Nurse vs sleep tech vs chaplain...age 60

[Squad51KMG365]

I posted this on Nov 1 in "careers" and got no response, so I'm re-posting here and adding "parish nurses" to my comments.

I have followed AllNurses for quite a while now and have posted a few times. I have a BS degree and some grad school; I have attempted ADN school in the early 1990s and most recently (2015-16) was in an LVN program until my disabled husband fell and hurt his back and was hospitalized for a month. We have permanently relocated to a large city where he can get medical care without riding 6+ hours on Greyhound. I am current with my EMT-Basic certification.

I'm debating whether to continue (essentially start over) with LVN (the public colleges want me to re-take A&P, the for-profit schools include it in their curriculum) or pursue something which may be a little less physical (I just enlisted in our State Guard). I looked at a polysomnography program, I tend to be a night person anyway, and there supposedly are jobs in this field in my city. After being told my A&P was OK, now I've been told to re-take it. I saw very little recent commentary on this field on AllNurses.

Another possibility is a chaplaincy program which is a joint venture between the church hierarchy and a local seminary--it is a 2-year certificate integrating theology and pastoral care. There should be jobs available and age isn't an issue. One thing I've always liked about chaplaincy is that you get to work with the entire healthcare team.

I need to be employed for the next 10-15 years at least, hopefully some of these big hospital chains offer retirement. I would appreciate any insight from Nurse Beth or any sleep techs, parish nurses, chaplains, "50+" persons, etc....thanks so much!

[MinneNurse, BSN, RN]

I can't speak for parish nursing or "sleep techs" but I would consider the availability of these positions. You mentioned you looked into the polysomnography program and said "there supposedly are jobs in this field in my city." My thought would be, how many jobs, how often are they hiring, how many individuals are in the market looking for these positions? While I was nursing school, some of my classmates had gone to school before to come dental hygienists or ultrasound techs. Unfortunately where I live the market was saturated with individuals with this degree and not enough jobs to support them. Not saying that is the case for you, just something to look into.

If you are still considering become a LVN/LPN I would also look into what types of facilities are hiring. After reading several posts on this site over the years, it seems in some states LPN/LVNs have a harder time finding positions in a variety of settings.

Sorry I can't provide anymore insight, best of luck to you!