My master plan... Can it work??? (kinda long..sorry!!)

U.S.A. Texas

Published

Hello all!

Ok so here's my plan... Wait let me give you some back story first. I live in Austin and our middle daughter was a 29 weeker severely IUGR. She spent 3 & 1/2 months @ Seton and was sooo well taken care of & loved that I realized the NICU was calling me and that I want to do what the nurses & CA's did for me for another family going through such a stressful situation. So 2 years later she's doing great & I'm ready to leave my full time job to take a MAJOR pay cut and be a CA (well that's IF I can get hired! I've been talking to the hiring coordinator for 4 months now with nothing to show for it:o ) so that I can pursue my ADN @ Temple College. (instead of ACC & it's big looooooong wait list)

My plan is to work somewhat full time as a CA at night (3 12's preferably) so that I can take care of my girls during the day/week (7,2 &10 months) while taking A & P I & Intro to Psych (my only pre-reqs). I'd get help while I'm in class so that's not a problem I just don't know if I can get a loan big enough to cover our house payment & bills while I'm in school so I would really like to have some kind of income, plus working as a CA would be invaluable experince no matter what unit (I'm willing to learn anything if it can get me closer to my goal) Anyway I'd only go full time until the nursing program started (if I got in of course) and the just go PRN so that I could still get to know more. Anyone have any advice? Not only on if this will work, but how to get into Seton as a CA? I've made it clear (I think) that I would be willing to go to ANY unit so I don't understand why no results I'm a good person I promise!) I wouldn't be able to start now until January due to xmas traveling.... but it's almost the middle of December & for this to work for the most part I feel like I need to have a job already lined up... I was told that the tele manager would like to meet me but that was almost 2 weeks ago... help please!! :selfbonk: Is this a lost cause??

Thanks in advance!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ok so I'm desparate - any help would be greatly apprecited - I don't know what to do if I don't get a night job & I know that if I stick with my job now I'll get too comfortable with the pay & never leave - so now's my chance... anyone have any advice?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hey! I'm sort of in the same boat as you are. I'm currently in the program at ACC and I am also attempting to get a CA position at Seton. I've been in contact with someone there for a week, but so far, nothing has progressed. I had finals this week so I plan to aggressively start pursuing things later in the week. I'm not nearly as flexible as you are, I only want to work 1 or 2 12 hour shifts and I'm very, very specific as to department, we can compare notes if you'd like.

Anyway, you know about TX State opening on 1431 right? I think they are supposed to offer a nursing curriculum too, you may want to see if you can find out what that's all about.

Feel free to email me if I can help you in any way.

Amanda

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My advice in regards to your job would be this: don't take the pay cut yet. WHile you're doing pre-req's you can work around your work schedule. Once you're in your program and understand the time commitment, then quit your job and begin working part time as a CA. You'll have plenty of time to gain that experience (yes, CA experience is very, very valuable, but it's not like you can't succeed without it) and there is no point in strapping yourself financially until you really need to. Just my 2 cents!

Amanda

Up Vote Up Vote ×

your master plan can work, depending on what they want, but do you not have a second plan? if you have to take student loans, that is not the greatest, but may be the only way...I worked at the state school in san angelo and took out two small loans while I went, but i did get through, thank goodness...just keep trying, as nursing is a calling (yea yea, it is a profession,but I think that the only good nurses are called to it, as you seem to be hearing) and you will make it. If I can help, even if it is doing nothing more than cheerleading, Ill do it...go girl...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Do not quit your current job until your prerequisite classes are completed AND you have been definitely accepted into a nursing program. Also, do you have proper childcare arrangements if you're asked to do a nursing clinical rotation at the odd hours of the night? While in nursing school I sometimes had to attend clinical rotations that were from 3pm to 11:30pm Monday through Wednesday and classroom on Thursday and Friday from 8:30am to 3pm.

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I was getting worried everyone was going to tell me that I'm crazy for trying to go about getting an RN this way. :rotfl: Ok so I don't think I can work at my current job, I've been there for 3 years & it's very much a stale job, doing the exact same thing and numbing my brain whit little room to advance, plus it's very hard to go to school in my department, the people that have (2) were already going to school before they started and were lucky enough to almost be done (it helped that they either have no kids or had a spouse that took on more responsibility) and they were going to school for communication/advertising. Sooo much different from A & P, Micro etc... One of my friends even didn't get hired for the same position that I have because she had to have a different schedule because of classes, she was finally able to move over because she went down to only 1 night class. And I know that it would be too much of a stretch to try & take A & P, work a full 40 hour desk job & take care of 3 kids, asnd my hubby is gone 3 nights a week so there is too much room for distraction. And I want to give my all because I want this sooo much.

As far as child care - my mom has been watching my girls for the past 2 years because the NNP that worked with us in the NICU always let us know that our preemie should try & stay away from day care as long as possible. More than anything I want to give my mom a break as she has been the best ever (taking care of my girls AND working full time/nights) I couldn't be more blessed. But she's retiring early and will be able to watch the girls when I will actually be in the ADN program (which would be no sooner than August 06). Plus by then they should all be in some kind of school or pre-school. Even if it takes a while to get in I just really want to get started already. The pay cut isn't too terrible because it would mean being somewhere I want to be and I'm willing to make that sacrifice before I get sucked in by the pay of my current job and never leave. I'm going to the fin aid office today - I'm not afraid of taking out a big enough loan (I still have 16K left to pay off from my BA- yikes) I'm just afraid that I won't be awarded enough. I'm not really concerned with the debt because it will be worth it in the end.

I guess my back up plan is that I stay at my current job but I just take every non science class the program required because it would be too much for me to try the sciences & work, thus I can't apply until the spring of 07 and quit then. I can't think of anything else - all of the science classes I would rather take in a classroom setting so that I learn more (I'm a kinetic learner) and to do that I'd have to have more time available for studying. I took intro to genetics thru UT distance my senior year of college with only a waitressing job & one kiddo & it nearly knocked me off my feet!:chuckle

Thanks everyone for your advice - I truly appreciate it - if there's any more feel free to keep it coming!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well, it definitely sounds like you want it badly enough. You'll make it!

Amanda

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment