Question:
Dear Donna,
I am a 56-year old ADN who has been doing patient care for almost 40 years. I am a single parent and just finished sending my daughter to college. I would like to save to retire, which I hope to do within the next 10 years. I am feeling pressure to go back to school for a BSN, but am not happy about having to do this just to keep the same job for the same pay. This is a very big expense at this time in my life. I have college credits completed more than 30 years ago. Also, I don't want to have to start looking for a new career at my age. I don't have enough saved for retirement and don't want any more student loans. What advice would you give me at this point?
40-year Veteran RN
Dear Donna,
I am a 56-year old ADN who has been doing patient care for almost 40 years. I am a single parent and just finished sending my daughter to college. I would like to save to retire, which I hope to do within the next 10 years. I am feeling pressure to go back to school for a BSN, but am not happy about having to do this just to keep the same job for the same pay. This is a very big expense at this time in my life. I have college credits completed more than 30 years ago. Also, I don't want to have to start looking for a new career at my age. I don't have enough saved for retirement and don't want any more student loans. What advice would you give me at this point?
40-year Veteran RN
Dear Donna replies:
Dear 40-year Veteran RN,
Education is a gift that you give yourself, so go back to school for yourself first, your career second. Even though you feel pressured to return to school, it will be a good thing for you in the long run — personally and professionally. Education keeps you young, makes you feel alive and gets the blood pumping though your veins — literally as well as figuratively. (A recent study shows that those with higher education live longer, healthier lives!) Read “Go back to school and change your life” (www.Nurse.com/Cardillo/BacktoSchool).
Presumably you have some tuition reimbursement where you work. Fortunately, there is plenty of scholarship money available for those who go after it. Read “Master the Scholarship Game” (www.Nurse.com/Cardillo/ScholarshipGame).
It may seem like a chore and a drudge — and the benefits are not apparent. But if you take the steps to get back into school and trust the process, a whole new world can open up. You'll learn more about yourself — including your capabilities and the world around you. With life expectancy being what it is today, who knows what's in store for you down the road? Higher education will help you to live more fully, regardless of what you do in the future. When you cease to learn, you cease to live.
Best wishes,
Donna
Dear 40-year Veteran RN,
Education is a gift that you give yourself, so go back to school for yourself first, your career second. Even though you feel pressured to return to school, it will be a good thing for you in the long run — personally and professionally. Education keeps you young, makes you feel alive and gets the blood pumping though your veins — literally as well as figuratively. (A recent study shows that those with higher education live longer, healthier lives!) Read “Go back to school and change your life” (www.Nurse.com/Cardillo/BacktoSchool).
Presumably you have some tuition reimbursement where you work. Fortunately, there is plenty of scholarship money available for those who go after it. Read “Master the Scholarship Game” (www.Nurse.com/Cardillo/ScholarshipGame).
It may seem like a chore and a drudge — and the benefits are not apparent. But if you take the steps to get back into school and trust the process, a whole new world can open up. You'll learn more about yourself — including your capabilities and the world around you. With life expectancy being what it is today, who knows what's in store for you down the road? Higher education will help you to live more fully, regardless of what you do in the future. When you cease to learn, you cease to live.
Best wishes,
Donna
Donna Cardillo, RN, MA, well-known career guru, is Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek’s “Dear Donna” and author of “Your First Year as a Nurse: Making the Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional” and “The ULTIMATE Career Guide for Nurses: Practical Advice for Thriving at Every Stage of Your Career.” Information about the books is available at www.Nurse.com/CE/7010 and www.Nurse.com/CE/7250, respectively. To ask Donna your question, go to www.Nurse.com/Asktheexperts/Deardonna. Find a “Dear Donna” seminar near you: Call 800-866-0919 or visit http://Events.nursingspectrum.com/Seminar.
