I'm a 41 year old single mom (joint custody) who will be an empty nester in 4 years. I'm not sure if I'm going through a midlife crisis but lately my corporate insurance job no longer lights my fire and I am yearning for a career that gives me a strong sense of purpose and the feeling that I'm doing something meaningful.
I have family members who are nurses and they've been encouraging me to consider Nursing.
I'm looking into getting in the GEPN at University of Hawaii- Manoa on the DNP path.
I know that once I start, there's no turning back because I'll be using part of my IRA money for living expenses while I do the 1 year intensive prelicensure before taking the NCLEX.
Do you think Nursing school is a good return of investment at my age (41)?
Dont do it..If you do so, aim for Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner. Do not even take a break. When you graduate do RN work full time for 6 months and then go part time and go to school part time.
Yep. You're a spring chicken. I got my BSN at 54. Go for it!
Actually, I'm editing this because I see all of those 'don't do it' comments. Everyone is different. Only you can decide, obviously. For me, even though I'm only going to do this for a maximum of 10-12 years (and probably a bit less), I'm still glad I did it.
Dont do it..If you do so, aim for Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner. Do not even take a break. When you graduate do RN work full time for 6 months and then go part time and go to school part time.
PA - 2 years, quite difficult to get in, lots of prereqs (add at least 2 more years), usually very expensive, ageism still there but at least no bedside.
Cheap RN in community college (many of which are very difficult to enter): ageism, discrimination, antiintellectuslism, back-breaking grueling bedside, $$$ for online BSN, then same for 3 to 4 more years for part-time NP. Total of 6 years naked minimum.
Cheap RN in community college (many of which are very difficult to enter): ageism, discrimination, antiintellectuslism, back-breaking grueling bedside, $$$ for online BSN, then same for 3 to 4 more years for part-time NP. Total of 6 years naked minimum.
You are forgetting the direct entry MSN programs. Start with no nursing background or experience, come out in 2-3 years an NP. People are doing it every day. (Not saying I think it's a good idea, but the programs are there and v. popular.)
It sounds like you are doing this for others and are not aware of what you are signing up for by becoming a nurse. Many nurses work their jobs and don't feel like Florence Nightingale. They also don't look like the nurses you see (non-frazzled) on T.V. Your reasons for being a nurse will not align with the reality of being a nurse. It is a thankless job, so please don't become a nurse if you are looking for someone to give you a great raise, tell you that you are doing a great job, give you employee of the month because you consistently pick up extra shifts, and forego your vacations to help fill the voids of the high employee turn-over etc.
Specializes in ICU, ER, Home Health, Corrections, School Nurse.
One thing you mentioned in your post is you wanted to do something meaningful. It's gotten very hard to feel like you've made a difference, when everything is either mandated by a check off list, mandated by core measures, or accomplished by a huge team of which you are a just one player. Long gone are days where you sit by the bedside holding someone's hand getting them through a rough time. There are way too many tasks to perform and paperwork to do. If you read through the postings on this site you will find horror stories of first year nurses and what they went through their first year trying to learn everything and become confident in their abilities. When you leave your office job no one comes in to your office to assess everything you did that day. But that is exactly what happens in nursing...it's a 24 hour cycle so someone is always following you and judging you. Also in the corporate world you are not usually surrounded by people who are doing exactly what you do, and know your job intimately, so you are not judged as harshly. Think really hard if you want to put yourself through this when you already have a good career in place.
You are forgetting the direct entry MSN programs. Start with no nursing background or experience, come out in 2-3 years an NP. People are doing it every day. (Not saying I think it's a good idea, but the programs are there and v. popular.)
Check to see what the actual market is like for direct entry MSN NP. If HI is like other heavily populated, popular areas, you may very well have a hard time finding a first job in that as well. And yes, ageism exists.The more new grads that are in the marketplace to choose from, the harder it may be, regardless of education. Most of us are finding that hospitals and practices want younger (early 20s-early 30s) that are cheaper on the bottom line (both at the bedside and for APRN roles) and don't have enough experience to know that they are being run to death and being treated not so great. Educate yourself before you invest. Good luck with your decision
I wish somebody would have convinced me of this when I made the same decision at about the same age. Perhaps I wouldn't be trying to support myself with unreliable employment at an age where I should be retired and concentrating on my own declining health. I wasted my retirement nest egg on a nursing education. Don't make the same mistake.
