Just want some advice

[brody31]

Hello Nurses!

So I am just writing you all because of my situation and need some comments, thoughts, or whatever you think might help. Let me start with my story. I am a 29 year old guy, married, and my wife is currently pregnant (yay!). So I went to chiropractic school and go my DC degree. I have worked for 3 years either for another doc or trying to start my own practice. Things were hard and me and my wife weren't happy. So I decided that I would go back to school to possibly become a nurse practitioner. I compared PA vs NP, and thought NP would be better for me. This is due to a combination of things, but really nursing has a more holistic view of things, which I like. I would be able to start working after getting my BSN, which helps us start making money sooner, and the end goal seemed a little more desirable for me than a PA. Anyways, it's kind of an embarrassing thing right now that the whole chiropractic thing just didn't work out for me, even though I really like what I do. My sister in law has her ADN and is very negative toward me going into nursing. My mom is a LPN for the last 40 years and she thinks I would do good going into nursing and she said even if working as an RN and not moving on would be good. So I am looking at programs to do an accelerated BSN in a year. I take TEAS V tomorrow, and will take HESI A2 later. I am working a job that pays nothing and just hanging on until i find out what school I can go to and for the least amount for tuition. I then hopefully want to get a job where they help you pay for schooling to move up to NP. Anyways, I'm just hoping this is what I need to do and I'm not sure if anyone might have known someone similar to my situation and might know what they ended up doing. Might help me understand a little more. Anyways. Thanks for reading.

Brody

[loriangel14, RN]

The accelerated BSN sounds like a fine idea. I haven't heard of nay employers maying for an NP program. it makes no differnce what your sister-in-law thinks. Good luck.

[SierraBravo]

I agree with loriangel, find yourself an accelerated BSN program. With your education you should have no trouble excelling in nursing school and with clinical aspects of nursing/medicine. You seem to be at a fork in the road. I think you have to decide if you want to continue to pursue being a Chiropractor or shift your focus to something else, such as nursing. If you choose to pursue nursing, just change your paradigm and look at it such that your previous education has created an exceptional foundation on which to build your nursing career (especially if you want to continue and be a NP). I attended an accelerated BSN program and my cohort had a very eclectic mix of people including MSW's, police officers, people that had just graduated from college, teachers, etc... Like you said, you can immediately start working after you get your BSN and make a decent salary. There are employers that offer tuition benefits/tuition reimbursement so getting your MSN could potentially be inexpensive while still working full time.

Best wishes whichever path you choose.

[MDMBSNRN]

First, I would say consider if you really want to be a nurse or not. Nursing school is hard for everyone, and is harder for some than others. It's a very stressful time, and it's incredibly time consuming. You may not be able to spend as much time with your family, which may be a concern with your wife's pregnancy. Also, I would want to know that it was a good financial decision before starting the process.

If you are convinced that nursing is something you want to do, and that you really care about the patient care aspect, then go for it. The aspiration to become an NP is great, but I don't think that nursing should simply be a means to an end. You will have to work as an RN, gain experience, and save up money prior to NP school, and it would be horrible to hate every minute of your job just because you eventually wanted to become an NP. In fact, I know a chiropractor (was in school with him) who is attempting to do this. He is an ED nurse in the ED I work in from time to time, and he seems greatly dissatisfied with what he is doing. I haven't come right out and asked, but he appears unhappy while at work.

Also, most institutions that provide assistance require a commitment to work for a specified period of time, and sometimes this must be fulfilled prior to any tuition assistance that may be provided. While this is a great asset, it all goes back to whether you think you would enjoy the work you would be doing or not. If you feel like you would love nursing, I say go for it, and wish you the best of luck! I am also always around to offer any advice that I can!