anyone else changing careers to go into nursing?

Nurses Career Support

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Hi everyone!

Is anyone else here totally changing careers to go to nursing school? I guess I'm looking for a little encouragement that it's OK for me to want to get out of the corporate/business world that I HATE and go into nursing!

What are your thoughts and reasons? Here's a little about me -- I have a degree in Advertising and I've been in the business world for almost 5 years now. I just have no interest in business-related things, and I have no desire to climb the proverbial corporate ladder. To me, nursing seems like something totally different from that. I can't say I've had a passion for it my whole life, like some people can. It only just occurred to me about 6 months ago. But I just want something different -- I HATE sitting at a computer and being bored out of my mind for 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week!!

Anyone else in a similar situation?

amy :)

Just wanted to share my story...I received a B.S. in Exercise Physiology in 2001. Immediately after graduating, I began working as a Patient Care Tech, and I decided to become a nurse. I entered a BSN program and completed one year. With one year left, I decided not to pursue nursing. I had become so burned out by working as a tech and seeing what the nurses went through. I saw new grads who told me how much they hated their jobs, as well as older nurses who told me the same thing. All the nurses I talked to had only negative things to say about the profession. Plus, the disrespect nurses received from family, patients, and most of all doctors was horrendous. While I still think nursing is an honorable profession, I advise everyone to consider their options. I had wanted to be a nurse for 3 years before I actually started nursing school. I was so excited and happy about it, until the reality of the job hit me. Again, just be aware of what nursing really is like. I urge everyone to become a tech to get a taste of nursing. Then you cab see first hand if it is for you.

Happily, I found my true calling, still in the medical field. I am now getting my Master's in Occupational Therapy. I have one year behind me, and one year left, and I do not regret it at all. OT is a wonderful profession. There is more respect, much higher salary, many many options/fields to work in, and no weekends or holidays! Every OT I have talked to still loves their job after 20 years, and one even told me they loved it so much they would "do it for free." I encourage everyone, especially those with a Bachelor's degree, to explore all medical fields. You might find one that really appeals to you. If your true calling is to be a nurse, then that is awesome. Just make sure you really take the time to figure it out.

I am so sorry to hear that you feel that way. the are an awful lot of us out here who would vehemently disagree with you. MY feeling is that many new grads burn out because BSN programs do NOT teach theri students what it means to be a nurse.I eel that new grads are ill prepared to even do basic patient care, let alone have critical thinking skills. regarding respect, nurses allow themselves to be treated poorly by some docs. If you command resepct and expect it, your approach to docs will change and you will be respected. If you allow yourself to be treated poorly by docs it may be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If more nurses were more inclined to take a stand and hold their ground, they's see more respect from some of the docs. Granted, there are some docs that will never chanmge but that's the way it is in any profession.Nursing was my second career (I was an elementary school teacher) and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Thank you for both for sharing your stories and insights. I am still thinking over my issue of nursing vs. SLP. I find that the range of both professions provides greater choices and flexibility than I have had as a teacher. I read these thougths and think about the real needs of people in health care, education. What a waste that we have both an educational and health care system that burn professionals up and out. I don't have any real answers, but I do want to keep asking the question: how can we create work cultures that help us to care for people? We have to take care of one another, and also allow professionals to take care of some issues themselves (more autonomy). I can't help but wonder if both teachers and nurses suffer from the "female ghetto" syndrome. I don't know, but I do appreciate your stories. Good luck to everyone :uhoh3: :stone :crying2: :angryfire :rolleyes:

I have always fwelt that I had more flexibility as a nurse than I did when I was a classroom teacher.

Hi All!!

Firstly, great thread. Everyone is so helpful.

My story is similar to so many on this thread. I am a 26 year old Irish male Engineer and I HATE my profession. I sit in my front of my computer all day, don't speak to anyone and have to listen to the daily moan of management who think they are so important when really they do nothing worthwhile or constructive.

I am definitely a peoples person and problem solver and have been toying around with the idea of Nursing or Social Work for the past year. I have been accepted into a 2 year BSN in Sydney,Oz starting in January but I still am undecided wheter or not to go for it. I hear alot of nurses are burnt out, and there are alot of negative points on this board. I just don't want to be in a position where I hate my profession again in 3 years time. I suppose the reasons I am considering Nursing is that I want a challenge, people focussed job, with lots of opportunities and the ability to travel. I suppose I also have a bit of an issue with being a male in nursing. How will I be treated?? Is it also true that males progress quicker in Nursing?One part of me is telling me just go for it, but there is something holding me back, the fear of making a huge mistake I suppose!! I have done some shadowing in hosiptals and I did feel like I could fit in to that environment.

Also,are there any social workers reading this. Im doing some social work voluntary work at the moment. Which would be a better move nursing or social work?

Any help would be gr8!:)

I have never regretted my change into nursing and I never will. As far as the question posed about men in nursing, I think it is WIDE OPEN for me. In fact, I think that men are sought after even more because they are men! Put together being a man with a masters (maybe an NP) and you have a wonderful career. To the man who posed the question......go talk to some male nurses where you live, if possible. I think it's a great field for everyone. no matter what sex you are!

