Nursing As A Back-Up Career?

[aerin-sol]

I'm at a crossroads in my life and looking to get some advice on where to go. I'm an EMT-B who does mainly non-emergency transfers, I enjoy my job, and I would enjoy working in healthcare. Ive also taken approximately 3 years of college courses and could get a BA in the Humanities in about 2 years, or switch to nursing and get an ASN in 3 years, including pre-reqs, assuming I can get into a program. My ultimate goal is to be a public interest/animal rights lawyer, but all of the career advice I've read and all of the lawyers I've spoken to say that the law is not a good career for the fields I am interested in. I would like to get my ASN, practice as a nurse for a guaranteed income, then go on to law school and ultimately work part-time in nursing and part-time in law. I've read that nursing is a great career that will always be in demand, and I've read that there are nurses who have looked for jobs for years without being able to find one. Should I consider a different healthcare field as my steady source of income? I think I'd really enjoy nursing due to the opportunities to try different fields, provide patient education, and the advanced practice fields, especially midwifery. Any advice would be appreciated.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Sorry you haven't gotten any responses before now. You sound like a very interesting person with a real passion for making a difference.

As you mentioned in your post, you have begun to realize that all the hype about nursing - bulletproof career, recession proff, blah blah blah -- is just plain wrong. New Grad nurses are not the only ones having a difficult time finding jobs.. many areas of the country simply have no nursing jobs available right now & no one knows when (or if) this situation will improve.

Moving your education into a health science trajectory will undoubtedly require a lot more coursework. There's very little overlap between the humanities and life-sciences and you'll need to finish all prerequisites to be eligible for admission at most schools . Thanks to all the aforementioned hype, nursing school applications are at an all-time high right now so actually getting into a school may take some time. Although a lot of us did it, working while going to nusing school can be difficult due to scheduling issues as well as the intensity of the coursework... another thing for you to consider.

If your goals include moving into a specialty nursing practice, this would probably require full-time commitment on your part to gain the necessary experience/expertise. You would need at least a BSN to achieve a specialty certification and advance practice (nurse midwife) requires a graduate degree. None of this would really be feasible with a part-time commitment.

Law school can also be very rigorous... I know quite a few nurses who have gotten their JDs - most are currently employed in healthcare risk management or similar roles rather than practicing as an attorney.

Here's a thought - if your passion and ultimate goals are animal-centered, have you considered a veterinary medicine track? Maybe becoming a vet tech as a first step?

Best wishes in the future no matter which path you choose.

[Guest717236]

Not sure of if this is helpful, but if your ultimate goal is law, think

about an MPH. It would give you the health care experience, and it blends well

with the law degree. There are MPH with concentrations in Health Law and Environmental issues,

and of course Health . You can work with the MPH alone or with a JD.

The downside to nursing is the shifts, so if law school is your plan you may want a

career which is days so you can go to law school evenings.

Good luck with your career plans...