Need advice before changing career to nurse

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Hi all,

I am a married man, 30 yrs old and an electrical engineer.

I am thinking about changing my career to nurse, but I read a lot post about a male nurse, first year in nurse. I must says: it's so DISCOURAGE.

What else can a MSN can do?

I need all information from all of you before to make my call.

Thank you and wish the best to all.:typing

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Specializes in ER.
Hi all,

I am a married man, 30 yrs old and an electrical engineer.

I am thinking about changing my career to nurse, but I read a lot post about a male nurse, first year in nurse. I must says: it's so DISCOURAGE.

What else can a MSN can do?

I need all information from all of you before to make my call.

Thank you and wish the best to all.:typing

my brother is an electrical engineer - makes waaaaaaay more money. Boring job, though (to me). Why would you want to change jobs? You want to go the MSN route? Are you in the U.S.? If you looking for an RN program, LPN program, or MSN program... there is much out there. First you have to decide what kind of nurse - LPN, RN... If you want to do it, go for it. Know that as an electrical engineer you'll make a ton more money, though...

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Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).
Hi all,

I am a married man, 30 yrs old and an electrical engineer.

I am thinking about changing my career to nurse, but I read a lot post about a male nurse, first year in nurse. I must says: it's so DISCOURAGE.

What else can a MSN can do?

I need all information from all of you before to make my call.

Thank you and wish the best to all.:typing

There is plenty to be discouraged about. It's hard, sometimes nasty work for not so spectacular pay. In many settings, working some weekends and holidays is mandatory. Most nurses see people having some of the worst times of their lives, and not always coping in admirable ways. There can be a lot of stress. There is always a lot to do, and it's usually pretty important to manage your time, deciding what needs done right now, what needs done pretty soon, and what can wait. There's is pretty much always more you would like to do, if you had more time. And that's without the occassional emergencies.

What keeps people coming back, I think, is that there are often things we can do to make a bad situation better. Whether it's bagging a patient until the code team arrives, or, better, recognizing a developing problem and heading it off before it gets that bad, or explaining to an irate family member why Daddy is on fluid restrictions, nurses help people--often when they need help most. When your patient has maxed-out her pain meds and the only thing that makes her feel better is you sitting and talking with her, you can either fret about getting behind in your charting or say, "This is why I'm a nurse."

My experience has been exclusively in bedside, acute care nursing, but I'm pretty sure a lot of the same applies in most settings. Too much red-tape, not enough time, patients who need all you can give (and a few who demand more than that). A master's in nursing opens up some other opportunities, such as management, teaching, or advanced practice. A Nurse Practioner or Nurse Midwife (master's degree) practices more like a doctor than a nurse--there are important distinctions, but you see them a lot wearing nice clothes and white coats, and less often emptying bedpans. A Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA--also master's level) can actually make a good deal of money (Which, I'm sorry to say, is about as far as my own interest in being a CRNA extends.)

You can probably find info on nursing careers, along with enrollment and course information, at any nearby school of nursing. If you have a specialty in mind, you could check the Nursing Specialty forums. I'm sure there are people on the CRNA forum, for example, who could tell you what is interesting and rewarding about that field, beyond being able to buy a Corvette.

One caveat: most jobs in nursing, including advanced practice, require at least some bedside experience. I suppose it might be possible to get into a management position without ever emptying a bedpan or doing chest compressions, but I can't imagine being any good at it.

ETA: If it isn't clear, I love my stupid job.

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Specializes in ICU.
Hi all,

I am a married man, 30 yrs old and an electrical engineer.

I am thinking about changing my career to nurse, but I read a lot post about a male nurse, first year in nurse. I must says: it's so DISCOURAGE.

What else can a MSN can do?

I need all information from all of you before to make my call.

Thank you and wish the best to all.:typing

There are a lot of positive posts about nursing, too. I would say most of the time I go home from work without regrets. And I've yet to come to work dreading what lays ahead. If you work an off shift, get a little overtime, and work the typical obligatory weekends and holidays, the pay isn't bad. I don't know what the current climate is like in engineering, but I'm guessing your interest in nursing may be job security related. There are some nervous engineers here in Michigan.

If you value helping people and the emotional reward of having patients be truly thankful for your efforts, then nursing is a good choice. But, if you like to eat lunch, go to the bathroom when you like, or have issues with demanding patients and their families, or have an aversion to sticking people with needles (something I seem to be good at and enjoy:devil:) then nursing is a bad idea. Nursing also elevates the stereotypically non-male skill of multi-tasking to a high art form. But, again on the plus side, I really like not having to wear a tie to work.

Cheers,

Dave

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Don't let anyone discourage you from youR dream and aspirations. if by all means you want to be a nurse. GO FOR IT"

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You might want to work as a CNA (nurse's aide) before you pursue this, so you know if it is really for you.

The job requires training but some facilities will give it to you on the job. And it might get your toe in the door to have your nursing education paid for; it depends on where you work.

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I'm an electrical engineer, been working in the field for nine years but got my degree 5 years ago now and I'm going back to school right now for nursing.

Engineering offers absolutely no gratification and fulfillment for me, and that's the number one reason I'm changing. Others include a much more secure job (in nursing), ability to pick up and move anywhere in this country and be able to get a job easily, potentially alot more money in nursing than Engineering, 3-day work weeks if you don't work OT, etc...those are the perks but I am after the fulfilment the most. I don't want to stay in Engineering for 30 years only to look back and think "what purpose did I serve?"

I had the desire to go to be a doctor back in high school, but didn't want to go to school for 10 years. Turns out it took me seven to get the Engineering degree, and will take me 3-4 years total to get to being a Nurse Practitioner (ultimate goal). LOL. Funny how things work out in life...

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Specializes in Neuro, Cardiology, ICU, Med/Surg.

I've posted elsewhere, and don't have much to add over the great things others have said here.

That being said, I left a 20-plus year career in software engineering to pursue nursing and I always loved to hear from others following a similar path. I too would get a lot of questions about why I would do such a thing and still get asked that.

Yes, I could be making more as a software engineer, especially one with a lot of experience versus a beginner nurse. However, every company I've worked for has at some point laid off large numbers of people, usually during nasty recessions, leaving people floundering for long periods looking for jobs. Also, it became increasingly difficult to pretend that something mattered to me when it didn't.

What I do now really matters. You will see a lot of negative postings on this site, because the nature of message boards is that people who have something to complain about love an audience and have such an audience to vent to here. There are many nurses out there who love what they do who don't post here (and there are some who love what they do and do post here too... like me).:D

I wrote this last year when I had just started my job as an aide: https://allnurses.com/forums/f300/mahogany-door-272985.html

I have since finished nursing school and have started working as a nurse at the same institution, but a different unit. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in pursuing your dream. Look for people who support what you want to do and spend a lot of time with them. Life is too short to spend wondering what you might have done.

:nurse:

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