JSBes

Thank you all for the numerous, well reasoned, and timely responses. I appreciate that you all took time out of your busy schedules to answer my questions and offer advice.

First, thank you for taking the time to comment. Second, I am sorry my questions came across that way. It surely wasn't my intent. Finally, as far as taking care of people at their most vulnerable, I understand that is what the job requires, it is one of the motivating factors drawing me to the field, and it seems that only one without an understanding of what a nurse actually does on a daily basis would fail to recognize this. As stated before, I have discussed the possibility of entering the field with my wife quite extensively. Additionally, I stated in my initial post: "do I really want to be a nurse, i.e., do I really know what it entails? Yes." I guess I should have more explicitly stated that I understand nursing is a vocation as much as it is a career choice.

SunSurf, right on, thanks for the information. We have three 18 month accelerated (bachelor's +) BSN's to choose from here. I already have a BA, so most of my prereq's are met. As a matter of fact, I only have to take an additional 4 science classes to meet all prereq's for the 3 programs I mentioned--unlike most liberal arts majors I actually studied science while an undergrad because I considered it the only way to acquire a "real" education. As far as location, we're not moving, which is exactly why I'm considering nursing. Medicine is not just big business here, it's the only business. Still, your advice is well taken. Best case scenario I'm looking at, minimally, 3 years before I'm actually working.

Maiday, thank you for your reply. Where I live, medicine is the ONLY thing going right now and nurses, PT's, docs, and other med professionals are finding work without too much trouble. We have a large teaching hospital and one of the largest hospital systems in the world HQ'd here. With that said, I agree that it's definitely not a recession proof field--really, nothing is these days. Thanks again.

So, you wanna be a nurse? Yes. But, I have a few concerns. Here is a quick synopsis of my background: Union Ironworker, got injured on the job, started college while recovering from a couple knee surgeries Recovered nicely from surgery :) Began educational career as physics major Switched to Political Science, earned BA Went to law school, because it seemed like there was the possibility of making money while helping people (wanted to be civil rights attorney)....unfortunately I simply drank the law school recruiting cool aid and didn't do enough research beforehand Graduate law school May 2011 Legal field tanked with economy, law school soured me on the practice of law, there are no remotely remunerative jobs available for would be civil rights attorneys, and working 80-100 hours per week is unsustainable if I actually want to be a present father and husband Wife & I decided I'd stay home with our daughter (7 mos) because she has a great career already as a......NURSE Re-evaluate career choices, my wife and some other friends (nurses) suggest nursing school For the past few months, in an attempt to get a feel for what it's like being a man in the nursing profession, I've been trolling around the internet, asking questions of my sister (a nurse for 20 years), my wife, and my friends. The questions I've answered positively for myself are the following: do I really want to be a nurse, i.e., do I really know what it entails? Yes. Do I understand that I may have to work somewhere I don't want to work initially just to get my foot in the door (i.e, I'm fascinated by ICU & ER nursing, but understand that MedSurg may be the only work available)? Yes. Do I understand that my law degree will not be immediately applicable? Yes. But, these are the questions I have not answered, which I'm hoping the individuals on this site may be able to help with: For men with professional degrees other than nursing who have entered the nursing field, are/were you questioned about why you did not pursue/continue your other career path? If so, how did you deal with those questions, and what was the general response? And, have you been able to incorporate your previous education into your new professional life? For family men, how did you handle going to nursing school, being a father and a husband, and coordinating all of your various responsibilities? For other "big guys" out there (I'm 6'11" and 320 lbs), have you ever encountered patients or fellow medical professionals who have been intimidated by you and have treated you differently because of your size? And is your size generally a boon or detriment to you professionally? And, finally, probably the most practical question here, do they make really big scrubs??? I apologize for the length of the post, but look forward to any and all responses. Thank you all in advance for your time and help. Jim.