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I am wondering what one can "do" with nursing school and clinical credits if he/she decides nursing is not for them.
I had a career change in my 40s, and dove head first into a ton of nursing pre-reqs, and then I got accepted into an ASN program. I am now finding myself very unhappy with the choice. Please don't tell me to stick with it. I have given it fair and thorough thought from the heart. Nursing is just not for me. I wish I had discovered it earlier on... but this is it.
My question is what is a natural transition from nursing? What careers lend themselves to utilizing the experience I have gained.. and, more importantly, which college tracks will take some of the many, many credit hours I have paid and worked so hard for?
I look online, but I cannot seem to find any ideas for what career would "flow" out of nursing if one decides NOT to be a nurse.
I am wondering if psychology is aligned to nursing? Or, any, all, ideas and thoughts are welcome. Please. Thank you.
/feeling very lost.
Psychology at a Bachelors level is not aligned to nursing but, since you have your BA in English already, you should be able to either get your BA in Psych or just go ahead and get your MCSW. It sounds like social work is more like what you're interested in. You can use what you learned in nursing school (in terms of the vast psychosocial needs patients have) to see things from the RNs perspective in terms of what needs aren't being met d/t time constraints. I just would advise against getting a Bachelors in Psych. I have one and the only thing it did was make nursing school slightly easier since I went to the same school and was not subject to having to complete GEs and capstone requirements all over again. Other that that, it's useless. Go for your Masters. Move forward.
When I was in nursing school some 25 years ago, our program accepted just around 20 applicants each semester. It was a small program but SO well done. Along the way, several people dropped from our program, stating the same thing. They just found that it wasn't for them.
I too am in my 40s, and I totally get it. I have struggled for the past 3 years of graduate school deciding which avenue to go in- chose one way, decided it was wrong, and now trying to switch gears which will take another 2 years. I get it. Life is short. Do what makes you HAPPY.
That said...I would look at things like: social work, occupational therapy, physical therapy assistant, paramedic, med tech (the person who actually DOES the analysis on bloodwork in the lab), pharmacy tech, psychiatric technician, surgical technology, echo tech, CVT, or respiratory therapy.
All of these offer really good opportunities, good amount of jobs (in my area anyway), and good pay with a few of the positions. if you are really looking for something that lends itself in the same general direction, these are all close. Plus, with the exception of social work, med tech, and PT, pretty much all of them are associate degree programs (in case you weren't interested in pursuing a BA/BA).
OR...like somebody else mentioned, you may want to consider getting your MA in Psychology and/or clinical counseling and go that direction. Don't feel bad about this. It's better to realize it NOW than when you are 6 months post nursing boards and in a job that you can't slow down in enough to switch to a different path! Good luck.
I know you are feeling lost right now but this could lead you to a very exciting and fulfilling self-discovery!
I went to an undergrad with a very competitive, (cutthroat to say the least) BSN program. A lot of girls who weren't accepted or realized it wasn't for them after starting, transitioned into medical sociology. They then went on to receive their MSWs and PhDs. Look into becoming a social worker. It might work out for you too.
Hope that helps !
You have fallen into the trap that so many do. You probably shouldn't have been in a FULL TIME program, they are not kind to adult learners who are going back to school. You needed to be in a part time/weekend nursing program. It's meant for people who can't dedicate themselves full time. They demand SO MUCH of you in full time programs, regardless if you are at a community college or in a BSN program etc.
I am a returning adult learner but I have NO KIDS or obligations so I am powering through a full time BSN program. It consumes every second of my life. My brother who is a parent of 2 children, wants to go to nursing school but will only seek out part time programs because raising a family while taking on a professional program like Nursing school or Medical school are nearly impossible today. Nursing school is no different than Medical school, law school, Engineering etc, they are all professional programs that require 100% commitment.
If any part of you wants to go on but in a slower pace find a part time program. If you are done with nursing but still want a career in healthcare, consider a career as a:
1.) Respiratory Therapist
2.) Ultra Sound Tech
3.) Physical Therapy
4.) Nutritionist
5.) Registered Dietitian
Here's the most amazing part of a nursing degree- it can transition into a million other areas. I know several nurses who work from home for insurance companies reviewing files, and make 6 figure salaries. You can teach, you can work in many government areas, and yes it does very much align with working in Psych, in fact Psych nurses are in high demand in most states, and are very well paid. You've come this far- just get it finished and then look for a job. If it's Psych you're interested in, you'll be well posed for that area. Yes, Clinicals can suck, even for those of us who are completely in love with nursing- it's just part of the package to get that shiny RN license.
You have fallen into the trap that so many do. You probably shouldn't have been in a FULL TIME program, they are not kind to adult learners who are going back to school.
Eh, I tend to disagree. I'm a much better student now than I was 15 years ago. I'm more confident in my abilities, communicate with faculty better, and have an established work ethic. Plus I don't spend half my mental capacity on silliness (only about 1/4 of it, ha!). Bring that full-time program on!
OP: one of the biggest reasons why so many of us are advising you to "stick to it" is because once you're done with nursing school and you have your RN license, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO BEDSIDE/HANDS-ON NURSING!!!!! You should be able to transition into different fields without too much additional education and you can do well at it. Remember, nurses are trained as generalists and specialize after graduation. I'm an ED nurse. Some of my classmates are psych nurses. Some do utilization review. Some do long-term care. At least a couple are doing ICU. A couple of my classmates aren't even working as nurses but maintain their licenses because they want an option to do something else. Feel like trying prehospital care? In most states, you can challenge the paramedic license, do an internship, and you're on your way to doing something very different from typical nursing. There's even technical writing that only nurses do.
I can't think of any educational programs that will "credit" you for your nursing education. If you quit the nursing program, you'll effectively dump all of that time and energy and you'll have to start from square one with pretty much every program, whether it be RT, Paramedic, social work or psychology (you'll need a Master's for that), or whatever else. Sure you'll still have the knowledge, but you won't get any real credit for it without the license. The prerequisites will be just about the ONLY things you can apply toward other programs and that's only because they're often prerequisites for many of those other programs.
One thing that caught my attention is that you're in a very strict academic environment. That's a whole different level of stress in and of itself. Once you graduate, you won't typically have that environment around you any longer. You'll be "free" to develop your own style of providing care.
I will soon being doing a rotation in the ED as a student nurse. Do you have any pointers of what NOT to do or something that just makes the student nurse seem poorly trained or undereducated? What about something that other nurses will simply hold their heads down and shake their heads when they see the student do this/say or later find out about this?!
futurehoustonRN
12 Posts
Reading your post reminded me of how vast the nursing profession is and how many different career tracks we can find.
It sounds like you are adamant about not continuing your RN. I met a lady a few months ago (an English major) and she now works in a research hospital in the Texas Medical center reviewing/editing grants. Your English BA would certainly come in handy as well as your science background. Have you explored "writing" careers in healthcare?
Perhaps you can continue this RN without caring for it, just to get the license and at the same time start a job search already as an RN for insurance companies? Or even telephone triage nursing? I realize you wanting to pull the plug now, but before you do, search non-clinical nursing jobs to see if those are the type of jobs you would like before fully quitting. Maybe just one more year (not sure how much longer it would be) will open a huge amount of doors for you.
Also, there is a lot of peace that comes from knowing what you want and don't want.
Good luck!