28 year old male thinking about Nursing as a profession

[alabamacrimson]

I already have a master's in divinity and a bachelors degree. I became interested in nursing years back while in college (2003), but became religiously overzealous and chose the ministry. I do not feel that the ministry is truly my calling. I did an internship in hospital as a chaplain, and would see the nurses working and told myself, "that is really what you wanted to do, why didn't you follow it?"

Now that I am 3 years beyond school, I want to go back to school to become a nurse, but have many questions.

Should I get an associates/diploma in nursing or a BSN?

Will a BSN get me better pay over an associates?

Would it be practical to become an LPN first then work towards becoming an RN? Is that a good idea?

Is it practical to work full time while in nursing school? I have bills to pay that will not disappear just because I go back to school.

Is there nursing related work I could do while in school to build my resume, and get some hands on experience in the profession?

How does one get into a specialized field? I know that I will probably begin very generalized in the profession, but long term I am interested in ER, Operating Room or Anestesia(spelling???)

What hurdles to I face as a male in this profession, if any?

How difficult are nursing programs to get into once I have met all prerequisites? Should I find several and apply to them all, sort like I did when I first went to college? (I have always gotten into any school I have applied to, my grades are very strong)

[Prettyladie]

wow i wish i could start school in september. i havent done that since kindergarden, but even after that it started in august. so thats neat school in september, so yall get a full summer. june -august. hmm thats good.

[Womankind]

Check into "bridge' programs that take you right from BSN to NP - usually in about 2-3 years if you already have a degree. Good luck!

[alabamacrimson]

Reviving this discussion after several months. I'm now getting my prerecs knocked out and will apply this fall. I will either attend one of the two community colleges in the area or go back to the University where I did my undergrad work and get my BSN in an accelerated program. The community college is much more convienient location wise, but the University offers the BSN in the same amount of time that it would take me to get my associates from the community college.

I am looking into ways to improve my resume while I am in school by working/volunteering at a hospital, with the rescue squad, etc...