thinking about going to school for nursing...looking for advice

[worm761]

i am 27 years old and a sort of single parent. i am thinking about going back to college and was looking at a nursing degree. my DS is 7 yrs old. i have been a stay at home mom for the last 3 and half years. i would like to go back to college and have always been intested in the medical field. i took one of those online career tests and the results were a 100% match for an RN. before i go any further with this i would like some sort of advice. i have never done anything like this before! i have always worked in fast food restaurants. i know i can run one of those but i dont really want to go back into that field. any advice you could give me would be helpfull. i know nothing about this. thank you!

 

[Adrianna]

I don't have a whole lot of advice, just to say if it's something you really want, go for it. Make it happen. Try your best, give it 100%, and it'll work out fine. When I was about 29 I went back to school for a biology degree - I started taking classes at a local community college - Bio I & II, Anatomy & Physiology, Sociology, English...... and lo and behold, I got straight A's - I mean, not one B on any quiz, test, nothing. I kicked BUTT! I never knew I had it in me. I studied my brains out until I knew it backwards and forwards, and when the test came I knew it all by heart, easy A. I too love the medical field and would love to get back into it. I stopped going after a few years b/c I was also working full time and I just got burnt out. Here I am. I work in the legal field now. I would LOVE to go back and finish my Bachelors and then go to medical school, but I'm 35 now so I don't know how realistic it is. But GO FOR IT and good luck, don't let anyone tell you you can't do it or you're not good enough.

BTW PM me with that on-line career test you took, I'd like to take one of those.

 

[worm761]

adrianna, thank you for the advice. one of the things i worry about is my age. i know that i am getting too old to be so undecided about a permanent career choice.
i dont have a link to the career test i took. i found it on one of the AOL sites. in the career section. if you have AOL try looking there. or type in free career test in your fave search engine.

 

[Disney Doll]

There are a lot of nursing students now who are not your traditional "out of high school" student. Many of the nursing students I encounter on a daily basis are doing nursing as a second career.

Go for it! You're young, intelligent, and it's a good career for a parent(mom or dad) because of the flexibility of the hours you can work.

 

[RellingTwin]

I was in nursing school at age 33 with a 6 mo old baby and pregnant with my son! It was pretty hard but I wanted to be a nurse really badly.My DH and my family helped out a lot. It was well worth it!You CAN DO IT!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Go for it!! I went back to school to become an RN when I was 32, after being a hair dresser since I was 19. It was a two-year Associates Degree course, but I did it over three years as I had three small children and was still working part-time doing hair. It was rough at times, but well worth it. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.

 

[Kaybee]

Nursing is a good choice---jobs are plentiful. You will put in a lot
of blood, sweat and tears in nursing school. It is not an easy
road. Plus, if you are a single parent it will be hard. There is alot
of study involved. Not just in the basics courses, but once you
get into the nursing program itself. I know because I did it. When
you are done you will be glad you did it. The money generally is
good. For you considering nursing school there are all sorts of
scholarships being offered because the push is on to get people
interested in nursing, since there is such a shortage!! Good luck.

 

[RNMOM]

We have such a shortage of nurses in our area there are some very good offers of assistance from local hospitals. One that comes to mind will help pay for your school, give you a job while in school and you then commit to work for them for a designated amount of time.

We need nurses and the best ones are the people who do it because they love it. You sound like a perfect nurse to me. I have been an RN for 28 years this month. Man, am I old!

 

[worm761]

thank you for the words of encouragement.

 

[kdibattista]

Well.... I'm 26 and just went back to school for nursing. Honestly, I was close to the youngest in my nursing class. Don't think twice about your age, it just doesn't matter. You will be quite surprised at the variety of people you will see in the classes. Check out your local community college. I will be able to complete my degree (Associates degree in nursing) in 2 years and I will be able to sit for the RN license test as soon as I have finished. There are also hospital programs that I believe are 3 years and several colleges have accelerated programs. They are really, really hurting.

P.S. Sorry if some of this has been mentioned... I didn't read the entire thread.

 

[Annie68]

Angela,
Nursing is a wonderful field & I would highly recommend it. I have been a RN for the past 14 years, working in the hospital setting. Although I went to college right out of high school, many of my classmates were in their late 20's to early 40's. School was challenging, but fun! You will have your good days & your bad, but the rewards are unmeasurable.

 

[Tiggeroo]

What sort of salary could a nurse expect to make here in NJ. What benefits are available? Any for retirement?

 

[Trinity721]

Nursing is an excellent choice. I will be starting nursing school as soon as I graduate (this May) with my Psych degree. I was once pre-med and so I have most, but not all, of the prerequisites. I am 22, married and have a 1-year old, and to top it off DH is in the Navy so it's almost like I'm a single mom since he's stationed elsewhere while I'm finishing school at home... so I know nursing will be tough. But the nursing programs I am currently looking at will take me at the most 2 more years of school.

My advice to you is do a lot of research, online and get info through the mail. That's what I did. I did a lot of research and reading on a career in nursing, looking at schools and their programs, looking at the job outlook. There is a shortage of nursing all over the country, and the average pay is about 40-60,000. If you do a specialty it can be more, I am looking at either Pediatrics or Anesthetics after I get my BSN. Right now since I am currently a student at Loyola U. Chicago, I'm hoping to get accepted into their Accelerated BSN program (a 1year program), and if not then I will go to school wherever my husband is stationed.

