I'm a 40 yr-old stay-at-home military spouse/ mom w/elem. school age children. I have a BS in Health Ed & an M.Ed. in Counseling. I was a newbie working in human services when I met & married my military officer spouse & gave up a career for family. So now that my children are in school full-time & my husband is retiring I'm strongly considering fulfilling my dream of becoming some sort of licensed healthcare/medical professional, but have grave concerns & reservations & am seeking advice from seasoned nursing professionals. I actually, initially was a nursing major in undergrad & knocked out a fair amount prereqs. (prob that need to be re-taken) when I decided I'd finish faster if I switched majors. Hindsight is 20/20 right?
Naturally, I'm considering nursing. I take mock pre-nursing entrance exams, as well, as mock sample NCLEX boards & surprisingly, do well on the NCLEX samples (medicine has been a life-long love & a hobby) in my free-time. I've also sought advice from fellow friends/acquaintances in nursing & other healthcare disciplines. I'd have to say the vast majority, w/the exception of one or two people have dissuaded me from nursing if not all, but one emphatically said "NO!" Nearly ALL have said, "oh don't be a nurse become a PA, that's what I wish I'd done!" One gal I spoke to, that sought a second degree in nursing, said she was bullied by instructors while in school & said "you're attractive & slender...you will be torn apart in a field largely dominated by insecure & embittered females." Wow! (None of my nurse friends appear embittered or insecure?) Furthermore, she explained she wouldn't recommend going into nursing past age 30 & once again, it was recommended I look into physician assistant school. Which from my research, is appealing & (more treatment orientated than having to clean up bodily fluids), but much more competitive/rigorous & taking all the would-be med school applicants.
So I decided to defer to the trusty wealth of posts on AllNurses to which I've basically deduced that nursing seems like a fairly impossible field for the average bear to succeed in. I've also concluded that the reason there are so many openings is bc it appears to be a fairly easy job to get fired from (rightfully so when people lives are at stake), if one doesn't decide to resign due to a hostile work environment. Particularly, as a new grad. Which leads me to the old adage "nurses eat their young" that I keep encountering through all the articles & posts. Yikes! Well, what happens to a species that eats their young? What career advice can you give me especially at my age? What units would an older new grad be most likely to succeed in? I've also learned that 20% of new grads are terminated from from their probationary periods (as recent hires) due to being ill-prepared or a poor fit & that this is more common w/ older grads. I've always been interested in peri-operative nursing, wound care, postpartum care, & behavioral health, but I've heard the majority I've listed are very competitive areas for a new grad to get jobs in. Our flagship university's nursing school is ridiculously competitive & our local comm college's program is wait-list central. We have a slew of those diploma mill outfits, but I'm not spending a 100K on a bachelor's degree. Thank you!
I can't speak as a seasoned nurse at all as I am a pre nursing student taking my last three pre reqs.
I am however a married mother of a two year old and just got accepted into Johns Hopkins Masters Entry into Nursing program and will be 34 when I start the 22 month program in January.
For me it made sense to apply to the Masters when apparently the whole system is gravitating towards making nursing a degree that requires a bachelors. So I figured I might as well get in there first and it helps one to stand out once graduated as not many people have this qualification.
Specializing beyond that will also apparently require a doctoral degree in the future and not a Masters.
My organization employs a lot of NPs in various settings. NONE of those jobs are open to inexperienced applicants. NPs function in highly autonomous roles - which are absolutely not appropriate for newbies because it is a huge patient safety issue.
I strongly advise all prospective students to be extremely leery of any of the "choose your own adventure" types of programs in which students are expected to make their own clinical training arrangements. Most organizations (including mine) in our area no longer permits one-off clinical training for individuals due to the cost and liability associated with these arrangements.
Our hiring managers just don't not hire entry-level Masters nurses. They are no more qualified for entry level new grad jobs than their BSN counterparts, despite the fact that they expect "advanced" placement and salaries. I doubt that this situation will change as long as there is a surplus of new grads in the labor market.
Our very real and ongoing challenge is the shortage of experienced, qualified RN staff. This is already triggering the return of hiring bonuses and relocation assistance in my part of the country, particularly for ED, ICU & Periop specialties.
Why aren't you using the MA in counseling you already have?
So all your nurse friends are happy and not bitter, yet they discouraged you from being an RN? Why do you think that is. I wouldn't advise someone to do it either because it is so stressful and harmful to your back and body unless you get a non bedside job. Maybe then it would be ok. You are the only one who can make that decision. If you are thin and attractive I think it would be easier for you to get a job especially a non bedside one because looks do matter even in the nursing field. I think you are too easily discouraged if you are ready to give up over the thought of possibly being harassed or discriminated against. Just because it can happen doesn't mean it will. It's up to you to decide what to do, personally I would try to use the degree you already have before going into debt for another one.
I can't speak as a seasoned nurse at all as I am a pre nursing student taking my last three pre reqs.
I am however a married mother of a two year old and just got accepted into Johns Hopkins Masters Entry into Nursing program and will be 34 when I start the 22 month program in January.
