BernR6

Hello everyone, I'm looking to get some feedback about future plans I have. From the reading I've done in the stickies and forums, I'm wondering if I missed my window. I'm holding off talking to a recruiter just yet, because I'm a little ways away. My background: - I'm 37 years old. Married, with a two year old daughter. I've always had the desire to serve our country. Have always looked up to and respected our service men and women. Regret not enlisting when in my 20s. However, I made the decision to go to college after HS. Met my wife in school. Got a bachelors in Criminal Justice. Have worked in the mental health field for over 15 years now. I've been currently working in a hospital psych unit the past 5 years. Decided to change careers to nursing. I got accepted to a BSN program for this September, which will officially take 23 months to complete. Because of my age and life situation, I've decided that joining the reserves or guard would be the best route for me...if possible. I don't want to uproot my family every 3-4 years. - My questions and concerns - - I'll be 40 when I graduate - if experience as a nurse is required, would I need to officially get accepted or a could I get a waiver before I'm 42? - I wear contacts - is Lasik/surgery required? - I've been taking Effexor XR for about 10 years (honestly not sure I even need it. A lot of how I've felt was situational (i.e. - working in MH, low pay and having debt) and my struggle in my 20s to find my direction. Not sure this can be proven though. - I've never been to a psychiatrist, or been inpatient, etc. Saw a therapist 10 years ago for couples counseling. Never been officially diagnosed, except whatever the PCP needs to put in their records. I believe it's similar to dysthymic disorder. Am I automatically disqualified? Or would I be considered if off everything for a documented year or two? Granted, most on this forum have already reported the difficulty of getting accepted in the first place. People have also mentioned the many cuts the military has already made. Obviously no clue what the situation will be like in 3 years. I'm not a big guy (5'9" 170lbs), but I stay active, workout regularly, don't smoke, never used drugs, no criminal record, etc. I think I'd be fine for the physical test, etc. No injuries (orthopedic issues). Based on my age, need for corrective lenses, and the medication I'm on, do I even have a chance at getting into the nurse corps (any branch). I know criteria is different for commissioned medical personnel. However, I need to know and accept whatever the reality will be and plan accordingly. If I would get accepted to the military, I would specialize in Psych. Nursing. This route would serve numerous purposes for me. I'd get to serve our country, work as a nurse, get assistance paying on my school debt, benefits, and possible career job until retirement. On a side note, I have no problems getting deployed if that happens. So there's my story - any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Just need to know if the path I'm following is a pipe dream. Thanks, and thanks to all of you for your service. Bernie

I'm a MHW/MHT at a hospital psych unit in PA. I think it depends on what the department wants the job description to include. Where I'm at, we are required to have a bachelor's in a psych related field with 3-5 years experience. Besides assisting nurses with patient care, doing rounding, running groups, vitals, etc., we needed the bachelor's so we can do reviews with the insurance companies to get patients pre-certified/authorized, doing MH assessments, charting daily notes, and sometimes filling in for the crisis workers in the ER. I think our boss's thought was that someone with a psych related degree likely to have more motivation to do the work, since we majored in that field. Because of the degree requirement, it also pays much better than places that require minimum of HS grad. I'm personally pursuing a career change to nursing, but not sure if I want to do psych nursing yet. It gives me great experience though with patient care...especially the gero-pscyh population that requires more of that type of patient care.

I agree. A lot have mentioned that, when talking about the differences of the BSN vs ADN. The BSN seems to include more of the theory, research, etc. piece with that program. I understand that the BSN will probably be the requirement in the near future. Because of working at a community hospital though, I could still get work as an ADN. My wife and I have a 4 month old. Since her birth, our priorities have obviously changed. What's important to us is doing what's best for her. Cost, limit adding debt, opportunity to make more money sooner, get into the field sooner (while she's still so young), etc. I guess I'm leaning towards the ADN. It's just so tough to turn down an acceptance to a BSN that I worked hard for....but priorities change. Many have said it's about taking a different path to achieve the same goal.

