Nursing school with 'kid in tow' doable?

[joonbug]

Looking to hear especially from current nurses or mom considering the same career (anyone at nursing school now?). I have no career to fall back to. DD is over 3 and starting preschool FT so I ll have time to devote to studying. No more children are going to happen... That being said, DD is special needs, in feeding therapy but hopefully she ll conquer those challenges in time. Last 3 years I devoted to her care so now have a chance to think about my future too :).
I m 34 already though and havent been in school for ages. Finished high school and some college in Europe. Will need to take all those pre-requisites, plu probably the extra stuff after I take the placement tests. Math has never been my strong point :(. But i have a determination and want to succeed, my dream is to be a neonatology nurse, DD was in Nicu for 8 weeks and I got a close up of their work. Doable?

[ha98ed14]

I can't speak from personal experience, but I know there have been several mom's here who've done it. Not easy, but if you have good, reliable daycare then I cannot see how it would be any different that having an intense job, like an atty or MD. Nicci might chime in. She went back to school for speech therapy when her DS was 7, I think. It's been an intense program and she's had some stress at times getting everything lined up to get DS from point A to B, but her DS is school-aged. Since your DD is younger and could be in the same daycare all day, then I would think that part would be easier. I have no idea how the feeding issues would play into it, but if her needs can be met in a daycare setting (i.e. don't need skilled nursing care) then I would think it as manageable as an intense job.

ETA: Good luck! I think it's great your taking some steps to fulfill your own dreams! One other thing to consider would be the support of your partner/spouse.

[lhafer]

Went through nursing school before kids, but there were many moms in my class, and several who got pregnant along the way.

It's doable, but will be very challenging. Having a good child care system set up will be paramount. Once you get through the prereques, you will move into nursing courses and clinicals. Some clinicals may be early in the am when nursing shifts start (usually have to be there at 6:30am), so may be evening/night clinicals. So be prepared for that. Studying takes up a LOT of time.

It's doable. With a lot of support. Good luck to you!

[lizzywednesday]

...

It's doable, but will be very challenging. Having a good child care system set up will be paramount. Once you get through the prereques, you will move into nursing courses and clinicals. Some clinicals may be early in the am when nursing shifts start (usually have to be there at 6:30am), so may be evening/night clinicals. So be prepared for that. Studying takes up a LOT of time.

It's doable. With a lot of support. Good luck to you!

:yeahthat:

I agree it's doable but you need to have a very solid support system in place.

My mom went through nursing school (and an "accelerated" program at that!) when I was in middle school.

When she started, my sister was in preschool, my brothers were in Kindy and 2nd grade; I was in the 6th grade.

I was responsible for my sister 3 days/week (her non-school days - she went to a friend's house on school days) while my brothers were in after-care at our school.

Things were even more challenging during our summers because the accelerated students were also in school then, so I ended up being responsible for my siblings. Fortunately, we had summer camp-like activities for most of the summer through our lake, so I didn't have to spend a lot of time chasing them.

Good luck! Nursing is a great profession.

[Swallowbird23]

I went through an accelerated program at Georgetown (second degree program so lots of career changing moms) I did not have any children yet but many did and they made it through. I know it was a lot of work and they needed lots of support at home (from emotional support to cooking, cleaning, childcare) but it was doable. I know some would spend all day on campus, even if they only had one class, to study while the kids were in school/daycare so they didn't have as much to do in the evenings while the kids were still awake (and didn't have the temptation to find things to do around the house instead of study) Finding childcare for early clinical hours was also key.

It's definitely doable, and the reward is wonderful! Good luck!

[hellokitty]

Went through nursing school before kids, but there were many moms in my class, and several who got pregnant along the way.

It's doable, but will be very challenging. Having a good child care system set up will be paramount. Once you get through the prereques, you will move into nursing courses and clinicals. Some clinicals may be early in the am when nursing shifts start (usually have to be there at 6:30am), so may be evening/night clinicals. So be prepared for that. Studying takes up a LOT of time.

It's doable. With a lot of support. Good luck to you!

:yeahthat: It seemed like about 1/3 of the nursing students in my program were non-traditional student, who were older with kids. I was always in awe in how they made it work. Many have family that helped a LOT, esp for clinicals, which take up a lot of time and take up extra time with commuting to different facilities that may not be really close to your college. Also, keep in mind, that it is recommended, and in fact I think many nursing schools now require that you also work part time as a nursing assistant during school. This is actually really crucial IMO. I worked as a nursing assistant part time while in school and I was really up to spiff with a lot of basic nursing skills due to the extra practice. My classmates who were desk clerks or those who didn't work as nursing assistants were not as experienced when it came to these kinds of skills and also I learned a lot from the nurses while on the job (EKGs, getting a better idea of what the nurses were dealing with, I had a few that were really nice and took me under their wing, if there was something cool to see, they'd make sure to pull me into the room to see it, so I felt it put me at an advantage), and I think it was a little bit harder for them to transition during their first yr out of school as a real nurse. I believe that this is probably why a lot of programs now make this a mandatory requirement.

