Financial Help

Jun 09, 2009 02:09 PM

by Spartacvs

HELP!!!!

Some background...
46 years old, head of household, 3 kids, wife, mortgage, 2 cars.
Commuted to work 2-1/2hrs each way for the past 20 years. I'm tired!!!
Was able to get a local job 15 minutes from home that allowed me to go to school.
Spent the last 2 years on pre-reqs and was accepted into the 2 year RN program at night.
GREAT!!!
I was just notified that the company I work for is going out of business at the end of the summer.
Not So Great.
It'll give me enough time to refinance my home that'll give me enough money to live on and go to school but nothing more.
My wife has been a stay at home mom. She left behind her career 18 years ago and now is desperately trying to find employment to no avail. The economy sux. btw

I'm basically putting my family in hock to finish what I've started and I'm looking for some leads to grants or some generous organizations that will help me and my family through the next couple of years while I go to school.

Thanks

Tasenhall · Jun 09, 2009, 02:30 PM

Re: Financial Help

Ok sir, I'm just a 19 year old punk nursing student and I don't know much...but I do know that some hopitals, or any place of employment do offer educational loan repayment programs if you work for them. So what this might mean is that you find one of these programs if available in your area, take school out on studen loan, and work for said job to pay back education....sorry it's all I got.

*CrufflerJJ* · Jun 09, 2009, 03:36 PM

Re: Financial Help

Not sure if it's a possibility for you (depending on whether you've got a prior Bachelors degree), but you might also consider an Accelerated nursing program. That way, you're only out of the workforce (HOPEFULLY!!!) for 1+ year, rather than 2+ with your current RN program.

Congrats to you, but ESPECIALLY to your wife for supporting you as you've worked on your nursing prereqs. It had to be a bit scary to dump 20 years of past work experience to jump into something new. It was for me.

Check out student loans through the school - check with their guidance counselors. Consider getting a part time job as a nursing aid (CNA) during school. That will bring in some bucks, help get you even more exhausted & sleep deprived (!), plus give you a "leg up" when it comes time to find your first job as a nurse.

I wish you & your family all the best!

locolorenzo22 · Jun 09, 2009, 04:53 PM

Re: Financial Help

i would do some google searching on male nursing scholarships, and I know J&J has a big push on male nursing education....so that may be a option. You may have to budget whatever you do, but just keep plugging away....you can do it!

CoarsegoldTom · Jun 10, 2009, 10:51 AM

Re: Financial Help

I did some similar searching last year when I was confronted with a similar situation. I didn't find a whole lot of aid specifically for men, but then maybe I'm not so great at bird dogging this type of info.

If you're a recognized minority of some type, I'm sure your financial aid counselor will have some suggestions. If worst comes to worst you might consider a slight detour: In California (and maybe your state) psych techs are licensed by the same board that licenses LVNs (aka LPNs). The first semester of the training is the same as RN and gets you a little further down the road. The program here completes in one year. The upside is that there are some pretty well-paid psych tech jobs, if you're willing to work with the nasties. In my area of California, an 18 y.o. high school graduate can walk into a program and 1 year later theres a job at a state facility for violent sexual offenders that pays $50k or so. Not for the faint of heart, but at least it gets you earning something pretty quick.

Best of Luck. I feel for you.

ZanatuBelmont · Jun 11, 2009, 03:17 AM

Re: Financial Help

Originally Posted by Spartacvs

HELP!!!!

Some background...
46 years old, head of household, 3 kids, wife, mortgage, 2 cars.
Commuted to work 2-1/2hrs each way for the past 20 years. I'm tired!!!
Was able to get a local job 15 minutes from home that allowed me to go to school.
Spent the last 2 years on pre-reqs and was accepted into the 2 year RN program at night.
GREAT!!!
I was just notified that the company I work for is going out of business at the end of the summer.
Not So Great.
It'll give me enough time to refinance my home that'll give me enough money to live on and go to school but nothing more.
My wife has been a stay at home mom. She left behind her career 18 years ago and now is desperately trying to find employment to no avail. The economy sux. btw

I'm basically putting my family in hock to finish what I've started and I'm looking for some leads to grants or some generous organizations that will help me and my family through the next couple of years while I go to school.

Thanks

I would take full advantage of the Stafford student loan program. You can receive around $10,000 per year assuming you haven't reached your limit and gone beyond your "Sophomore" lifetime limit. Accepting the full amount will allow you to somewhat offset your lost income. Also consider food stamps to cover your groceries. I would also search local grants, scholarships, anything you can apply for to help support you. Contact your school to inquire about any student assistance programs, such as gas mileage reimbursement, child care, work study, etc.

There are plenty of programs out there that, when added up, can more than satisfy your financial needs during school. And the great thing about having your RN is you can then work in "underserviced areas" and have up to 75% of your student loans "forgiven" by signing a two-year government contract.

avidhunter3 · Jun 29, 2009, 05:04 PM

Re: Financial Help

I can understand, the money situation. I will starting the LVN program in January and my husband will start it one year later. We have four kids, and we don't make a lot of money. I don't know what kind of work you do, but have you considered taking a quick CNA class? You can start work at a local hospital, which although not fun work, is great for experience and would actually help you through the nursing program. Also, once you have worked at the hospital for a certain time, they usually have a program where they will pay for your schooling if you committ to working for them after school. Not to mention, you can work two 12 or 16 hour days on the weekend and get a full weeks worth of pay, not to mention, you can usually find time to study in the downtimes if you work at night. Whatever you do, dont give up, if you think the economy is bad right now, thats the MAIN reason to make it work no matter what, because you will need your degree to fall back on when there is no other jobs around. At least with Medical, there is always a need, someone is ALWAYS sick!

CPhT2RNstudent · Jul 05, 2009, 01:26 PM

Re: Financial Help

Try to get a perkins loan. They are need based and only offered if you haven't gotten a bachelors degree yet. Did you fill out a fafsa and have it sent to your school? You can have your perkins forgiven over 5 years (never having to make a payment) working as a nurse.

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Financial Help

Financial Help

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