Even with socialized medicine, doctors aren't ever dis-respected.
Hi -
I am a wife (currently expecting our 5th child) and *I* want to go to med school. I am 34. My husband is 40.
You all made such great suggestions that I'd like your advice too.
Not to mention, I am very passionate about the particular field and already do lay-work in it.
Very hard decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.
Suggestion to the noob who registered and posted: RN, RN to BSN degree while working as an RN. With a 2 year degree, you can be making $50k or more, depending on the area of the country you're in. Only takes a couple evenings of each week to accomplish the RN to BSN programs; mostly online; and (unlike programs such as University of Phoenix online) there are quite a few solid programs that are affordable. There are tons of scholarships/grants for going into nursing; depends on your state, area, etc.
Then, go for your master's - nurse practitioner. 2 more years of school. During which, you'll likely have to take a leave from your job to do your clinical hours (600 hours?). But, making money for those years and still having time for your children seems to be, perhaps, a bit more desirable of a solution. Nurse practitioner also seems to be an up and coming field; you can have your own practice. Not doctor's pay, but similar duties, and you're making money almost right off the bat while on track, rather than going further and further into debt. The time aspect (I think) is a hell of a lot easier to manage than becoming a doctor.
IIRC there is a push to make a doctorate required to be a nurse practitioner. Just like there is a push for nurses being required to have a BSN.
Suggestion to the noob who registered and posted: RN, RN to BSN degree while working as an RN. With a 2 year degree, you can be making $50k or more, depending on the area of the country you're in. Only takes a couple evenings of each week to accomplish the RN to BSN programs; mostly online; and (unlike programs such as University of Phoenix online) there are quite a few solid programs that are affordable. There are tons of scholarships/grants for going into nursing; depends on your state, area, etc.
Then, go for your master's - nurse practitioner. 2 more years of school. During which, you'll likely have to take a leave from your job to do your clinical hours (600 hours?). But, making money for those years and still having time for your children seems to be, perhaps, a bit more desirable of a solution. Nurse practitioner also seems to be an up and coming field; you can have your own practice. Not doctor's pay, but similar duties, and you're making money almost right off the bat while on track, rather than going further and further into debt. The time aspect (I think) is a hell of a lot easier to manage than becoming a doctor.
Funny this thread came up this week.
As an update to the OP, she recently accepted a position with a hospital that is associated with one of the top 5 pharmacy programs in the country. Half of her job will be academic precepting and teaching residents and pharmacy students, something she always wanted to do. The other half is pure clinical in areas that she enjoys staffing. She'll get dedicated project days to do research and publish studies, something she also never got a chance to do with her old job.
No more 2nd shifts, 3rd shifts, and only every 4th weekend instead of every 3rd.
Downside is that it's in another state so we'll be moving later this spring. We wanted to get into a larger city with more things to do and associated with a major university so it's a good change.
Funny this thread came up this week.
As an update to the OP, she recently accepted a position with a hospital that is associated with one of the top 5 pharmacy programs in the country. Half of her job will be academic precepting and teaching residents and pharmacy students, something she always wanted to do. The other half is pure clinical in areas that she enjoys staffing. She'll get dedicated project days to do research and publish studies, something she also never got a chance to do with her old job.
No more 2nd shifts, 3rd shifts, and only every 4th weekend instead of every 3rd.
Downside is that it's in another state so we'll be moving later this spring. We wanted to get into a larger city with more things to do and associated with a major university so it's a good change.
Funny this thread came up this week.
As an update to the OP, she recently accepted a position with a hospital that is associated with one of the top 5 pharmacy programs in the country. Half of her job will be academic precepting and teaching residents and pharmacy students, something she always wanted to do. The other half is pure clinical in areas that she enjoys staffing. She'll get dedicated project days to do research and publish studies, something she also never got a chance to do with her old job.
No more 2nd shifts, 3rd shifts, and only every 4th weekend instead of every 3rd.
Downside is that it's in another state so we'll be moving later this spring. We wanted to get into a larger city with more things to do and associated with a major university so it's a good change.
Funny this thread came up this week.
As an update to the OP, she recently accepted a position with a hospital that is associated with one of the top 5 pharmacy programs in the country. Half of her job will be academic precepting and teaching residents and pharmacy students, something she always wanted to do. The other half is pure clinical in areas that she enjoys staffing. She'll get dedicated project days to do research and publish studies, something she also never got a chance to do with her old job.
No more 2nd shifts, 3rd shifts, and only every 4th weekend instead of every 3rd.
Downside is that it's in another state so we'll be moving later this spring. We wanted to get into a larger city with more things to do and associated with a major university so it's a good change.
Oye! Didn't you just finish your house last year?
Career moves are kind of the cost of doing business if you don't want to remain stagnant.Finish is relative. We'll have been in it for 4 years this fall. Still an endless amount of landscaping and tidy up stuff around the yard to do. Fortunately we've got close to 100k in equity in the place that we can unlock and roll into whatever we do end up buying. Another perk is that my tax bill in IL is over $10,000. Similar house where we are moving would have a bill less than half that. So that's a plus. Between equity and taxes we'll have close to $1000 a month shaved off our mortgage. Also will have a 5 mile drive to work instead of 20.
What a horrible idea. Sorry, but there's no way to sugarcoat it. This would be a dealbreaker for me with absolutely no wiggle room. Decide this kind of shit before you have kids and a family. If you need a change in your life, find a new hobby that requires a ton of focus and energy. Don't make everyone else pay for it.
I got fooled too. This is someone else's bump so it's not an issue. VI explains the current situation several posts back.
This thread is now a test of a poster's willingness to read a long thread before submitting advice.
And for the record (not that anyone cares about my opinion) I believe GagHalfgrunt had the thread ending response on the first page: Happy wife == Happy life. These type of career changes aren't about the $, but rather it's about making sure the wife has a career she's happy with.
I would be really scared to do ANY career in healthcare. We all know the entire industry can crash any second.
If she is already well paid and happy,what's the problem?