Nursing is hard work, and nursing school is very in-depth, fast-paced learning. Please don't be discouraged if you don't have a college degree or don't have any experience in the medical field. There are other programs out there that offer a lot of opportunities. I would also advise you to volunteer at a hospital, even if it's just once a week or a few hours a week... That is an excellent way to get your foot in the door. Then you can begin applying for a job in a medical office or hospital. Right now I am working at a Pediatric office, doing receptionist work and eventually I'll be taking kids' vital signs and things like that. I have already worked at an internal medical office. See, there are a lot of ways to get involved in the medical field and you can learn a lot even if you aren't a professional.

Go for it, if this is something that you really want to do and want to be committed to do no matter how hard it gets... because it will be hard. But keep telling yourself that it will be worth it in the end. Nurses have an excellent job outlook, and are in demand all the time. If you have any questions, please email me or PM me. I'd be glad to help out in any way I can Good luck!

Tigeroo you might be able to find the answers to your questions by also doing some online research. It's different for every area, and depending on where it is that you work benefits and retirement plans vary. Nursing is like any job, where the benefits depend on who your employer is.

 

[TeresaNJ]

tiggeroo, I think the starting salary for new nurses at the facility I work at is about $22/hour, and you start accruing approx 8-9 hours of vacation days every two-week pay period after your three month evaluation. There is a pension plan, but it's not great, but the hospital matches any money you put toward your 401K. Of course you have your health benefits too. Our hospital will pay for most if not all of your education, plus hire you as a nurse extern while you are in school if that's your wish. I've been trying to talk my 22 yo son into enrolling into the county college nursing program. I think he'd be great at it, he'd never be without a job, and there are so many fields you can get into from there.

 

[rae519]

I was 25 years old with a year old son when I decided to go to nursing school. There were many students older than I but we all fit in very well together and worked together so all could accomplish THE GOAL!

As an mature student, you are paying for your education and value the cost of it - you know that it takes hard work and long hours and much preparation both for academic and clinical.

I have never regretted getting my RN although it has been a while since I worked in the field. You can always count on having a job and nurses are always in demand.

I wish you much luck and happiness!

Rae

 

[TIdoublegaER]

I think you should go for it - if that is what you would like to do. Nursing is at a critical need right now and many schools are receiving grants and funding to recruit more students.

It is very possible you could get help paying for your school as well. DH was able to get a grant to pay for his MSN because the hospital he worked at was in the inner city and was considered and underserved area - it was also good if the area you lived was underserved.

Don't worry about your age - many people are going back to school at all ages. I was 29 when I finished my degree and DH was 33 when he received his BSN.

 

[worm761]

thank you all for the kind words, advice, and encouragement.

one more question~ do any of you know of any websites i could look at for more information on nursing? thank you.

 

[mhopset]

I guess I will put in my 2 cents worth also. THis is looking from a husbands perspective.

My DW just grduated in June from the #1 Nursing school in Ohio, number 12 in the nation. She was an LPN for 13 years and then was offered a scholarship from her employer to go back to finish her RN.

Was is tough? Oh yes!!!!!! Was it fun? I think she had a good time,

She worked very very hard. There were times she studied for a test for 10 hours per day. She graduated with honors, making the All Ohio Scholarship Team, Deans List every quarter, and making the presidents list at graduation.

One thing to concider. Make sure you have the support from your family. That means a lot. I took care of everything, housework, laundry, and we have a 6 year old son. I can't say it was easy. I now appreciate how my wife cleans the house. It seems like I could spend all day cleaning and it never looked as good as when she did it. BTW she is 36 years old. I think there are a lot more middle age people going to school for nursing now.

I say go for it!! It is a very rewarding experience. I learned a lot helping her study.

Let us know what you decide.

T.

 

[lsyorke]

Another NJ nurse here!! I was an LPN for 15 years when I finally went back for my RN. Long story short it took me 7 years to complete(one kid born in the middle!) I took one required class a semester and worked full time. The hardest part was completing the actual nursing programs since they were full time. It was well worth it!! Alot of NJ hospitals that have nursing schools attached will now pay your tuition and in return you have to commit to 2 years of employment with them after graduation. Not a bad deal! Check around for these facilitys and it will save you a lot of money. I found that scholarships were hard to come by for the "old lady returning to school" (I was 41 by time I got my RN) but I was able to get two for academics once enrolled and attending a program.
I love what I do and now work perdiem when I want. The flexibility is great!
Go for it, its a career that will always be there!!!!!!

 

[fkj2]

I think you should go for it - if that is what you would like to do

Therein lies the problem; how do you know you'll like it.

Nursing, like other professions, can be portrayed as a noble and gratifying career. It is in reality, often back-breaking, depressing, stressful work, and many nurses endur harrassment at the expense of their colleagues. I remember as a first quarter student, the instructor told one of my classmates, who was .1 or .2 points away from an "A", that she would have given her the higher grade, "if she had liked her." I thought about quitting after that first quarter. At the beginning of the next quarter, our instructor had everyone turn and look around at the people seated near them as, "they probably won't be here next quarter." Reassuring and encouraging, wouldn't you say?

I understand there have been changes within the society and people are different but I think it's worse in medicine. I've seen professionals do some horrible things to their colleagues; one doc tried to have an RN fired because his surgery room wasn't available when he wanted it. It didn't matter that he had kissed butt of another surgeon and given the room time away earlier.

And then there's the issue of mandatory overtime, if that happens in your area. And count on missing some of your kids' activities every other weekend and afternoons because you're scheduled to work. And then there's the government and the insurance companies to deal with.

I can't help but wonder if nursing will be one of the professions affected by this proposed change in the overtime law; maybe facilities will be able to double shift you and consider you salaried and not pay for the extra time.

My best advice is to go to a local hospital, sit in the cafeteria for several days near the staff and just overhear the conversation. That may give you a more objective view.

It is good money and benefits but you'll need to decide if the trade-offs are worth it. Good luck.