grasshopper7780

There IS a nursing shortage in various areas of the country. I live in a major city and the nursing shortage there is insane. The critical needs employment opps are ALL RN positions. Now, in the middle of MA, where my folks live, there is not a shortage. It all depends.

Do it! I worked at a well known med school and the age range there for the incoming class was 20-58! Thats 58 to start med school of 4 years plus residency! Now a days, life is long and people can do anything at any time, its so inspiring. You should go for it and you will get in as long as you have the requirements and a good GPA. You will be amazing! Good for you and keep us posted, you will be an inspiration to us all!

Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft work well for anxiety when taken daily. Colanzapan/Klonopin are great for immediate results to calm you down with anxiety and those are taken as needed. Some people take half pills at first to see how the doses affect you but its pretty mild.

Wow - alot going on in this thread. Alot of info and speculation, fact and fiction. As other posters said, there is so much that goes into getting a job, no matter what job. I have a friend who did an ADN and just got a job after 6-8 months by moving to another area. Another who had clinical experience in international missions during her ABSN who got hired almost right out of school. I know 3 others at a major city hospital who got ASBNs and were admitted to the new nurse internship that the hospital accepts into twice a year. I know two others who went for BSNs, made friends connections at their clinicals and when it cam down to getting a job, those connections went to bat for her to get it as a new grad. I just think there are so many factors and it is definitely dependent on where you live and the need in your area AND connections. I live in an area where connections are a big deal and people have already told me to meet as many people as I can volunteering during my prereqs so that I will have the base when I look for a job there in a coup[le of years. Advice is great but everyone should read it, apply it to their own situation and make the best decision for them. Good luck everyone!

Reading your post, I think you should absolutely go for it. You sound like you want to be a nurse for all the right reasons, to HELP people. I think that the issue you are talking about is being human. Some of the best medical professionals or heck, even other professions that help people like teachers, dont want to listen to people go on and on. Who knows, you might become a nurse and enjoy this part of nursing more than you ever imagine, you are bound to change when training for this career. Also, since you have thought about this for so long, have the support to do, then think to yourself, will you spend the next 10, 20, 30 years wondering if you should have just gone for it? If you think that that is a big possibility, then you should do it. You are a crossroads but honestly, to me it sounds like you have already decided deep in your gut. I think you will be great. Good luck to you!

Weezy - you are NOT alone. There are alot of people on this board who have come from completely unrelated backgrounds. I have found alot of comfort on these boards. Like you, I have never felt a "calling" to be a specific job, I have felt a calling only to improve peoples health and help them live healthier, happier lives. I had NO IDEA when I went to undergrad, majored in Spanish and then found my way into health communications. I liked it but never found it that rewarding. I also got a Masters of Public Health and through that experience started becoming increasingly interested in the more hands on, clinical aspect of medicine. So here I am, 30, with a BA and an MPH, starting my prereqs in Jan and volunteering at my local hospital. Way I see it, if I have always disliked doing health from a computer and office, that will only increase with time. I need the hands on, I need to work with people, I want to help people one -on-one so I am going to be a nurse. I am scared, second guess myself sometimes, get freaked out my all the new change coming but I try to concentrate on the fact that I will be learning all kinds of amazing new things, I will meet new people, I will be able to make a difference in someones life, a real difference and be able to see it on their face. Check out schools, look at volunteering, talk to nurses, see if you could shadow a nurse at a local hospital, go to open houses at accelerated programs and keep coming back to this board for support! Good luck!

Thirdwatch - how many hours a week do you work? You make that much without the overtime? You probably dont get benefits correct? How do you like being a CNA?

Swampcat - where you living? The CNA classes are expensive in my area too (DC). I looked into the cost vs the job market and the pay and I just dont think I could survive off that while I take my prereqs. I decided to volunteer at the hospital to get the exposure. Luckily, the hospital has alot of volunteers who are interested in nursing so they let you volunteer at the nursing stations. I will be in L&D and I am super excited. Everyone has told me that even as a volunteer it will help to get to know people in the hospital and make connections so that when I am a new grad, someone may go to bat for me. Its tough though, good luck!

