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.
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.
If you were in your 20's I'd say go for it ...but in your late 40's? If you were interested enough in a 4 year degree, I'd recommend laboratory technician. It requires a bachelor's, you've already got some pre-reqs, it's not physically demanding and you can work until they throw you out to pasture while you can still stand and enjoy eating the grass. If I had it to do all over....Gotta like science, though and I didn't have enough confidence in my science skills when I was young.
I do not regret becoming a nurse. Not at all. I am currently bedside. I’m in my forties. I love working 3-4 days a week. It works with my kids.
But, it’s hard on my body. After 3 in a row, I need an entire day to recover. No joke. I’m also over the immense amount of work being thrown at us. Every week we are given a new thing given to us, but told it only takes a couple of minutes. One thing yes, but a new couple of minutes every week adds up. With being short staffed and constantly having such sick patients, it takes a toll.
If you can go in with the right mentality, go for it. But you have to be prepared ahead of time for what you are getting into.
NO WAY. RUN THE OTHER WAY! There are other healthcare options like ultrasound, radiology, informatics (which is what I'm researching and pivoting toward) etc. Direct patient nursing is burnout alley at any level including NP. I was a second career nurse too in 40s and I never in my life worked a job where I was bullied so much and overwhelmed with tasks with very lives in my hands. Got my NP and salaries dropped while work hours went up within the time I got the degree. Perhaps from diploma mills and RNs running to get outta bedside, like myself. I'm a single mamma too with limited help and OMG. Nursing aged me 20 years. If you are a single young, athletic, person who likes adrenaline rushes, you might fit in. Again, this topic REALLY needs to be sent to RN wanna be's before they spend one dime toward nursing school. If I knew then what I know now... I would never have gone into debt for nursing school. Excuse me, I have to go call and make an appt with my therapist. ? jk (this topic is the bane of my existence)
Specializes in Physiology, CM, consulting, nsg edu, LNC, COB.
On 7/23/2021 at 2:56 PM, NightNerd said:
Dental hygiene is something I think I would have liked. Maybe physical therapy assistant.
FWIW, dental hygienists have high rates of painful arm and shoulder injury from leaning over and contorting. And dentists can be jerks too, just like anyone else, and you might not have other coworkers. PTA is being like a CNA with better hours and less pay in many cases. But generally good hours and clean work, esp outpatient.
Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.
I am a second career nurse myself. I am in my late 40s, and about to start all over again as a NP after 9+ years as a RN. I would recommend nursing as a career. I think that many people that have only ever worked in one field see some of the negative aspects as specific to that field. I came from a pharmaceutical research career. We also had issues with coworkers calling out and impacting the workload. There were increasing government regulations and more paperwork that seemed stupid but necessary. And the job insecurity in that area caused great amounts of stress. For about 8 years we experienced rounds of layoffs every six to 12 months. As the only wage earner in the house for a period of time, the stress of not knowing how much longer I would have a job, was a big strain. I also had a job that followed me home. Now in nursing when I leave, my day is over, I don't have to go home and do "work stuff", so there's less negative impact to my time with my family. I love my bedside nursing position. Yes, it can be physically challenging. Yes, there are some negatives related to short staffing, charting requirements, etc. But if you think you want to be a nurse, and you have a relatively realistic view of nursing, I would still say to go for it.
Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
I want to be positive, but no, I wouldn't do nursing if I could go back in time. I have grown as a person, learned so much, and feel like a smarter, more compassionate, confident, and assertive person than I was before. I am happy to (hopefully) have helped people, and I enjoy the intellectual side of the job and some of the hands on.
The stress level is why I wouldn't re-do it. Maybe it's dramatic but I feel some kind of PTSD after years of being screamed at, physically attacked, and then a year of watching lots of people die on the covid unit. And it's physically demanding. If you are fit and enjoy getting your workout at work, and are resilient with a high stress tolerance maybe it will be OK. If it's your dream I say go for it, and if you find out you don't like the hospital there are other types of nursing jobs.
I wouldn't recommend it, and I retired early rather than continue to allow myself to be abused by management and put in unsafe situations. As a coworker said, the management is worse than covid! From what I hear, I won't be surprised when my old hospital closes or is shut down by the state due to unsafe working conditions. I'm glad I got out when I did!
If you do still want to pursue this, don't discount the angry nurses. You are being given advance warning. Granted if you are lucky and work for a decent company or sidestep hospital nursing for clinics, outpatient or school nursing it might be a nice gig.
Since you are laid off, hopefully you can get a job as a CNA and then have a chance to see what it is really like. I suggest you use your local public community tech college to get your CNA. If after working as a CNA and shadowing nurses and informational interviews, you are still set on this, then choose the cheapest route. Ideally the public tech school, then you can get your RN to BSN online.
But explore all your options of other job training programs that are offered by the tech school. As others have mentioned there are many jobs in the health field with different education requirements and pay. Get your finances in order and be very conservative with student loans, especially as an older student.
Speak to the career counselor at the tech school and see if you would qualify for any grants, scholarships, possibly state or federal retraining grants to cut down on any student loans. I think tech schools are quick, cost effective and the best choice for many people vs just getting your bachelors in liberal arts. They are especially well suited for single mothers to help you find a viable, decent paying job to support your family.
Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
I graduated nursing school at age 40. It was a good decision and I wouldn’t sway anyone from it. You can make nursing work for you, but you have to choose a good job. Many nursing jobs are terrible, but there are a lot of jobs to choose from. If you wind up taking a terrible job; it’s pretty easy to quit and get another one. You will have recruiters calling you. You need to feel okay about job hopping to be happy as a nurse.
It’s very easy to enter nursing as a second career. It doesn’t require many long years of putting in your time as a newbie before you can advance. That’s a plus for an older person.
I appreciate everyone's candor. Of course, I was hoping for more positive feedback but I wasn't hanging my hat on it. I know that the last 15 months have only made an already tough job unbearable for some. I don't blame anyone who advises against this. I am grateful to those who have taken the time to share and, because of that, I have read each post carefully and seriously. I was a paralegal in my first career and, though I would never compare it to what a nurse takes on daily, I have advised people to run fast and hard from that profession. Everything is relative.
I love medicine. I love science. I love problem solving and research. I love taking care of people, even when they don't want me to. ? I thought, despite the stress and the difficulties, this would answer those desires and get me working. In another life, I would of started this much earlier. I am not privileged nor young enough to kick back into a long, educational path without working. I thought this may get me into the field and answer a call to service. I am not romanticizing this profession in the least but I am in awe of each and every one of you. I know none of you signed up for what has been thrown at you.Thank you for your continued advice on this thread. It has given me some things to think about. I sincerely hope all of you find some peace and appreciation in what you do.
I, as a "baby" nurse, personally love it. Some days can be super hard. The things you see, hear and deal with can be so hard. Management can suck, but not always!
I'm personally on my way to get my associates RN, and I'm excited for it. This is my first "real" profession, next to being a pharmacy tech for a few years. Honestly, there's nothing else I'd rather do than take care of people.
If you feel passionate about it, even after hearing all of these less than positive comments, then I say go for it! What do you have to lose?
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subee, MSN, CRNA
1 Article; 6,176 Posts
If you were in your 20's I'd say go for it ...but in your late 40's? If you were interested enough in a 4 year degree, I'd recommend laboratory technician. It requires a bachelor's, you've already got some pre-reqs, it's not physically demanding and you can work until they throw you out to pasture while you can still stand and enjoy eating the grass. If I had it to do all over....Gotta like science, though and I didn't have enough confidence in my science skills when I was young.