Nursing?

[tongue_tied]

Anyone here a nurse or involved with nursing somehow? I'm thinking of making a slightly drastic career change. I need the challenge, I love science, and am maybe obsessed with the medical field. Tips? Challenges? Things you love, hate, etc.?

I should mention that my BA (yes, BA) is in theatre. So, I won't have much in the way of prereq classes.

Thanks in advance!

[Zen]

You have most of your core classes, you'll need Bio 101 and 102 and Microbiology.
It's not that hard but the A&P portion will require a lot of study. I found the class fascinating and was glad I took it.My instructor had a reputation of being tough, she was and I'm a better person for it.
I was accepted in to the nursing program but decided against it so I never did the clinical part, got a Phys.Ed. degree instead.
There is no shortage of nursing jobs but there is a shortage of teachers, that's why it's kind of cut throat to get in to the program.

That's my experience.

The End

[ny biker]

My sister was a phlebotomist for many years and then went to school to become a nurse. She worked very hard in school. (She also worked part time for the first couple of years and has 3 kids to raise, which did not make it easier.)

She now works at a hospital in a post-surgical critical care unit. The days are very long -- 12 hour shifts. She's looking for a new job that has better hours.

My cousin also became a nurse as a career change when she was in her 30s (and was the mother of 4). Again, worked very hard in school and her first job in a hospital involved long shifts. But now she's at an outpatient surgical facility and she seems to like it.

[Melalvai]

If you are thinking about a career change I strongly recommend the book "What Color Is Your Parachute?" It helps you figure out your strongest interests and skills, and what you need to shore up, to get to your new career. If I had had that book years ago I would not have meandered in postdoc swamps for many years!

[KnottedYet]

When I was going back to school for my second career, I knew what I wanted to do but I made a long list of other options. I spent a good bit of time investigating them.

Nursing was on my list, because it was similar to what I wanted and the pay was good... darn good. I have a lot of friends who are nurses who jumped all over me saying "NO! Don't do it! You're the wrong personality! It would kill you!"

They were right, which is fine, cuz I didn't really want to do nursing anyway. But I still looked into it.

If you are serious about nursing, I'd look first into getting a job as a CENA (nurse's assistant) in the kind of facility you'd like to work in. It's a very short training period, gets you right into the field, and often hospitals/clinics/nursing homes will pay part or all of the tuition for their CENAs to go to nursing school.

And you will find out very quickly if this is the kind of work you want.

[Zen]

She may have to do the same classroom work first, minus the clinicals.

[KnottedYet]

When I was investigating it, CNA was a 3 week course. MA is 6 to 9 months, PA is 2 years, LPN is around 1 year, RN around 2 years, and BSN is a full 4 years. ARNP is a BSN who works several years, then goes back to school for an additional 3 or so years.

One of the hospitals where I did a rotation had a very cool program for CNAs: they'd hire folks under some other title (patient aid or something) have them work for half their shift, and get the CNA course at the hospital during the other half of their shift. (you got paid for going to class, and the hospital paid for the tuition as well.) After you finished the 3 week course your title changed to CNA and your pay jumped up.

Experience as a CNA helps get you into nursing school (you are required to have some sort of experience in healthcare for a lot of the applications, even if it's only volunteer or observation). CNA doesn't substitute for any of the nursing classes or prerequisites or clinicals, but it does give you a leg up in the field.

[TsPoet]

no nursing opinion, but wanted to say don't let the BA stop you. I have a BA in anthropology.... and later got a PhD in Toxicology. Quite doable, maybe just a couple of extra classes.
I just tell everyone that I don't have it piled higher and deeper 'cause I never had any to begin with.

[KnottedYet]

I just tell everyone that I don't have it piled higher and deeper 'cause I never had any to begin with.

Ts-

I also have a BA in my alphabet soup... English Literature. (which has been surprisingly useful in healthcare, believe it or not) Flourish your Bad Attitude with pride!

[tongue_tied]

Thanks for the tips thus far. I have a friend who's making the same change and he's done a bit more research than I have. He mentioned something about getting a BSN which is a more versatile approach than maybe going right for a RN? Or something along those lines? Anyone know anything about that?

