Nbr- career change question nursing??

jennkg3 · July 2014

So, I have a bs in psychology, a teaching cert., about 36+ hours of graduate studies. I love kids, I love education, I honestly have no desire to go back to teaching. I currently work as an on call sign language interpreter. I'm considering going back to school to be an RN. I'm not looking for a full time job (unless life requires it) until my children are in middle/high school, but I do want to pick up part time/pre diem type work, that's where the RN idea comes in. I'm wondering for those of you who are nurses what do you think of your profession?

jennkg3 · July 2014

@dimples12 12 more credits you mean to obtain a masters? If only it were as easy as 4 graduate classes, unfortunately my post graduate work is in elementary education. Psychology unfortunately doesn't make the money to make it a finically sound choice to add more educational expenses. To become an nr I need like 7 undergraduate classes at a community college where as to get my masters I would need close to 7ish classes at a university at I don't even want to think of the cost. As with everything else I will certainly look into your info and if I'm getting something wrong please tell me. I'm really open now, I have time to look and decide but I want to make a smart decision.

elleswarth · July 2014

While I feel I'm underpaid for the work that I do, I love my career as an RN. I work full-time in one of the nations top 5 cancer institutes ICU's, and it's brutal. Watching the families drag out the inevitable, watching the patients suffer, arguing with doctors, residents, respiratory therapy, management; it's extremely hard and it weighs on you. But then you get the patients that you thought would never make it, and they (eventually) walk out of the same ICU doors that you walk in every day to care for them, and it's a very rewarding feeling. I also work contingent at a hospital that I use to work on their neuroscience/stroke unit. Those patients are just as frustrating as they are rewarding, but in different ways.

I think you have to want to be a nurse for the right reasons, not for the pay or for the flexibile schedules. If you enter this career for the wrong reasons, you won't last a year. You'll be eaten up by frustration and emotion. Also, no institute will hire you as contingent until you have at least a year of med/surg under your belt, so you're looking at a part-time position in the least at first. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Bigboneded · July 2014

I love being a nurse, most places want 1 year experience to hire on. But I have worked a lot of places where students hired right into specialty areas, so you do have options. You would need some experience to do PRN/temp. But you might be able to go PT for that. Psych nursing is not for everyone, you might consider that with your background. I love being a nurse and it has paid very well for me. But not where you make your million$ :-) Certainly nursing is a career with a lot of options and flexibility!

motherboy · July 2014

There is a good thread on parenting about what degree program to look into. With that said, my sister is going into the intensive one year program whereupon she will graduate with her RN and BSN (she already has an undergrad degree) and that program runs somewhere above 40k. So seven grad courses might not be as bad compared to that.

jennkg3 · July 2014

@elleswarth and @bigbonded thank you for your honesty. It's what I wanted which is why I came on a public board and asked. I have always wanted to work with people, while I'm sure some positions I would hate I love that there are a lot of options (and I can continue my sign language). Like I said I don't want full time for another at least 12 years, but I'd love something part time in the next 6 years or so. As with any profession, I'm willing to put in the crappy job to get experience. I'm looking far into the future like 15 years, when I'm 45 ish I'd like to then have a good job with options. The thing with teaching is even with experience it's difficult to find a job the pay is mediocre even with continued education and often I was doing work into the night and weekends and still it was never enough. I want something that if I'm not happy I have the ability to change. Office jobs hold little interest for me.

jennkg3 · July 2014

@motherboy thanks. I already have student loans from a major university so to do my associates at a community college where I only need 7 classes seems a bit more doable considering most people change professions many times in their life. Graduate credits are VERY pricey compared to undergrad especially since you can do this undergrad at community college and grad courses are generally offered at major university's.

motherboy · July 2014

@jennkg3‌ and just wanted to let you know I totally feel you on the teaching front. Staying at home right now is basically a reprieve from teaching for me while I figure out what I am meant to do. I was just totally burnt out as a teacher and get anxiety just thinking about going back to it. It is such a stressful job and I have nothing but love and respect for the people who do it and do it well. I just don't think I was cut out for it.

motherboy · July 2014

jennkg3 said:
@motherboy thanks. I already have student loans from a major university so to do my associates at a community college where I only need 7 classes seems a bit more doable considering most people change professions many times in their life. Graduate credits are VERY pricey compared to undergrad especially since you can do this undergrad at community college and grad courses are generally offered at major university's.