[shawnandangel]

I went through nursing school with DD, who is now 3. When I had her, I took one semester off and then returned.

It was very hard and you need a support system, someone who will be there when you need to study or you have 12 hour clinicals. That being said, you can do it. It takes time and dedication but is rewarding in the end.

[codex57]

I don't believe there are any degrees or programs that are "not doable". Again, it's all about your support system. Can you get day care so you have time to go to classes? Do you have some help so you can study?

DW's cousin's wife got pregnant and had a kid during nursing school. Not the only one. If there's a support system, it's doable. My coworker is a single mom (at 17) and made it through college and law school. Not easy, but possible. Sacrifices need to be made, but clearly you understand that.

[VClute]

I don't believe there are any degrees or programs that are "not doable". Again, it's all about your support system.

Love this. And I think it's true. My dad always told me, "You can do ANYTHING you want to do, but not EVERYTHING." I recently considered PA school (I currently work per diem as a registered nurse) and I just realized I didn't have the support system in place that I would need, nor was I really willing to make the sacrifices (time with the children, being available for every therapy/IEP/extracurricular activity/school play, etc, time with friends) necessary to pursue that program.

If you want it badly enough, you CAN do it! And we could really use your help out there! :)

[joonbug]

Yes, thank you All for your responses.. I realize it might require a lot of juggling once the intensive program starts. DH supports my wanting to go back to school but I'm not sure he fully realize how intensive it will be. I suspect it'll take me at least 1 to 1.5 years to finish all the required pre-reqs, the actual nursing program I'd probably start in 2-2.5 years even, DD will almost be in school, and we'd need to arrange for her extra care after school as theres no family nearby to help out. So that might be a little tough but it won't happen until DD is 6-7 so not a small child anymore. Tax returns might.just be enough to cover that ;). I just worry I won't have as much time for her for a while but realize it would be only temporary and, in the long run, so worth it! I'm planning to register for the college tonight and start the proces of evaluating my education credentials from Europe, very excited about it!

[ellies mom]

I started my nursing pre-reqs when DD1 was three. I was pregnant with DD2 through a big chunk of that and started nursing school when DD1 was 5 and DD2 was 8 months old. I took a semester off during pre-reqs to have DD2.

It is hard but it is definitely doable. Reliable childcare is a must and it definitely helps to have childcare lined up for study time.

Learning to say "No" is key. It should be your mantra. You will have plenty of time to do all those things people ask you to do but now isn't that time. I did make a point to volunteer once a month in DD1's school but I didn't help organize activities or join committees or things like that. You kind of need to distill your life down to the essentials.

But let me tell you, standing on that stage getting pinned by a loved one is a great feeling.

ETA - look into childcare through your school. I had DD1 in the school's childcare center while taking my pre-reqs and it was really convenient. They had a great program and I could change the schedule every quarter. And it was kind of nice having her on campus.

[codex57]

Yes, you have to take a long term view of things. Nursing is an in demand field. It's not perfect, but as a whole, especially in this economy, it's a good field to go into.

Consider the extra income you'll get after you graduate versus if you did nothing.

Many people don't consider college the same way for some strange reason. They just treat it as a time to party or they have no idea what the point of it is for.

Anyways, the sacrifice will include money. If you can accept that (sounds like you need to get your DH clued in), then in the end, I think you'll find it's well worth it.

DW and I are too practical. We really didn't care much about being up on a stage and all that. We just viewed it as a necessary evil in order to make money to give our family the lifestyle we want. We're prolly the type that can never have enough money, but at least we can appreciate what we have.

[niccig]

Nicci might chime in. She went back to school for speech therapy when her DS was 7, I think. It's been an intense program and she's had some stress at times getting everything lined up to get DS from point A to B, but her DS is school-aged.

:wavey: Hi. Yes, my biggest issue has been DS's schedule. He's in school with a great aftercare that finishes at 6pm. For the last 3 semesters, I've been able to manage my schedule so I can get him from school or aftercare. This semester is awful for us. I have to be at college until 7pm 2 days a week and I need to find a babysitter to get DS from school to soccer practice one day, then the other day just take him home. DH doesn't finish work until 8pm. I'll need him in aftercare another 2 days a week. It is going to be an expensive semester for childcare. We still want DS to have his activities, but it is some juggling to work out how to get him to places.

It's important to have a childcare system worked out and then back up plans. For my sitter needs, I have a couple of people we use for date nights, teachers from DS's school, aftercare counselors, names of counselors from his summer camp, and if I need to I can post a sitter wanted ad on the student association Facebook page for my department. Start collecting names of sitters now - talk to preschool teachers.