[sfa]

Each state is going to be slightly different for what it requires at each step along the way. I'm not in nursing, but I do the grant writing for a community college and a good portion of the grants we get are for the nursing and allied health programs. There's a LOT of grant funding for these programs right now as everyone is in a panic about the current and projected shortage in the field. As someone else said, though, it's difficult to get into a program because there's also a shortage of teachers for these programs and a shortage of space (even if we could find people to teach the courses, we wouldn't have a classroom to put them in, and even if we could get them through the classes, the hospitals don't have the capacity to handle the clinicals).

Since you already have a four year degree, a community college is probably the way to go. I'd bet that many of the classes you took in college will count towards your core requirements so you won't have to repeat them. Most colleges will have multiple pathways towards a nursing degree--the traditional approach where you complete core requirements and prerequisites then enter the nursing program (be prepared for a waiting list) and complete another 70 credits or so to get your degree. There are career ladder programs where you start with the CNA program and then get a job and work while you complete the next steps and end with the RN program. Many schools now also have a highly competitive accelerated nursing program where you can complete the required nursing courses in a little over a year by pretty much going to school non-stop (the courses run outside of the normal semester dates--they just slam through them intensely and without a break and you stay with your cohort the whole time).

The nurses that I've talked to generally love the work, but hate the bureaucracy (hospitals can be very political, and be prepared to spend a huge amount of time filling out paperwork). You have to be very much a people person since you'll deal with all types of people. Most people who stick with the career tend to like the odd hours where they'll work three 12 hour shifts and then have a block of time off. If your body can handle it, it's not a bad gig. But if you like regular steady hours, forget it.

Don't limit yourself to just nursing--there are lots of allied health careers that aren't nursing and that pay well and require different skills. There's less cleaning up vomit in radiologic technology, for example. Lab techs, pharmacy assistants, physical therapists (full fledged and assistants), cardiovascular technology, EMT/Paramedics--there are so many options that could work for you.

Good luck with your choice!

Sarah

[sfa]

Thanks for the tips thus far. I have a friend who's making the same change and he's done a bit more research than I have. He mentioned something about getting a BSN which is a more versatile approach than maybe going right for a RN? Or something along those lines? Anyone know anything about that?

BSN is a four year degree; ADN can be done at a community college (in 2 or 3 years, depending on the program you're in and how much you have to do in the way of prerequisites). Either one qualifies you to sit for the NCLEX exam to become an RN. I think the BSN makes a lot of sense for someone just starting out with higher education--you need it to get into MSN programs required for areas of specialty like being a nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist. ADN programs transfer to four year programs to complete the BSN. What I don't know is if you're starting with a BA, do you need to ALSO get the BSN to get into an MSN program? Or does your BA plus an ADN allow you to get into MSN programs? If I were you, I'd check with the schools you're looking at and find out what the requirements are.

[KnottedYet]

In the trenches no-one is going to give a rip if you are an ADN or a BSN. (LPN or RN does make a big difference, however) To advance further in the nursing field you will need to have jumped through the bachelor's hoop, which you've already done.

Do you have experience in healthcare? You say you're "obsessed with medicine," what have you worked in so far? Knowing what you like or don't like and the knowing the levels of stress you work best under before you begin investing years in school can go a long way. Do you like working with patients who are conscious? Druggged up? Knocked out? Cut open? I've got friends who love blood and guts, but can't stand emotional neediness or abuse; they work in ICU or as surgical techs. I've got friends who love the conscious ones, so work on the floors. Then there are the folks who want to be cozy and charming and give shots and educate, they work in doctors' offices (more like an MA). I had a dear friend who worked in geriatrics. She felt best getting attached to people who would die soon because then there were no surprises. It's macabre, but it helps to know these things about yourself.

[MomOnBike]

I agree, before you invest all sorts of time, energy & money in a nursing degree, start at the bottom and become a CNA. Not only will you quickly find out if nursing is for you, but the consensus of opinion where I work (largish rehab hospital) is that those who have been CNAs make much better RNs.

I don't know about other institutions, but mine has a well-developed scholarship program to help CNAs move on to bigger and better(paying) things.

No, I am not a nurse, but I work closely with nurses and have the utmost respect for the field.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Oops...I thought this was a breast feeding thread!