Social Worker to Nursing??

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Hi all,

I am a social worker with both my BSW and MSW degrees. I have not been happy lately and have been seriously considering going into nursing. I want to go to Stony Brook (Long Island, NY) and I would qualify for the accelerated program once I finish the pre-reqs. I am looking for advice for people who have done that program and/or who switched careers themselves.

Thank you!

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Congratulations on your decision to think outside of the box! I'm a second-career nurse (began RN program at 39) after teaching and non-profit program coordination (again, mainly teaching). Having been through academic programs before, and succeeding, helped me maintain confidence during the stress of nursing school. If there is one thing that I would have done differently, it would have been to intentionally meet/connect with nurses and other healthcare professionals before school consumed my schedule, for 2 reasons: Information gathering and networking. There are so many non-traditional nursing roles out there now, too. I encourage you to begin contacting as many people as you can- in as many different roles as you can- for "informational interviews". In order for you to make an informed decision about an entire career change versus a role re-definition change, try to get a somewhat robust perception of what roles are available that could combine your skill sets as a novice nurse and an established social worker- there has to be more out there than staff nurse or case manager, for instance, especially after the first year as a nurse. LinkedIn was a great way for me to find other people who are doing what I would one day like to do- you may want to look into it from that direction as well. Good luck with your new chapter, and have fun on the journey!

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I was a social worker and did an accelerated nursing program, too. Best decision I've ever made, and hardest thing I've ever done!

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Thanks for the input! I appreciate it. I will try to talk to as many nurses as I can before I do the switch. I'm going to an information session this week at the school, so hopefully I can get some answers than as well. I'm super nervous about this, but I think I can do it!

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Where did you do your program? What made you decide to switch from social work to nursing?

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