Second Career?

Published

All -

I am new to this forum, and already found it to be helpful. I am thinking of leaving the practice of law (i am sure that is a surprise from any who have been in the law). I was talking to my future sister in law and she though It would be a good fit.

It appears that I would need to take the prerequisites, so I would give that around 1 1/2 to 2 years since I want to stay employed during that time, just in case. I am 31 getting ready to get married and just want thoughts on whether or not this is a good idea to even start to look into. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated, also how is the whole "male nurse" culture?

Thanks again -

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm not in nursing school yet but i will switch into it very soon.

I know some male nurses and they love it!!!!

They go in, do the work, and go home.

They stay out of the "drama" that goes on in most female dominated professions.

Lord, pray for me....:-(

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

do it man. i left biotech to pursue nursing and i've loved my decision. i'm one of two guys in the nicu and everyone i work with loves that i'm there.

and just call us nurses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thanks for the reply, the main reason for leaving is that there is just not much people interaction where I am, and when I do get interaction it is regarding reviewing contracts and clauses...mind numbing....how long does it take to get through and then get in to something like the NICU?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Infectious Disease, Neuro, Research.

Go for it! NICU, or any of the "Intensives" may take awhile to get into, but it really depends on the area of the country. Some units have no problem hiring new grads, some will say they want a year of med-surg beforehand. It varies widely.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Respiratory.

Do it man! I am in a second degree program right now and we have people from all different backgrounds and ages (ranging from 22-56).

You will get contact with ALL sorts of people in any area of nursing you go into. At the hospital my program is through you can get a job right away, but it might not be in the area you want. That's alright though because in 6 months you can transfer anywhere in the hospital.

As far as work place "drama," that can happen in ANY profession. I do find there to be a little less drama with the RNs I have shadowed during clinicals because they have such good team working skills. Who knows, maybe I am just lucky or don't notice it...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro ICU.

I went back to school p/t when I was 36 doing pre-reqs for about 2 years, then went through an accelerated BSN program in 12 months. My first job right out of school was Neuro ICU.

My system hires a fair number of new grads into our ICU's (There are 4 or 5 depending on how you look at it) so it's entirely possible depending on where you live.

Be aware that wherever you end up, you will be starting at the bottom again, and that includes the pay ladder and scheduling, meaning likely a midnight shift. Contracts and clauses may be boring, but I'm guessing that they're probably more lucrative, and the hours are a little more traditional.

If you want interaction with people NICU might not be the place. Those patients don't talk much and on an off shift there will not likely be a lot of family present.

Also, depending on how the unit/floor is set up I found that nursing can be a bit of a lonely job. If you're in an ICU pod you might not see another nurse unless you or he/she needs a hand and calls for a little help. A floor nurse with patients in single rooms in a long hallway might only see other nurses when they go to get meds to pass.

That's not the case where I work, but we have a small unit and a farily tight-knit crew.

As for being male, it's usually a non-issue. Every now and then I'll be asked not to take a patient (young women or muslim women typically), but it's fairly unusual.

Sometimes there's some talk that I call "Locker room talk" with the female nurses sharing some things that you don't hear a lot in mixed comapny, but you get used to it.

Even with some of the negatives, all in all I'm happy I got out of the business world and into nursing. There are certainly no regrets.

If you think it's something you want to look into, by all means do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele, Neuro, IMU.

I have been a nurse since 1999. I started out in surgical nursing and went into oncology. I was then asked to be the night supervisor of a 46 bed med/surg/tele unit. I did that for 7 years. I am now a nurse manager of a 65 bed traumatic brain injury facility and I have just started to cross over into the Quality department. Ironically enough, I was just asking my friend last night how I should go about getting my JD so I can be an RN, BSN, JD. Pretty awesome, I think.

Anyway, I have always enjoyed working with male nurses because there is little drama to deal with in the way of gossip. Although, some men can be just as high-maintenance as women! I also like working with male nurses in the acute setting because they were excellent in codes, patient lifting, and protecting others when it came to violent patients. Let me say that the wisest decision I ever made was to work on the busiest floor in the hospital (the one everyone hated) because I learned time-management and critical thinking that has followed me thru my career! I always told new nurses that if they could do 6 months on that floor, they could work anywhere in the world!

