Career Change

Trisham35

Hi

I am presently on Maternity leave with my 3rd child. I am due to go back to work as a Beauty Therapist at the end of March but know that things are very quiet in the Salon I work in and I am not guaranteed hours on a weekly basis. I have been thinking for a while to change career and have always veered towards something in the Medical Field (I did 2 years of a General Nursing Course 20 years ago after leaving school but didn't complete the course). I have worked in many different areas since leaving the Nursing Course but nothing ever fulfilled me and then I started having a family so my career aspirations took 2nd place. I'm now 38 and feel like if I really want to achieve some satisfaction on the career front I need to act soon. I also need a job that will be give me so security even though that is probably a bit unrealistic in recessionary times. As I said I'm veering towards something Medical probably either General or Psychiatric Nursing? Firstly, can anyone give me their opinion on Psychiatric as opposed to General? Are the job prospects similar for both? What are the time commitments like whilst doing the degree course - I have 3 children? Would I be able to keep working whilst studying to keep an income coming in?

Dingle_berry

Trisham35 wrote: »

Hi

I am presently on Maternity leave with my 3rd child. I am due to go back to work as a Beauty Therapist at the end of March but know that things are very quiet in the Salon I work in and I am not guaranteed hours on a weekly basis. I have been thinking for a while to change career and have always veered towards something in the Medical Field (I did 2 years of a General Nursing Course 20 years ago after leaving school but didn't complete the course). I have worked in many different areas since leaving the Nursing Course but nothing ever fulfilled me and then I started having a family so my career aspirations took 2nd place. I'm now 38 and feel like if I really want to achieve some satisfaction on the career front I need to act soon. I also need a job that will be give me so security even though that is probably a bit unrealistic in recessionary times. As I said I'm veering towards something Medical probably either General or Psychiatric Nursing? Firstly, can anyone give me their opinion on Psychiatric as opposed to General? Are the job prospects similar for both? What are the time commitments like whilst doing the degree course - I have 3 children? Would I be able to keep working whilst studying to keep an income coming in?

I have no idea about nursing courses but I imagine that they are tough. Academically, physically and emotionally/mentally.
I would also imagine that nursing has changed a lot in the last 20 years.
However if its something you want - go for it. I've heard of mothers older than you doing it and succeeding.

If you find yourself at a lose end between now and then maybe look into doing something like this http://www.lgfb.ie/ to kind of bridge the gap between beauty and health care!

psychnurse

I am a psychiatric nurse and began my training in 2004, so well before the hard times with the HSE began. I prefer psych nursing because it is all about the client and their background, their family and their life. You will be dealing with people who more than likely have spent the majority of their lives in and out of the services. The reason I prefer it to general nursing is because you are encouraged to engage and interact with the clients. In general nursing a broken arm is a broken arm. It's realigned and cast and you are dealing with the next patient. In mental health, regardless of where you are working, be it in a residential unit, an acute unit or a day hospital you are always dealing with the same group of people. You learn more about them and their illness and how they engage and function in society. You always work within a team of mental health professionals and you get to see things from all sides. (I am aware I have over simplified what a general nurse does and I don't mean to cause offense, I am just trying to explain what I see from my experience).

The course is tough, especially in the beginning because you will be attending lectures, tutorials and practicals and you will also have a certain amount of clinical experience to complete which is unpaid which means you may also be working part time as few people can afford not to work. You also need to be prepared to deal with death and suicide and sometimes violence (depending on where you are working). As a student you will never be alone in a potentially violent situation but you may come across it more than once.

If I had my time over I would still pick psychiatric nursing over anything else as I absolutely love it. Things have changed quite a bit since I started training and even more in the last few years and as I haven't lived in Ireland in 3 years I can't give a good picture as to what the HSE and the training is like now so you may need to speak with someone who has just completed or is in the process of completing their degree.

Yes nursing has changed in the last 20 years but the fundamentals remain the same. It may be worth looking into doing some work experience or part time work in a nursing home or hospital so that you can get a feel for how things are working today.

Hope this helps

Trisham35

Thank you both for you words of wisdom