Nursing as Second Career for Mature Professional w/Full-Time Job?

Ruthiegal · Nov 30, 2009

Oh My, my only question is WHY?? it will take several years or more to gain the financial security you enjoy now.... You have so many opportunities now why toss that all aside? Nursing is a very hard profession, hard physically and mentally, and you must learn to juggle... I would stay put. uh huh that's what I would do!

Good luck either way you go!

iPink, BSN, RN · Nov 30, 2009

Dont do it. stick with your 90k job. The euphoria you currently feel wont last long when you have to go through nursing school and when you are on the floor being screamed at by patients and doctors.
If you want to do something to help others, volunteer at a hospital or homeless shelter.

I agree. This is the best advice for your current situation. However, I have heard of people leaving their 6-figure jobs to do something they had passion for. In this economy, you may want to really think long and hard about that decision before you drop it all.

RNMLIS · Nov 30, 2009

If I could have made it in my former career, I would go back to it. I have wasted too much time and money pursuing nursing only to achieve inadequate employment at best and unemployment at worst. There is something to be said about sticking with the known versus chasing the elusive. Dreams don't pay the bills or buy healthcare for oneself much less one's family.

I agree - Sometimes I wish I hadn't done it...

I ended up digging myself deeper

Have a BA and Master's (Librarian) Corporate library world went through major upheavals a few years ago Stoopid me would not consider public librarian (fyi : corporate librarianship is very competitive and fast paced)

went to school for nursing with medical librarianship or research in the back of my mind AFTER getting EXPERIENCE.

Beleived the need for nursing hype DUH

It breaks my heart reading all the excited queries on this website re: getting into nursing

Do more research re: nursing than a few postings on this website.

Have an associates in nursing which seemed to qualify me to work in LTC - dealing with the elderly is an area of interest for me (would love acute care geri) but not beating myself up in the abusive LTC environment that I found my self in...what kind of nursing care am I giving in the few minutes allowed per resident 20 + residents...I found the LTC industry "sicker" than the residents it sucks in..

Anyhoo post spinal surgery and I cannot go back to that kind of environment and hospitals seem to still want BSN nurses.

Everyone's reality is different - spend some time on this site - read other's posts There is alot of heartbreak and dissapointment on these pages...at the same time other postings exibit many sucesses in the world of nursing.

no guarantees thats the deal

So for me, more time and money to go where...

hope to skip the BSN and >>> master's case management geri, research or do I hear another siren call

I am too old for this...

webmansx, ASN, RN · Nov 30, 2009

go ahead. chase your dream...but be prepared for the worst...and believe me, it is there in abundance!

hotnurse84 · Nov 30, 2009

I wouldn't do it if I were you. I wish I made near 80k a yr. I'm only an lpn but still 80k is awesome. however money isn't everything. but definently volunteer or shadow a nurse before going into debt paying for all these nursing classes. you may find out it is not what you think. I enjoy being a nurse I really do but its hard and somedays I wish I could just be a normal person working 9to 5 p in a cubicle or something..lol

Blackheartednurse · Nov 30, 2009

I wouldnt do it if I were you. I left a very stable career, making 55K-60K with only an Associate's Degree, only to go through a very hard nursing program to not having a job when I graduated. It took me 3 months after graduation to land my first RN job, and by then, I was behind on my mortgage. I almost lost my home. I had been looking for my first RN job months before I actually graduated. I wouldnt do it if I were you.
With the economy the way it is, don't believe the hype about a "nursing shortage" which is the BS they will feed you all the way through nursing school. Just look around on this site and see how many new grads are struggling to find a job 6 months post graduation.

So true,we have to throw to the wind our former lives and move thousand miles away to finally start working~!

Terpole · Nov 30, 2009

I wouldn't do it. Financial security is something very important nowadays. You will be paying to go to school to work in a field upon starting out will halve your current salary. Major point to think about. Of course everybody should pursue their dreams, but dreams don't pay the bills.

carluvscats · Nov 30, 2009

For the long-term, it could work out well for you. I guess it just depends on how much stress and hardship you are willing to put up with in the short-term, for the sake of your dream. You say that your passion is education; there is a need for good nursing school instructors as well as clinical instructors. Of course, you will have to spend some time "in the trenches" before you will be able to teach.

I went back to school later in life, and have no regrets. I had to be true to myself and knew I would always wonder what would have happened if I didn't follow my heart. Nursing certainly isn't the "golden ticket" I thought it would be while I was going to school, and the job market just stinks right now! But it won't always be like this.

Best of luck to you!

