Are You Considering a Second Career as a Nurse?

Are you considering a new career?
Did you always want to be a nurse, but took another route?
Or are you dissatisfied with your present career and its lack of personal touch?

Nursing as a second career is becoming a very popular move. Second career students are popular with nursing schools and faculty as these students are more mature and frequently more motivated to excel and succeed. The dropout rate among second career nursing students is also much lower. This is an important factor to impacted nursing programs whose goal is to graduate qualified nurses; and to discourage candidates who are not serious about a nursing career.

The tremendous shortage of nurses means opportunities will continue to abound for many years to come. Age is not an issue when considering a second career in nursing. As the field develops, creative solutions to help control the nursing shortage, many more diverse opportunities will become available as well.

Accelerated Programs

Many schools now offer accelerated programs for students who already have a bachelor's degree. These programs are intense and often provide nursing students with the competency to take the NCLEX at the end of their first year. This allows them to become RNs and work as RNs while completing their coursework for either a BSN or an MSN.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) offers a list of schools which offer accredited accelerated BSN or MSN programs.

Nursing has become a very popular choice for second careers due to the salary levels and benefit packages. For single parents, nursing offers an opportunity to support a family on one income, and for two-income families it provides an excellent financial resource as well.

In the aftermath of 9/11 it has become an important issue for many people to find a job in which they feel they can make a difference in people's lives. The need to be needed and to fulfill that need for someone has become increasingly important. Nursing is a field which definitely provides an opportunity to make a difference every day and to be needed.

If you're looking for a new career, consider nursing.

Resources:

U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics

Sandy Keefe MSN RN, "Trading Up to Nursing" Advance for Nurses. May 15,2006, pp. 23-24

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©2007-2010 by Kathy Quan RN BSN PHN, all rights reserved. No portion of this document may be used in any format without written permission. Email Me. Reprints may be purchased in single or bulk quantities.