Second Thoughts on Becoming a Nurse

Guest 1152923 · Jul 23, 2021

16 minutes ago, TLat said:

I am here looking for opinions and guidance from those in the field. I will be entering a nursing program in Spring and am having second thoughts. I am an older student (late 40s) and put my desire of entering the nursing field on hold for many years. During the early stages of the pandemic, I felt a call to fulfill this more than any other time in my life. Subsequently, I turned my Covid layoff into an opportunity, went back to school, completed all pre-reqs and was accepted. However, I did not anticipate the amount of vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers and the fact that I live in a state with no vaccine requirements for schools and healthcare workers as well as a leading transmission rate of the Delta variant. ( I am fully vaccinated). This is coupled with fluctuating opinions of many nurses I know personally advising that the industry has changed and they have been treated as expendable and to run hard and fast to something else in the medical field. This has me doubting my decision and questioning if I am unnecessarily putting my family at risk in pursuit of something that, according to others, may not be what I had built it up to be. (I should mention I am being offered a place in a Microbiology bachelor's program so I do have options but it is a long, competitive road to a master's and I need to provide for my family now.) If you had to do it all over again, would you become a nurse? Would you go into another field? Do you think an older individual would have a rougher time at present? I get that this may sound whiney but I have met some tired, angry nurses lately who are ready to chuck it all if they have not done so already. Thanks all.

Yes, yes, and yes, choose another profession! As a career RN of almost 30 years, I certainly wish I had. Be a CPA, engineer, IT-similar lengths of educational preparedness with waaaay better hours (nights, weekends, holidays) and working conditions (no infectious patient/body waste exposure), more professional respect, and equal or better, salary!

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 23, 2021

"If you had to do it all over again, would you become a nurse? " No way in Hades.

I was a bedside nurse for 28 years. Many nights I have dreams/ nursing nightmares/ PTSD memories.

You are very smart if you have completed your pre- requisites and have been accepted to a nursing program. Now... use that intelligence to find something / anything better than nursing

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Jul 23, 2021

While I personally have no (or at least very few) regrets about becoming a nurse, it's hard for me to wholeheartedly recommend this job to anyone considering it. ? It had gotten rougher and rougher in the relatively short time I've been a nurse, and COVID has just multiplied the complications.

On the positive side, I personally love the schedule of three 12s and don't mind working some weekends, holidays, or nights. I also do find the work interesting and compelling, and most days I feel like I helped someone. It has also given me a very comfortable living, which I'm grateful for.

The downsides are many. As the previous poster said, there is not much respect given to us. There is great potential for exposure to infection and abuse, which is increasingly viewed as just part of the job. I often feel like I'm rushing and just trying to stay afloat, and rarely get the chance to build a good connection with any of my patients. I am ping-ponging around trying to do the most crucial stuff without the support and supplies I need. Although I do get to leave work at work, the entire shift tends to be a nail-biting, intense experience.

If I had to do it over, I might try something else medical-adjacent. Dental hygiene is something I think I would have liked. Maybe physical therapy assistant. There are other options that are kinder.

Golden_RN, MSN · Jul 23, 2021

2 hours ago, ThePrudentStudent said:

If you had to do it all over again, would you become a nurse? Would you go into another field? Do you think an older individual would have a rougher time at present?

Yes, I'd do it over again, but I was very young when I went to nursing school & my tough bedside years were in my 20s and 30s. There was a recent post about nurses with arthritis performing bedside nursing where I noted that at my age (similar to you) I probably couldn't work bedside. The bending, lifting, pushing/pulling, moving equipment, etc would be difficult on my joints/back. If you have family responsibilities that will make things more difficult too, like very early mornings and late nights at clinicals. BUT if it's your dream, go for it. And remember, not every nurse HAS to work in a hospital if you're apprehensive. There are opportunities in public health, school nursing, etc.

amoLucia · Jul 23, 2021

Prudent Student - make no mistake or think you're something special, but if you were to finish a nsg program, you'll be no more special than any other nsg grad! Please know that I'm not being smarty mouth!

You'll be right there in the ranks with every other newbie nurse/student nurse - struggling with all the angst of school, testing, job search, unreasonable facility admin, etc.

