Male DSP looking to go into nursing

[flyingdutchman]

Hello everyone, I am new here, and I am looking for some outlooks and advice regarding my questions about nursing.

I am a 31 year old man residing in Upstate New York, who is looking into going into nursing. I am currently in school for Social Work, but I have recently been debating if it is the right path for me, both in terms of what I want to do in life, as well as if it is the right path for me financially.

Currently, I am a Direct Support Professional that assists individuals with disabilities who reside in residential group homes who require long-term supports.

I have been looking into going into nursing, in particular, obtaining a CNA first, and then switching to a BSN at my college, and I would like to focus on working with individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. I would like to note that I myself am classified as having a developmental disability, as I have High-Functioning Autism.

Now the gist of my question is this: How "in demand" would I be if I pursued nursing, given my background? (disabled, male, previous experience as DSP) I don't want to make it sound like I am solely motivated by financial success as a nurse, but the financial investment versus the financial reward is partly due to me wanting to get out of Social Work and go into Nursing instead.

Any advice and answers would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

[lindseylpn]

I'd say demand would depend on how many group homes there are in your area. I work in an area that has a large state run facility (that is currently in the process of shutting down) so, there are many group homes hiring. Most in my area hire LPNs though, my job will hire RNs but, a good majority of the job postings are for LPNs. You might want to look into what's in demand in your area and how the group homes hire before making your decision. Being an LPN might help you land a bedside group home nursing position but, having your BSN could eventually open up a different world of positions like maybe DON or even something like a DIDD regional nurse etc, if that's something you'd be interested in. I've been working in this field for 10+ years and I've seen several DSPs go on to become nurses, both LPNs and RNs. 2 in the last several years became RNs, one male and one female, they got jobs at hospitals after graduation.

I think you'd be an asset and if nursing is your goal, go for it. Good Luck.