I will be honest, I didn't become a nurse because I am interested in saving the world and I am far from a Florence Nightengale type. I became a nurse because I wanted to have skills and contribute, no matter how small, to the world. I have learned that you can't save everyone but even being there for the family at the end of someone's life is contributing. I also wanted job security and a decent living. I have an associate degree and I am about to graduate with my BSN in August. I have earned no less than $70,000 every year since 2002. I never intended to get rich in nursing but I live pretty comfortably. I always like the extra shifts because they pay so well. And let's face it, I wear scrubs and comfortable shoes every day! Nursing is the most difficult and most rewarding PROFESSION I can think of. It's a lot of work but the pay-off is awesome! I should also add that nursing is also pretty thankless. Every so often, you get the patient or family that couldn't imagine their care without you; others, will chew you up and spit you out. Never a dull moment!

My wish for you is that you find your bliss, get all the skills you can, never say NO to an opportunity, and offer yourself up when you have down-time. All of those moments are learning opportunities that you just store away and before you know it, you are the one everyone comes to when they have a question or need help (or want you to start a difficult IV line!). In nursing, and again, there is never a dull moment.

Good luck to you!

Sincerely,

Biggirl71

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have done something similar as far as changing careers. I was in middle management with a fortune 100 company for 10 years and became completely burned out on the whole corporate politics and ladder climbing. I wanted to change and do something where I could help people in a meaningful way, the two options I looked at were teaching and nursing. I went with nursing because of the better job security and better compensation. I am now 4 weeks from graduating and will hopefully find employment soon after. As far as nursing as a choice for a career change I looked at it this way, with a BSN RN the options are available to work in other areas besides just medical care.....there is also community nursing, psych nursing, etc. I fully expect to be working in med surg for the first year or two once I graduate, after that I would not mind trying a year or two in ED, ICU, and psych to see where my true interest will be. The only thing I was not prepared for was the amount of "catiness" and drama that I have experience with the female RNs in my clinicals and now practicum (I'm not saying that males are not capable of acting like this, I just have not been around any male nurses to witness it). I have seen RNs smile and talk nice to one another face-to-face, but the momemt apart just rip each other a part in the worst way. I was also surprised with the amount and crudeness of "locker room" type talk between female nurses, they would have these conversations in front of me not even knowing how I would react or felt about this subject matter; and Im no prude by any means but the only time I have those type of conversations is when Im around my close friends who know me very well. In the corporate world if I heard any of my subordinates talk like this it would be a serious HR issue. Sorry to get sidetracked on your topic, just venting on my dissappointment in the lack of professionalism in some RNs that I have witnessed especially during my practicum.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am planning to do that too. I'm 33 and waiting for the result of my application for an ADN program that will start in September. I have an engineering degree from my home country which I was never able to use here even if I have a state certification all because of the recent recession.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Follow your heart. I changed careers and just graduated nursing school in December and so far it has been well worth it because it is a respected career. I am in the process of leaving the plumbing field and will do so if I pass the NCLEX on August 8th. If you like law you can always do it on the side which is what I will do with plumbing. I have a lot of knowledge with all of the New York City agencies required documents and I always get requests for me to complete required documents so I charge fee and make extra money.

Good luck to you. As a side note, you mentioned marriage so certainly do not let that get in the way of pursuing nursing school. I was married with little bambino's running around wwhile attending nursing school and sure I wanted to pull my hair out of my head at times but it all worked out so it can be done.

Joe

Up Vote Up Vote ×
All -

I am new to this forum, and already found it to be helpful. I am thinking of leaving the practice of law (i am sure that is a surprise from any who have been in the law). I was talking to my future sister in law and she though It would be a good fit.

It appears that I would need to take the prerequisites, so I would give that around 1 1/2 to 2 years since I want to stay employed during that time, just in case. I am 31 getting ready to get married and just want thoughts on whether or not this is a good idea to even start to look into. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated, also how is the whole "male nurse" culture?

Thanks again -

This is why I'm glad I never went to law school despite being encouraged to. I've yet to meet anyone who really enjoyed it. I'm a career changer too (maybe). I'm in law enforcement. We're on hiatus for the summer, and this upcoming fall mark's the beginning of the end for nursing school. I can't wait although I'm not entirely sure that I yearn to be a nurse. Going back to school just seemed like a good idea at the time while I was in a rut, plus it's not too terribly expensive here. I'm fairly certain that the only departments I'd want to go to work in, based on both school experience and prior life experience, are the emergency department, albeit I want no career in that, or addictions/psych.

I've not had any problem being male in school or in rotations although there are areas I feel I have no business working (or even learning) in as a male. That's my personal opinion though. I really don't think you'll have a problem fitting in.

You could probably take all of the prereqs online through a local community college rather rapidly to get them knocked out of the way. The difficulty in getting into school is probably regional; more people = more competition. I really encourage you to focus on accelerated programs just to get in and get it done. Nursing school seems to move at a snail's pace.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion