i've decided to finally pursue my dream of becoming a nurse, and i'm very excited, and yet nervous.
after alot of research about the differences between lpn's & rn's, with regard to education, responsibilities, utilization, need, etc., i decided to just go for it and get my assoc degree at a cc in nursing (rn). i'll start out as a cna, as it's a requirement of the cc program, and this way i can start gaining experience.
all this excitment however, i'm hearing stories of it taking a long time for people to get in to the cc rn programs? especially at wake tech or durham tech. is this really true? are there really, really long waiting lists? i wonder if it's even possible to start my classes this fall? (i'll be done with my cna by may)
the other thing on my mind is, after receiving my cna and wanting to put it to work asap, i'm hoping i can find a decent job and quit my current job alltogether. i realize cna's don't make that much $$, but i'm hoping for the overtime pay, which i've seen is readily avalable in my area. after working as a cna at hopefully a hospital/ltc facility, etc., i'd like to start my rn classes knowing that (crosses fingers) i'd have a flexible schedule to help make this possible. i'd like to think that a healthcare employer would apprecaite my desire to further my education, right?
i've also found out that the rn program has quite a few of its classes available online, so maybe there's even more flexibility?
i have no kids, yet. and, my hubby will be a new emt by the time all this starts, so we'll both be in the medical profression working crazy hours. so my focus wouldn't be that interuppted.
so, my question (finally) is... does this sound like an ok plan? is it reasonable to think i can become an rn in two years while continuing to work as a f/t cna (2nd shift prob)? is it really hard to get into nursing school? are there ridicuously long waiting lists for the cc's in raleigh?