You could look into accelerated second degree BSNs, that is what I am doing. They are more money but a BSN is becoming increasingly important. There is also alot of $ in scholarships, you just have to put in the effort to look for them and apply. Its takes time but I have a friend who was able to get some $ every semester by hunkering down and applying for as many as she could find that she qualified for.

My apologies, I didnt mean to distract from her question, I was asking the person who responded to her (JaneyW)

I am a prenursing student who will start volunteering in L&D at my local hospital in the nursing stations in the first week of Jan. Any advice for someone like me who is starting out and trying to get alot of exposure and info? Thanks!

I was looking at their ABSN program. Shiningstar05 - what did you like about it? how was the orientation?

Thanks so much for the support. Yesterday was a rough day for me, reading this made me feel much better. I applaud you all for making the leap too!

I was planning to take AP1 and Chem next semester. I volunteer at the hospital and I work bartending 4 nights a week. I am a little nervous to take them both but if I take AP with a non lab science like nutrition or something then I will have to wait a whole other semester to apply to school. I was an honors student in both my BA and my MPH and worked full time in both so I am hoping that I can do it. Do you really think that is a big mistake?

Hey everyone, so after 5 years of working in health communications (from a cubicle, office, 9-5) and thinking about being a nurse, EMT, PA for years, I talked to a million nurses, went to open houses, talked to professors and have decided to go with my gut and go for nursing. I know I want to be in health one on one, helping people and making a difference in people lives. I want a rewarding career. So I got a sweet gig bartending in fine dining for bills, started volunteering at my local hospital and enrolled in prereqs for Jan. I have been scared but really excited. Then today I gave notice at my crappy day job and afterwards I started to freak out saying all the second guessing things to myself like "you're too old to change careers" "its too hard, you will fail" "why dont you have you life figured out yet (Im 30)" " you are nuts to think you could do this"... and drove myself into a near panic attack. I know I want to do this and I am excited. Did any of you second guess yourself with these negative thoughts? How did you calm yourself down? Any advice would be great.

Kkalasa - I am also trying for Spring 2012 and was thinking micro and AP2 in the summer to apply in the Fall but worry it will be too much. Do you think it looks bad to being taking micro as you apply (taking it in Fall) or that I should just get AP1/2 and micro done so I have those grades finished for the applications?

It is a seriously annoying process. I wish it was a standard set of classes for each school and that they didnt differ, but oh well such is life.

My advice, just study and try your hardest. You could worry about you wont get in with this grade or GPA or you could really buckle down and try your best. Focus on that and you will probably do much better.

soushee - did you try to take federal loans? I already have a degree and when I spoke with a counselor at the Dept of Ed she went over what I was eligible for and I am still eligible eventhough I have already have a degree.

Yeah, I am taking Chem 1 and A&P 1 together in the Spring and they both have labs. Its going to be alot of work but I think I can swing it. Its all about time management. Question, do you think it will hurt my chances of getting into an ABSN program if I have micro in progress while I am taking it or do they want to be able to see your A&P and Micro grades when you apply?

I am about o start my prereqs and I am quitting the day job to go back to bartending so I can make more money and save for my ABSN program. There is no way to work in those programs, they are just too intense. I will hopefully save some money and take loans too. Its an investment in my brain and future.

OC_An Khe - good point, the baby boomer retirement will be a big strain, not only on nurses retiring themselves but the also the need for nurses to care for the retired. That will affect education tremendously too.

Could you really go back to the office job that you didnt care for either? Maybe you should look for a diff job in a diff setting (home care, school nurse, etc). I know as someone who has been in the office job that she didnt care for for 6 years now where I wish that i could say I like or love any one bit of my job, you should think really hard before you jump ship.

From what I can tell, the shortage is overall in the US but it really depends on the area. For example, I know where my family lives, in Western, MA there is no shortage and its very hard to get a job there but here in Washington, DC there is a huge shortage. All the major hospitals in the area have tons of "critical need" postings that are all nurse positions.

Congrats! What a great post! You should be very proud of yourself. I am about to leave the world of health communications/PR to start my prereqs in Jan. I am scared but excited!