AIBU to retrain as a nurse

[Summeriscancelled]

Name changed for this as could be outing.

Here's my situation...

I completed uni right after school with a degree in modern languages and literature. I did really well but just before I graduated, my dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I didn't feel able to focus on uni to do my post-grad, so I took an office job for a few years. I did well, earned a decent living. I eventually left this job to go into teaching as this had been my original plan and to then possibly move abroad. By this point my dad had sadly passed away.

Turns out teaching wasn't the career for me, in spite of having done lots of experience in various schools in the UK and abroad before applying for the course. I didn't go on to teach and instead took another office job to rethink my options.

Over the years I've found myself to be quite unemployable because my first degree doesn't lend itself to many jobs without a bolt on qualification. I've considered the police, the prison service, the civil service but I keep landing on nursing.

I realise the job is super tough and really hard work. I don't want children of my own so the shift work wouldn't be an issue for me.

Did anyone else re-train as a nurse when they were a bit older? (I'm in my early 30s).

How did you find the change into this career?

Looking forward to hearing your experiences!

I resented paying to park at work. The car park wasn’t even safe, I know of several nurses coming off night shifts who were mugged in the car park. I worked at a city centre hospital with no local parking. Staff were also mugged waiting at the dark bus stops or going to public car parks at 10pm. It took the hospital months to put up lifting and CCTV and to step up security patrols.

I also know of one HCA attacked in the car park before an early shift by a mental health issues. She was left with severe head injuries and never worked again.

@KingCatMeowInSpace

Would you not have to pay to do a nursing degree as you've already had funding for your first degree?

No, not in the UK. They changed it three years ago.

I’m a paeds nurse, in Scotland
We have changing rooms, lunch area, free parking no perks though as that’s really not what you go into the job for - seeing the kids go home knowing you’ve done a good job is enough for me. It’s stressful, parents shout at you, I’ve been hit, bitten, kicked etc threatened by parents it’s not easy at all and progression for paeds isn’t as swift as in adults but I love it for the most part not sure what else I’d like to do I am thinking about a masters in public health just now but swithering re finding as it’s 8k.

I think you’ll do fab op good luck and I hope you get some work experience if you’re a teacher you’ve got a pvg?

If you're happy to work in Wales for a minimum of 2 years after qualifying, train in Wales and get your fees paid for you.

"seeing the kids go home knowing you’ve done a good job is enough for me."

It would be for me too. Problem was, I really didn't ever feel I'd done a good job :( I frequently had to leave patients in pain, or distress and relatives unsupported and colleagues floundering. Because there weren't enough of us and far too many patients and tasks to do.

The (much more eloquent than mine) post about moral injury really strikes a chord. Nursing has harmed my very being.

I want to do this, but don't know the best route?

kaykay could you look at doing your SCPHN training and get a sponsored post? I did it as a PG DipHE rather than Masters but enjoyed it.

I thought that nurses do pay to train now? I know they can study for 4 years and work as a health Care and do their nursing degree that way which means they also get a decent wage.

You do in England (not sure about Scotland), but if you train in Wales your fees are funded by the NHS, the return of service is a minimum of 2 years working as whatever you trained as in Wales (otherwise you have to pay it back). You can get student finance in England though as you would with any other undergrad, there is a £5k bursary now too.

Im a nurse for 30 years and I love it. Ive done a range of areas and settled now in management of a nursing home, i spend a lot of my time on tje floor though. I love elderly care and make sure thenstaff are treated well. Massive flexibility with the roster, good staffing levels, making sure we are all a team with no hierarchy, ensuring there is lots of laughter and fun. Mistakes made are opportunities to learn, fear culture is not something I want. I spent too many years being bullied to tolerate that. We have a very low staff turnover.
Go for it Id say myself. The job satisfaction is great. Plenty of work out there to shop around when youre qualified until you find somewhere nice and human to work in.

I would definitely recommend working in a healthcare setting in some capacity prior to deciding to do the degree. I was so sure I wanted to be a RMN but when I started working in a hospital I discovered that nurses really struggle to have 1:1 time with patients and it's really HCA's, OTs and activity coordinator's that get to spend more time with patients.
Why have you never wanted to be an HCA if you're so sure you want to be a nurse?

Wow! So many responses since I last checked. Rather than replying to individuals, I'll respond to some general key points.

Some might have missed my previous comments. I live in Scotland so tuition fees are covered here (even though I've studied twice before) plus a £10k yearly bursary. I can also take an optional loan. This isn't a reason to do the course, but it certainly alleviates some of the stress of the course if I don't need to work as many hours to get by. Living in Scotland also means I don't need to pay to park at hospitals. I believe there are 3 with chargeable parking but only one is relatively close to me so it's unlikely I'd be placed there. It's such a shame to read nurses and healthcare staff have been assaulted coming and going from work!

I take on board all of the negative experiences and opinions. Thanks for sharing these with me. I have to point out, however, that although my desk job seems like the dream to some outsiders, I face some (not all) of the challenges some of you have outlined here. I'm also underpaid for the job I do. My workplace is very cliquey and if the group doesn't like you then tough luck. Management is also "if the face fits". I keep out of all drama and seem to have found the right balance of getting along with everyone without becoming involved in any nonsense and I have a great relationship with everyone overall. I realise this isn't the situation for many. I've seen colleagues forced out of teams because managers don't like them. I don't get good holidays and have to ask for days off a year and a half in advance. Its very difficult to make plans. I get shouted at in my job every day too. People look me up on social media and send rude messages. I just get on with it.