Same here! Nursing was a second career and if I had to do it all over again I would choose something that I could make more money and have less stress. Also at that age with health issues that maybe would not have stopped me working full time in a different profession other than nursing.
OP: I would try to see what other opportunities might exist within your present company/field. Either way please take a good hard look before you jump, it may be for you but just know what you are getting into. Good Luck!
I wouldn't recommend it either if you are used to working as a corporate executive you will not like the way nurses and even NP's are treated by hospital management. Also think long and hard about taking out student debt. If your goal is DNP then you should have a passion for medicine, and feel confident making treatment decisions. Bedside nursing is very stressful, but NP's face a different stress of making the right treatment decisions while under the same time pressure of seeing a different patient every ten minutes or less! If you have anxiety in general or over uncertainty this would also not be a good field for you.
Feel free to read thru the many posts on here to get an idea of what the working conditions are like for both bedside nurses and NP's before you take money out of your IRA. Even if your end goal is NP, most NP's work as bedside nurses during school to get some nursing experience and network with doctors. Healthcare is run like a business these days practically down to a stop watch, it is pretty hard to feel like you make a difference when you are burnt out and stressed out from being short staffed! Even doctors are in general unhappy over the state of things and NP's may like their job better because they have experienced the crappy working conditions of bedside nursing so being an NP is still better than it used to be. I'm not an NP, but I've watched many new grads go back for their NP and most were happier, sometimes they needed to change jobs a few times to find the right fit.
Keep in mind as an NP things could be more expensive such as needing malpractice insurance, continuing education and even paying for your own health insurance if you are not employed by a hospital system. Personally unless this was a true lifelong desire I wouldn't advise you to pull out retirement money and take on student loans. I did work with an older nurse who did just that, basically pulled out all her retirement to attend an expensive private school and graduated in her late 50's or early 60's. The only thing that saved her financially is that sadly her family died unexpectedly and she received a large inheritance otherwise she had nothing left. She quit nursing after that and retired once money was no longer an issue.
Specializes in Med/surg nurse, 9 years experience, 5 as travel.
That is a tough question, I started my nursing school at the age of 40 and I don't necessarily regret it but I had to get student loans to afford it. I did it for a different reason and was my first time finishing college. Sounds like you may not go into debt but are unwisely using your retirement money (which you will need later in life and no investment person would encourage you to do this). The best way to do this is to work your way through school and pay it off as you go.
Anyways, no one can make the decision for what is best for you. Nursing Is really hard and you will be shocked once you start working at how chaotic but gratifying it is. Be warned it isn't always a job that you will be rewarded with because of the nature of our health care settings. Hospitals are currently worried more about patient satisfaction rather then the best route to a holistic return to health. It's JUST as much a corporate rate race as your corporate insurance job.
Anyways, do what is in your heart and nursing is a great profession but it's never what people expect.
If you were working at Taco Bell for minimum wage, I'd say go for it. If you're over 40, reasonably financially secure, and just looking for change, I'd say ...reconsider. Healthcare is big business, not the Kumbaya crap we see on TV.
This ^^^^. This over glamorization of Nursing by Johnson and Johnson and others just isn't reality. For many of us, it's weekends, holidays, being called in 'on call' at 2:00 AM, difficult demanding patients, families, belittling and pompous physicians.... Though I've done it for a very long time, if I had to do it over again, well, I don't know if I would make the same career choice.
Be honest with yourself. It sounds like you have a good life and job. Do you want to work shifts? Work stat holidays? Be at the bottom of the vacation list? Possibly be injured on the job? How well do you handle verbal abuse?
I graduated when I was 41. There is discrimination out there about age. I was in the top five in my graduating class, academically and performance wise. I was one of the last to find a job.
Find a volunteer job to feel satisfied.
Nursing is hard on the body and the mind. I've missed time with my family working the holidays and evenings because I was the newest hire. Had to work Christmas and New Years when my husband was serving overseas. Nobody thought about my family home alone because I was a mature adult and my children were teenagers. I've been assaulted and worker's comp for the injuries. The patients just don't care, they want their family members looked after because they aren't replaceable and nursing staff are!
If I knew then what I know now, I'd be in a different area of healthcare.
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Dont do it..If you do so, aim for Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner. Do not even take a break. When you graduate do RN work full time for 6 months and then go part time and go to school part time.