You will miss some kid activities at school etc, I try to minimize this as much as possible. For the 3rd semester in a row I can not go to the weekly Friday school meeting. DH can go though. DH will also go on a field trip. DH has needed to do more with DS and it has been very good for their relationship. It's also been good for DS to not have my to rely on for everything. We talk about being a team and how we all have to pitch in together. It will be a change for both your DH and DD and it may take them some time to adjust to you not being able to do everything. We talk about short term pain for long term gain (I'll earn more and be able to work closer to DS's school than my old pre-DS job).

I would start the pre-recs now where she is in pre-school. Maybe start off slow with 2 classes the first semester then move up to full-time. It's what I did. It took me 18 months to get the pre-reqs done, now I'm in the Masters and it will take me about 3 years to finish. I could do it in 2.5 years, but it'll be too much stress for our family each semester. The first semester will probably be the most difficult as your'e adjusting to being back in school. You will get better at studying, juggling school and home life as each semester goes by.

Oh, your transcripts from Europe - each transcript has to be in a sealed envelope. I'm from Australia and no one would accept my transcripts despite them all having safety features like hologram, special paper etc. Order extra copies. I've had to go back a 2nd time and get more copies as needed more.

You can do it. The best advice I got was that you just have to take it one semester at a time. If you look at the big picture, you think you'll never get there. So just concentrate on what you need to do for each semester, and before you know it, you'll be done.

[lhafer]

:yeahthat: It seemed like about 1/3 of the nursing students in my program were non-traditional student, who were older with kids. I was always in awe in how they made it work. Many have family that helped a LOT, esp for clinicals, which take up a lot of time and take up extra time with commuting to different facilities that may not be really close to your college. Also, keep in mind, that it is recommended, and in fact I think many nursing schools now require that you also work part time as a nursing assistant during school. This is actually really crucial IMO. I worked as a nursing assistant part time while in school and I was really up to spiff with a lot of basic nursing skills due to the extra practice. My classmates who were desk clerks or those who didn't work as nursing assistants were not as experienced when it came to these kinds of skills and also I learned a lot from the nurses while on the job (EKGs, getting a better idea of what the nurses were dealing with, I had a few that were really nice and took me under their wing, if there was something cool to see, they'd make sure to pull me into the room to see it, so I felt it put me at an advantage), and I think it was a little bit harder for them to transition during their first yr out of school as a real nurse. I believe that this is probably why a lot of programs now make this a mandatory requirement.

I totally agree with this. I got hired as a "Professional Nursing Student" by the hospital where I wanted to work after I graduated. I worked there as an employee of the hospital - not as a student under my school. They had different rules regarding giving medications, etc.

It was an awesome experience. I got to know the hospital's charting system, how they did things, how to treat patients, how to give meds, etc. I was able to give meds to patients under the supervision of the nurse I was with that day. I had to do all the charting on the patients, and my nurse would sign off on it. I got a lot of excellent "real world" experience doing that. And when it came time to get hired - I became a NICU nurse (the unit I had my last clinical in) and already knew how to do everything. It was awesome.

That said - one thing to remember about nursing school....NEVER confuse real world situations with nursing school situations. When you take a test in nursing school, everything is ideal - you have time, the right amount of patients, everything is perfect. It's an ideal world in the textbooks.

[joonbug]

Thank you Ladies, I especially appreciate 'been there done that' point of view. I'm planning to start slowly, 2 classes per semester, the placement test will be next week but I have a feeling I ll need to take at least Math extra... But as I read somewhere, few years will go by anyways and if I don't start anything, I ll be in the same position a year, two from today, wishing I had started. Why didn't I try to go to school before? That would have been sooooo easy before kids lol. Gotta buckle down now ;)

[TwinFoxes]

Didn't Tylersmama (I think that's her board ID) go through all of nursing school as a single mom? She hasn't been around much, but you might try PMing her.

[essnce629]

I tried getting through nursing school with a child and failed, but only because I had no support system and had to return to school 3 weeks postpartum since they were closing the nursing program the following year and I couldn't take a semester off.

But your child is a lot older and in school and as long as you have good childcare and aftercare so you can study, I think it will be fine. Lots of the women in my program had kids or got pregnant during the program. I had good childcare when I was at class or clinicals, but no family or friends around to help out when I needed to study or write papers and DBF and I weren't living together at the time either, so it was just DS and I at home alone trying to study. Plus DS1 was a newborn nursing every 2 hours and not sleeping, so that didn't help either!!!! You will probably need to line up some early morning care for you DD as well since I often had to be at my clinical site before 7am and would need to drop DS off at daycare at 6am. My clinicals often lasted 10 hours, so you'll need to make sure you choose a school that has aftercare or have a babysitter to do pick up and watch your DD at home. The other women in my nursing class that had kids or babies while in school all had family near by which helped tremendously. If I had just had my mom around to help out once in a while, I think I would have been fine. But you also have a DH, and I didn't, so that would be another big help!