Oh I understand that. I guess i missed where you said youd need only seven undergrad credits for nursing. But what certificate will you receive after you take those courses?

jennkg3 · July 2014

@motherboy after completing those credits (in addition to my credits that will transfer) I is just an associates degree. I can then build upon if I choose. I don't want to get a BSN until I know it's where I want to be. I always thought teaching was my calling and it's not for me and that's okay I will find something else that is more fitting for me but I don't want to put myself further into debt to do so. I feel just as you said with the burn out from teaching. I have been home 3 years and still thinking about the classroom stresses me out. I do miss my students though. I want a job without homework lol! I want a job that I can leave at the end of the day and focus on my life and my children. I don't see myself being a teacher after my children are grown. I want to start a career I can build upon that I has growth and a future.

jennkg3 · July 2014

@motherboy thank you for pointing out that post, it really was very wonderful and positive!

robsbabygirl08 · July 2014

I love being a nurse. But I think it's because I work in an area I really enjoy. It makes a huge difference. Do you think you would enjoy being a school nurse? I would think that being an ASL interpreter and a nurse that you would be very marketable as a school nurse for children with those type of needs. Then you would have the same vacation times as your kids.

spoonleg · July 2014

I agree with what PP- finding a good/flexible part-time or PRN position is not going to happen until you have several years of nursing experience under your belt. As a new RN, you will likely be given offers to work on shitty floors/shitty shifts. It's been over 10 years since I got out of nursing school (with a BSN from a fairly prestigious university), but at that time, I took a position working on a subacute floor (think one step up from the nursing home) on the 7p-7a shift with mandatory weekends and overtime. Within two years I had an incredible range of options for positions, shift and pay at any of the top hospitals in the largest medical center in the country... but it's not something that was available right off the bat.

Nursing is hard. Really, really hard. The hours are long and it's mentally and physically exhausting. It's largely a thankless job that involves touching a lot of blood, poop and vomit. So... not that different from being a mom, I guess.

Good luck!

ETA: more info

jennkg3 · July 2014

@spoonleg thanks! again 2 years in a crap job seems like nothing to me. I'm not looking for the best hours or the best place to work now, I'm looking to the future do the crap now so in the future I have the experience to do what I want to do.

wcmama1001 · July 2014

So, this is coming out of left field, I know, but have you ever thought about HR? Often times entry level positions are part time, pay is pretty good, at it's core it's a helping profession (like nursing, teaching, psych) and can offer really nice flexibility. Many HR professionals come from psych and/or teaching backgrounds.

If you stay away from big companies, HR is generally not the typical office job... Small company is HR is a lot of fun and offers variety in the day-to-day work. If you do a few years (even as a part timer) in smaller companies, you'll learn a lot and can move pretty easily in to various kinds of HR contracting/consulting. There is always work out there for people with good, broad knowledge of the various areas of HR.

Large company HR tends to be more specialized and less personal/employee-focused. It's more of a typical corporate job, which I why I recommend focusing on smaller companies. (I started in small companies, consulted for awhile and now work in a large, global company, so I feel like I can speak to the differences).

You wouldn't need any additional degree(s), you just need experience... You could take a course to give you HR fundamentals; this would cost a few thousand bucks at most. You could probably get your employer to pay for this after you've been there for a year or two.

Whatever you end up doing, best of luck!

Edited: Typos. I'm sure there are still some in there.

jennkg3 · July 2014

@dimples12 do you mind if I pm you I just want to ask you some more questions.

jennkg3 · July 2014

@wcmama1001 I don't think that I could do HR type work. I looked it up out of curiosity, but I don't think it is for me. Thank you, though I don't mind any thoughts at all.

jennkg3 · July 2014

@nursesouder‌ I live in pa. Mil does too and is always switching for a better job. I don't have any nursing friends without jobs. I also don't believe there is a shortage. It seems to be there is opportunities. Like I said I expect a crap Job for awhile. (That's how much I don't want to go in teaching). So you have a bsn? I'm not willing to get a bsn until after I have a job I already have a bs and a few minors and a certificate in ASL and teaching. Obviously, I'm still looking for my passion. I do really appreciate your honesty. I'm not planning on starting the program for at least a year and I have that time to keep talking to people. I don't want to go into a market like teaching where wth 5 years of experience, graduating with a 4.0 from one of the best teaching colleges in the country (top 5), amazing recommendations I can't find a job. Plus, all the bs but that's a story for another time.

jennkg3 · July 2014

@nursesouder‌ I also feel I hope not naively that with my ASL, psych degree, and teaching cert, I'm not in need of a job ASAP I can do a lot of day-to-day options while looking which is nice. So if it's just that it takes time I can do that. Definitely a lot to think about.

elleswarth · July 2014

I would plan on a year+ before a program. If it's anything like it is around me, your pre-req's to even apply to a program take you about a year, and then you have to hope you score high enough to get in and then wait till the program starts in the fall. I have my ADN, and when it was all said and done with pre-req's, 2 years in the program with summers off, it was nearly 4 years, in which time I could have just had my BSN. BUT, I went to a school that I could afford and made it out without student loans and got a job before I had even taken my boards due to knowing someone on the unit I was applying to. Half of my class had a hard time finding a decent job other than at nursing homes, which is pretty much the worst of the worst.

jennkg3 · July 2014

well like I said I don't need to prereqs because I already have a BS. I don't plan on doing a so called program. I plan on taking my time over the next 5 years.

