QUESTION FOR NURSES: would nursing be suited for me or completely wrong? (see below)?
.. . ..I have lots of questions, only read if you have time: here goes: My story is I am 44 and have 3 kids, one going into college, one in high school and a 9 year old boy. I graduated with a 4 year degree in Business 23 years ago, Looonggg time ago I know!
I took my daughter to have a surgery at the hospital and I just loved how the nurses took good care of her and almost treated her like their daughter, they put IVS in and checked her vitals and lots of paperwork from what I could tell. I thought, hey I might enjoy this career too, on the up side for me is that people always tell me that I’m very kind to those in need, but on the down side I’m not good in science and I don’t know how much bloodiness and grossness I’d have to go through on a daily basis and if honestly that might steer me away from it. I don’t mind small amounts of blood,vomit, or poop, (being a mom I’m used to all that) but super gross things like arms being cut off in movies might make me pass out in real life, don’t know though since I’ve never even seen a bad car accident victim. I know I”m great at making people feel comfortable though and I’m very caring so in that way I think I’d be an asset to nursing. Again I think I could do IVS and check wounds, etc. but I know I couldn’t work in an emergency room so I don’t know if this should stop me from nursing.
With all this in mind, how many years would it take? If our local community college offers an ASN degree and I completed it, would I then be a nurse with a BSN degree since I already had four years when I was younger, or would I only have the ASN degree and what would the difference be when I graduated? Also I am 44 years old now, is it somewhat unrealistic that I could compete with the younger woman for jobs when I graduated or would employers sort of look down on me since I might not be as physically agile as the younger new graduates?
I’ve never been good at science courses like Chemistry, in fact at my high school we never even had to take Chemistry just Biology so I’ve never even taken it (!) I’m a good student though and graduated with my college degree Magna Cum Laude but that doesn’t guarantee I could do what you guys do, would Chemistry be a large part of being a nurse in the real world though, or would you think if I could just get a C in the class I could still function as a nurse? Could I still be a good nurse if I basically just like to help people but I’m not that mechanically inclined in terms of the equipment you operate and I’m not good in science, or would you say definitely I shouldn’t look at that career just because I like to help others.
Again,I think I’d be able to handle some of the gross stuff but to be honest I don’t think I could handle seeing a burn victim come into the emergency room or a open heart surgery, so would that mean no way be a nurse. Or might you say, there are plenty of nurses who just work in doctor’s offices or on the hospital floors that aren’t dealing with the worst of the worst cases and I could still be valuable and enjoy the job?
Also are there part time jobs or full time evening jobs readily available for new graduates that might work even though I like to drop my son at school at 7 30 and pick him up at 2 30?
What other jobs in the medical field could I look into that are really in demand and require only 6 months of school to a year instead of 2 more years? I thought about radiology technician but again I’m not that scientific and don’t know if I can visualize things in the xrays. Nursing seems right in a lot of ways but at my age I just don’t know if I want to go to school for another 2 full years,
so if my downfalls seem too much for the career than it’s fine to be honest with me and say I’d probably dislike nursing school completely, but if you think there is still a place for me in nursing somewhere than I’d like to know what area you are thinking of? Thanks for any input.
In: Radiology Technician Jobs · Tagged with: below, completely, Nurses, Nursing, Question, suited, Would, Wrong
on June 12, 2012 at 7:54 pm
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First of all, you are NOT too old! Many people come into nursing as second or even third degrees/careers. If you completed an ASN program you could still test for your RN, but you would still be considered a RN-ASN regardless of your previous degree. However you could look into bridge programs. Many universities offer specialized bridge programs that allow you to take a shortened version of a nursing program to “bridge” your previous bachelor’s degree to a BSN. I wouldn’t worry about your gross out factor either… mom’s are well acquainted with more than the usual body fluids that accompany nursing. There will most likely be some extreme exposure during your clinicals, but after you enter the professional field of your choice you can chose a setting that does not include extreme gore. And as all of our nursing journals keep saying ~ we are in a nursing shortage, there are jobs to be found for part time/full time/ per diem/ new grad or old hand. Do some more research and talk to an advisor at your local college… maybe even get permission to ‘shadow’ a nurse at a clinic or hospital, but by the sounds of it nursing may be just right for you.