Nursing school as a second career

caliotter3 · Jul 18, 2018

Make an appointment to speak to the nursing advisor at any of the local nursing programs after you have checked out their links at the websites of local schools. All things being equal, best to get a BSN from the beginning to save time, money, and aggravation. Otherwise, make a list of pros and cons for each program that interests you to help with your decision of where to apply first. Meanwhile, start general education and nursing prerequisite courses at the nearest community college. Get courses like English 101 out of the way first. Lastly, start your science courses as they are most likely to have recency requirements involved. All of this is generic advice you can find elsewhere all over this site.

caliotter3 · Jul 18, 2018

Oh, forgot to add, you can expect night shift, but that does not mean you have to only apply at places where night shift might happen right off the bat.

Sour Lemon · Jul 18, 2018

Hello, I am currently considering going into nursing school as my second career. I'm in the legal field now as a court reporter and I just don't feel very fulfilled in this profession. While the pay is great, I have a lot of flexibility because I can work, say, just a day and be good for the whole week, I still am kind of bored with it.
I understand nursing school is very hard, court reporting isn't easy either, but nursing is a whole other ball game that I have great respect for. If I applied for the AA nursing degree and I have no credits whatsoever from any previous college (I went to trade school to get my court reporting license - I don't think anything can transfer over), does that mean I have to take general studies first or is that included in an AA degree? Could I even apply for an AA degree in my position? I'm 27 years old, graduated high school almost 10 years ago with an average 3.4 GPA, I finished court reporting school seven years back as well with a 4.0 GPA (not sure if it matters?) Also, if anyone says I could try to transfer any credits from court reporting, my school shut down last year as well
I have to ask, and I know you guys probably get it a lot, but would a new nursing school grad have to start working night shifts?
I would ultimately love to get a BSN degree and hopefully a master's, but that is a long road and I have to think little at a time. Is it too much of me to ask that I would like to end up working somewhere in dermatology right off the bat or is that field too competitive?

A few things:

Most doctor's offices don't hire nurses, they hire medical assistants (who frequently call themselves nurses). The few nursing positions that are available are "plum" jobs and likely to be more competitive and lower paying.

Most ASN programs require quite a few prerequisites before you can apply and have a realistic chance of acceptance. Mine required:

Intro to Psychology

Developmental Psychology

Ethics

Nutrition

English Comp I

English Comp II

Microbiology

Anatomy I

Anatomy II

Intro to Chemistry

Possibly more I can't think of at the moment?

Jobs available upon graduation vary greatly based on region. When I graduated eight years ago, the hospital I applied at had a policy to call all RN applicants within 2-4 hours (I'm fuzzy with the exact time frame). In other areas, new graduates may have to actually move out of state to find their first jobs.

For ADN verses BSN, see above.

For questions about night shift verses day shift opportunities, see above.

What sort of "fulfillment" are you seeking? People who use those types of words often have a romanticized view of what nursing is. It's BIG business and the bottom line comes first. To avoid disappointment, it's imperative that you understand that.