Nursing as Second Career: ABSN Question

[memily]

Hi Everyone!

This is my first time posting on here, and I'm not usually one to post in online forums, however I could use some advice!

A little background about me and why I'm posting:

I'm a 25 year old female young professional with an undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech in Business IT with a concentration in supply chain management. I currently work for a large company in the Richmond, Va area, and I'm very thankful to be here near family with a job with good benefits!

I've always considered a career in the healthcare industry, however I was always intimidated by the amount of math and science required, since I'm not naturally gifted in those areas, so I never really tried to seek a degree leading in that direction! I've only been in the workforce for about 2 years, however it is becoming increasingly apparent to me that my reserves about the business world might be truer every day that the business world is not for me (politics, lack of genuine care for people, constant concern over promotions, etc.). I keep coming back to the idea of becoming a nurse because I would be able to support myself and my lifestyle, help people every day, have a relatively stable job nationwide when comparing it to job stability in business, and do something that truly matters every day. I know that every industry has its woes and politics, and that not every day is a good day, however I can't help but continue to wonder if I should really do something about it now while I'm young and can financially recover instead of having bigger regrets later in life.

I've done some research, and if I were to undertake this, I would like to do the ABSN offered by VCU. I would eventually like to be a CRNA, and I know this requires more schooling after gaining experience first. I know nothing is ever guaranteed, however VCU would really be my only option! My cousin who is a nurse suggested online nursing degrees, however I'm not certain that would be a good idea given that I'm not naturally gifted in science and would probably need the in class environment. I would certainly have to take all the pre-reqs, and my thought would be to take those at a community college in the evening while I'm still working so I can still have an income and pay for the classes. For the program itself, I would obviously have to quit my job and take out loans and try to get scholarships to pay for school and living expenses, which makes me nervous! I would be leaving a great company with good pay and benefits to have zero pay and benefits for the next almost two years while getting myself into debt, which I have none of right now. An important part of this story is that if I were to stay in business, my company has a 100% financial reimbursement for higher education, so I could go get my MBA or a business related masters degree and still be debt free. I'm very unsure about what to do, and am hoping some of you have some advice for someone like me! Please be gentle with the criticism as I already have plenty of that :) Now, here are my questions!

1. Is it worth leaving a company with good pay/benefits/ educational reimbursement program to go for an ABSN when there's no guarantee of getting into a program, passing the NCLEX, getting a nursing job?

2. If you did a ABSN, based on your experience, would you do it again?

3. Based on what I've said, would you suggest I try to make the "business thing" work? (I'm really concerned about the debt.)

I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting some questions since I've got so many things running through my mind, but I really appreciate you reading this long post and offering any advice/encouragement that you may have! :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

If it were me, I would probably try to make the business thing work. Develop skills and get the credentials needed ... and then use those skills and credentials to get a job in the health care industry. You could get an MBA, maybe a Master's in Health Administration, or whatever business specialty appeals to you most. Then seek a job where you would feel that your company is one of the "good guys" in the world -- perhaps a non-profit organization that does a lot of good.

You might not earn as much money as you would as a CRNA, but you wouldn't have any debt to pay off, either -- and that route would be a lot less risky.