[ellies mom]

You will probably need to line up some early morning care for you DD as well since I often had to be at my clinical site before 7am and would need to drop DS off at daycare at 6am. My clinicals often lasted 10 hours, so you'll need to make sure you choose a school that has aftercare or have a babysitter to do pick up and watch your DD at home.

This is a good point. We ended up hiring someone to come to the house because it was cheaper (DD2 was an infant) and a lot more flexible. I would consider looking for a college student who can get DD off to school and then be there in the afternoon. Our sitter was really flexible. Since I didn't need her everyday during the week, she would come on Sundays for a few hours so I could study while my husband was at work. Plus is it so much easier in the morning to just worry about yourself and let the sitter worry about DD.

[joonbug]

I tried getting through nursing school with a child and failed, but only because I had no support system and had to return to school 3 weeks postpartum since they were closing the nursing program the following year and I couldn't take a semester off.

But your child is a lot older and in school and as long as you have good childcare and aftercare so you can study, I think it will be fine. Lots of the women in my program had kids or got pregnant during the program. I had good childcare when I was at class or clinicals, but no family or friends around to help out when I needed to study or write papers and DBF and I weren't living together at the time either, so it was just DS and I at home alone trying to study. Plus DS1 was a newborn nursing every 2 hours and not sleeping, so that didn't help either!!!! You will probably need to line up some early morning care for you DD as well since I often had to be at my clinical site before 7am and would need to drop DS off at daycare at 6am. My clinicals often lasted 10 hours, so you'll need to make sure you choose a school that has aftercare or have a babysitter to do pick up and watch your DD at home. The other women in my nursing class that had kids or babies while in school all had family near by which helped tremendously. If I had just had my mom around to help out once in a while, I think I would have been fine. But you also have a DH, and I didn't, so that would be another big help!

Sorry it didn't happen for you! You were brave to start any schooling with a newborn. That's the reason I want to start slow, 2 pre-req classes at a time, just to have enough on my plate not to get discouraged and overwhelmed and get back 'in the school groove' (been a long while LOL). The good thing, the pre-reqs are literally less than 5 min away from home, but the nursing program will be at the main campus which is about 20 min away, so I'll have to take it into consideration when the time comes. But it won't happen in less than 2 years anyway, so enough time for planning. And all will be easier with a 5-6 year old as opposed to 3.. School- and care-wise. I hope by that time, we'll have her eating normally enough, right now she wouldn't be able to attend any daycares FT, the special ed preschool she's starting will need to have the feeding person give her lunch after 'training' in the feeding and swallowing center we've been treated at. So that's the plan, we have a long time to plan everything out :)

[dogmom]

I think you need to look at all the program options in your area. Some are accelerated, which seems appealing, but they can be very draining. I teach in a three year master's accelerated program for people with bachelor degrees in another field. The thing with nursing school is the clinical hours, you need a certain number of them to meet the requirements for certification. So unlike regular school, where you go to that 3 hour class then have work to do on your own timetable, you have to be present at a health care site for a set period of time on their time table, not yours. There is a lot of competition amongst schools for good clinical placements, so they often don't have a lot of choice on the times. If you miss a day of clinical make up can be difficult so you would need a plan for sick child care on those days. It's not like you can just reschedule it. Then you have to do the hours of prep work before clinical. This is own top of the didactic part of the curriculum. So an accelerated program sounds great on paper, but I've seen it bring people down that have other significant commitments in their lives. Somehow none of the students are ever prepared for the amount of work it requires.

There are many options of programs in our area. There are ones that only have weekend and evening clinical. There are ones that are 16 months straight, but you might one that gives you the summer off, for example. Plus there is a serious shortage of nursing educators so there are never enough placements to meet demands. I would say go work on your prereqs and research programs. I know that all the students I teach are on allnurses.com which has an active student nurse community, I would check over there for information.

I don't want to dissuade you, I think nursing is the best career I can imagine. But I think a little upfront research and planning will make the whole process go smoother for you.

[essnce629]

Sorry it didn't happen for you! You were brave to start any schooling with a newborn. That's the reason I want to start slow, 2 pre-req classes at a time, just to have enough on my plate not to get discouraged and overwhelmed and get back 'in the school groove' (been a long while LOL).

Oh, I wouldn't have started a new nursing program with a newborn-- I was actually finishing up my 4th year in a BSN program. I had already decided that I wanted to be a homebirth midwife, and not a CNM, so I had planned to leave nursing school already, then I found out I was pregnant. So it wasn't a planned thing and I was just going to try and finish up before they closed the entire nursing program the following year. I was also a semester behind due to getting meningitis the previous year and having to take a semester off due to that. I'm still kind of bummed that I didn't get my degree after being at school for so many years, but it all worked out though in the end-- I got to be a SAHM instead of having DS1 in daycare 12 hours a day as an infant and I still plan to go to school to become a homebirth midwife when the kids are older.

