Request for Advice

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Hi,

I posting this because I would appreciate any advice you're generous enough to share. My situation is that I am considering a career change and the idea of working in the nursing profession is appealing. For the past 20+ years I have worked in the business analysis and project management field and hold a Bachelors of Business Administration degree with a major in finance & minor in statistics. While this has not been all bad I'm ready to do something more fulfilling and where I can directly help people.

After reviewing the college prerequisites for an RN license I have everything except microbiology and can take it as a post baccalaureate. Science interests me greatly, especially chemistry and neuroscience, and would like to apply the areas of study in the field of nursing. Is there an area of specialty where this can be achieved? Also, while I'm ready to make a change I still want to leverage my analytical skills and experience in project management.

Again I would appreciate any thoughts, advice, etc. you wish to impart on how (or if) I can achieve this goal.

Thank you for your time.

Stuart

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Before beginning a nursing program, you can expect to be forced to repeat your science prerequisite courses. Many schools of nursing require that certain science prerequisite courses be no more than five years old. Sometimes this requirement can be successfully appealed. Once you have obtained a nursing license you can specialize in a field by gaining employment there.

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Specializes in Long Term Acute Care.

don't let the nursing school proaganda fool you, this is not a two year education program. Even the ADN (associates) will take you much longer than you realize. I have a Bachelor's degree as well and I had to take the science prerequisites for my nursing school. With the prerequisite sequence for classes and competing for class space, i have been in school already two years and I just applied for nursing school. Now i have nine months to a 15 months to wait to start nursing classes. Remember, you are in competition. At my school, the competition is really chanllenging that a grade of 'C' is an really as useful as an 'F'. I have known relatively smart students to retake some classes up to three times to get a grade of 'B'. While I am waiting for nursing school to call, I plan to take other coursework to round out my 'science' praparation.

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Thank you for the feedback and I wish you the best with school.

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Specializes in Home Care, Peds, Public Health, DD Health.

Stuart,

there is so much you can do with a nursing degree. you could use your analytical skills and work for a pharmacuetical company doing clinical trials etc, just one thing that comes to mind....you name you could take that degree and put the two in combination and it could be great but do you WANT to be a nurse?? to get through nursing school take something more than just knowledge? going in and taking care of an 80 year old demented person that has just soiled themselves for the 5th time up their back and sideways and is wearing their breifs around thier ankles and it is your job to go in and clean them up and take their vitals and get them back in bed and change their sheets and then still take care of your other patients and keep a smile on your face....is this something you can do? or when the person is dying of lung cancer and still smoking and you have to talk to their family and you go to the next room and there is the person with scabies who you have to clean and then go to see your next patient with liver failure, they never drink alcohol. and you have to do it all with a smile on you face and treat them just like you would your own mother or daugher or husband or son. If you think you can at least do this and get through clinical and care about these people not just the degree, then go for because Male nurses are a growing breed!! :yeah: if you think you want to be a nurse then go for it! see what schools in your are want, different schools require different things. I have a prior degree from a state university and the school I am going to only required that I repeat my A&P it had to be within 5 years. Another school I looked at wouldnt take any of my credits from my university - NOTHING!!! But they would take my A&P it was 7 years old and a few other things from another nursing school - I had dropped out when I got pregnant. but my credits from my degree were all too old they said even though I had an entire BS in Molecular and Cell Biology?? from a very high ranked state university. It just depends on the school you attend. best of luck!

angels mommy

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Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.
Stuart,

there is so much you can do with a nursing degree. you could use your analytical skills and work for a pharmacuetical company doing clinical trials etc, just one thing that comes to mind....you name you could take that degree and put the two in combination and it could be great but do you WANT to be a nurse?? to get through nursing school take something more than just knowledge? going in and taking care of an 80 year old demented person that has just soiled themselves for the 5th time up their back and sideways and is wearing their breifs around thier ankles and it is your job to go in and clean them up and take their vitals and get them back in bed and change their sheets and then still take care of your other patients and keep a smile on your face....is this something you can do? or when the person is dying of lung cancer and still smoking and you have to talk to their family and you go to the next room and there is the person with scabies who you have to clean and then go to see your next patient with liver failure, they never drink alcohol. and you have to do it all with a smile on you face and treat them just like you would your own mother or daugher or husband or son. If you think you can at least do this and get through clinical and care about these people not just the degree, then go for because Male nurses are a growing breed!! :yeah: if you think you want to be a nurse then go for it! see what schools in your are want, different schools require different things. I have a prior degree from a state university and the school I am going to only required that I repeat my A&P it had to be within 5 years. Another school I looked at wouldnt take any of my credits from my university - NOTHING!!! But they would take my A&P it was 7 years old and a few other things from another nursing school - I had dropped out when I got pregnant. but my credits from my degree were all too old they said even though I had an entire BS in Molecular and Cell Biology?? from a very high ranked state university. It just depends on the school you attend. best of luck!

angels mommy

Holy moly, I'm glad I didn't read this before I went to nursing school! I never would have gone!! ;)

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Specializes in Home Care, Peds, Public Health, DD Health.

sorry:lol2: i guess you can tell what kind of week I had last week. oh gosh but dont you think you need a passion for nursing?? goodness, maybe it has been too long of a week for me. :D Just want you to know what some of those clinical days might be like....once you get past those the sky is the limit if you can get the job! ok I need some sleep...obviously and to study some more...big test coming up!!

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No need to apologize... I appreciate your candor and we all have these types of weeks from time to time. You gave me good advice and this is what I'm seeking.

All the best,

Stuart

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