[lillian83]

It has been 8 or 9 years since I have been in school and Im tring to decide If Nursing is for me. To be honest I'm not a good student and that is why I quit going in the past. I am married and have a small child at home and I dont work. My plan is to take 1 or 2 classes at a time even if it takes my 5 years to finish. I guess im just looking for advice on how the schooling really is. I dont want to start up and not finish. Thanks for your help.

Lillian

[papawjohn]

Hey Lillian

Having a baby and getting near 30 sure makes you think about your future in a new way don't it!! Whatever the cues might be for us, we've all run into it or will--that moment when big decisions get up in our faces.

There's lots of career fields in the world. Obviously we here like Nursing. But you should learn more about what Nurses do before you decide to become one. Could you take a CNA class and work a little part time to get a little taste of it before you start taking classes? Seems reasonable, ya know?

There are lots of ways to approach the NursingSchool mountain if you like what you see. You could start taking basic college courses that are also Pre-Reqs (Freshman English, Sociology). They are also Pre-Reqs for other job fields if it turns out you don't wanna go on the Nursing so your time won''t be wasted.

When you come to the tougher Pre NursingSchool courses, you'll have a decision to make. Anatomy & Physiology and MicroBiology are very dense, tough courses. (They serve a gate-keepers for NursingSchools, I think). You should expect to maybe repeat one of them to get the good grades and knowledge you want. No Shame in that!!

Alternatively, you could take an LPN course. That's a fine way to begin practice--they're certainly REAL NURSES in my book! You might find that's the profession you want and not need to tangle with tough college courses at all. (I'm assuming that college looks scary to you, eh?)

If you did decide to go on to RN, there are 'transition' programs up the WHAZOO to help you. And you'd have learned in a practical, hands-on way alot of the A&P and Micro subject matter so it wouldn't be a scary.

Best of Luck to you and your family!! Don't be afraid to start and keep on plugging away at it.

Yer PapawJohn

[USA987]

Welcome to the site. I was a stay-at-home mom for 4 yrs. when I decided to go to nursing school. It was tough, but I made it through with the help of a supportive family. Think about what a great role model you'll be for your children. I believe I was a much better student for waiting almost a decade to go to school.

Best Wishes

[Tweety]

Hi. Don't judge yourself as not being a good student by your past. But you are going to need determination and good study habits to make it through school. Good luck in whatever you do.

[Thunderwolf]

Sometimes the slow and easy path is the best for folks.
Don't knock yourself for it.

Welcome to allnurses!!!!!!!!!

[Student-2008]

Originally Posted by lillian83

It has been 8 or 9 years since I have been in school and Im tring to decide If Nursing is for me. To be honest I'm not a good student and that is why I quit going in the past. I am married and have a small child at home and I dont work. My plan is to take 1 or 2 classes at a time even if it takes my 5 years to finish. I guess im just looking for advice on how the schooling really is. I dont want to start up and not finish. Thanks for your help.

Lillian

I began college in the Fall of 2004...I had been out of school for 21 years...I didn't do well in school at all in the past but now I am doing great! I have never worked and have always stayed at home with my children but I have always wanted to be a nurse...So I am now in my second year of college and I love it...I didn't think that I would do well either but I finished my first semester with a GPA of 4.0 and my second with a 3.5....You can do it but you have to be dedicated...I took an on-line English 101 class that brought my GPA down to a 2.8 but I am taking it over this Fall and I refuse to be discouraged...If at first you don't succeed, try, try again...Good luck! You can do it if you want it bad enough!

[lillian83]

Originally Posted by USA987

Welcome to the site. I was a stay-at-home mom for 4 yrs. when I decided to go to nursing school. It was tough, but I made it through with the help of a supportive family. Think about what a great role model you'll be for your children. I believe I was a much better student for waiting almost a decade to go to school.

Best Wishes

I get choked up when I think about my daughter and making her proud of me. My husband is starting the Fire Academy in september so we both are really thinking about our family's future. Do you have any advice on becoming a LPN first and seeing if I want to persure further schooling to bocome a RN?

[BornRN]

Eight or nine years and a child can change our thoughts about where we want to be or what we want to be doing. Sometimes, just having a child makes us want to have a secure, good paying job to give a more comfortable life to that child (and oursleves).

Some words of advise: 1. If you know you were not a good student before, reflect on why. Ask yourself: Do I like to read? Do I understand what I read? Do I like math? Do I like science? What are the things that made a "not a good student" before. Do I know how to study? Did I spend too much time with friends and non-academic activities?
2. After you have reflected on these and have some ideas, you need to seek help on building yourself and you skills to being a good student. Most colleges have some department that can assist with building study skills, test taking hints, etc.

3. Nursing is a science based profession. So -- you need to like and do well in your sciences.

4. With the shortage in seats available in schools of nurisng, you need to excell in your academic studies. This means, in some places having a grade point average above 3.0 or 3.5 to get selected into the major.

I think your idea about taking one or two classes and getting back into the swing and learning how to be a "good student" is an excellent one. Be sure that you ask appropriate questions as you start this endeavor. Such as: what is the percentage of pre-nursing students that are accepted to nursing program.


BornRN