I think you will do fine though with an older school aged child and help at home. Taking just a few classes at a time too will be great and a lot easier than a full semester of classes and clinicals like I had.

[trales]

I work at a community college with a nursing program and teach a lot of the pre-req courses. I would not reccommned taking chem and A&P at the same time, too many labs, in the same dept, may be on the same testing schedule. Chem and Math are a good pair, they compliment each other well, but don't plan on taking chem until you are through a few algebra courses.

Feel free to PM me about some of the pre-reqs and what is generally expected in them in terms of work load. I teach chem.

[endlessheather]

I'm on this path right now so I can try to shed some insight. I have a 4 year old and 6 year old. I was supposed to transfer to our nursing campus come Fall but we realized I needed a writing course that I didn't have previously. (long story) So now I'm taking this ugh writing course this fall and decided to get an upper division course out of the way so it's not loading me down when I'm a senior. We do 2 years pre-reqs. on this campus and then we transfer to our nursing campus in Portland for the last 2 years.

I work part-time (25 hours about) a week at the local private college I attend. I've worked here since my youngest turned 1 and started taking my pre-reqs after #2 was old enough that I didn't feel bad being away so much. I'll be entering nursing school in the Spring with 1 son in elementary and another son in 3 days a week pre-k. After the 1st nursing semester both boys will be in full time school. This gives me time to be in school while they are in school. We timed that on purpose :) and it's worked out, minus a semester off for this writing course mess up. When I start nursing school I'll stop working at the college. Until then I've been taking classes + work and juggling the kids.

Now for course loads on pre-reqs. I eased in slowly at first with say nutrition, developmental psych & stats but I had a tough load with the work & lil kids. After that I jumped in to science sequencing because you have to get going on them due to taking them in sequence and they can hold you up a bit if you decide you want BIO in the spring and it's not offered. This last year I had in the Fall a Medicine & Culture Class along with my Anatomy. Anatomy was brutal just because of the memory load and a lot of hours out of class spent in open lab studying the cadavers and cats. I was in open lab 3 nights a week studying for those lab quizes and then in the library 1 night a week typing papers for Med/Culture. Spring was Microbio and Physiology. 2 Science classes with labs isn't ideal but I love Micro so it was doable. Find out what classes you need & how the sequencing is/what semesters they are offered.

One thing that saved me are having a husband telecommuting so he can help with some drop off's/pick-up's so I was pretty lucky in that area. He's also super supportive and will say take the kids to the park when I need some quiet. The odd thing to most is that I don't start studying until after the kids go to sleep. I have tried to not sacrifice my time with them so I pick them up from school every day, still attend all the field trips, don't miss sports practices etc. but I'm just a really late night owl when it comes to the books. There are times during final weeks that I'll leave after dinner time and go to study groups or open labs. I know this will change once I hit nursing campus but for now it's something I adapted to.

We use google calendar and have like a spreadsheet with time blocks for each semester so we all know what things look like & who is picking up at school or where the kids need to be. I think having good communication, a good calendar system :) and most of all a supporting husband/family you can definitely handle it. BUT, it can be stressful during crunch times and some days it's what I call "juggling chaos." It's all worth it in the end though imo!!

Of course my happy go lucky post could change in the Spring when I start my official nursing classes but hopefully those last 2 years fly!

[niccig]

The odd thing to most is that I don't start studying until after the kids go to sleep. I have tried to not sacrifice my time with them so I pick them up from school every day, still attend all the field trips, don't miss sports practices etc. but I'm just a really late night owl when it comes to the books. There are times during final weeks that I'll leave after dinner time and go to study groups or open labs.

This is me too. I have classmates that comment on getting my email at midnight. I have classes/study while DS is at school. Once I get DS, either at 3pm or 6pm if he was in aftercare until 8pm is home time. Activities to go to, homework, dinner. I don't start my study until 8.30pm or so. I'm in bed after midnight most nights. My friends w/o kids study those afternoon/evening hours I don't have. But having a child has helped. I'm much more organized than I was last time through school. I've also needed DS's help for several projects. I'm in speech therapy and have needed to give practice evaluations, transcribe conversations with a child. My classmates without kids have borrowed DS. I joke I could hire him out for the projects and he could make some money!

[Simon]

If you haven't already, be sure to look carefully at your options for nursing school. Around here, it is incredibly competitive and you need to have an amazing GPA in all pre-reqs. PLUS about 2 years of health care experience. There are way more applicants than spots so they can very much pick and choose. I know several people who are working as assistants to try and get enough experience to qualify or who had to apply a few years in a row to get a spot.