Thank you for the feedback. Any help is appreciated. I'm sorry I should've expanded on the situation. My wife is actually supportive of my career goals moving forward. Four years ago she enrolled in an MS in School Counseling. We kind of took turns with career/school, because I put things on hold career-wise and remained supportive while she worked on her masters. She got her degree 2 years ago and has been seeking employment with a school district since then. Because she's been unsuccessful so far, the supervisory position at the MH facility she's at, (while good for her resume) isn't somewhere she wants to stay. The unfortunate part of the MH field is that it takes much more education to equal the salary of other careers. I agree that it's important not to create a situation that will cause resentment. Unfortunately, there's some resentment towards me already regarding past debt I accumulated. Thankfully, I'm not in that situation anymore. So technically this career change could provide the better income and opportunities we're both so concerned about. The good part is that I'm passionate about the work, which can't be said for everyone in every field out there. My wife also wished she could be home more often with our daughter. That may actually be the win-win situation you were referring to. I just have a lot of anxiety over the path to take. I'm nervous about jumping in to a program and how it'll mesh with my work schedule - i.e. - extra clinical days that fall on evenings I work. I guess the problem is that there are so many variables and I can't not work. On one end, I have a definite acceptance to a reputable BSN program. On the other, if I pursue the ADN, there's no definite acceptance. ADN is day time hours though (would only work if my wife is home - we can't afford childcare at the time). ADN is cheaper (my assistance from work would pay for it), but may not provide as many opportunities as the BSN (in the beginning). So that's where I'm at. I have to give notice to the BSN program, as that starts August 18. The ADN would require me to take the TEAS V first and then apply. That program wouldn't start until Fall '15. Thanks for the advice. Just want to make the best, most informed decision. Bernie

Hello everyone, I'm seeking some career advice from those that may have been in the same or similar situation - currently stressed about this whole thing. A little background - I'm 36, married with a three month old daughter. Have a mortgage, bills, etc. Have a BA in Sociology and worked in the mental health field 14 years. Seeking a career change to nursing. Currently work at a hospital psych unit as a mental health worker part time, and part time at a long term structured residence for patients out of state hospital. Completed all my science pre-reqs. Applying to schools. Here's my dilemma. - I finally got a full time position at the hospital after 4 yrs...starts next week. It's second shift. More money, better benefits, vacation, etc. - Got accepted to an evening/weekend BSN at a local university for the second year in a row...starts in a month. Originally put off 1st acceptance last year, as my wife was delivering at the time clinicals would be starting. I wanted to be fully present for the whole experience, not to mention needing to work a ton of extra shifts while my wife wasn't bringing in a paycheck. I had to reapply this year and was accepted. Classes are 2 nights a week and clinicals on most weekend days. - Wife and I are not doing childcare at the time, because of cost. I watch the baby during the day, she watches at night while I work 2nd shift. However, we both make less than desired being that we both work in the MH field. So, do I pursue this BSN program, or apply for ADN programs for next year? Concerns - My daughter's care. Her needs come first. But being that I'll be the only one watching her every day, can I effectively succeed in school with the significant amount of school work I'll need to complete? Cost - I'm still paying on my loans from my first undergrad, plus a year I did at an MSW program. I get tuition reimbursement through the hospital. An ADN would be paid for, this BSN I'd be left with 17k extra in loans. If I got the associates, I would likely do an online RN-BSN later on. The BSN would allow me to achieve my dream of working in a big city hospital (live 15-20 miles from Philly). Scheduling - ADN programs seem to be 3-4 days a week. The BSN is 2 days a week with weekend clinicals. My work schedule only gives me 4 days off every two weeks...all four days would need to be used for school. With the ADN programs, there's no way of knowing what the schedule will look like. Others have told me that there's the possibility of having to do extra lab days (in either program) since the schools have a simulated lab. Also there's prep time on a Friday night, which I work every Friday. I'd have to switch my shifts. So all that said, I want to fully devote myself to this. Don't want to start something and then have to drop out. One possibility I guess would be for my wife to work part time (if we could swing it financially). She'd be off during the day (currently is the weekend director of a mental health facility), so I'd find a daytime ADN program. I apologize for this book. I'm passionate about the nursing field. As life works though, there's no perfect scenario to achieve my goals. Any advice pointing me in the best direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Bernie

Hey everyone, I'm currently amidst the application process for DeSales' - evening/weekend program. I've heard good things about the program. In my conversations with the admissions counselor, it appears that classes are two nights a week and then the clinicals are on the weekend. Supposedly the weekend day is determined by wherever we are in the schedule. I was told that it could be one day every weekend for the semester or even a whole weekend, but every other one. Im down to my last pre req (organic chem) which I'm taking in May. Thankfully, I have everything else completed. Unfortunately I haven't received any info as far as acceptance or a decision. I think the next step is the interview though. So we'll see. I have my fingers crosses that everything works out. I'll start this fall if it does. Good luck with the admissions process! Bernie