MauraRN · Nov 30, 2009

I left my real estate business for nursing, had a Bachelor's in Political Science. Did LPN then bridged to RN, currently working part-time as that was all I could get. There is no nursing shortage, my husband was not happy with my major drop in income. That said, I am divorcing said hubby, my little boy is now 17 years old, and I love my work. I want to sell this big house, have downsized from a big SUV to a little Toyota and am happy about it. Go ahead and start your pre-reqs at night and keep your job during the day. Start saving money anywhere you can, like giving up the daily latte, take your lunch from home, etc. Do look at volunteering to make sure this is the direction that you want to go in. The reality may be quite different from your expectations. Stay away from LTC. 30 patient med passes will burn you out quickly. I am in an acute rehab unit in a community hospital now with 5 patients, it feels like a vacation compared to LTC. Don't give up your dream, just spend some time preparing for it.

MauraRN

iPink, BSN, RN · Nov 30, 2009

I left my real estate business for nursing, had a Bachelor's in Political Science. Did LPN then bridged to RN, currently working part-time as that was all I could get. There is no nursing shortage, my husband was not happy with my major drop in income. That said, I am divorcing said hubby, my little boy is now 17 years old, and I love my work. I want to sell this big house, have downsized from a big SUV to a little Toyota and am happy about it. Go ahead and start your pre-reqs at night and keep your job during the day. Start saving money anywhere you can, like giving up the daily latte, take your lunch from home, etc. Do look at volunteering to make sure this is the direction that you want to go in. The reality may be quite different from your expectations. Stay away from LTC. 30 patient med passes will burn you out quickly. I am in an acute rehab unit in a community hospital now with 5 patients, it feels like a vacation compared to LTC. Don't give up your dream, just spend some time preparing for it.
MauraRN

Sorry, just had to ask since the door was wide open for it...Should she also expect to divorce her husband due to her career change?

traceh23 · Nov 30, 2009

I was in the same postition several years ago; stable job, good income, two small children, Bachelors and Masters degress, etc. I went thru a part-time BSN program. Nursing school is very hard, it takes A LOT of time and a lot of money, and it will suck the life right out of you.

I would not trade the experience, however, I would not do it again either. If I had it to do over again, I would wait until my children were older and I was retired from my first career. Luckily, I was able to return to my old job and pick back up where I left off and I work part-time/prn as a nurse. Mainly to pay back the loans I had to take out.

What you may find is that your current career has better pay, better working conditions, better hours, more time off, less stress etc, etc, etc.

I might also look at volunteering, and maybe look at EMT classes that are usually offered at a Jr. College and are only one semester long with no pre-req's, then you can work up to Paramedic.

I would wait!!!

jjjoy, LPN · Nov 30, 2009

I'd agree with the much of the above advice to not rush into a decision. It sounds like you may have a bit more exposure to real-life nursing than some, which is a great place to start.

I wouldn't count on making a comparable wage anytime soon. Depending on where you live, it could take several years to get the experience and opportunity necessary to match your current salary. Being willing to routinely work weekends, overnight, overtime and/or two jobs would probably be more financially rewarding, though it can be difficult for some to maintain such schedules.

The shift-work scheduling of most Nursing Jobs can have many advantages but it can also be a drawback. You may not have as much control as you'd like over which shifts you are assigned, forcing you to miss more holidays/kids' activities/etc than you may have expected. And unlike many office jobs, you can't take a few hours during your work day to run errands, go to the doctor, etc.

And finally, the most in-demand nursing jobs are often the tough ones. The average bedside nurse has a ton of different responsibilities to juggle where the situations & priorities are constantly changing. One patient needs pain meds, another needs to use the toilet, another needs a blood transfusion, there are several new orders to review and get done, a family member on the phone has a question, a doctor is calling back on an abnormal lab, there are 15 pages of admission papers to fill out, one thing after another. And any patient condition could quickly turn for the worse at any time. Like life-guarding pools in separate rooms while also waitressing a busy restaurant! Non-stop for 12-hours. Some say it feels like "running around like a chicken with its head cut off." Some thrive on it. Some manage it. Others run from it like the plague.

If you do want to be a nurse, then it's worth it to risk a financial hit and trade the pros and cons for your current job for the pros and cons of nursing. Just don't make that choice based on general impressions and vague feelings of dissatisfaction. As mentioned before, volunteering, taking EMT classes, and more could another way to get involved without tossing your current career. And that experience might give you better insight into whether or not you do want to make a career change.

I know for me, it's easier to justify time & money spent on taking classes towards a specific career goal such as nursing as opposed to investing time & money into volunteer work or less-lofty pursuits in the medical arena. But since you do already have a good job, it might make sense to pursue this interest in health care with smaller steps.