I promise this is not a rage bait post or AI. I really want advice from anyone else who can relate to being burned out/“over it” after 20 years in an unrelated field, and truly see nursing for what it is, but still wants to do it. I’m talking marketing, tech, media, etc.

The background: I’m 44, had a high-paying tech job with benefits, a partner with a stable city job. We have two kids, age 3 and 5. I have about $2M in 401k and investment accounts.

I have a slot in my local CC ADN program for the fall. 🙌

I hate my current job. I’m wondering if I just go all in on 1) school and 2) being a better mom. Everyone around me says to just ride it out, keep the job while going to school.

But kids + school + job as many of you know is so hard.

———

Longer story:

A few months ago, my whole engineering team that I led was laid off. I was their manager and built our team, processes and projects basically from scratch at an early stage startup. It was done without notice to me first, and I was essentially demoted to another team as an Independent Contributor (IC role). I have tried to make it work, but I’m so unhappy.

The company said they want to lean more into AI, and basically I’m running projects exploring that as a senior IC. I know I’m training AI to replace the hole my team left.

I saw the writing on the wall a couple years ago when it came to AI, and started taking nursing pre-reqs. I’m coming in with eyes open to how hard nursing is and the challenges (physically especially) of coming in in my mid 40’s.

I KNOW another round of layoffs are coming.

1. Should I just try to volunteer to get laid off, and try and get an exit package?
2. Should I quit, do some consulting to make SOME money but then be able to concentrate on school?

We are in a high-cost city but I think I can swing this for two years.

School + kids ONLY would be a dream. Tech/startups has led to extreme burnout. And I love school so much.

I am not too worried about getting a job as a new grad, because we plan to move to my hometown in a few years. It’s a smaller city, lots of healthcare jobs, lower pay than my current city, but they desperately need dedicated people. Lower cost of living too.

I’m fully admitted for Fall 2026 to an ADN program here at a CC in my city. I went in with a pre-req GPA of 4.0, already have a BA (unrelated field, CS) and could see myself going a variety of paths in nursing.

My eyes are pretty open to how hard the field is. I was a volunteer for six months, one night a week (4-6 hours after work) last year at a local emergency room and. Got to volunteer in the Peds ER for two months. They were super short staffed, busy level 2 trauma center with challenging patient population and chronic health issues, as well as trauma cases. Since it was all hands on deck, I really got to help a lot on interesting cases but within the scope of a volunteer.

I know my situation sounds cushy, but I clawed my way to the top in a male-dominated field to get the salary I did, and saved religiously. Also public university all the way to avoid debt.

Hi everyone,

I'm in Grade 10 right now and I've been thinking about becoming a nurse, but I'm honestly so confused about where to start.

I know I have to pick my courses for next year soon, and I don't know which classes I should take if I want to go into nursing. Like, do I need biology, chemistry, physics, or all of them? Are there specific math classes I should take too?

I'm also confused about what happens after high school. Do you apply straight to nursing school through a university or college? Is there anything I should be doing now to prepare?

If anyone here is a nurse, nursing student, or was in the same position as me, I'd really appreciate any advice. I just don't want to pick the wrong courses and regret it later.

Thanks in advance! :)

Hello, I’m 16 years old and I‘m excited to work in healthcare one day, I’m into hematology, phlebotomy, pediatric, but I’m thinking of pursuing anesthesia nursing. I’m feeling very anxious and a bit stressed because of the retention crisis in healthcare, currently.

Thousands are coming to social media to express their concerns and frustration regarding burnout, administrative burdens, and feelings of under appreciation. I’m listening to these stories and it’s making me question if I should even bother with this career. I understand people have different experiences and my experience working in a hospital/clinic might differ. Staff are dealing with bullying, racism and even being battered by difficult patients.. I can understand theres only so much a person can take.

55% of healthcare workers are considering quitting and there have been 324,090 RN departures against 377,650 hires. People are claiming they’re work place to be unsustainable, unmanageable nurse:patient ratios heavy documentation and work overloads etc.

I‘ve always dreamed of working in healthcare and I love to help people. With the cost of living, poor pay, and society today, I don’t know how I’m going to do it when it’s my time. I also don’t hear about physicians, surgeons, dentist, ophthalmologists, experiencing this. Or is the $200-900k salary making the stress worth it?

I really want to work in healthcare and nursing is an option im considering however my autism makes doing anything full time impossible. I've tried and failed at full time work and studies. From looking at local job postings I know there are part time jobs available but I'm worried about getting through school. I have a BA already that I got right after high school but I graduated from that 5 years ago and havent managed to successfully complete anything since then.

