I'm going to college

farmerj · Nov 8, 2009

I get my information from the kids I go to school with, or those that have recently graduated who CAN'T get hired.

one "nurse" applied for a position. 5 people were interviewed out of 108 applicants is what she was told.

Same thing I hear all the time. Very few interviewee's...Lots of applicants.

Are there jobs? they keep talking about positions for home care assistants. RN's with 7-10 years experience who will be supervising 10-20 LPN's.

PatrickHMS · Nov 8, 2009

AACN - Media - Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet

http://www.nursingshortageinfo.com/

http://www.nursingshortageinfo.com/nursing-opportunities.shtml

http://www.nursingsociety.org/Media/Pages/shortage.aspx

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm#outlook

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm#earnings

http://www.drexel.com/online-degrees/nursing-degrees/nursing-salaries-2007/index.aspx

I rest my case....

Go for it Girly!!!

beni_hung · Nov 8, 2009

mitsugirly said:
Sorry I didn't come back and update this. My major has changed. I'm going to school to be a nurse. I worked for the hospital for 14 years right out of H.S and I always wanted to be a nurse and after a lot of thought about going back to school, I decided this is what I wanted to do and it would be a more stable and high paying job. So, I start school in Jan and I'm on my way to a new career.

There goes all your free time for photography.

mitsugirly · Nov 8, 2009

farmerj said:
ISEEK | Minnesota's career, education, and job resource

Look at the career field you want and take a look.

I went back to school this fall too after getting laid off. Seems EVERYONE that I know went back to school for nursing. Talking with the folks that are in school it's a dog eat dog position to be in nursing. While they post they are looking for nurses, It's the experienced nurses they are looking for, not entry level.

A medical field like X-ray tech would be a good option. Something not "main stream".

A lot of careers are having a big relocation issue if you want to enter or stay in. I know manufacturing is a killer right now. I chose to go to a new field than have to move.

I wanted to consider photography also, but the program I got assistance through looked at it and said the career outlook was not good and would not fund it. (reference link above).

Trust me, it's not a dog eat dog position. It never has been and I don't see it ever being that either. When I was 18 and fresh out of HS, they would PAY employees (and a big amount), if you could find a nurse that would come work for the hospital. It was like that the entire 14 years I would there and it still is today 25 years later.

They still start you out at around (with the lowest in my area) $22.30 with no prior experience...just your license. There's every opportunity to advance in to different fields of nursing, which I plan on doing. Then of course with experience, the pay will increase.

I also ask about placement into a job after schooling and they will help you find a job as well. They have the local hospitals and doctors offices coming to them to look for people that are getting ready to graduate because they want to snatch them up before someone else does.

If you look at the stats, there has always been a high demand for nurses and it is still climbing. The medical field is still increasing and will continue to increase for many years to come. It's in the papers and on the news all the time. Any school will confirm it as well. I would venture to say, it's probably one of the best fields to go in to, not only for the money, but for the stability in a job.

mitsugirly · Nov 8, 2009

PatrickHMS said:
farmerj said:

Seems EVERYONE that I know went back to school for nursing. Talking with the folks that are in school it's a dog eat dog position to be in nursing.

Click to expand...

Don't know where you get your information from, but there is such a tremendous shortage in nursing (now and projected out for years) that the nursing profession in general in this country has been recruiting and importing nurses from other countries for many years because they cannot fill all the jobs with nurses from our own country.

Not always the most glamorous work, not always 9-5 mon-fri in a doctor's office, but a licensed RN or LPN can ALWAYS find a job, will only be out of work if she chooses to be.

A new graduate from an accredited School of Nursing can take her pick of jobs in any major metropolitan area.

In this area it is common for a Nurse to be making anywhere from $40,000 - $60,000 per year or more. If the nurse can do any specialized work that salary can go even higher.

I personally know RN's who make $25.00 - $40.00 per hour and work as much as they want to.

Any job that pays well will usually have some pressure to it, or what you might call dog-eat-dog.

How do I know? My wife is an RN, now early-retired by her own choice, and her mother, a retired Director of a School of Nursing.

Thank you. I agree, see my post above.

mitsugirly · Nov 8, 2009

beni_hung said:
There goes all your free time for photography.

I know,

it will probably have to slow down some during school.

However, I have to do my prereq's the first quarter (and I'm going to be going to school full time during that). Then 2nd quarter, I have to do the Nurse's Aide program (before entering the LPN program) and another prereq. So, it will probably be part time from there on out. I plan on getting my LPN first and getting a job after that while going on to get my RN and getting more experience.

The LPN program we have here is a part time night class. It takes 7 quarters to graduate. It's all they offer. But, I have spoke to my counselors and told them, if at all possible, I'd like to "try" to go full time...which means I will do all the required classes for the course (like the medical terminology, anatomy, todays HIV issues and so on) in the beginning to get them all out of the way instead of just doing 1 class at a time with the LPN program. Then toward the end of the LPN program, I won't have any other classes to take. So, they suggested that I start taking all the dozens of math and english classes that are required for the nursing program and get them out of the way. Since the RN program is a full time program, it would lighten up the load some if I already had all those classes out of the way. Which is what I might do.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can handle this. I still work during the day...however it's a plush "work from home, make you own hours, work when you want" part time job. I help the elderly out with fixing up their homes doing minor home repairs that they would normally not be able to afford. I work for a well known company (if I said the name, most wouldn't know it...however, you say "meals on wheels" and a lot recognize that name instead). So, my job is great and flexible enough for me to do the schooling as much as I can. My oldest children are grown and out on their own with their own children. I still have a teenager at home, but he's in HS and pretty self sufficient. ;o) Then there's the 1 year old. That's the part that is going to be hard for me to deal with. If I didn't have the job working from home so that I'm around her all the time, I probably would not be able to go back to school. I would miss her so and not get to see her often.

Just keep your fingers crossed for me everyone. I'm so excited about this. I have all my classes scheduled, have been buying most of my books off craigslist and have managed to save over $200 on them so far. I'm getting grant money to go to school..and they even have a "think again" grant for first time "older" people going to college. Then my work informed me that they will pay for 17 credit hours each year...which is about $1400. I'm very excited!!! Things are looking up for me.