[bakpakr]

Hi everyone. Where to start? hehe Ok first off I am 46 yrs old. I know a bit late in life to start a new career but oh well. I am SERIOUSLY considering getting into nursing. Well considering is a bit mild of a word. I plan on going into nursing. I am here looking for a bit of advice. I don't know which discipline I will pursue yet i will wait until my clinical to make that decision.

A bit of my background. I was in the military and received some advanced medical training (by choice). I have always been intrigued by the medical field and have enjoyed the medical side of my life. I have no degree just the advanced training I received in the military. I was not a medic I was a mechanic. Every time any medical training was offered I took it. So I am not going into the field blind. I really like the feeling I get after I have helped someone and made their life a bit better.

Right now my plan is to start out by taking a CNA course so that I can get into the field and get a toehold. From there I plan on going to school while working as a CNA and at the very least getting my RN but from there have no idea yet. Oh and I am male not this matters. I have been thinking about this move for some time now so it is not a snap decision.

I do have a few concerns though. My main concern is at times I can look at the most gory scene and have no problems(I have seen a few) but at other times the same scene gets to me and makes me a bit sqeemish. Do any of you have the same problem? I am not worried about the pressure of the job. I have been in a few emergency situations and enjoyed the hi energy atmosphere. As a matter of fact I find that the more chaotic the situation is the more clear and centered on the problem I become. Sorry i got a bit long winded here but I am so stoked with my new career path. I will probably have a bunch more questions but this is enough for now.

[Ricu]

Hey Backpacker,

Congratulations, and welcome to nursing. It sounds like you made well thought out choices. As to your concerns about being squeemish, everyone has them at first, but they go away. I remember seeing my first chest tube insertion and getting a little lightheaded. I was fine after that and have seen countless more chest tubes and worse. You will be fine.

As far as deciding on which direction to take after training, you will develop a better sense during clinicals, but still may not be sure. Allow yourself time to move around and try different things. Good luck and stay in touch

R

BTW, more men than ever are becoming nurses and many are from the military with similar background to yours. One of our moderators is a male Army Nurse who started as an airplane mechanic- Right, Mag?

[cougarnurse]

Welcome to the site! It does sound like you have things planned out, and yes, working as a CNA does help. Some schools near me require you to become an aide prior to clinicals.

Think of it this way.....you instead of fixin' machines, you now 'fix' humans!

'Cat'

[mrkmrrtt]

Hey Bak, Go for it!

Remember, in a crisis situation when the patient is crashing and burining, they are the one having the emergency, not us. We are merely the well trained staff saving lives.

Mark

[bakpakr]

Thanks for all the great replies. I am slowly working on getting into CNA School. I completed my FAFSA and got it back. I had an interview for a job and it looks good. Low paying but it is a job with money coming in. I just need to get working so that i can get my background check done and the physical and the tb tests. Then enroll in school and then start working as a CNA. Then the big step start working on my pre-reqs and then onto RN School. One big plus for my low paying job they will work with me and my class schedule. Looking like it will be about 4 to 6 months before that can happen. I can't wait.

Oh I did order some scrub tops to see how they fit so I have a clearer idea when it comes time for me to really need them. I ordered from allheart and got the Barco Smart Pocket tops.

One good thing when it comes to scrubs or my nursing uniform. My Uncle owns a local menswear store and a few years ago bought out the local uniform store. He sells the local nursing school uniforms so I can get mine at a discount due to being family and also after school I will still buy there hehe.