Hey there!
I am in the process of making a career change into the nursing field. Like you, I am in my mid 30s and spent way too much time post-college in a career that I felt I never belonged in and became unfulfilling. I couldn’t imagine doing what I was doing for the rest of my working life.
I always had an interest in nursing, but thought it wasn’t for me because I struggled with science coursework in high school and college. Then, a few years ago, my dad was very ill and I was his caretaker and interacted with a lot of his nurses and care providers. I was touched and in awe of his nurses and my interest in nursing reopened.
Honestly, I was really scared too. It wasn’t a decision I could make lightly and wanted to make sure this time around, I would be happy with my decision. I did a lot of research and I talked to as many nurses as I could. I went on blogs, this site, reached out to people I haven’t spoken to in years to get as many opinions and as much insight into nursing as I could.
I took my prerequisite courses (Anatomy, Physiology, Micro and Chem) at a local community college while working FT and LOVED being back in school and found a lot of the material interesting. You want to do well in your pre-reqs so I recommend taking 1/semester if you are working. You may also need to take a few additional pre-reqs if they were not required for your previous undergrad degree.
Once all your pre-reqs are complete, you’ll need to take the TEAS and you can then start applying to programs.
I feel that with nursing, you’ll always have a job and there are so many different avenues that you could pursue and there is always room for growth.
Best of luck to you!
