Engineering to Nursing

Hi all,

I come to you all today in need of some advice for a possible career change from engineering to nursing. I'm for sure its been asked many times before, but hey we're all in different situations and come from different backgrounds so why not ask for myself. It'll be tough to keep it short because i have so much to say but seeing as how you're all nurses, i'm sure anyone reading this will have extraordinary patience =) so here goes:

I've been working as a building systems design engineer in the NYC area for several years now. I create the blueprints they use to construct the plumbing and fire protection systems found in all buildings. Yes, it is a rewarding job from time to time and i do learn (Working on a project for the restoration of Ellis Island was awesome). However as the years go by i am beginning to realize that my career is running into a dead end. And this is in regards to how much there is left to learn on a technical level, compensation, job mobility, future prospects, etc. I no longer want to deal with corporate nonsense. On top of that, i've very much changed as a person overall since my younger days from an extremely shy and introverted person to someone who is much more confident in himself with a go-getter attitude. Although there are still many hurdles to clear!

I am unsure how it is in the medical field, but in the engineering field it is quite difficult to "jump" to another engineering industry without knowing someone, and then starting from the bottom of the corporate ladder again. And honestly i just can't see myself going back to school for more engineering. So in my mind, i am thinking why don't i just switch fields all together and give nursing a try? The majority of my friends and family are all involved in the medical field as nurses, medical students, therapists, etc. They are all happy with their jobs, have great benefits, great pay, and always have awesome stories to tell about their work.

My question is, how should i go about the transition? Or if i should even pursue. My plan of attack at the moment is to take pre-req courses at BMCC and gun for Stonybrook's accelerated BSN program (I've heard they have an excellent program and are very affordable). What are other schools i can aim for in the area? And what can i do in the mean time while keeping my full-time job? Should i volunteer? Get a second job as an EMT? How do you all like nursing on a day to day? What do you hate/love the most? Are there other paths to choose from besides nursing? So many questions!

At the end of the day, i will admit that half of me wants to switch for the benefits of being a nurse. The other half genuinely wants to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to have a strong impact on people's well being. As an engineer, i can say i designed this and that but i will almost never see the true fruit of my work like a medical professional can. And i know it is not too late as i am still relatively young in my late 20's. Hope to hear some great responses!
It seems like you don't really know a lot about nursing in general, changing careers takes research on your part and nobody here can tell you if you'd like it or not, you are drastically switching fields so it seems like you're just trying to find a way out of engineering in general. Job shadowing might be your best option, or start as a CNA and make your way up so you can really see the different aspects to know if you like it enough before you commit to a BSN program. RN's are not with their patients 24/7 CNA's and LPN's are pretty much the 1:1 caregivers for patients, RN's have the most responsibility and the most paperwork etc. One thing people don't know about registered nursing is a large portion of your day is paperwork. Nursing is a messy profession it's not all rainbows and butterflies you might never see "the fruits of your care" and your days won't all be perfect or even enjoyable, but it's definitely a rewarding profession as a whole, there's a lot of medical type jobs, if you like engineering as much as you describe maybe biomedical engineering is a better option for you although those types of programs are highly competitive/expensive.
Thanks for your insight Bre. I've heard that hospitals usually have a lot of volunteer work available, so i guess that would be the best route. I've already been through the formal education to working route so i understand how they're usually completely different from each other. It seems nursing is the most diverse medical career there is but i don't know of many other roles to be honest. For example i know there are the therapist routes, physicians assistant, etc. but those are probably just the major ones. I've looked into engineering jobs in the medical field, however its just not the same. It'll still be project based type work with a high focus on cost savings, and very limited/restricted job market. Also, i do no wish to study engineering any further than what i have at the moment.
As a fellow Engineer from Silicon Valley, CA I can maybe give you some insight.1. Nursing is nothing like engineering, there is no long term planning, and approvals and blueprints, depending on the situation you have to act and think fast and on your feet. When I started nursing school it was like reprogramming my brain.I can't tell if you are in Information systems or civil engineering from your post but I know engineering school was not easy, I did not breeze through it and the only reason I changed was because I never wanted to be an engineer in the first place, I always wanted to be a nurse but family traditions had to be upheld and so I ended up getting my BS and MS in Electrical Engineering and for me nursing school was not difficult, it was just different.2. Please do some shadowing, maybe EMT (this is what I did) to see if the medical field is truly for you. 3. Being a nurse is tough work, especially if you are going to work bedside nursing, 5 patient load, numerous meds, the constant ringning of your phone form patients and sometimes families, you are constantly on your feet, moving patients, providing ADL's (activities of daily living), and please if you cannot deal with other peoples bodily fluids or poop DO NOT get into nursing.4. Research, research research....I cannot stress this enough. Look at the return on investment. Engineers also make pretty good money.Does getting an MBA maybe put you in a better position to climb up the engineering ladder, does being a State certified engineer maybe get you in other places (look into all your options). Also nursing means No holidays off and have to work some weekends depending on where you work...so keep that in mind.5. Only you know what is best for you, hope I was of some help, you can always pm me if need be. Good luck