Midlife Career Change to Nursing, Scared to Death, Looking for Advice

AlleycatLPN · Mar 6, 2011

Just make sure that this is what you really want. Weigh out the pros and the cons. If you truly want to be a nurse, the pros list will be longer. Also, the power of prayer. Always check it out with the boss above. Make sure this is the path he wants you to lead. Pros I can think of: Helping others, Passing on your heart to others, Community leadership, decent pay (money should be last on your list) Cons: Hospitals often you have weekend and holidays on shift. You may have to start with a night shift. Sometimes jobs can be hard to find as a new graduate. Best wishes you to you and your decision. This is an excellent forum for questions and concerns.

2011NursingStudent · Mar 7, 2011

As the subject line reads, I'm considering a midlife career change to nursing and I'm scared to death. I'm hoping that I can get some support, suggestions or just make friends with people online who may find themselves in the same position as me.
After high school, I started at a local community college attending prerequisite classes. Along the way, I ended up with a fantastic boss who empowered me to become the best I could be working with computers. At 24, I was running the department's IT division and doing really well for myself, especially at such a young age. For a good while, it filled the void. Now though, 20 years later, I'm having serious regrets.
I have a wonderful husband and two young children, ages 8 and 6 respectively. I'm absolutely miserable in corporate world, it's not for me. I long for the day when I can make a difference in someone's life, smile and try and make someone feel better - touch someone and tell them it's going to be alright. Now though, I don't even want to get up in the morning and go to work. It's getting really bad...
Unfortunately, I don't have a Bachelor's degree. I'm 32 credits away from my BBA and I'm not sure which direction to go. I'm also in a position to where I will have to work while going to school, there is no way I can quit my job, at least way into nursing school when clinicals start.
I also find myself wondering what nursing will be like after being in corporate world for so long. I'm used to being off after 5:00 every afternoon, having ever holiday off and being off every weekend. While I realize that healthcare is a 24/7 job, will I still be able to spend time with my family?
If you are where I am, please tell me about it. Tell me what you like, what you dislike - be brutally honest. I want to make the right decision and, most important, the right decision for my family. I love my children more than life itself and if it means putting my dream of being a nurse on hold for a while, that's what I will have to do.
Thanks for taking the time to read my long drawn out story...:heartbeat

Guess what....I'm 28, I run a mortgage company's IT department and I have two sons, ages 8 and 6. No joke, =) Lots of similarities.

I also don't have a degree in IT and was promoted to that position, so it was either an IT degree - which I started and hated, programming is not for me - or nursing, which I really want to do.

I really think you have to get your CNA to know if you like it. For me it was an 8 week course and it was a huge shock, it took some time to get used to. Then I had to work out being able to attend school financially and with my boss. It took almost 2 years before I could work from home, and now I work part time hours via Citrix the majority of the week, so I can finally take the time to attend classes and clinicals.

G/L :heartbeat

froggirl76 · Mar 7, 2011

I'm in a similar situation to yours. I'm almost 35, and have been a graphic designer for 12+ years. I'm sick and tired of sitting in a cubicle staring at a computer every day. Don't get me wrong, I still like to design and be creative, but it's no longer fulfilling to me. I made the decision about 6 or 7 months ago that I wanted to change careers and go into nursing. My first step was taking a CNA course through the Red Cross to make sure that nursing was something I'd like to do. I loved my CNA class. The two days of clinicals at the end of the course were so rewarding.

Next, I found out what pre-reqs I needed. I've already got a bachelor's degree, so I am going for an accelerated nursing program. I found out that I only needed 5 pre-reqs (anatomy, physiology, microbiology, nutrition and ethics) before being admitted to a nursing program. There were a few more, but I took them the first time around and don't need to repeat them. I'm almost halfway through my first class, anatomy, and I'm loving it. I'm taking nutrition and ethics online during the summer, and will take physiology in the fall and micro next spring. I should be ready to enter nursing school in May 2012. If you have to take any pre-reqs, I'd recommend taking them at a community college or somewhere that's a little less expensive tuition-wise.

It's been a huge decision to do this. I've got a husband and a 2 year old daughter, plus I work full-time. It means making lots of sacrifices and figuring out how to pay for everything. Fortunately, I didn't have student loans the first time I was in college, but I'll most likely have to take out a loan to pay for nursing school. I've prayed a lot about it, and have the support of my family and friends. When the time comes, I'm probably not going to be able to work during nursing school. The good thing though, is that most of the accelerated programs in my area are only 1-2 years in length.

I really feel like this is the right path for me. I've always been interested in medicine, and I have a compassionate personality and like taking care of people. Best of luck in your decision, and let us know how it goes!