For me it made sense to apply to the Masters when apparently the whole system is gravitating towards making nursing a degree that requires a bachelors. So I figured I might as well get in there first and it helps one to stand out once graduated as not many people have this qualification.
Specializing beyond that will also apparently require a doctoral degree in the future and not a Masters.
Best of luck to you!
I hope this leads to an NP and not just an RN at the end of the line. I'm sure that is too much money to spend given what RN's typically make!
The initial 22 month program ends with RN status and knocks off a semester for the DNP for midwifery, (another two years) which I plan to take - leading the CNM qualification.
I became a nurse at age 35. Some say I look young for my age (at least they did before I became a nurse!) I am generally kind, polite, friendly, and a good critical thinker. I've only been a nurse for a few years and my patients say I do very well and they enjoy my care.
I'm not young or shy, yet I have been bullied. I can say it's being bullied rather than simply not being liked, because I've had certain nurses start in on me within two minutes of meeting me (!)
This profession isn't worth the heartache, long hours, stress, misery, and endless demands. If you really want to help people you can do something else. I just wouldn't advise starting a nursing career after 30 years of age.
@macfar28 & brandy1017, It's a long story & yes, of course. When I started my MS, I was in another marriage (1st one) under the auspices that I would be staying in the city I started the degree. Well, that didn't happen, I got left by my 1st spouse & met & married a military officer. Needless to say I moved, & managed to finish my degree through long-distance correspondence. See if you're misinformed or just plain stupid enough (like i was) to take an MS in Counseling as opposed to an MSW or a Phd. in Clinical Psych & end up moving from the town you pursued your degree, good luck in finding (1) an already licensed therapist to supervise/sponsor your provisional state licensure, & (2) good luck getting hired at an agency w/o a license. This wouldn't have been an issue had I taken the MSW route, (b/c as I learned too late) the internship/supervised clinical hours are already woven into the degree, so you graduate already licensed. Of course there are other factors, such your state's rules & regulations for licensing human services professionals. Most states require 1,000-3,000 supervised hours of counseling practice before you qualify for an LPC or LPCC. I also prefer something w/more medical science as opposed to a straight psycho-social role. @Brandy1017 I have two nurse friends that are really happy in the field. My other friends vary from one or two that are really unhappy in nursing but happy otherwise. The rest I'd say it's just a job to them & are more passionate about other things. Fortunately, I didn't aquire debt from my 1st two degrees b/c my parents started a college saving plan for me & I worked throughout my grad degree. So taking on more debt for career enhancement/education wouldn't be an issue at this time.
@Cola89, Thank you for your feedback & I'm sorry your experience has been less pleasant. I spoke to a male nurse this evening & he gave me an interesting perspective. He said, the actual role, science, & tasks are easy & would be fine if not for the bureaucracy of the nursing profession & BON. He said it's the admin of hospitals & mentality that dictate the nursing policies that poison the majority of the field. He indicated that it's nursing that is running itself into the ground. I'm also going to look into OT & PT as well.
I would really encourage you to shadow a nurse first. And look at what positions actually pay on hospital job advertisements. Don't bet on the salary estimates online. Most nurses I work with have to get a second job. And my hospital pays well (for nursing).
I would really encourage you to shadow a nurse first. And look at what positions actually pay on hospital job advertisements. Don't bet on the salary estimates online. Most nurses I work with have to get a second job. And my hospital pays well (for nursing). Thank you & yes, I did shadow a nurse that worked as a day surgery recovery room nurse & went in at 6:00 am & was off by 4 pm in college. Way back when, as well, did overall, general volunteering at the same hospital in the town where I lived. Loved this environment! Everyone worked together, never heard an ugly word uttered, & it was quick "treat & street" patient interaction. But, everyone really had it together, knew what they were doing, & the team, w/the exception of one person, was well-seasoned. I thought if I continued that I would love to work in post-op recovery. However, that was 21 years ago. I've been told everyone wants to work day surgery b/c of the schedule, of course every place is different. You said "most nurses you work with have to get a second job." A huge point of me pursuing another degree is to mitigate the possibility of working two jobs & if nurses aren't getting paid their due for what is expected on the job & the abuse they put up with, then I'd have to definitely rule nursing out. Was under the impression nursing is a well-paid job, granted every penny well earned? But I will look into shadowing some nurses. I'm also looking into med tech as well, as OT/PT, & a slew of other allied health disciplines. Thanks again!
hopefulhdr
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Hello,
I can't speak as a seasoned nurse at all as I am a pre nursing student taking my last three pre reqs.
I am however a married mother of a two year old and just got accepted into Johns Hopkins Masters Entry into Nursing program and will be 34 when I start the 22 month program in January.
For me it made sense to apply to the Masters when apparently the whole system is gravitating towards making nursing a degree that requires a bachelors. So I figured I might as well get in there first and it helps one to stand out once graduated as not many people have this qualification.
Specializing beyond that will also apparently require a doctoral degree in the future and not a Masters.
Best of luck to you!