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Useless degree

Posted: Aug 18, 2017

I would appreciate some input, wisdom and opinions. I have a BA, "multidisciplinary arts", that has never really served any purpose. I have never had a job other than MT and administrative assistant type, which is basically office gal. My pay has always been average and I've never had the feeling that I'm satisfied and very happy in any job I've had. You know, "it's just a job..."

My dream decades and decades ago was to be a nurse, but I got sidetracked with kids, marriage, divorce(s)... and just had to work. It never happened and I barely got that BA inbetween living!

I am 56, in good health and am entertaining the idea of hoping on a "fast track nursing program" at the local university. They accept entrants with a BA in anything (and I meet all requirements!) My grown kids are somewhat supportive, but most of the input I've been given is that I am "too old" for such a drastic change.

Has anyone ever jumped ship? Taken a plunge into the unknown? If so, what was your experience? Do you feel that I am, "too old?

Thanks for your input

;

Just do it - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
The time you would spend learning the skills you need to reach your goal will pass anyway. If you don't try to achieve your dream, at the end of that time, you will be no closer to it.

Just do it.

If standard clinical nursing proves to be more than you want to deal with once you are done and working, there are other jobs that require nursing training. Insurance companies employ nurses in various disease-monitoring and coaching programs. Schools need nurses. Assisted living facilities and nursing homes employ nurses (and the heavy lifting is nearly always done by nursing assistants). Companies employ nurses in their wellness programs.

New skills will open new doors.

Just do it.

Good luck to you!

You said everything I was going to. - Plus, sm

[ In Reply To ..]
OP, at least you have a direction and a head start. I am 54 and looking to start a new career, just need to narrow my choices. Change is scary, but better than doing a job one is not passionate about. As for support, just wait until you start classes and you will have the full support of your teachers and fellow students. I have witnessed this firsthand when taking community college classes here and there--older folks (especially those much older than us) usually garner the most attention, in an uplifting way. So count me in as another "do it" vote. At least start and see where it takes you. Good luck!

I am giving a demo lecture - in English grammar

[ In Reply To ..]
Next week in a local tuition center. May be that would give you a direction. Our profession demands us to be experts in syntax and grammar. or may be you could teach another subject you are good at.

Useless degree - ?

[ In Reply To ..]
GO FOR IT!!! No, you are not too old! Nurses are desperately needed everywhere.

Best of luck!!!

You are never too old to follow your dream - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Go for it! Don't let anyone tell you that you are too old. I am 66 and am starting a new career which involves taking a course to learn the business. I have a business degree, a paralegal degree and a medical transcription certification which I earned at 52. I have retired twice and plan to work part-time in my new field for as long as I can. If you don't do this, where will you be in 5 years?

But - think first

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but I took that advice myself, where will I be in 5 years if I don't do something? I jumped into coding training without really asking myself if it was right for me. So now 5 years later, I am 3000 bucks poorer than when I started. So my advice is to think long and hard about where you are headed and if that's really what you want. Do lots of research and soul searching before making a drastic decision. So I guess that's what 3000 dollars got me, a costly lesson in knowing one's self and not following the crowd.

Talk to nurses first - Never too old, but... sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Find a message forum or Facebook group for nurses and ask them what their job is like and what they think of you making the switch.

If it includes a lot of time on your feet and you're used to sitting all day that could be a deal breaker (for me anyway).

I've seen some posts that say the hours are very long with a lot of time uncompensated due to bad EHR systems and documentation requirements.

I Agree, talk to others in the profession - Anonymous One

[ In Reply To ..]
The #1 thing for you would be getting hired at your age without prior nursing experience. You also need to consider if you will be getting a return on what your investment in education and paying back student loans if you have any. New grads sometimes struggle to find jobs or get placed on the worst shifts/nursing units. Many places currently staff people for three 12-hour shifts. It's hard work and even though your health is good, you may struggle with being on your feet after having had relatively sedentary jobs. It's nothing personal, but my observation is that people of a certain age get passed over for jobs quite often in favor of younger workers.
You could look at non-clinical jobs in health care documentation or compliance to avoid being on your feet so much. If you are not finding job satisfaction now, there is no guarantee that nursing is the answer; in fact, it may be worse, it's certainly not the dream job many perceive it to be. No degree is a "waste," you are educated. Good luck with your choice.

99 year old graduates from college - never too late

[ In Reply To ..]
I was looking for a story about an 80-year-old woman graduating from law school but couldn't find that one. Came across this story instead. Inspirational! Never too late. Don't listen to anyone, just do what you want.

On becoming a nurse. Keep in mind some things.. - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I was an RN before MT. Here are a few things to consider: RN work is physically and emotionally draining. In my experience, if you enjoy sacrificing your health, time, energy, for the possibility of helping someone, nursing could be very enjoyable. It definitely pays better. More often, though, there is "reality shock", where you suddenly realize that you will never be able to do enough, never able to experience job satisfaction.

My RN experience was with hospital floor duty, nursing home, and home health (back in the days when the RN could get an 8 or 12 hour shift in the home, which is not the case any longer unless you are hired privately by the customer). Most of the time, I felt used, especially with regards to hospital and nursing home duty. There was never enough staff to really take good care of the patients in my care. Shifts were long and hard. You are expected to always perform at your best, often needing to be in multiple places at once.

Now, if you have at least a bachelor's degree in science (BSN), you may be able to find actual work from home nurse jobs. However, most of the time, these jobs require that you first have a certain amount of experience in a certain specialty. So, if this is your eventual goal, research these jobs to find out what you need, and work towards that goal.

Also, be sure to get malpractice insurance before you meet your first live patient. I never had to use it, but I carried this insurance for the entire time of my practice. It wasn't extremely expensive.

My worst nursing experience was that of being beat up by the son of a patient who passed away less than 2 hours after I started my shift. She was terminal and on hospice care, was in the later stages, so this was no surprise to the nurses caring for her, but HE was totally unprepared.

Another time, I arrived at a patient's home at midnight. Even though there was another nurse there to give me a report, who had cared for her on 2nd shift, there was no suction equipment, and the patient was gurgling/choking. So, I had to cut up my stethoscope and form a makeshift suction device using a bulb syringe, while waiting for EMS to arrive. The agency for which I worked was never very supportive.

In the hospital, one thing I hated was politics. For instance, there was a newly diagnosed, young diabetic. I knew of a wonderful endocrinologist locally who specialized in pediatric patients. However, I was not allowed to share this information with the patient and his family because this particular doctor was not the "red button" doctor of the day. The "red button" doctor was the one to whom the patient would be referred, and I knew him to not be very good with pediatric patients.

Remember that hospitals, nursing homes, even hospice, are "for profit" no matter what else they tell you. These facilities are greedy, with profit as their priority, IMHO. Consider the fact that many of our MT issues stem from the facilities that contract with the MTSOs.

However, there might be a union, and you usually get paid by the hour, though prepare to be seriously overworked, tired from long hours and shift work, with not a lot of energy left for living. I used to spend my days off just recuperating from work, only to return again and restart the cycle of working, exhaustion, recuperation. I personally wish I had done something else with my life. I'm 65 and regret having ever worked for a hospital, nursing home, hospice or MTSO. I loved working with the patients, but the systems involved were intolerable. But that's just me. Your story could turn out differently.

Good luck.

Look into Associate Degree in nursing... - Due to a shortage, some

[ In Reply To ..]
states are offering this 2-year degree program in nursing. Sounds like it might be good for you as some of your credits may transfer over.

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