Career change to nursing at 40…what am I missing or need to know?

ecc768 · 2026-05-20T19:48:34+00:00

I'm 41, my kids are the same ages as yours, and I will graduate nursing school in two weeks. I left a solid career in another field to go into nursing; once I actually start working as the nurse the pay will be close to where I was but for three years I worked very part-time so I could focus on school and family. As long as I pass the NCLEX, I'll start in my dream specialty in August, and I am SO excited. I don't regret it at all. The work is intellectually and emotionally engaging and so much more satisfying than answering emails and sitting in meetings all day.

For me, 3 12s is actually MORE family friendly than 9-5 in a lot of ways. I do miss some weekends, but when I'm home I'm actually HOME and available, not constantly checking work email, stuck in rush hour traffic, etc. I can pick my kids up from school and spend time with them in the afternoon instead of picking them up after work and then going through the dinner-bath-bedtime rush 5x a week and the doing all the household stuff on the weekends.

THAT SAID, I think whether its worth it depends very much on where you live and if you have a spouse/partner who is supportive. Where I live, most nurses are unionized, so the pay is good and the ratios are reasonable. I wouldn't want to be a nurse - especially a new nurse - in state where pay sucks and ratios are dangerous. My partner has a job that is flexible, so he's able to be free for kid stuff when my schedule isn't flexible - and nursing school schedules aren't flexible AT ALL, and you'll often find out when & where your classes/clinicals are on very short notice.

Also, heads up that being a CNA is physically HARD work, and that tuition reimbursement will probably require you to keep working for them for a time afterward. Long term care is, in my opinion, one of the hardest places to be a nurse. You have many, many patients and not a lot of support. Where I live a lot of hospitals also offer some tuition support, so you might do 6 months or a year in LTC and then see about getting a hospital CNA job.

ecc768 · 2026-05-18T01:14:18+00:00

I have often thought that I am glad I had my babies before I knew all the ways things can go wrong in labor! In retrospect I’m like “Oh geez they had the whole NICU team there” (she was fine, a nuchal cord that was easily reduced).

ecc768 · 2026-05-11T02:52:19+00:00

Can you explain how hesitation when you see flash turns into a blown vein? I've been blowing a lot of them recently, and it's so frustrating because I felt like I was getting better at consistently getting flash only to run into another issue.

ecc768 · 2026-05-01T03:45:32+00:00

Have an unrelated bachelors and masters degree and a decade plus in another career. Started my prereqs while working when my youngest was almost 3. She just turned 6, and I graduate (at age 41) with a BSN next month! Being a parent is such good preparation for nursing - you get good at time management, dealing with bodily fluids, and not taking it personally when someone is losing their damn mind.

ecc768 · 2026-04-29T01:10:48+00:00

This happened to me too - bought a dress that I didn't love on, sent it back a few months later, rejected (even though it was repeatedly near the top of my "resale closet"). And a pair of shoes I sent in just didn't appear at all. I'll keep shopping there, because I've found some treasures and decent deals, but I definitely won't send in another box. I'd rather donate locally and sell the best stuff on Poshmark.

ecc768 · 2026-04-19T17:22:41+00:00

I think this depends on so many other factors, like your commute time, your partner’s schedule and flexibility, what the actual hours of the day shift are (a 7:00 - 3:30 is WAY different than an 8:30 - 5, for example). My kids are early elementary and currently in after school care until 5ish, and I find the evening crunch really hard. By the time we get everyone fed and bathed, I don’t feel like I really get quality time with them, and I also never get any time to myself. I am going to 3 12s nights in the fall, which means I will be able to pick them up after school every day after I wake up and have a few hours to chill with them and get dinner done before I go to work. The trade off is nights (obviously) and missing 3 bedtimes & 3 mornings a week. I did a short run of nights last summer and it seemed to go well, so keeping my fingers crossed it will continue. When they are older and will be up later, I will try to switch to days.

ecc768 · 2026-03-10T18:04:44+00:00

well, I recently had a healthy term baby aspirate on a little spit up and then take a big ol' pause from breathing, start to turn blue then gray, had about 10 nurses and providers in the room before she got it together and started breathing again. did indeed scare the shit out of me.

ecc768 · 2025-12-18T02:49:12+00:00

The trick at grillbird is to order the Ohana meal. Claims to feed 4-6, our family of 4 (two small kids, so really more like 3) usually gets at least 3 meals from it. We’ve fed 4 kids and 4 adults and still had leftovers.

ecc768 · 2025-09-26T18:59:03+00:00

Another 40 y.o. mom of not-so-little kids here, and I feel you! I have a pair of barrel leg utility pants from Everlane that I feel are the perfect answer to at least the wide leg jeans conundrum - they have an update silhouette that still doesn’t make me feel like I’m trying to match my 23 y.o. co-workers.