[joonbug]

If you haven't already, be sure to look carefully at your options for nursing school. Around here, it is incredibly competitive and you need to have an amazing GPA in all pre-reqs. PLUS about 2 years of health care experience. There are way more applicants than spots so they can very much pick and choose. I know several people who are working as assistants to try and get enough experience to qualify or who had to apply a few years in a row to get a spot.
I hope you're not in my area then ;) -North NJ... The program I'm interested in is at a county college, it does say 'competitive' but from the research and reading I've done at allnurses.com it looks like people get accepted with the pre-reqs done and the good score on the entrance exam. I think the college itself states GPA at least 3.0 for the pre-reqs.

[Simon]

I am not in your area :thumbsup: which hopefully means good things for you. We have three local programs: private college (reg. and accelerated progs.), public university and community college. All three of them have intense competition and long waiting lists at times. My good friend has been trying for several semesters to get into the CC program with no luck. Fingers crossed you find it much easier.

[joonbug]

Good to know ;). Yes, there are a couple private tech schools around here but the tuition is over twice as high as the county colleges... They are getting a lot of complaints though. A few county/community colleges as well offering different variations of nursing programs so I hope it won't be extremely hard for me, I'm realizing my math is very rusty and will probably need to take some extra math classes, hope that will be it apart from the regular pre-reqs...

[hellokitty]

If you haven't already, be sure to look carefully at your options for nursing school. Around here, it is incredibly competitive and you need to have an amazing GPA in all pre-reqs. PLUS about 2 years of health care experience. There are way more applicants than spots so they can very much pick and choose. I know several people who are working as assistants to try and get enough experience to qualify or who had to apply a few years in a row to get a spot.

That's the way it is where I live now and they have laid off so many nurses in our area. It is a joke and disgrace that they are telling ppl that there is a nursing shortage, when there aren't even enough jobs for nurses in our area. Dh's hospital laid off two rounds of nurses within the last yr, and it's not due to lack of patients. The hospital is purposely short staffing nurses to save $, yet they are hiring lots of doctors to work for the hospital under salary. The 2 yr programs have actually become more competitive than the 4 yr program, since everyone wants to be able to go to a shorter program, so I know a few ppl who have opted to do the 4 yr program, since the wait list was 2+ yrs long for the AD programs. I've actually had a few friends who changed their minds and have decided to pursue other allied health professions (ie: dental hygiene, OT, PT, etc.) due to the wait list situation with nursing programs.

[rachelh]

That's the way it is where I live now and they have laid off so many nurses in our area. It is a joke and disgrace that they are telling ppl that there is a nursing shortage, when there aren't even enough jobs for nurses in our area. Dh's hospital laid off two rounds of nurses within the last yr, and it's not due to lack of patients. The hospital is purposely short staffing nurses to save $, yet they are hiring lots of doctors to work for the hospital under salary. The 2 yr programs have actually become more competitive than the 4 yr program, since everyone wants to be able to go to a shorter program, so I know a few ppl who have opted to do the 4 yr program, since the wait list was 2+ yrs long for the AD programs. I've actually had a few friends who changed their minds and have decided to pursue other allied health professions (ie: dental hygiene, OT, PT, etc.) due to the wait list situation with nursing programs.

:yeahthat:
I don't want to discourage you but I would recommend doing research on programs and what the nursing market is like in your area. I have all my pre-reqs for nursing (some of which are probably expiring this year :cry:) and I have a great GPA - I have As and A-s in all my classes except one. It was my only class I took at that college which I hated, a terrible professor, etc. and because of that one grade (C+) I am having a hard time finding a program in my area that would take me. Someone can have a lower overall GPA than me but better than a C+ in that class and will get in. Additionally, a lot of programs have a 2+ year wait to get into.

I also know a bunch of nurses in my area that can't get jobs. Thankfully, I have a good job so there really is nothing pushing me to go into nursing. I would love to but with the current nursing market, I can't see myself making such a big sacrifice - ie. leaving my job to go back to school, financially, losing time with kids, etc - to go back to school for it.

[joonbug]

That's the way it is where I live now and they have laid off so many nurses in our area. It is a joke and disgrace that they are telling ppl that there is a nursing shortage, when there aren't even enough jobs for nurses in our area. Dh's hospital laid off two rounds of nurses within the last yr, and it's not due to lack of patients. The hospital is purposely short staffing nurses to save $, yet they are hiring lots of doctors to work for the hospital under salary. The 2 yr programs have actually become more competitive than the 4 yr program, since everyone wants to be able to go to a shorter program, so I know a few ppl who have opted to do the 4 yr program, since the wait list was 2+ yrs long for the AD programs. I've actually had a few friends who changed their minds and have decided to pursue other allied health professions (ie: dental hygiene, OT, PT, etc.) due to the wait list situation with nursing programs.

Good points... Yes, the job market can be scary. What I originally thought of was getting certified as a dialysis tech first, but it's not easy to find a program like that especially during the daytime (well, the tech colleges offer it but it's terribly overpriced and not that good). Off to do more research and thinking.

