[goodygumdrops]

Hi there mamas,

I have posted a few times lately about finding a new career path. Everyone is very enthusiastic about Nursing so I met with an advisor at my local college and we discussed the program a bit.

I have so many questions I don't know where to begin...

Would it be possible to work and go to CC for my RN? Not full time but parttime?

I am a sahm but are super broke so I am hoping to qualify for some scholarships. I have a BA already so I wont get any pell grants....Anybody know anything about financing nursing school? Im sure Ill need some loans but I would like as much help as possible

If I wanted to continue on to an MSN, as soon as I finish my RN, will I have difficulty getting accepted into a program without actual work experience? I really want to get my schooling done already

I am currently married but things aren't looking so good....if we end up splitting, how will I continue my studies and be a single mom at the same time? Or rather, how will I pay for it. Is it possible to get go for a msn parttime.

Thanks so much for all the help. Its nice to be able to make more of an informed decision this time around. Im so sick of having a ba and being broke

 

[Gator-mom]

Every state is different for what nursing programs are offered, but I think there are some pretty normal circumstances everywhere.

I believe that if you want to go to a CC, then you could work part time while working on your pre-requisites, but once you are actually in the nursing program, you would have to go full time. That is pretty much what it seems to be here in Utah, and when I looked into it in Washington.

Since you already have a BA, you may not want to go to a CC for your RN, as it would only be an associates degree. Also, you may qualify for more scholarships at a university (especially if there is a private one in your area). I am planning on starting my BSN at a local private university Jan 2010 and I will be getting a transfer scholarship of 10k a year.

Unfortunately, unless you have a BS or have already been in the health science field you are likely going to have to do some pre-reqs..across the board almost all schools require, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and some will ask for microbiology and pathophysiology, and statistics. They only way to get around this, is to possibly do tech school program like the university of phoenix, but that is usually a more expensive option and still only an ASN.

Ask people in your area for more specific suggestions. Nursing school is very competitive and some schools might be more workable then others, by letting in more students, or even doing a waitlist.

As for the finances and the instability of your marriage..there are some options, but be aware it could be the worst two years of your life..

Depending on your financial circumstances, you may qualify for state benefits like food stamps, medicaid, or even low income housing. My dh and I are both full time students with very little time to work. We take advantage of all of the above, and are ok with that because we know this is a temporary situation. I know that if DH and I split up (it was a question about 8 months ago) then I could get into a low income apt alone..the place we are at now is a slidings scale based on your income.

The hard part would not be the finances, but the schedule. I have been told by many advisors to plan on 50-60 hour weeks once in nursing school. There is heavy load classes on top of clinical requirements. Most school require 8-12 hours of clinicals per nursing related class...so as you can imagine, your time will be much taken. Also, for the clinicals, you typically don't get to choose the time of day or what day. They just assign it and you do it. You are expected to work your life around nursing school..not the other way around. If you dont' have back up for your kids, this can be a big issue.

Expect that you may need to take out extra loans, just to cover daycare expenses.

I hope that answered some questions..like I said you should talk to your local schools and students in your area to find out what others find the best/worst options. You will find that there are actually quite a few nursing school students who are also moms..they are the ones to talk to..for they have figured out the tricks.

Good luck!

 

[lorijds]

Re: scholarships and financial aid

I, too, had another degree before I went back to school for nursing. I was unable to get much financial assistance other than loans. That's okay, I paid them off the first year I was out of school.

Re: your family situation

Nursing school is very stressful. It's not like a regular program. There is just so much to learn. Lots of single moms go to nursing school, though, in part I think because the profession of nursing is so versatile. If your marriage dissolves, you will have a degree that allows you to make a very decent salary.

Re: CC vs BSN

There are a variety of reasons to choose one over the other. I went the CC route, here's why:

Cost:
CC was about $125 a credit hour cheaper than the cheapest, nearest in-state university. It was hundreds of dollars a credit hour cheaper than private schools and places like the University of Phoenix. This enabled me to only take out a minimum of student loans my first year of a 2 year program. My second year I didn't need any financial aid, I just wrote a check.

Flexibility:
While there is no personal flexibility within the program (you don't get to choose whether you take 6 or 10 hours of nursing classes, it is a set program that you take) the community college was much more nontraditional-student friendly than the university programs I looked at.

CC programs typically have 1-2 days of lecture, and 1-2 days of clinicals. For most of my education, I had one day of lecture a week (ALWAYS a Wednesday, from 8-3) and two days of clinicals per week (the date and time of these changed every 4-8 weeks, based on what we were studying).

The university was 5 days a week, like a regular class schedule. So on Monday you might have class from 8-10, 11-12, and 2-4:30. Tuesday maybe 10-12:30 and 1-3:30. Wednesday clinicals from 6:30am to 2:30 pm, and then class from 4-6. Yada, yada, yada. I would have had to go part time at work AND put my kids in daycare full time, because of the crazy schedule. Instead, I was able to work full time nights (I had to, I carry our health insurance), and my kids just went to a friends' house 3 times a week until dh got of work at 3.

