My situation, need advice from nurses.

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Currently I am a Medical Lab scientist and work in the lab. However, my job is demanding, taxing and I often work 7 days straight, pay is okay, but everything is monotonous.

I go into work and do the same thing over and over. With only 6 months into my "career" I've started looking at others. Nursing wasn't the first to come to mind, I thought about becoming a doctor but the time strain (I'am 26 with 3 kiddos!) just seemed two great. If I even made teh cut for med school with a 3.0 gpa. THen came PA school, but honestly its more competitive than med school, with needing 1000 hours of patient contact.

That is when I thought of nursing. So my question is this should I try to enroll in an acclerated BSN for 35k at a private school, or do an ADN for 21k at a community college for 2 years...

I'm stuck I don't like working in the lab, I want to be working with others, the patient, a "team". I just need help deciding how to obtain a nursing degree, which one I should go for, currently I'm the only one bringing in money so would I be able to work while doing an acclerated nursing? an ADN still also seems pretty intensive, yet most of the nursing postings at the hospital I work for is that they want a BSN. Would having a bachelors in a different degree help with hiring if I just got a ADN?

Ultimatly I want to be a CRNA, I've always loved anesthesia, but went a different path to the lab because I loved science, now that I'm working it, It doesn't feel like the same thing I went to school for.

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I do not think having an ADN and other BA/BS will give a slightest edge to get hired. I would suggest to go for for ABSN, pay 35k and be done in like a year. I have read dozens of threads on here discussing similar situations and found out many, not all, were successful completing ABSN having kids and working. Do you have someone who can watch your kids while you are in school?

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When they say they want a BSN, believe them. You could consider, though, applying to a bachelor's-in-anything-to-BSN (or even MN) program. It will be a very intense year or so, but then you're done and can get on with your life. Besides, you don't want to find yourself a year down the road and not really any closer to your goal. Don't waste your time on the associate's degree-- you'll end up spending almost as much time doing it and be less marketable to boot.

Thought: planning ahead, after you've been a nurse for awhile, you might be thinking about your next career move. Consider being an infection control nurse-- it's usually a day job, would be an excellent use of your transferrable skills. Look into it. You'll need the BSN for that anyway. And ID folks are fabulous at teamwork-- they have to be.

How to Become an Infection Control Nurse | Training | Education | Salary

Certification | CBIC: Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.

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Yah my wife stays and watches them! thats the thing is not being able to work while doing an acclerated bsn

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I know ID is amazing! I work in the microbiology department and when the ID team calls or they come down, I feel amazing working with them as a team.

The lab, in my mind, is like a wall and I just hide behind it. I am an introvert but I feel even worse in the lab, when i was doing my clinicals at the end of the year, I went to a bone marrow biopsy in IR and LOVED it. Everyone was nice, and working with others was fun!

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$21K for a community college is awfully expensive! Why is it so high? :nailbiting:

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