elleswarth · July 2014

So you've taken things like anatomy and physiology and pharmacology just because you have your BS? I'm confused. What do you mean, not doing a program?

elleswarth · July 2014

Nursing isn't like a typical career path where you just take classes towards your degree. You have to get into nursing school/a program (same thing), where there are clinicals integrated into classes. I would have a midterm every two weeks and a final every 4. My classes constantly changed each 4 weeks, and you couldn't take these classes unless you were in the program. Maybe you weren't aware of that? It isn't a degree you leisurely work on.

jennkg3 · July 2014

I'm going to not be snarky cause your last comment came off snarky....I have actually already researched this to reiterate what I already said is that I'm only going for an Associates....I will remember that college is not just leisurely fun wish I would have learned that in Undergrad or gosh grad school but hey thanks!...I think the fact that I'm giving myself 5 years to work through a community college associates degree proves that but hey thanks!

jennkg3 · July 2014

oops I guess I got snarky...

jennkg3 · July 2014

and I think, I may be wrong, but I think each program runs differently not every one changes classes every 4 weeks, but I could be wrong maybe every single one is exactly the same

elleswarth · July 2014

Let me reiterate to you, I HAVE MY ASSOCIATES. From a community college. I don't understand what you mean you're going to work through it in 5 years. Maybe you aren't grasping the concept I'm trying to plainly explain to you.

elleswarth · July 2014

No, every program isn't run the same, but good lord I hope someone chimes in here that actually is a nurse and knows what I'm talking about, not someone speculating on a degree after getting ones that they don't like.

jennkg3 · July 2014

It shouldn't have taken you 4 years to get an associate unless you were working a few classes at a time as I'm saying, if not, you made some mistakes.

elleswarth · July 2014

I made no mistakes, thanks. I went to a school that required 10 classes to be able to even APPLY to a program. So by the time I took those classes, applied in April, got accepted and started in the following January (2 start dates), then took the PROGRAM for 2 years, yeah, it took about that time. But keep being snarky about stuff you know nothing about. You sound super intelligent.

jennkg3 · July 2014

I have to stop responding to you now. Thanks for your input.

elleswarth · July 2014

And they weren't basic English and chem classes for pre-req's. They were nursing specific like A&P, pharmacology, pathophysiology, etc.

elleswarth · July 2014

Yeah, if I looked that dumb, I would stop too. Have a great night.

robsbabygirl08 · July 2014

From my personal experience...myself along with everyone I went to school with in two different ADN programs, took the equivalent of two years of pre-reqs prior to being accepted in the programs. It was some thing like 50ish hours of certain pre reqs along with a few electives. I went to two different RN schools because I had to move half way through. Both programs were very strict 2 year ADN programs. When I transferred to FL I looked into 6 different schools and all of them had the same strict 2 year plan. The three I looked into in TX were the same as well. I've never heard of an at-your-own-pace RN program, but that doesn't mean they don't exist, they just didn't at the 9 schools I looked in to. The BSN program was more flexible. I wanted to be done with it ASAP so I applied for and completed the accelerated program.

I would think that with a Science degree of any kind almost all, if not all, of the pre reqs would already be taken care of.

But back to the original post. Nursing offers sooooo many options, it would be hard to not find a place where you feel happy, even if you have to "wade through the mud" to get there. Good luck with whatever you decide.

jennkg3 · July 2014

No no, I get what she was saying, her attitude set me off a bit. I need the nursing pre reqs, I don't need them all, I already have a bachelor of science and she wasn't getting that. Then the actual program I don't plan on doing till my kids are in school because those are more like a job. I do get that, that part I would need to do in one shot.

jennkg3 · July 2014

The pre reqs, are what I'm going to take my time doing. Then enter the program when my kids are in school. I think this is just one path I'm looking at, I want to know the career I choose is right this time.

elleswarth · July 2014

I'm well aware of you having your sciences/pre-req's from your bachelors already. I was referring to all of the other pre-req's you have to take. Also, in my state, science classes are only good for 7 years and then they have to be re-done. Don't know how old yours are. And for the record, I wasn't being rude to begin with. Sorry you took it that way, and to a level it didn't need to go to when you're the one unfamiliar with how it actually all works out.

robsbabygirl08 · July 2014

I don't know if you're aware, and I don't know what jobs would be available, but some schools allow you to just get your BSN if you already have a Bachelors degree. Might be something worth checking out. Plus most BSN programs are on-line with a few off site clinicals. Obviously I'm not a guidance counselor nor have your transcripts, but you could potentially have your BSN in as little as 18 months. Just some food for thought ;-)

jennkg3 · July 2014

Thanks @robsbabygirl I will definitely look into that too!

Unknown · July 2014

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robsbabygirl08 · July 2014

Did I miss a post where someone said it was easy? And the whole " I'm gonna be a nurse" thing was me. I just thought I would enjoy it, looked at a couple schools, applied, got accepted and started a program all within four months. It wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but it wasn't the hardest either. I feel like its totally doable if you just apply yourself.

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