No seniority, base pay rate, undesirable hours, lack of respect, clinical exposure to everything & anything that even sanitation workers would avoid!! Hopefully, you have your health, but that can be very tenuous. Upward mobility??? Usually after continued education & experience. Retirement plans? Sadly, old-fashioned notions of altruism & respect are dinosaur relics.

TBH - I really would NOT NOT NOT recommend nsg to anyone as a second career or for the late-in-life student. FTR - I retired 2010 after 36 yrs.

Davey Do · Jul 23, 2021

I was at a point in the early '80's where I was an NREMT-A and considered going for Paramedic. An Administrator that I had worked with at the Children's Home had become a hospital administrator, and suggested that I go into nursing.

I thought, "What the hey-the LPN program is only a year long and I can work as a Nurse to see if I want to go that route".

Well, I really liked nursing, got my RN, and did everything in nursing from cutting the cords to newborn twins' umbilical cords to holding the hand of a lady as she passed from this life to the next.

Nursing was my calling. I loved working as a Nurse until I was "fired & retired".

But times have drastically changed and I would definitely not go the nursing route at this time. Probably Firefighter and/or Paramedic.

Sorry. And the very best to you, ThePrudentStudent!

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 23, 2021

Would I do it over again? Honestly at this point I don't know.....

It's been goo(in the first 15 years anyhow)---but the last 10 years or so, over-regulation and increased hostility among our patient population have made it harder and harder.

I am not sure. I would probably have finished (what I had started to do)----my computer science degree and gone into informatics.

I am less than 4 years from retirement yet every day seems like a year.

RNperdiem, RN · Jul 24, 2021

I have mixed opinions.

I would advise going into nursing if a career switch to nursing will bring you a better life.

Getting into nursing school is difficult for a reason. A lot of people want the steady work, jobs with benefits and good pay. If you want to work overtime, there is usually plenty of work at time and a half pay. Short-staffed departments might offer critical staffing on to of that. (extra $25/hr in my unit). For people who have been struggling in the uncertain gig economy, have no retirement savings, little stability and financial stress, nursing is a big step up in the world.

I remember 25 years ago when I was walking to work and thought to myself: "I am one year out of community college and making $45k a year".

Nursing can be satisfying too. Looking back at one job where I fed paper menus into a laminating machine for 40 mind-numbing hours a week, nursing has meaning and purpose.

On the down side. You will earn that money. Being older still means you start at entry level. Jobs available for nurses without experience are limited, and often involve nights, weekends, holidays and the least desirable departments. Physically you need to be in good shape and have stamina for the lifting, moving and standing nurses do.

Some nurses will land a plum position. Usually that occurs later in their career after gaining years of experience and building a network of useful contacts and sometimes advancing their education.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 24, 2021

Three words: health information technology. As our world becomes more automated, this field will thrive.

TriciaJ, RN · Jul 24, 2021

I'm shocked by all the negative responses so far but I can't disagree with any of them.

I look back on my career with satisfaction, but I got out before covid. By all accounts things have gotten even more brutal since then. Even so I have chronic health issues that I attribute to nursing.

I think it's finally safe to admit I 've never been an advocate of entering nursing after age 35 or so. I graduated at 22 when I had a resilient body and a much higher BS tolerance. In the past people would ask about starting nursing at 40, 50 or even 60 and the replies tended to be positive, so I kept my negativity to myself.

If you really feel a burning need, go for it and don't look back. But be prepared for everything you've been warned about.

Best to you, whatever you decide.

Daisy4RN · Jul 24, 2021

I would not recommend nursing to anyone at this point in time. That goes double for someone in their late 40's. Nursing was a second career for me and for a little while after graduation it was good, but slowly over the years (death by a thousand cuts) it continually worsened to the point of becoming unbearable. If you have other options I would definitely pursue those instead. Also, it will probably be more difficult for you to get a job r/t your age in nursing than other fields, IMO.

Sorry for the negative response but just trying to answer you honestly. If I had to do it over I would have chose something else. If you want to be in the Healthcare field maybe something like a COTA (OT aid) that would pay similar, if not more, and would have much less stress.

Good luck what ever you chose!!