graduate level course).

I have a Bachelor degree in Nutrition and a Master in Elementary Education. I am in my first semester of nursing school. Since I work fulltime, the only option that was available to me was ADN in the evening. I cannot afford to quit my job. I wanted to do the accelerated program, but it was fulltime.

I hope it will be! I'm an ATC with a Masters degree (10yrs), teaching at the University level, 2 kids, great wife, awesome dog, and am eager to get back to helping people directly. Hoping to start an accelerated prog. in the fall.

DRUMS PLEASE!

[JaxiaKiley]

I've worked in the IT field for the last ten years, and finally realized I wanted to get into medicine. So, here I am :)

[S.N. Visit, BSN, RN]

Well, I don't have the education as those who all posted above, but this is my second or maybe 3rd career. :) I am a licensed cosmetologist, but I have also been a stay at home mom ( of 3) for the last 11yrs.

[augigi, CNS]

I've worked in the IT field for the last ten years, and finally realized I wanted to get into medicine. So, here I am :)

Are you doing medicine or nursing?

[Cinqly, BSN, RN]

I have a bachelor's and master's in music, and after trying to make it in music for a few years have decided to go back to school for nursing! I am really excited about it. I finally feel like I have found a career path that I am really interested in and excited about, but one that will also provide a decent living! I am hoping to get into an accelerated program for fall 2007. Fingers crossed!

Well, I don't have the education as those who all posted above, but this is my second or maybe 3rd career. :) I am a licensed cosmetologist, but I have also been a stay at home mom ( of 3) for the last 11yrs.

I was reading the above post and I thought it was mine:lol2: I am also a cosmetologist, stay at home mom of 11+ years and mother of three. I graduated nursing school 1 year ago and have been a cardiac nurse for 10 months.

I already have a ba in psychology, but i'm just going the adn route. I'll spend about two years (skipping one semester where my last class isn't offered) and then perhaps move on to get an msn. I haven't heard of this direct-entry MSN program. Can you really get an MSN w/o getting your RN first, or am I misunderstanding this?

I started out in the Army out of high school. Wasn't a medic but my unit needed combat lifesavers so they sent me to the course. Was kinda like a crash course on treating for shock basically first aid that started IV's. I enjoyed it but never really thought of going into the medical field. After the army I drove a forklift in a factory for a few years and hated it. Started school for computer science after two years decided I didn't want to do that either. Then took a 20 week course to become a truck driver. Decided after about 3 week that truck driving wasn't for me either but finished the course and got my license. During my truck drivers training my mother-in-law was wanting to go to school for something so I tried to talk her into nursing school. At the time my wife and I had our third child who was born with a heart problem. Between me speech to my mother-in-law and all the time I spent in the hospital with my daughter I decided that I wanted to be a nurse. Stayed at the crapy forklift job (pay was good but hated the people and the job) until my last year of nursing school. My wife thought I wanted to be a career student. The good thing was the Army paid for all the school.

[kmarie724]

I graduated from college with a double major in psychology and philosophy in May 2004, but never really thought about what I was going to do when I was done with school. After graduation, I took what was suppose to be a temporary job waiting tables, but I acutally made more moeny doing that than anything else I was qualified for. I had looked into getting a MPH after college at the suggestion of one of my psych professors, but I never applied to the program, but it made me think that maybe nursing was something I would like to do. Around this same time, I was talking with my mom about what I should do for the rest of my life and she said "Have you ever thought about going into nursing? I think you'd be good at it and enjoy it." I told her that I in fact had and was thinking about applying to the post-baccularate program at the same college I got my first degree from and now here I am. The program I'm in isn't accelerated per say, but it's condensed a little because it's designed for working adults, so classes meet evenings and weekends.

i graduated 4 yrs ago with BS Biology and here i am now 2nd year student taking up nursing, i just realized that nursing is really the right path for me... :smiley_ab

I am just starting back to school now working on my pre-req's. When I complete those I plan on going into an accelerated program. My first degree was a BA in Anthropology/Sociology. I have been working for the last 7 years in an engineering dept troubleshooting and found out that I am great at that but I really like working with something that is more focused on helping people. (I can not wait too go back to school full-time!)

[cherokeesummer]

I have a degree in Psych and thought that is what I wanted to do. I still enjoy it but not the same passion if that makes sense. Somehow I got turned on to nursing (even though my mom tried to get me to do it when I graduated high school and I didn't).

I am in a diploma program b/c it was the only night/weekend program in my area and at the time I had a full tiem day job working in human resources. I am now a stay at home mom and full time student still.

My first, and my last, hopefully!