What career did you have before nursing?

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

I worked at the skylift gift shop at Stone Mountain Park summer after 10th grade, then Spencer gifts at the mall, rounded out my retail career at Target (called Richway back then) folding baby clothes!

Started nursing school in Jan 1971 (finished high school early in Dec so I could go to nursing school).

Started working 3-11 at a community hospital as a student nurse (which meant we were team leaders) in Jan 72 and worked full time while in school.

Graduated with my AS in Aug 1973 at the ripe old age of 19 and have been a nurse since then! I knew I wanted to be a nurse since I was 3 years old so I couldn't see wasting anymore time :)

sherri12 · Dec 5, 2011

I started out in the USCG on the search and rescue team out of high school in 1986. In 1995 I graduated Cosmetology school. I had a successful career as a hairstylist for 16 years and loved it! I owned a successful salon and day spa for 6 years but that got tiring. I sold the business and went to work for a very upscale day spa for 5 years as the lead hairstylist for weddings. I had a baby in 2007 and my time spent with the nurses in the OB unit brought back my thoughts of finally going to nursing school. I had always wanted too, but never really had the means of going until now.

I am in my third year of a BSN program and I do hair at home as well as drive a school bus to help me get through school. I'm lucky I have a supportive husband. I will graduate at 45 and I love every minute of school.

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

I had jobs, but no other careers.

A LOT of steady babysitting jobs... first one at age 8 for next door neighbor's 2y/o and 4m/o...another neighbor kid who was 10 was there, and my mom was over there about every 15 minutes... Starting at about age 12, I'd easily spend 40+ hours/week in the summers babysitting. $1.00/hr was GOOD pay- especially when I had no expenses, and a McDonald's hamburger was about 50 cents.

Dollhouse and gift store :up: Great owner :)

Hallmark store :barf01: (every stupid 'holiday' -i.e. Neighbor's Vet's Gynecologist's Day :uhoh3: required rearranging a lot of crap).

Clogs & clothing stores (same owner as the Hallmark place- so not great- had to pack them both up one Sunday from the mall and move them out... he'd gone belly up; fortunately the paycheck was cashed at his bank).

Nature Counselor at a summer camp (2 1/2 summers)- dealt with snakes, a weird ferret that chased whiffle balls, stray animals that the kids wouldn't leave alone where they belonged, etc.

Cafeteria worker at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champain campus)...salad bar was awful d/t slobs taking stuff from it; breakfast cereal container "refilled" was THE job It's amazing how college kids still liked the free toys ... popularity in the dorm skyrocketed with pockets full of dopey toys :jester:

CNA :up: BEST thing I could have done to help with time management in nursing school, and being a newbie. Did staff relief and private duty.

sunbaby0811 · Dec 5, 2011

I'm loving all these mid-life career changers :) I have been working in IT for 11 years and will be pushing 40 when I (god willing) get finished with NS! But I just have no love for IT and my heart is being pulled to nursing, so I'm excited! Thanks for everyone sharing!

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

And how long did you stay in that job? I am a retail and restaurant recruiter. I have been working from home for the past five years. Before that, I worked in the brokerage field. But I have always wanted to be a nurse. I will be starting my very first prerequisite (Chem 1032) in January 2012. I was advised to take one class at a time. I figure it will take me from start to finish a good 3-4 years. I am 45 years old. How about you?

Engineering. 15 years. Started at 40, finished at 44.

One class at a time until you get into a program will take 5+ years start to finish depending on how many prereqs you have to take.

Munch · Dec 5, 2011

I actually graduated with my BA in Forensic Psychology and minor in psychology. So right after I graduated I worked for the ATF(Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) in their administrative department. Basically all I did was HR work; Employee benefits, pay, retirement etc(nothing cool like an agent). All through high school and my first go at college I had a job working in HR so that experience with my BA in forensic psych landed me the job. It was pretty low on the totem pole but I wanted the experience and it was my foot in the door while I was working on my masters in Criminal Justice. I ultimately wanted to climb the corporate ladder in the ATF and be an intelligence research. I had the administrative job there for about a year and I really liked it a lot. But I had to take an extended medical leave(I took a couple in college) and decided I wanted to be a nurse. Since I already had a degree I had a lot of the prerequisites out of the way so I knew it wouldn't take as long to get my nursing degree(BSN) since I didn't have to start from scratch...and if I ever change my mind and decide to quit being a nurse I can always do something with the degree I already have(an education is NEVER a waste)...though my mom wasn't too happy paying for all those college bills

rys22 · Dec 5, 2011

Im an esthetician :) I have been for 5 years and have gotten one quarter of prereqs done. I took just one class this time just to slowly get used to having school be part of my life but in january it'll be two classes and I think I might keep it at that for a little while (mayyybe 3) but only because Id rather do well and not stress TOO much since there will be plenty of that when Im in the nursing program full time! Plus, I still work full time and plan to continue as long as I possibly can if not all the way till I graduate. Being an esthetician has been a GREAT time in my life and I have definitely learned a lot about different personalities and how to win over the most difficult of people out there. I am so excited about this new part of my life though!

