please vote--change career mid life?

[2bNurseguru]

Have a master's degree in nutrition. I am 33 years old. Currently making $37,000 with 5 years experience. Considering going back to nursing school because of my low pay. Considering the cost of tuition and the many years at this school, would this be a wise decision? I do like helping people--- but I cannot stand seeing someone in pain and I am not sure if this is something one can overcome. I want to go into nursing because of the better pay. Any advice? I have a very flexible salaried position. Married with a 2 year old, and hoping for another in the next one year or so. Current work hours are 9 am to 4:30 pm.

[cwinlv]

I am a 47 year old grandmother who, three years ago, made the decision to end a lucrative career in computer programming. At the time I re-entered college, I was making an annual salary of $72,450. My decision was obviously not a monetary decision (my starting salary as a nurse will only be a fraction of what I used to make); it was based on a love of medicine and a lifelong desire to become a nurse.

Before you enter the field, ask yourself if you will be truly happy as a nurse. Do NOT base your decision on the amount of money you may or may not make. I know from first-hand experience that working in a job you dislike 8+ hours a day can be torture, even when the salary is excellent. Go with what makes your heart happy and monetary rewards will follow.

I am currently working as a Nurse Apprentice on an oncology ward and will graduate as an RN next May. Although nursing is extremely hard work, I look forward to going to work when I wake up each morning...and THAT is my biggest reward! :D

Good luck in whatever you decide!

[Barb3433]

There are LOTS of areas nurses can work in..NOT ONLY A HOSPITAL!!!

Homecare is good if you want flexibility with hours, days etc etc.

I have homecare nurses that come into my home for my daughter......

P.S...I almost forgot..none of my nurses work holidays in my house..I don't expect them to be away from their families so it is good for those who work in home care...plus in homecare you are 1:1 with the patient.......so the patient gets more attention than if you were in a hospital setting with 5-7 patients to yourself.........you could also do visiting nurse as well....which usually isn't holidays/nights etc unless you are the one on call which may be 1x per month on a weekend ........or you could work just sat & sun with 2 12 hr shifts & have the whole week off for example ..which I plan on doing IF I go to work in a hospital for some experience as soon as I am done in Dec......... good luck!

Sounds like you're referring to private duty nursing more than actual home care. I've worked in homecare for nearly 20 years and the flexibility is the ONLY reason most nurses stay. That doesn't mean fewer hours, just that you have some flexibility in juggling your schedule so you can make it to a program at your kid's school by either starting at daylight or working into the night. There are several big negatives to homecare today. Homecare is by far the most paperwork-intensive field of nursing. Sure, you're 1:1 with your patient while you're in the home, but for every half hour spent in patient care, you can count on averaging an at least an hour of paperwork. Then there are the working conditions. Some neighborhoods are nice; others you simply wouldn't believe. Both are where homecare nurses work, and as for not working weekends or holidays...WHAT??? In many agencies nurses are on-call one or more nights every week or one entire week every month, plus rotating weekends, and every holiday is included in that equation. That means if something goes wrong at 2am on Christmas eve, you get out of your nice, warm bed, get dressed, and maybe head off to a part of town most folks wouldn't feel safe driving through in broad daylight. Believe me, homecare nursing is not for the faint of heart.

[twotrees2]

personally if a person is going into it just for the money one should consider other options out there that could be just as financially balancing. its a rough job and not usually one that has flexible positions if yo need full time hours nor is it a 9 - 430 job - at least around here days isn't even an option for most new grads - nights or PMs as the ones who been at it longer get days unless by some odd coincidence they get in. and especially if you get a salaried position they can and will most places abuse the hours you work on salaried positions. good luck in your decision.

[Debbie7313]

Don't become a nurse if it is career change for the money only. There are places that can enforce mandatory overtime at the last minute, rotating schedules posted monthly, often times weekends and holidays are required and very often people with seniority get preference over the new person when it comes to vacation time....

[pacifica]

i hope you'll find it's worth it. i have. getting that pin is a pretty proud moment, and even better is when a patient asks, "are you back tonight? good!" it's hard work, but it's a lot of fun, too.

nursemike, thank you so much for your positive attitude and for saying this: "it's hard work, but it's a lot of fun, too." i hope that i have that same experience when i finally become a nurse. i hope i can resist the negativity and embrace the wonder of a profession with so much responsibility and so much opportunity to learn and advance.

i'm 40 and i'll be starting an adn program in january. i've been working for 10 years as a field biologist and i enjoyed it, but there is limited opportunity for advancement and for income. i chose nursing because it is a challenging career with lot of possible paths, it provides unlimited opportunity for continuing education, one can stay busy and moving around every day instead of sitting at a desk(what i liked about my last career), and the pay and benefits are better than most jobs these days.

i read the posts here everyday because i'm trying to immerse myself in the culture of nursing as much as possible before i start nursing school. i've read many negative posts from longtime nurses. i've read many overly sunny, optimistic posts from new nurses and nursing students. i know it will be hard and have no doubt there will be days when i'll want to cry or even quit. but i know from life experience that i can handle tough work better than most, both physically and emotionally, so i feel confident i've selected the right career.

kris :redbeathe

[Asklepios]

I'm with you, pacifica. Thanks to NurseMike for the positive attitude. If all goes well, I'll be starting nursing classes in Fall '07 and at 37, I feel like i am mature enough to know what I'm getting into, and I also know how to put things into perspective better than when I was younger. I having a lot of interest in healthcare, and I like the hospital environment. Working weird hours isn't always the worst thing, especially if you aren't raising kids. I don't have to worry about missing a school play or a soccer game. That could change, but I'll deal with it when it happens.

All that said, I would encourage anyone considering a change of careers, whether it be into nursing or anything else, not to do it only for the money. You should be interested in what you plan to do, and research it well first. Nursing may have decent wages and probably more job security than other fields, and this is just an added bonus to me. To think I can do a job I have an interest in and not have to worry about my company downsizing or outsourcing is a stress reliever in itself. Add to that, nursing provides many opportunities to learn and try other areas in the field, which I would think can help nurses who may be feeling burnt out by doing one thing for too long.

I feel bad for nurses who work in places that have bad mgmt or places that don't staff appropriately. This puts them in situations where their workload can lead to mistakes or problems that could hurt their careers or wind them up as a defendant in a lawsuit. For me, my current job places me in those situations too, but at least if I become a nurse, I can assume those risks while doing something I find more personally satisfying.

[Halinja, BSN, RN]

I see the good and the bad. I know there's very poor places to work in nursing. um, likely hospitals are worse because of the liability, but there are really crappy jobs away from nursing too, with abusive bosses, lousy pay, and coercion. The pay may not be top notch, but its a heck of a lot better than what I could make having just been dumped out of 20 years of being a stay at home Mom if I went to work for a fast food joint. (hm, did that sentence make sense?)

I'm 47. One more year of my BSN to go, 3 behind me, and they weren't easy. Four kids, new divorce, scary as all get out. But I feel like a kid in a candy store. There are just so many things you can DO! Psych, OR, NICU, Maternity, Helicopter nursing, school nursing, community nursing, palliative care, forensic nursing...Every rotation I've been on I've seen new opportunities. What other degree can you get that allows you to go in so many directions?

I had started to train for computer engineering job when I realized that I wanted to help people, not little boxes of wires. I'm getting close to when I'm going to have to make a decision about what I'm going to do and my list of possibles keeps getting bigger. For every one I cross off my list I add two more. Wheeeeee!