It was rough, but it there was an end in sight, you know? I couldn't have done it indefinitely, but for two years, no problem. And I actually broke mine up. My program was a bilevel program. The first year was the LPN year, and the second was the RN. Everyone got their LPN, then the next year they got their RN. I took time off between LPN and RN years, to work and to let my kids grow up a little before I went back.

Re: MSN

Yes, many programs require work experience prior to getting your MSN, as they well should. MSNs are typically for teaching, administration, or nurse practitioners. I do not think it is appropriate for anyone to teach other nurses, be a unit director, or be a nurse practitioner without any nursing experience.

If you got your associate's degree in nursing at a community college, then you can enter an RN-MSN nursing program. Some of these are classroom based, some of them are on-line programs. I am going to an on-line RN-BSN program. I had to have one year of RN experience prior to applying to the actual school of nursing--but they had some nursing classes that didn't require acceptance to the nursing school as a prereq--so I took pathophysiology and nursing theory while getting that year of experience. I'm taking 2-5 hours a semester, nothing in the summer.

I won't get ANY immediate benefit from having my BSN--my hospital doesn't pay BSNs more than RNs, and there aren't any positions that require a BSN over an ASN. That said, in other facilities or institutions, a BSN is preferred. In my town, BSN is preferred to work at the health department, and it is *required* to work as a nurse in the school district. The university health clinic also gives heavy preference to BSNs. Certain administrative/indirect pt care positions--infectious disease, education, that sort of thing--within most facilities/organizations require a BSN as minimum. I enjoy working the floor right now, but in 20 years, I might not. I'm getting the BSN so that I can keep my options open.

Hope that helps.

 

[akayerich]

have you considered going for an LPN/LVN first? i don't know about where you live, but my LPN program was just 10 months long. it was a full time program, but you could probably work part time while going to school. or even work full time if you were really really motivated and could find the time. i've known quite a few nurses who go to school full time during the week, and then work double shifts on the weekends, as well as another 8 hour shift during the week. i could never do it, but i've seen it done a lot.
anyway,once you had the license, you could work as an LPN while working on your RN. you'd probably be making more money, so you could probably work less and focus more on the schoolwork. a lot of schools around here have LPN-to-RN programs where you get to skip a lot of prereqs if you already have your LPN, which shaves about a year or so off the RN program.

 

[bauchtanz]

I am not sure where you live, but right now most states are having HUGE waiting lists to get into nursing programs.
My SIL has been on a wait list for over a year, and it will be most likey be 1 more before she gets in.
THen, she has to do the classwork. SO, if this is a quick path to the "I am broke" then it may not work.

Anyway - for SIL by the time she is done with her electives, it will be time for her coursework, so, that is good. SHe hadn't been to school ever, but, is going back now with 2 small children.

THe good thing is that most of these programs are offered at night, so, for her, she has had very little childcare to pay for.

I considered going back to school to become a CNMW or a PA - but ended up getting a dream job in my feild instead.

 

[goodygumdrops]

wow thanks for the advice.

So, the cc is relatively close to my house and they do not have waiting list. I spoke to the advisor about it the other day...basically, they admit students by their pre-req gpa. I would have to take A&P 1&2, Chem for health sciences and maybe one other class.

As for the RN instead of the BSN, Im not really sure of the benefit of this. Even though my BA is an arts degree, I can still enter a MSN program with it so I dont necessarily see the benefit. However, I am going to research this more...

I'm sure Ill have more questions...thanks for the responses.

 

[Freefromitall]

our scool offers a part time RN (AD) program. It takes 4yrs instead of 2

 

[lorijds]

Just because you have a degree in another area does not mean you can enter an MSN degree without a BSN. You still need a BSN to do so. However, most programs offer an RN-MSN route, during which you get you fulfill your BSN requirements as well as your MSN requirements.

I, too, have my BA in another area. Doesn't matter one bit.

 

[BugMacGee]

There are programs where you can get a MSN with another degree. I have a BA in poli sci and I chose not to do the MSN program at my nursing school. I was accepted to another MSN program in another state that I also opted out of. Those took a couple semesters more and I just wanted to be done and working.

So they do exist, though you might have to dig around to find them.

I just wanted to add that I am a single mom and have found nursing to be a great career for me.

 

[marilynmama]

I to have seen a few programs where you can get a MSN (it kinda is a crash RN/MSN deal I think, from what I have read) for those who have a previous bachelors degree. I can't remember the name if the schools but maybe ask around on allnurses.com?

I would definitely look into a program like that if I were you!

I went with the BSN cause I wanted a bachelors degree (a bachelors degree has been a goal of mine for a very long time)---for me it has worked out well, I got tired/burnt out of the hospital VERY fast and my BSN opened doors for me.

 

[goodygumdrops]

I have been looking online and there is a program somewhat near that offers an RN to MSN for applicants holding degree in another field. I have been actually trying to decide if it would be worth it to go for the BSN but I dont think it will be in my situation. If I go to the CC near my home, I only need 3-4 classes for pre-req and I can apply to nursing school. If I go to the university, I need 10 class before I'm admitted to the BSN program.

From what I understand, there isnt a large pay difference between a BSN and RN. So, for me it seems like the better option would be the CC.

 

[BugMacGee]

CC would be a better value. You could start working more quickly. Some hospitals have tuition assistance if you want to get more education later.