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · Dec 5, 2011

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after graduating high school, so I stayed with my fast food job that I had been at since I was 16 and was promoted into managment. I then had my kids. My oldest was 7 wks early and the nurses were great! I started thinking then that may be I wanted to be a nurse.

I was too scared to make the jump to going to school, because I had gotten promoted again to upper management.

Then I had my second son, and again started thinking that I wanted to be a nurse and this time I started looking at what it might take with pre-reqs

It wasn't untill after my divorce that I finally made the leap to start my pre-reqs, left the fast food place, was there for 8 years, to work part-time in a large grocery store working the deli counter.

Started taking one class at a time, then went full time, bacame a CNA.

Worked as a CNA during pre-reqs and nursing school, finally became a RN at age 30, and those babies I had that when I first had them made me start thinking about become a nurse at 12 & 10, it took me awhile to reach my goal

julibyrd · Dec 5, 2011

Engineering. 15 years. Started at 40, finished at 44.
One class at a time until you get into a program will take 5+ years start to finish depending on how many prereqs you have to take.

I already have an AA degree. So some of my prerequisites are taken care of. My nursing adviser recommended I take ONE class at a time (to achieve a high competitive GPA for NS). She said it would take me a good 18 months or so to complete them. I guess her philosophy is better to take it slow and get good grades, then to rush through with poor grades.

andreasmom02 · Dec 5, 2011

I was a beautician for a couple of years, then a stay at home mom. Went back to college part time to be an LPN after my first child was born. Became an LPN in '08, and am almost done with my RN degree. I hated doing hair when I was a beautician. I love the medical field & am glad I switched careers. Hair just wasn't for me...

IEDave, ASN, CNA, LVN · Dec 5, 2011

Well, can't say that I really had a career, per se - worked in IT from about, oh, '86 on or so. Went to CC straight out of HS (1980); Mom decided (after Dad died in '79) to become an LVN after 7-8 thousand years of being a waitress/hostess/assistant manager/whatever else they threw at her. We ended up being a mutual support group for each other; she graduated 3rd in her class; I, uh, didn't (not real motivated in those days...) - but ended up with a 3.2 GPA and a B.S. in Computer Science in spite of it all. And ulcers from too many Jolt Colas.

Time passed - Mom had lots of tales to tell of adventures in the hospital halls; I ended up spending my days being yelled at; she got sat on by a patient & ended up 30% disabled due to a lower back injury that was misdiagnosed & mistreated; I finally made the jump to programming; Mom went into teaching 'cause she couldn't sit for extended periods or do heavy lifting; Mom ultimately retired & I kept on getting yelled at.

Then, woke up late one morning (thankfully, I'd called in sick that day) to find Mom with the grayest pallor I've ever seen on a human being. She thought she'd had a heart attack - got her to the local hospital, other than an elevated enzyme count they couldn't find anything wrong, agreed to hold her overnight & wanted to discharge her in the morning. I got the call about 1:10 a.m. - some unsung hero did a CT chest series & discovered that her aorta was about to pop (aortic dissection with associated aneurysm) & transferred her to another hospital for an aortic arch replacement.

For the next 4 years & 2 months I worked IT & acted as Mom's primary caregiver. Between progressively deteriorating dementia, an anoxic brain injury (courtesy of the arch replacement procedure) and all the fun things that happen to one as they get older, Mom ended up in an RCFE for a few years, an assisted living facility for about 6 months, nursing home for 8 months (courtesy of a stroke - during her rehab from cardiac surgery they discovered that she had a fair number of aneurysms in her brain, but didn't want to treat them due to the likelihood that she probably wouldn't survive the procedure), then a second stroke - which left her comatose & unlikely to recover past a minimally conscious state. My sister and I made the call - and opted to let her go.

I stood vigil with Mom for just under 2 weeks; during this time I reflected on a lot of things, and came to 2 conclusions: (1) Out of all the things I'd ever done, caring for Mom was the most fulfilling & emotionally satisfying thing I'd ever done, and (2) Out of all the nurses that had tended to her, the 3 that stood out the most were the ones that had sat in that chair, held a loved ones hand, and stood by - 'til they were no longer needed.

I start CNA training with the Red Cross December 20th, and assuming that things go well on January 17th I'll be starting on my prereqs for LVN at Chaffey College. From there (again, if all goes well) once I've gotten my LVN I'll be applying for admission to the BSN program at Loma Linda University. Why Loma Linda? LLUMC did the aortic arch replacement - and, she also passed away there.

...Mom first always!!!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Rest well, Mom - and thanks for everything. See you on the flip side. :redbeathe

Blessings,

IEDave

kika72 · Dec 5, 2011

I spent almost 12 years in the hospitality business as a GM, then 3 years home with my children after they were born. Now at 39, I have 12 months left on an Accelerated BSN and can't be happier. The workload is hard to juggle between family, kids and life in general but it's worth every sacrifice!