Would you tell her NOT to try to be a nurse?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am really hoping everyone can give me some feedback to pass along to a very dear friend of mine. :o

I have a friend that has wanted to go into nursing for awhile but has only been able to do classes her and there while raising a family. Her husband was never too 'keen' on her going to school at all and thought going to nursing school was ultimately a waste of time. Well it looks like her marriage is coming to an end and her husband pretty much told her he is not going to support her(She is going to to through the courts but she is not holding her breath :mad: )

Well this weekend we were talking and she told me didn't really know what to do. She has the pre-reqs for an LPN programs completed and would be done with the RN pre-reqs if she did a summer session. The problem is that wait list here in Denver are extremely long and moving is not an option. I brought up going to a private/tech school but the price is just too much 40-60k

We were trying to through ideas around and I brought up being a Rad Tech she has enough credits to get into the program and could most likely get in this Fall. I felt bad telling her to look at other options but I am trying to be realistic in her situation.

Does anyone have any feedback about Rad Techs(I know this is a nursing board:uhoh3:) Also is it wrong to try to encourage her to look at other things.

TIA :redpinkhe

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I dont know about RAD techs except that the program at my CC is just as long if not longer than the RN program.

While it dosnt hurt to have your friend look at other options, if she has had her heart set on nursing why encourage her to persue a job that she dosnt want? :idea: I think that with most health care positions you shouldnt go in just for the money, you should want to do that chosen profesion and at times even if it is your chosen profesion you could end up unhappy with your job, why presue something you are not interested in?

Many many many single parents have made it through pre-reqs and nursing school:yeah:

I am a single mom and I am in the last 20 weeks of my RN program. I started talking about becoming a nurse after I had my first son, he will be 11 when I graduate, but I will be graduating and become a RN.

If your friend wants to become a nurse help her figure out ways to make it happen, the only way to get through is to have a support system.:heartbeat

just:twocents:

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This is kind of like saying, "The restaurant is out of roast beef. Is it wrong for me to tell her to order the chicken instead?" Eating a good meal is better than going hungry, even if it isn't what she originally had in mind.

You aren't telling her not to be a nurse right now. You're helping her to look at other options now that circumstances have shown her that getting into school for a reasonable amount of money is not practical at the moment. If being a radiation tech works for her and is something she can see herself doing, by all means, encourage her to check it out. Opening that door doesn't close the nursing door down the road. In fact, she may be able to get tuition assistance from her employer if/when she decides to pursue nursing.

She's blessed to have a friend looking out for her.

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Specializes in trauma, critical care.

I have been a nurse for a few years now, and, as a profession, it has given me everything I could have asked. If your friend has her heart set on nursing, give her encouragement to go for it. Others have attained the same goal under more trying conditions.

That being said, there is nothing wrong with pointing out alternatives. I have to admit, I am sometimes jealous of radiology techs (esp. MRI techs). It can be a good job. They are paid well and, in medical circles, are often quite well respected. Others may disagree, but it is worth pointing out that being a radiology tech is less physically demanding than being a bedside nurse -- I'm not saying its easy, but nursing can be deceptively physical. Also, there are fewer basic functions to worry about: baths, bowel movements, emesis, etc. Rad. technology is also a rapidly growing field.

You might also tell your friend about other allied health fields she might find rewarding such as: respiratory therapy, occupational therapy, or physical therapy.

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Considering your friend's dire non-income possible non-support situation-she should look at ALL promising opportunities-those that can be completed more quickly would be my choice IMO

otessa

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i dont know a thing about RAD...but your a great friend...encouraging her to keep her options open! thats wonderful...but if her Heart is set on nursing, can she possibly locate another nursing? also, sometimes the rumor mill will have us believe that waitlist are long..that may not be quite true! ...have u guys contacted the schools directly? OR are then any LPN programs that she can get into relatively quickly? research and weigh the options! good luck to your friend!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

has she thought about becoming a CNA? It is generally a 6-9 wk program, would provide a job to have while in nursing school and give her an idea if nursing is really for her. The pay isnt great but it is a job

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i dont know a thing about RAD...but your a great friend...encouraging her to keep her options open! thats wonderful...but if her Heart is set on nursing, can she possibly locate another nursing? also, sometimes the rumor mill will have us believe that waitlist are long..that may not be quite true! ...have u guys contacted the schools directly? OR are then any LPN programs that she can get into relatively quickly? research and weigh the options! good luck to your friend!

When I began thinking about nursing school, I had lots of naysayers telling me that the waiting lists were so long, it would be years before I could get in. I went ahead and took the pre-entrance exam and began taking my pre-reqs. My score on the exam was in the 99th percentile over-all, so that shot me to near the top of the list. My program also gave points for pre-reqs taken based on the grade earned. By the time the accepted applicants were chosen, I had something like 112 "points" out of 100. I got in right away.

The point is, if I had listened to every naysayer, I probably would have abandoned nursing school as a possibility. Your friend should find out more from the nursing programs in the area before taking someone's word for it.

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You know, I quite often ***** about nursing. However, without my ADN and being a single parent I'd be far worse off and I don't think I'd be able to have kept my house or standard of living without it. LPNs make around $18-22 per hour in the Denver area. It's not much, but enough to survive a divorce on.

Even if she is an LPN for three or four years before she does something else, it's better than not being qualified to do anything. Also, once she's in the field she might be able to make up her own mind.

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Specializes in cardiac.

Well I think that if she wants to go into nursing then she should go for it. Get on the wait list. If she wants to start with rad tech while waiting it might not be a bad idea. Then she would have her foot in the door at a hospital. Tell her to do the FASFA. Depending on the school, even private schools, offer great loans and grants and work study. I wouldn't rule out nursing until she has explored all the options to getting in a program and paying for it. Plus a lot of states offer scholarships through their health departments and so do schools!

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.

It may be easier for her to get into the Rad Tech program than into nursing and perhaps that field isn't so hard hit by this economy. Nothing wrong AT ALL with giving her alternatives especially since nursing schools these days have such lengthy wait lists and new grads have such difficulty landing jobs.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

You can help her with some options, but it's her decision. Time is going to pass whether she's on the wait list, or not. If it were me, I'd get on it and then, as another poster stated, get my CNA. Add to that, what another poster said, submit my FAFSA. Then I'd take whatever pre-reqs I had left and maybe a little something on the side, if I needed more credits to qualify for full-time status.

While I was doing all that, the clock would be ticking... and I'd be waiting... for what I wanted to do. Not what anybody else thinks would be best for me. Your friend's already had to live with what her husband wanted her to do. Now, it's her turn to do her life.

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