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Discussion

Money or future

I have a good job teaching vocational/practical nursing, but the future is in question. I teach at a proprietary school and many of them have been closing recently. Our student population has dropped significantly in the last few years and there is a very real possibility that this job will cease to exist in the next decade. I don't have a MSN, so I can't work in a regular college; colleagues with MSN and doctorates have trouble finding openings :unsure:. I have applied for hospital positions and talked to nurse recruiters and managers. Being an experienced nurse of going on 12 years, my pay grade is higher than a new grad, but due to being out of the field for more than 6 years and looking to get into a new department, I have the same amount of experience. I'm not an ideal candidate for them and no one called until I applied for a peri-op program. They are hiring about half of those they interviewed and should be calling this week, if I am hired. But, I don't know what to do... More hours with less flexibility, have to take call (24/7 once a week), and a lot less money.:nailbiting: . If (when) they do call, I have a life changing decision. Because every year I am out of "nursing", I am less desirable to a nurse manager. Soooo, do I continue working at the good paying current job and possibly end up unemployed when I am older and even less marketable or take a new position that will be more stressful personally, financially, and physically? I have almost 30 years until I can retire and is it worth risking not having a job in 5-10 years? I'm confused because I do not know that the school will close, I just know that several schools have closed in the area (and nationally) recently. An instructor left our school for another and a few months later her new school closed and now she is out of a job and competing with all the others from that school, plus instructors from the 3 other schools that are closing their nursing programs.

Practically, leaving makes sense, but I am nervous. They may not call, but I need to decide what to do before that happens. I know what I am leaning toward, but looking for other points of view. Thanks!!

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    • Author

    Sillier questions get lots of answers within minutes. Maybe I should have put "gun control" as the topic heading.... oh well.

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    I am not sure of the hours you work and your life busyness but could you possibly either work a day or two a week hands on either in the hospital or doctors office just so you don't lose that experience and you can still put it on your resume so it's more current. Or do you have time and can financially do the MSN program, it may open more doors up for you in the hospital or teaching at a higher level and you can do a lot of the programs online while you're still working so that if it does close you have a back up and if it doesn't you still have more possibilities. I think either way there's always a chance that you could get laid off or in your situation the school may close I think you should have your back ups. If I were you I would personally either try to obtain my MSN (more than likely online while I'm working) that way if your school doesn't close you still have options in the future and if it does close you might have an open door more to the hospital or to teach at a higher level

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    • Expert

    You should always have back-up plans in case your current situation doesn't last forever. Few thing remain unchanged forever and it would be silly to assume that your current job will always be there. Even if it does remain, things may change and you may not be happy there anymore.

    You need to stay marketable to other employers. So you need to either go back to school and/or get some more clinical experience to strengthen your resume for the future. Think of both choices as "investments" in your future -- and remember, whatever you decide, "It's not permanent." You can take the peri-op for a year and get some clinical there and then do something else if you are not happy. If you go back to school, it won't last forever. It can be something you do for a short time as an investment in your future.

    Which should you do ... Follow your heart on that one, but here's how I look at it.

    An MSN is an entry-level degree in the word of RN education. As a new MSN, you'd probably be coming into RN program faculties as an undergraduate clinical instructor. For those types of jobs, most schools not only want an MSN, they also prefer fairly recent clinical experience that you don't have. So you may not be one of the "prime candidates" for the best faculty jobs.

    So ... my advice is to take the clinical job. If you really hate it, stay in it only long enough to get a better clinical job. Once you have found a clinical job that you like well enough to stay a couple of years ... use that hospital's tuition reimbursement to help you get an MSN. So ... within 3 to 5 years from now, you could have both relevant clinical experience and an MSN. Then you would have a lot more options for the future. You would be on more solid group for a variety of types of jobs.

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    I would try to find a PRN position at the hospital and still keep your current job.

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    • Author
    I would try to find a PRN position at the hospital and still keep your current job.

    Prn requires experience, though. I have been "out" of practice for 7 years. Plus, my current job is Mon- Fri 7-5 pm and I am a single parent. Otherwise, that is a great idea.

    I got an offer for the OR and have to let them know by Monday what I am going to do. I am still conflicted and don't feel right about either decision but I have to consider the right thing for my future. 25 years is a long time before retirement and I dont want to be in my 50's competing against 20 year olds, especially when they pay based on years of license and we would have the same experience. They would hire them because they cost less.

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    Tough decision for you. Curious minds want to know. Did you take the OR job?

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