Hi all ! i am new here and this is my first post. Im sure there are posts here all the time like this, but I would really , genuinelly appreciate some honest advice and insight !
I'm thinking of becoming a nurse. I already have a BS in Psych. and am wrapping up with a Masters in Counseling but have recently learned that counseling just isn't for me for a variety of reasons. First off, there are very few opportunities for counselors here in TX that aren't bilingual (and no i'm not interested at all in school counseling). I was originally interested in a position in a hospital or nursing home but recently learned that these positions are filled by social workers. Second, counseling is a bit too slow paced for me. Third, the pay is a tad low and I don't care for the hours (8-5 m-f, I"m more of a night person) . I could go on and on with the reasons but I will spare you. Bottom line, I wish I would have been more informed when I decided to pursue a career in counseling. Now that I've learned more about it and learned the profession is very limited here in my area, my heart is NOT in it. So here I am thinking of nursing. I love the idea of working nights and even working 12s. I love the idea that I can **really** touch lives and help people who want to get well (for the most part). I like the fast pace and the fact that nurses seem to always seem busy.
My question, I guess, is would you recommend someone like me to pursue nursing ?? If you had to do it over again, would you ? Is 26 too 'old' ??
I'm going to go ahead and finish up my MA mostly because my hubby is inisisting ! :chuckle But I really feel drawn to nursing and have for quite some time and would seriously like to apply to the ADN program next fall. I just don't want to make the mistakes I made pursuing counseling -- being uninformed. ANY words of wisdom would be appreciated !!!!!!!
If you become an RN, the possibilities could be endless with your other degrees. It is possible that you could teach in nursing school or work in a psyche unit or alzheimer's unit. Like I said the possibilities are endless.
Oh I'd love to work in an Alzheimer's unit . My GP has Alz. and it's a topic very close to my heart. I have a soft spot for the elderly in general.
I would like to start on my associates and then go to a RN - BSN program. Reason being because location of the school . Is it possible to get a regular hospital job with an ADN ?
You might also look into what would be involved in getting a MSW. The additional courses would certainly take less time and $$$$ than earning a nursing degree.
You would find an MSW much more useful, and lucrative, than an MA in counseling--speaking as a voice of experience.
Check and see what courses you would need to take to get your masters degree in nursing or what extra courses you would need to get a bs in nursing. You may only need to take nursing courses to get your masters or BSN in nursing. If so, that is what I would do.
If the ADN route is the only route into nursing, then go for it. Just remember you will not have a life while in nursing school. I know because I'm in and experiencing it but then there is so much to learn. Do you have any access to master's level nursing education? With all you have you could easily get in and I can't believe it would be any harder except for maybe more classes and hopefully you have more control. You don't need a BSN unless you plan on going into management. You can go straight from ADN to masters level bypassing BSN altogether if you wish and you have that opportunity. That is my plan and I'm 42.
Hi There, Seems like you and I have a very similar mindset, although I am almost 38 now. I have my B.S. in Psychology and Masters in Clinical Counseling and will start a nearby RN program in 2005. Like you, I found the field of counseling was not for me. After working in it for 7 years in different type positions, I knew I made a mistake and wanted out of it. I found the field very depressing and the pay actually sucks by far worse than a nurses salary. I remember working in the psychiatric ward while working on my Masters Degree and was being paid $ 8.00 / hr for being a Mental Health Tech and some of my friends who had sometimes 2X education was making around $20 / hr. Anyway, I got out of it and started working as a heartwire rep. and ended up liking it a lot better and made at least twice as much as I did in counseling. And, you are sooo right about how there seemed to be such a demand for social workers instead of counselors. Social workers pay is much better than that of licensed counselors as well, and why I will never know. No, you will not get rich in nursing, but I have looked very hard at all occupations, because once I was even a career counselor-ha, ha, - and nursing pays much better than many of the other occupations, and with much less college and experience, and it seems that there are so many different directions that you can go with a nursing degree. Of course, you have to love people and have a compassionate heart to be a good nurse.
Anyway, I had wanted to get into nursing for a few years now, because I used to work with a few of my friends at the hospital and I know pretty much what they do and it seemed like a job I would enjoy. For a long time now, I felt that I had gone into the wrong program at school, but sometimes it takes growing up a bit to turn things around. I am not a young chick like you, but I know that it is my choice to turn 42 and think I would rather get older and be an RN than continue with the type jobs I have done in the past. Plus, I think that because I am older now, I really believe I will get more out of college, because I am more mature, am married, and this time have a pretty clear cut goal. So, do your research and do what you feel is right in your heart and it will should pay off in the end. Good Luck!
I'm glad to know there are some others wout there who found counseling a dead end street. I wish I would have known that 2 years ago ! I considered going into a MSW program but the cons outweighed the pros. The $$ was low, I am not into M-F 8-5, etc. etc. Plus it would take another 2 yrs. at least to get a second masters.
this is off topic, but another con to counseling is here in tX we have to be supervised for our license which is fine BUT ... that means paying someone $100 a week for a minimum of 18 months to supervise us. No thanks....
I do believe that nursing would be "for me" but after reading through some of those threads, like I said, I'm scared to death.
i too h d b.s. when i went b ck for my nursing degree. if i h d it to do over g in i would go to school speci li ing in people who lredy h ve b.s. in one ye r one c n gr du te with b.s in nursing. i went for my a.s. in nursing, nd spent over 2 ye rs in clinic ls......oops......c n't type the a s i need surgery on my pinkie........new code .....h ve to type the a with my right h nd...
First off, there are very few opportunities for counselors here in TX that aren't bilingual (and no i'm not interested at all in school counseling). I was originally interested in a position in a hospital or nursing home but recently learned that these positions are filled by social workers. Second, counseling is a bit too slow paced for me. Third, the pay is a tad low and I don't care for the hours (8-5 m-f, I"m more of a night person) . I could go on and on with the reasons but I will spare you. Bottom line, I wish I would have been more informed when I decided to pursue a career in counseling. Now that I've learned more about it and learned the profession is very limited here in my area, my heart is NOT in it. So here I am thinking of nursing. I love the idea of working nights and even working 12s. I love the idea that I can **really** touch lives and help people who want to get well (for the most part). I like the fast pace and the fact that nurses seem to always seem busy. 
Disablednurse
414 Posts
If you become an RN, the possibilities could be endless with your other degrees. It is possible that you could teach in nursing school or work in a psyche unit or alzheimer's unit. Like I said the possibilities are endless.