I applaud you for truly thinking about your choices. What I hear over and over again is about burn-out, Drs treating you terribly etc... There are so many opportunities for nursing outside of the hospital. You can be a researcher, work with seniors, be a camp nurse, school nurse, travelling nurse, work with the Peace Corps, work at shelters, teach, run a health club, private duty nursing, the opportunities are endless. Yes, it is best to get some experience on the hospital floor, let it be a stepping stone if you want for the area you truly want to be in. As 2nd career people, do what you truly want to do. This is an opportunity that not a lot of people are corageous to act on. I am changing my whole life at 38, back in school, waiting tables etc... (used to be in a suit everyday) so I can learn and do what I truly want to do and to be. We all know what we don't want to do and we will figure out what and where we want to be eventually. Our opportunities in nursing are what you make them out to be.

Hello there. I also worked for Corporate America (Pharmaceutical Industry) and decided to quit. I am considering nursing and doing some research about the best alternatives.

Your description is identical to mine. I want to work with people and not with machines ! I am not interested in Corporate Ladders either.

Best of luck researching your options. I do believe that our minds and bodies never lie to us !

Adriana (MS in Neurosciences)

I am in the same boat. I really appreciate this thread. I actually worked in an ED for some time, deciding whether or not to take the plunge. The docs were truly terrific as well as the nursing staff ,however there were several nurses that truthfully discouraged me from pursuing this career--young and old nurses. I felt comfortable in that environment, however I was burnt out from working in difficult conditions with little compensation. I enjoyed the nature of the ED, however working in the ED where there were several hold-overs, people sleeping in the hallway or sleeping on gurney's for days was difficult. People were uncomfortable and trying to help them became overwhelming. A majority of area hospitals would divert meaning we had to take ambulances regardless of how many pts we had. Some nurses had 4/5 pts in the ED! That is dangerous. I am not sure how hospitals can continue at such a pace.

I have a degree in another field, however I am not 100% about getting back into what I left. I would strongly encourage people to volunteer at a hospital or shadow a nurse. There is the opportunity to travel--this has its downfalls as well. You are really the bottom rung and not respected in most hospitals. Its also difficult to prove your competent when you arrive from another/city/state/country and orient in few days. Other nurses don't have much to go by. Its true that there are opps out of the hospital however these opps are few and far between. Many seasoned nurses have told me those jobs are hard to come by as nurses who spent their careers in the hospital setting have "paid their dues" and would more likely be considered for camp nurse or school nurse--etc ( although I don't know how true that is).

There are many sides to this coin. I am passionate about medicine and learning and have a great respect for nurses.. and I too am concerned about the stories of being assaulted by pts, working every other weekend, holidays, shifts short of nurses, mandatory OT.

This website has an abundance of really great information,stories. Please keep posting and maybe some of us will have an "aha' moment about making the career switch!.:uhoh21:

Specializes in LTC and MED-SURG.

I am changing careers to Nursing for a lot of the same reasons as many of you who have posted. I have been accepted into the LPN prgroam for Spring 2005 and have just finished a CNA course, taken to get direct patient care experience. I plan to work through the levels up to MSN. I have found though, that some of the things that caused me to have burnout in my previous office jobs exist in Nursing also. I am trying to be realistic. That doesn't deter me, because I love working in the medical environment. What I have seen that turns me off mostly, is that the medical field also consists of corporations, corporate mentality, profits-over-people mentality too. The DIFFERENCE though is that I as a nurse feel I can make a meaningful difference in people's lives.

Also, for all you fellow career-changers, I think the skills and knowledge we've obtained in other fields will serve us, our patients and future co-workers very well.

I've finally finished reading this thread, and it's great! I think it's really sealed the deal for me to make the career change (even with the few negative posts here and there).

I myself am 25 and currently at my third "corporate" job. Like everyone else in similar situations I'm really tired of sitting in cube and not making a difference to anyone. I was pre-med when I started college, but I changed my major to Cognitive Science (which I LOVE). I suppose I could have still gone to med school, but life just didn't go that way for me. Now I realize that I need to be doing something that fulfills my career goal: Help people live better lives.

I actually thought I could do that doing what I do now, but when my work is roadmapped by stocks and business interests, people lose.

I think I'm more ready to make this change also because I'm pretty young still, no kids, no significant other, ready to go where the wind blows me! :) I'm not even a nursing student yet (starting my pre-requisites in January) but I think this board will help me keep motivated.

I am going into my second career, I'm 41. I have been a secretary for almost 20 years and have hated working for corporate crooks. I took a CNA course in November to see if nursing was right for me and LOVED doing hands-on patient clinicals.:nurse: I should have listened to mom when she said "be a NURSE" many, many years ago!

I am anxiously awaiting starting nursing school and hope that eventually you do too!! All the Best!

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