Med Tech to Nursing A Wise Change? Advice Please

caliotter3 · Aug 17, 2009

45 is not too old. If you want to make the change, then do it. Depends on your area whether or not you will be able to advance a lot, income wise. There are areas of the country where $25/hr is about as high as a staff RN will make, or at least start out at. I would do some research on job availability, pay, and benefits in your neck of the woods before committing myself to the expense, in time and money, of pursuing nursing school. Good luck.

MiaNJ · Aug 18, 2009

The pay scale varies by state. I can tell you that in the northeast, new grads get paid more than that to start, at least $65K/yr. But don't just do it for the money. Nursing is not easy, and requires hard work, both physically and mentally. I'm sure you know that. But if you really want to do it, I think you can still do it. I went to school with people around your age. But it was a full time program, so they were done in a couple yrs. If you have 3 kids, I think that may be challenging, because nursing courses require alot of studying, projects, etc. Most schools don't allow any grade lower than C+ or higher for tests, so if you get lower it's considered failing. It can be very stressful. I give credit to those who do it with kids.

Maybe part time would be easier, less stressful.

Do you have a college degree? If you do, there are accelerated programs, but usually full time. You still need to have the science prerequisites that are within 5 yrs, for most programs anyway.

Kristino · Aug 18, 2009

I thank you for your advice. I do not think you understand how much education I already have becoming a Med Tech. All I need are a few classes and then the core nursing classes. I already have a B.S. and have all the courses it took to apply to vet school. I would also like some advice on the CRNA process.

MiaNJ · Aug 18, 2009

I thank you for your advice. I do not think you understand how much education I already have becoming a Med Tech. All I need are a few classes and then the core nursing classes. I already have a B.S. and have all the courses it took to apply to vet school. I would also like some advice on the CRNA process.

Sorry, I wasn't sure if you had a degree or not. I know some people who are med techs and have less than an associate's degree. I guess it depends on the type of job, and some people may just call any lab related work a med tech job, when they probably shouldn't. I also had a Bachelor's degree already before I entered a second degree nursing program, and many of my classmates had previous degrees in a science field. Yet, most programs don't want any pre-req science courses that were taken more than 5 yrs ago. Even if you have those, the core nursing courses for an RN program are several, and there were even students in my class who had been premed majors, and had to take all the courses. The core courses may be related to other medical fields, but usually nursing core classes are taught with a different perspective. I think it would be fastest in the accelerated program for people with previous bachelors, but these are full time and alot of work, lots of studying, etc. If you can take off a year off work, it may be the fastest option. Unless you go for the ASN, which is less course work than the accelerated BSN (which I did) but I found that the ASN programs take even longer due to their curriculum structure.

I know for a CRNA, at least in my area, you need a master's degree (after getting a BSN), and they are often very competitive to get into. Most require clinical experience as a nurse, before even entering the program.