Not a new story yet to me it is...

llg, PhD, RN · May 24, 2010

I'm female ... but ...

Why not just augment your accounting skills/credentials and use them to find a better job? If you are interested in healthcare, you could work for a healthcare organization ... or a professional organization ... or a patient advocy group ... etc. You could become a financial planner and focus on helping health care professionals, etc. There must be some options that appeal to you that would allow you to build on your background rather than starting over in an entirely new field completely from scratch.

I'd look for a 2nd career that you could study part-time in the evenings and on weekends so that you could keep your job while you complete at least the majority of your education. And I'd pick a 2nd career for which your current skills could have some use and for which they would be an asset on the job market. Combine that business and accounting background with some new creditials and you will be out in front of the pack.

The only way I would recommend you throw away a 90K per year career to start from scratch in nursing is if your heart were truly set on it as a means of personal/spiritual fulfillment -- and I don't see any of that in your OP. ... and I am not one of those who believe nursing has to be a "calling" for someone to be a great nurse. I just wouldn't recommend throwing away so much previous education for a nursing career unless your heart is in it.

Going to nursing school and becoming a nurse is not the "cure all" for an uphappy job situation that many people seem to think it is. Spend a little time reading here to see why.

Just my $.02

formerarch · May 24, 2010

Not necessarily advice so much as feedback from a similar situation. Was last employed in another field (architecture) 1 1/2 years ago. A horrific economy for construction pretty much wrecked that. But there were several other downsides also.

If you're looking at quitting and going to RN school, be prepared for some harsh realities. Especially if you're looking at a BSN. If you're over 5 years past any classes you had in chemistry, biology, anatomy or physiology, you may be taking them all over again. You often have to have everything done 6-9 months ahead from when you actually start a program. And there may be several other prerequisites to get out of the way.

Accelerated programs (for people already holding a bachelor's in another field) are very competitive to get into, and often require a minimum 3.0 gpa from wherever you graduated before. It's a condensed year of school, but a year of nothing but school (and get used to a $30,000 price tag for admission).

i'm currently looking at entering an ADN program, which is much more affordable, a little less stringent about qualifications, but will require 3 years. Will take some prerequisite classes this summer and fall, then a 9-month wait, then 2 years of classes. All filled in with part-time work as a nurse assistant at a similar salary to what i'm currently getting on unemployment. In other words, just enough to get by.

i know the ugliness of working at a place where you can't stand walking through the doors in the morning (my last job . . . i finally told them to let me go if it came to that, which it did). i also know what it's like to work for a non-profit organization (the job before that, where i worked for 4 1/2 years and considered to be my favorite in a 17 year career). You might look into non-profit work first if you want something more meaningful. There's plenty of them out there, and they're starving for experienced professionals. Be forewarned about salaries though: they're not called 'non-profit' for nothing. My salary was slightly more than half of yours, and it stayed flat for all 4 1/2 years.

And if you're still planning on staying with the RN thing, check out the employment sites of your local area hospitals. Here, they hire at around $23/hour. Those with master's degrees seem to command around $70,000 annually (just my findings, yours may vary). But a typical RN will start at roughly half your current salary.

futureunknown · May 27, 2010

Ok, thanks for the comments. After reading your post and spending some time on this forum I think I will hold off for awhile.

Bill E. Rubin · Jun 8, 2010

Hey Futureunknown, feel free to PM me if you want to talk more. Where you are located does make a difference wrt to pay... I left a 20+ year career in software engineering to become a nurse. The accelerated program I attended had classes one day a week and clinicals one day. I worked as an independent software consultant while going to school, though I did cut back on my workload to accommodate school. As for the prereqs, you can take those part time at community college. As an accountant, perhaps you could freelance a little to help make ends meet while in school. Anyway, it can be done, and for me the pay drop wasn't quite that dramatic... and I make a lot more money as an employed nurse than I would as an unemployed software engineer. Pay in Boston at one of the teaching hospitals is in the vicinity of $30/hr plus differentials for a new grad which means you start at around $70k depending on what shifts you work Not bad starting salary, but obviously not as high as your experienced accounting pay.

One of my classmates was a corporate accountant of about 40 years old. It's tough sometimes for those of us who leave higher-paying, well-respected careers, because you often have a tendency to second-guess yourself and wonder if you're crazy to even consider such an idea. Anyway, best of luck to you whatever you decide.