Should I Start Nursing School Now??

Hello Nurses!!! I am 23 years old and I have been a medical assistant for 4 years now and I am thinking of going to get my Associates RN. I live in Massachusetts and i have heard of RN's getting laid off. I just want to ask ....Does it make sense to go to nursing school now? will there be RN positions by the time i graduate?... i really confused? HELP!!!
while no person can predict the future of the economy.. nursing is a great field to get into. I am about half way done my BSN, and i am confident that over the next 2 years people will be retiring and that more jobs will be availiable. It IS different up here in Canada, more LPNs are getting laid off, RNs are being forced to specialize, but if you are willing to travel as well... the nursing opportunities are endless.

Keep in mind that even if the economy improves in the next two years, you may end up having to leave Mass. in order to find a job, especially if you're in the greater Boston area. Due to the number of nursing schools and the ability of most hospitals there to attract strong applicants from all over, the job market is very, very tight.

Do you think its worth it to go into?? or should i try a new proffession. I love the healthcare field...what are some other positions in the healthcare field??

If you are serious about building yourself a long career in nursing, then yes, go for it. By the time you finish your program, we will most likely be in a whole new economy. By 2012 the average age of RNs will be 44.5 and the majority of will be in their 50s. That means A LOT of RNs will be retiring SOON! Besides, nursing is one of the few jobs in which you can get schooling for as little as 2 years and start making pretty good money. From there, you can continue your education as you work if you want to. Not many other careers have so many steps that you can take one by one and eventually move up the ladder to earning a lot of money. Let us now what you end up doing

other areas of consideration: Licensed/registered Dietician; Physical or Occupational or Speech therapy; Respiratory therapy; Medical technology (lab)

There are many areas in healthcare... Ones I had looked into was Radiation Therapist and Diagnostic Medical Sonography. I also considered Dental Hygiene. I think the great thing about nursing though is that there are so many areas to explore. Also, consider the fact that many baby boomers will be hitting retirement beginning 2014, so that should open up some jobs, hopefully, in geriatrics at least. You just have to think about what you're good at and how that will fit into different areas of healthcare. Definitely don't let the economic situation stray your decision. People in EVERY field are being laid off.

Quote from morphedif you are serious about building yourself a long career in nursing, then yes, go for it. by the time you finish your program, we will most likely be in a whole new economy. by 2012 the average age of rns will be 44.5 and the majority of will be in their 50s. that means a lot of rns will be retiring soon!

Quote from mbarn08not true!!! baby boomers would like to retire and many are at age to retire but not many have the money. in fact, most retiring nurses will be putting off retirement until after 65... possibly age 70. thus the average age of nurses means nothing right now. i work with nurses who have 20-30 years experience. none are retiring any time soon and do not plan to retire when the economy gets better because they have no money.op: there is an article that the number of nurses is exceeding the demand and will do so for a very long time now. one problem is the number of new grads graduating that have oversaturated the market. here is the link: http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/da...ls-486040.htmli think if you want to be a nurse then become a nurse. otherwise, if you want to be a nurse because you think you will have a steady income or job security (nothing wrong with these reasons), nursing will not fulfill those needs for some time. too many nursing schools and graduates vs. not enough positions.

Quote from happy2learnDefinitely don't let the economic situation stray your decision. People in EVERY field are being laid off.

In all reality, Nursing isn't being hit as hard as other sectors. People are still finding jobs as a nurses as new grads - they just have to put a little bit more effort than they had to do a couple of years ago. You want to see a hard hit sector - Education. For every position that opens up in NYC - there are thousand of applicants around the country applying for it. Almost all jobs are dried up - even Math or Special Education. My Aunt is a teacher in a small elementary school in upstate NY and she was telling me how there was a position of a third grade teacher that opened - there were over 400 applicants from around the country applying for that job. That's less than a .25% of getting that job if you were in the applicant pool. That's insane. Nursing is nowhere near that bad. Is there still a nursing shortage? I have no idea. What I do know is that some nurses are still getting hired right out of school - they just have to put a greater effort in attaining a job.

If you want to become a nurse than by all means go to school. But understand that the need for nurses is not as severe as portrayed by the media and nursing educators/schools. Try to obtain your degree economically as I see many new grads from designer schools with crushing student loan repayments, and no better job prospects than those from ABC community college. There is the possibility the economy will improve and jobs will open up, but with the proliferation of nursing programs started every minute, there is the distinct possibility that the supply of nurses will be greater than the demand for the foreseeable future..

Im going to go into nursing...I just love what i do now and want to further my education. Thanks for all the great advice!!!! wish me luck!!!