[icunurse]

Back when I was in school (almost 20 years ago), I knew of people who were willing to pay the higher price of tuition for private college vs CC because the CC had such long waiting lists. My neighbor and I both graduated in four years and I am sure that she saved money over me, but I earned a bachelor degree to her associate. In some areas of the country, a BSN is starting to actually mean something. Most hospitals offer tuition assistance, so achieving a BSN later on down the line may be something to consider for more job options.

Not sure what the trend is nationwide, but our hospital system, which is one of the biggest in the US, is staring an initiative to only hire BSN's. Those with other degrees have to earn a BSN within a few years and those who are hired without a BSN (which they say now are only current employees in nursing school) must also start their BSN track within two years of hire. They are also mandating achievement of speciality certification by all nurses.

I live around Chicago and there are a good amount of nursing jobs available. BUT you have to be open to where you start out and work your way up. It might be night shift for a while. It might be a general floor before an ICU. The current generation seems to not grasp having to work up the ladder and want to start out day shift, minimal weekends, in the unit of their choice.

Nursing school is hard. A lot harder than most people think. My DH, who is an engineer, told me that I worked harder than he ever did in school and our college has a very competitive engineering program. As others have said, just pace yourself, get good, reliable child are, learn to say no and put yourself first for studying. Think of it as an investment on all of your futures and treat it as such. It can be done....it just just a lot of work and effort. Good luck!

[brittone2]

Someone suggested looking into other allied health fields like PT and OT, but those require a master's to sit for licensure, and with PT the vast majority of programs have already transitioned to the DPT. That's a lot of school, and of course those programs are very competitive.

PTAs and COTAs (physical therapist assistant and certified occupational therapist assistant) take less time if you have the pre-req classes. But a full PT or OT program is rather long, and includes lots of labs including dissections and studying in lab (cadavers for A&P for example) that can't be completed at home.

[hellokitty]

Someone suggested looking into other allied health fields like PT and OT, but those require a master's to sit for licensure, and with PT the vast majority of programs have already transitioned to the DPT. That's a lot of school, and of course those programs are very competitive.

PTAs and COTAs (physical therapist assistant and certified occupational therapist assistant) take less time if you have the pre-req classes. But a full PT or OT program is rather long, and includes lots of labs including dissections and studying in lab (cadavers for A&P for example) that can't be completed at home.

Yeah, I understand that, but if I could reverse time, I should have chosen OT/PT over being an RN. Do OT/PTs have the same rate of burn out as RNs do? I worked for five yrs as an RN prior to becoming a sahm. I do not even know if I want to return to the field of nursing. It is a harsh environment (blamed for everything, the administration hates you, since they see nurses as their budget buster, nurses are an easy scapegoat for doctors and patient families to blame when they are unhappy, my body has also taken a tow with the long shifts, not getting a chance to use the bathroom, no breaks, etc.)and you are not treated with respect and depending on where you live, you can be really underpaid (where we currently live, I took a $10/hr paycut when we moved here from a similar COL area). Had I known that I would have gotten burn out after only a few yrs and completely disenchanted with the field, I would have chosen another allied health field, even if the education was more time/$, that would have been worth it. I also debate whether to pursue my masters to become a NP or PA, but am afraid I would do it and still not be happy. I have one friend who got her NP and hated it so much, she let her license lapse and said she'd rather just be a RN. As a NP, it was all about how many patients she could see during her shift, she hated that.

I am at a point now, where DS3 will be in full time school in 3 yrs. I freak out thinking about returning to the field of nursing. I also have a BS in dietetics as well, but did not get my RD (would have to re-do all of my education to get my RD at this pt), so I have two BS degrees and right now, not much to show for it, esp having been a sahm for 8 yrs. I would love to pursue something like OT/ST, but I'm almost 40, there are no programs within an hr of where I live, and I don't have the support system needed (DH's hrs are erratic and he is on call 50% of the yr) to go back to school. I debate with myself over whether I want to return to the field of nursing or to just walk away and do something different, which is time/$ down the toilet regarding my nursing education and possible more time/$ if I need more education.