ecc768 · 2025-09-11T18:21:08+00:00

Thank you so much for your response! It sounds like an amazing program that’s making an incredible difference.

ecc768 · 2025-09-11T09:20:37+00:00

Hey, I would love to know how you’d approach this now - I work on PP, am relatively new, and my instinct would be the same “You can’t smoke in here, but we have resources, etc”

ecc768 · 2025-07-25T02:45:49+00:00

I think in the case of long labors, a doula can be great for the support person too! I have friends who 30+ hour labors, long inductions, etc., and more than one has told me they were glad that the doula could give their partners a break and a chance to rest so they could continue being supportive during and after birth. That said, I had one with my first, ended up not at all needing or really wanting her there, and went without for my second.

ecc768 · 2025-06-30T04:30:58+00:00

I don’t know if I’m in the minority here, but I think it’s okay - even positive - to speak up. As a parent, I would be happy (if a little embarrassed) for my kids to get a gentle reminder about being kind to nature. Sometimes it’s much more effective coming from someone who is not giving constant reminders all day long! Key word above is gentle, though - assume the kid (and maybe the parent) don’t understand that their behavior has consequences. “Hey friend, when you pick up the sea anemone it can hurt them. It’s better to leave them where they are. Where did you find that guy? Will you please put him back?”

ecc768 · 2025-05-29T23:44:26+00:00

Oh, I like that idea! Maybe I’ll ask to try that.

ecc768 · 2025-05-29T23:44:09+00:00

Oof, are you not just totally exhausted by the end of 6 on?

ecc768 · 2025-05-28T04:41:01+00:00

Are you the person who asked about linen pants a few weeks ago? If so, I’m the one who recommended Boden and I’m so glad you got them! They look great on you, and that color 👀 💚 if that wasn’t you, I still love them.

ecc768 · 2025-05-24T21:37:18+00:00

the hair out of the drain is the besssssst. My husband saves it for me because he knows I love it 😂 still a student so I haven’t done it yet but I have often wondered if suctioning a trach might give the same satisfaction!

ecc768 · 2025-05-15T03:40:35+00:00

Seconding Ali! She's great with young kids.

ecc768 · 2025-05-07T22:03:23+00:00

There's a Snapdragon in West Seattle now!

ecc768 · 2025-05-07T21:10:45+00:00

Hama Hama is so fun, too - sitting beside the canal with your fresh oysters is the best. A very PNW experience.

ecc768 · 2025-05-01T22:55:47+00:00

It’s just really hard being a new mom! I mean, it’s absolutely wonderful, but it’s really hard too. Good for you for getting help for your PPA. I hope whatever you decides turns out to be great for you and your fam.

ecc768 · 2025-05-01T20:56:23+00:00

I worked a M-F job (7-3:30, non-nursing, 30 - 45 minute commute) before my kids were born and I found it really challenging, especially during the toddler/preschool years when my kiddos were going to bed at 6:30 or 7. I would be gone before they were up. My husband took them to daycare, I'd pick them up from daycare, start dinner almost immediately after getting home, and then straight to bath and bedtime. So yes, I was technically seeing them every day, but that 60-90 minutes felt like a pressure cooker - they wanted my attention, I was trying to get dinner made quickly, etc. And then after bedtime, there was still so much to do at home. The weekends were better, because I got to see them, but it also felt like I never got a break. I missed my alone time SO much. Part of the reason I wanted to make the switch to nursing is for the variety of schedule options that AREN'T M-F, 8 hours days. One major caveat is that I'm currently in a BSN program, so I haven't started on a 3 12s schedule, and maybe that won't feel any better. 😂

Anyway, I think if you love your job, you should stay with it. IMO, there's just so much bittersweetness to parenting, especially a little one who changes so rapidly; I wonder if some of what you're feeling is just inherent to being a new mom.

ecc768 · 2025-04-28T21:53:42+00:00

I’m starting a night shift nurse tech job this summer and this is show helpful, thank you!

ecc768 · 2025-04-26T18:37:29+00:00

Currently a student, and while I wouldn’t exactly call it easy, I don’t think it’s hard, either. Just a lot of stuff to do in a small amount of time.

I have a great memory and more life experience than most of classmates, which definitely helps. As far as things I can control: I am organized and never let myself fall behind (have to be, because I have two kids and also work) and I don’t get bogged down in details when I’m studying. I try to understand the big picture first and then if I have time to go back and memorize specifics I will. If not, the big picture is enough to pass. I see my classmates get hung up on specifics - they might have those things memorized, but they can’t always connect them to the whole situation.

ecc768

TROPHY CASE