Still mulling this over...am scared half to death. Advice please.

Nursing Students LPN/LVN Students

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Specializes in MED SURG PACU ER TRAUMA ICU (ALL) BURN.

:uhoh21: LPN school starts in 2 weeks, give or take a few days. I applied in March, and spent the next couple months getting in 3 Reference Letters, an Essay, completing the NET (Nursing School Test) and entrance exams, had 2 interviews, immunizations, etc. Needless to say, when I received my acceptance letter, I was really excited. Orientation is scheduled for October 3rd. That's all fine and dandy, but now I am getting cold feet. I really like being a stay at home mom...it's a dream come true. Yet somehow, I feel unfulfilled. I know nursing would be a great profession because you can almost always find a job (at least once you acheive your RN (registered nurse) degree...but that is years down the road. LPN's primarily work for Home Health Agencies and Long Term Care Facilities, and they make pretty much what I could make now with my experience and Associates Degree in Business. (either in Accounting or as an Exec. Assistant, etc) I will have to get at least 20,000 in student loans to cover the cost of the program...and I have applied for another $6,000 in loans to cover part of the daycare costs (Trust me, @ $166 a week, for one child, the cost really adds up...when I add Jonathan in for before/after school care once I start my clinicals, the price will go up another $75 per week.) That is $26,000 in student loans for a job that can pay me what I could make now if I were to work outside the home, and I personally have no student loans for the time being. This is a HUGE investment. I am terrified at owing all this money and then having to work to pay off student loans and losing my chance to be a Stay at Home Mom forever. Part of me says, if I feel unfulfilled, just take a few classes at night or get a part time job on the weekends, etc. Still, getting accepted into the program wasn't a piece of cake, and I am afraid if I give up this opportunity, another chance might not come around for a long time, as the RN schools have waiting lists a couple years long and the LPN schools aren't much better. If I didn't begin LPN school in Oct...I think I would just get on the RN school waiting lists, and take my pre-requisite Anatomy and Physiology courses, another Chemistry, etc...and become a CNA to see how I like working with patients. Then I am only out a little money, and I am at least working towards my end goal of being an RN. (With LPN school, my plan was to work as an LPN for a couple years, and wait for an opening in the LPN to RN bridge program either now, or when we move again.) I'm so torn right now, and I admit I am having cold feet. My sister says "Jump right on in, and hope I swim instead of sink" and that "Nothing ventured, nothing gained". My mom basically says "Are you crazy!! That's alot of money to make $13-14 bucks an hour and if you have an opportunity to be a SAHM, you should enjoy it...if you feel unfulfilled, get a job for Pete's sake!"

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

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Sounds like you really do know what you want to do and are holding back because of the reactions of other people who don't have to give up staying at home and paying back ginormous loans.

If you put yourself on an RN waiting list and took pre-reqs in the meantime, you'd ease into your education at a pace that will still allow you to spend a lot of time with your son. By the time you're ready for school, he should be too.

Don't let others pressure you into or out of something that doesn't feel right in your gut.

I wish you wisdom.

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Specializes in MED SURG PACU ER TRAUMA ICU (ALL) BURN.

Shoot...sorry...I am signed in under my husband's ID. He has his BSN...lol.

I am DCONNORS....woopsy.

Thank you for wishing me wisdom. I need it!

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Specializes in Various.

Okay...here I am. Now I'm under the right ID.

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Okay...here I am. Now I'm under the right ID.

Dig deep into your heart. If you really want to be a nurse, there is no time like the present to start. I know the idea of having debt is scarry. You have to weigh out how much you want to be a nurse. If need be, you can work PRN on the weekends or work a couple of baylor shifts during the week. That will allow you to make decent money and still spend time with your child. I always wished I could be a stay at home mom but have never been able to. However, I am teaching my children that you need to work hard for something you want. To me, nursing is a career of sacrifice to others. I still have frequent guilt that I am taking away from my children. I really believe that nursing is my calling. You can be a wonderful mother but you also have to be true to yourself and your dreams. This has to be a decision only you can make. Don't let anyone stomp your dreams. I wish you luck in your decision.

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
I always wished I could be a stay at home mom but have never been able to. However, I am teaching my children that you need to work hard for something you want.

Same here. When my son turned 16 and got his driver's license, the first thing he wanted was a car. I said, OK, fine, but you are going to have to pay for it. He went to work at Wal-Mart on weekends and after school, and as soon as I had assurances from him that he was going to follow through on his promise to make the payments, insurance, etc., I signed the note on a new 1994 Cavalier. My family and co-workers thought I was crazy, putting that much responsibility on a boy his age. And when my ex-husband told me that I had "no business" doing it, I responded rather coldy that I didn't see him putting out any effort to help his own son get a car. Furthermore, I informed him that he hadn't been around for the past 15 years, and for him to shut up. He didn't say anything then, but called me back the following night and apologized. "You're right...I haven't been, have I?", he admitted.

Bingo.

It took five years for my son to pay the note off on that car, and as soon as I received the paid-off contract in the mail, I took him to our county's tag office and had the title put in his name. By this time he had married and become a new father, and I hugged him right then and there and told him how proud I was of him. I was also proud of myself, for my teaching early on had paid off. And it is still paying off today, for he has grown to be a

responsible and hard working father of three. :)

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

One thing about investing a great deal of time and money is that you will probably use that as an incentive not to fail. I was accepted into a program at my job where I was on a full time leave with pay for 2 and 1/2 years...I did not show up for one day, but I was paid. The glitch was that if we did not pass, we would have to pay back the tuition as well as our salary. That was enough incentive for me to make sure I studied my butt off. I am done, now, and working at my job as an LPN. Was worth it. Cold feet is natural, because this is the unknown. You will get used to all that is required to complete the program. Good luck!

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