My best advice to the OP is to talk to ppl in all different allied health fields, shadow them (they will be happy to let you do so, don't be afraid to ask), to get a good idea of what you are getting into, before making a decision of which program you'd like to apply to. In nursing programs, they tell RNs that they head up a, "team." RN, LPN and nursing assistant. I'm sorry, but that is a bunch of BS. There is no frickin' team, you're it. I have NEVER had a LPN, I am lucky if there is ONE nursing assistant to share among all of the nurses on the unit (usually no nurse assistant) AND we are lucky if there is even a desk clerk. Which means, that I am now playing the role of nurse, desk clerk, nursing assistant, toady, not to mention taking on heavier pt loads, since the hospital purposely understaffs its nurses and I have only ever worked on ONE unit where I received the breaks I was supposed to get. The other units, if you are too busy, tough luck, you don't get a break, they will deny this happens, but ask experienced nurses, this is more common than not. Esp for newer and younger nurses, who also tend to get stuck with the crappier patient assignment, since it's easier to dump on them, than on a tough, older nurse who will loudly complain if given a crappy patient assignment. You do that for a while, and yes you become disenchanted. I see that other fields, like OT/PT, etc. have bent over backwards to protect themselves, making sure that they get paid what they are worth, that they are in demand. Yes, they have increased the education demands, but I do NOT see the burnout in those fields like I do with nurses and these therapists seem happy in their jobs long term, they aren't run ragged. I see that nursing has shot itself in the foot compared to the other allied health fields that have done a good job protecting themselves. They have been talking about getting rid of AD programs to just BSN FOREVER, but there have been decades of excuses as to why this won't work out, mostly excuses that there is a nursing shortage so they need to churn out nurses more quickly, but I feel that this is their way to rationalize not paying nurses what they are worth. I have a BSN and I have never worked at a facility that paid more more than an AD trained nurse, some places even gave me attitude when I demanded I have a BSN behind my name, saying that all nurses are the same. Well, I took the extra time to get the BSN, so I want it behind my name, any other profession would demand the same thing. This only adds to the disrespect that the field of nursing gets, since there is no standardization of education and training, kwim? It makes it easy for employers to downplay the field of nursing and to rationalize paying less, treating nurses like they are disposable, etc.. There is no nursing shortage, there are tons of RNs out there, but most have given up on the field of nursing. When you are treated like a disposable commodity, it is not a mystery why nurses don't stick around, those who desperately need the $ are mostly likely to stick around, b/c they have to and those are those mean, grumpy nurses that ppl complain about. Don't get me wrong, there are still some very passionate, good nurses, but I feel like the field of nursing is a war zone, if anything you are set up to fail, more than you are to thrive in the field.

Anyway, I'm sorry if this sounds harsh. I've actually talked several friends out of going into nursing in the past few yrs. I think that nursing can be a great field if you find that special niche that you are passionate about. However, like pp said, it's also about working your way up. You have to start out at the bottom, working night shift in med surg (yuck) to, "put in your time." That can take yrs. The hours are not as flexible as I had envisioned, esp if you have a spouse who doesn't have a 9-5 job. Right now, I cannot work due to my DH's erratic work hrs. I am lucky he makes enough for me to sah, but quite honestly it has been a welcome relief not to work either. If I went back to nursing, I know I could not do it full time, maybe part time (per diem is nice, but I find it hard to get into my groove working only 1x a wk, etc.), but I honestly do not think I could ever go back to a full time environment, esp in a clinical environment. Maybe in community health, but where we live, those jobs are REALLY hard to get into and you get paid less than hospital nurses, so that is a trade off. I've also thought about biting the bullet, putting in my time again in critical care (90% of my work experience), and trying to get into a CRNA program, where I know that coming out as a CRNA I will be financially very comfortable and treated with respect. However, like I said, I don't have the support system to go back to school right now. This would only be an option once my kids are teenagers or in college.

[brittone2]

My best advice to the OP is to talk to ppl in all different allied health fields, shadow them (they will be happy to let you do so, don't be afraid to ask), to get a good idea of what you are getting into, before making a decision of which program you'd like to apply to.

I urge everyone considering a job in healthcare to observe/shadow as much as possible. In high school I volunteered and observed at an outpatient physical therapy practice, I also worked with an athletic trainer at my high school (and took a week long athletic training "camp" geared toward high schoolers interested in becoming ATCs or PTs), and shadowed a physical therapist that provided school-based therapy in my district.

My PT program required a certain # of volunteer/observation hours before I could apply. It was time well-spent IMO. As you know, in healthcare, different settings and different patient populations all have their own pros and cons (paperwork, pace, physical demands, autonomy, type of hours/flexibility etc. can all really vary). When I interned, we rotated through 4 different settings, but it was nice to start off with some idea of what I found interesting before I got to that phase.

Many people don't know all of the different jobs within the healthcare system. For example, they assume occupational therapists do mostly "work hardening" stuff and have no idea what they really do. I know I didn't understand all of the things OTs did in pediatrics (feeding issues, sensory integration therapy, etc.) until I was out interning in a pediatric office that also did EI. My roommate was an OT major, I was well aware of what they did with adults, but was surprised at all of the really cool stuff they got to do in pediatrics. I've encouraged a lot of young family members to explore some of those options because many of them are really interesting, but get overlooked.

DH and I plan to strongly urge our kids to spend a lot of time shadowing, observing, working with mentors, etc. because we think it is such a small investment of time as compared to the time and cost of completing a degree that isn't a good fit. You can't *always* know what the day to day will be like just by observing, but it is nice to at least have an idea. I also think spending time observing helps bring a new level of understanding and comprehension to what you learn in the classroom. For example, seeing how muscle tone varies in a child with down syndrome vs. a child with CP. That way when you learn about it in the classroom, something clicks and you think, oh, I've *seen* that before!