I'm in no way comparing my job directly to nurses and that of healthcare workers. Please don't view my comments in the previous paragraph in this way. I simply want to put across that I have some similar struggles in my current, and previous, job that some people have highlighted here. It's simply not what people would expect if I told them where I worked. I wouldn't be shocked to come across this in any workplace these days.

I haven't worked in healthcare before because I came out of uni assuming I'd be a teacher. Bearing in mind I made this decision when I was 17/18. As mentioned in my OP, I wasn't in a position to do this because my dad was very ill and I couldn't possibly cope with the degree and provide care for him. Teaching isn't where my passion lies which was very difficult for me to realise. I was so passionate about the health and wellbeing aspect of the curriculum and the penny started to drop. I should have reconsidered all of this carefully quite a few years ago as I'd been through a lot and matured a lot too. I've now taken two years to self reflect on everything and I believe nursing is the route I'd like to take for my future career. I didn't expect covid to be in existence so fingers crossed I can get bank work as an HCA before applying to uni!

@Summeriscancelled also just one more thing to add, although I think you have thought this through carefully going by your posts, don't worry if you don't want to do it after experiencing hospital life. Nursing isn't for everyone. I felt crushed that I had to change my dream but in a way I'm glad I decided it wasn't for me before I did the course and degree.
Also just on a side note, there are loads of ways to help people which isn't nursing. In our hospital there are so many people who contribute to patient wellbeing. Admin, porters, receptionists, finance assistants, housekeepers and mind advocates. We all play a part in a big machine. Could you find a job that was more rewarding before taking the plunge?

@800caloriesofwine definitely! I won't push myself into anything if there are any doubts. I learned to walk away when something isn't right. I think with teaching the problem is that only half of the job is done 9-3. I was aware of this before joining but as a young person on work experience, it would be difficult to truly understand the overall job. I completely get your point! It's so hard realising something you thought was perfect for you isn't and I'm so sorry you felt that way. I hope you're happier in your chosen career 🥰

I have already looked at other NHS roles and nothing stood out to me before. I will continue to research all of the available options before making any big life changes for sure!

Hi OP I've been in NHS since 1986 last 26 years as midwife and prior to that as a nurse. It's great, given all that's going on that you want to go into nursing as a career. Adult nursing will certainly give you opportunities with many specialisms to explore.

Any career has its pros and cons. It just depends if the cons outweigh the pros and after 30 plus years in the NHS the obvious answer is they do massively.

The public can be lovely and they can be horrid. On the whole they are lovely but I'm sure you will be prepared to deal with the abusive patients and their relatives of which their are plenty. The expectations of people are so high and their is nothing wrong with that as long as you have the staff, time and equipment to accommodate all their requests. Saying that I have met some absolutely lovely people that I have laughed and cried with.

Be prepared to work on your birthday and your families birthdays as you may not always be able to have them off. Also I've spent my Christmas day with strangers for more years than I care to remember. I've had Christmas off twice in all my years of work.The shifts are long 12.5 hrs but on the plus side more days off to recover. Off duty can be haphazard and not family friendly.

Management aren't always great often expecting the impossible whilst doing nothing themselves. Our unit was so busy the other week we almost had to shut. We escalated to on call manager to allow our band 7 to run the unit. The manager came in first words out of her mouth were and I quote "I'm not here to work" I'm not saying that's common everywhere but in my experience I've seen three managers in over thirty years that have rolled up their sleeves to help.

I'm coming to the end of my career and on reflection I sometimes wish I'd thought of something else all those years ago but all I ever wanted to do was be a nurse since I was a little girl.

I have an amazing group of friends I've met through my career. The friends you meet at work you can depend on for support as you will need that network as you train and develop as a nurse. No one will understand like they do. Yes you will have cliques and bullying just steer clear of them. The people I have met I will remember all my life. An elderly lady I nursed as a student made such an impact on me telling me I was kind as I was giving her time and helping her to get dressed. Your patients might not remember your exact words but they remember how you made them feel.

Unfortunately with the current climate I think public sector wages will again be frozen so no great wage rises to be had. I don't think people go into nursing for the money though. Good luck to you, I hope it is all you imagine it to be and I know you will meet some amazing characters.

Definitely go for it!
I think all jobs are what you make of them. I never thought when I looked at the job description that I would be organising events to raise money for a ward gym or making smoothies with patients or walking the length of the Andes with patients who have schizophrenia. My role has evolved loads because I wanted it to be more patient focused. You could be a ward clerk who just does the paperwork. All I can say from my experience is that the NHS love enthusiasm and if you can get 'in' it's easier to move up.
All the luck in the world to you

Probably a really daft question, but have you thought about working in, and or getting some experience in a hospital school / hospital educational outreach service? It could be a option for you maybe?

I think in order to survive as a nurse you’ve really got to want to be a nurse and I don’t get that impression from your OP. I might be wrong.

The job can be tough but the training is extremely tough. I think the idea of working 16-20 hours a week during uni blocks is unrealistic. Maybe it might be different at other unis but for me it was a full time degree course and then some. I easily spent 60 hours a week either in lectures/seminars or doing pre reading, writing assignments, revising, etc. I didn’t watch tv or read a non textbook for 3 years! No free time. But I did work hard, guess maybe you could get through it with less effort.

I know some people who did bank but it was more like one shift a week and not every week.