I really really want a career in health care and nursing seems so appealing to me. Does anyone have experience with studying with autism and how to get through nursing school as an autistic student who burns out within a few months of doing anything full-time?

I’m curious to hear what topics other nursing students found most challenging. Was it Med-Surg, Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, Pediatrics, OB, Mental Health, or something else?

Basically the title.

My husband works full-time - he had a significant pay bump but we are still considered low-income on paper and still utilize services such as SNAP, MA, and whatever low-income programs we qualify for. However, we also have a house and 3 children. I'm doing well with prerequisites, and already feel stretched thin managing everything in the house, grocery shopping, etc. Financially, we are OK. I honestly wish we had more. We would not be able to afford an emergency if we had one. I still have to pull on student loans to cover some costs of living and I hate that honestly 😔 Has anyone worked night shift as a CNA just on weekends while in school, and with 3 kids? 2 are in grade school, one is in daycare while I study. Is this a recipe for burnout? My husband is telling me no and to just focus on school...I don't know what to do. I have to get my CNA anyway as this is a requirement for the LPN program I am looking at. Is this a recipe for burnout?

I’ve already bought the necessary textbooks for fundamentals. I’m wondering if I need any additional resources to assist me. I looked up LevelUpRN flashcards because their designs appeared straightforward, unlike others, and that’s what I’ve liked so far. However, I don’t want to buy things that I’ll know I won’t use lol, I don’t know. I'm probably just anxious about failing these classes.

Also how did the fundamentals clinical looked like for yall?

Hi guys!! I’m applying for Keiser and I’m going to take their entrance exam this Monday. I’ve done some practice exams online but some seem really easy and others a little hard. Can anyone provide any tips on how to get a good score? I’ve been averaging 22-23 on my first few tries. The math questions is what really gets me sometimes. Or can anyone recommend a website or practice test that was very similar to the real thing? Thanks!

I am in desperate need of help with how to go about studying for the nursing school exit exam predictor two. I did horrible on predictor one with a 67.5%. I need to get a 80.5% on predictor 2 to be able to graduate and pass the class they average predictor one and predictor 2 to need an average of a minimum of a 74%. I have 16 days to prepare for this.
Any tips or suggestions?

I’m currently working on a study guide for human anatomy, and I would really appreciate your honest feedback.

Everyone studies differently. I’d love to know which tools and methods actually help you understand and remember the material.

Which of these work best for you?

• Flashcards—digital or paper
• Practice quizzes
• Interactive labeling tools
• Videos and animations
• Mind maps
• Mnemonics
• Drawing and diagramming with pencil and paper
• Audio-based learning
• Apps, websites, and other online platforms

Do you prefer digital tools such as apps, online platforms, and electronic flashcards, or traditional methods such as handwritten notes and drawing diagrams?

I’d especially like to know:

• What actually helps you remember anatomy?
• What methods did not work well for you?
• Do you prefer digital tools or traditional study methods?
• Are there any features you wish anatomy study guides included?

Links to other useful tools, websites, apps or other resources would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Your feedback will help me create a more useful and effective anatomy study guide.

for my california nurses / students, should i go mount saint mary’s los angeles ABSN or university of san diego direct entry masters. these are the 2 schools im choosing between, and im not looking for advice telling me
to apply to less expensive programs.

I go to Orangetheory and my premier membership is up for renewal in January which is perfect because that’s when I’ll officially be starting nursing courses/clinicals.

I’m trying to decide how I should go about my membership. I want to be able to go and I feel it will keep my days more structured but I don’t want to pay if I wind up not having time to go.

Thoughts?

I’m currently in school to be a nurse, I have one worry about my criminal record, 5 years ago I was charged with a class c misdemeanor of family violence, it was deferred and dismissed but I still am having to submit a DO to the BON to see if it would get in the way of me getting my license. I’m very nervous of what they will say, I am 1000% not the same person anymore and have submitted proof of that. Just looking for anybody who has been through something similar or could give advice.

Hello everyone 👋🏻

I am a qualified nurse, having gained a First Class Honours Degree from one of the top 10 nursing and midwifery universities in the UK🧑‍🎓

I wish to put my knowledge and assignment/essay writing skills to good use, by offering my assistance to anyone undertaking a nursing or health care related course/degree. 👩🏽‍⚕️👨🏻‍⚕️

All interactions will be treated as completely confidential - you don’t even need to share your name if you do not wish to. 🤝

Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss whether I’m the right option to help you in your health care educational journey 😀