Advice on ADN vs finishing my BA and applying to an GE program

[leapfrog16]

Hi all,

I'm a little scattered. I have nearly enough (117 credits) to finish my BA degree in English with honors but I owe my university money (2700) and they won't release my diploma until I pay that off.

I've thought about nursing and med school both but have prerequisites done for neither.

I've considered:

1. attending the local comm. college and receiving Pell Grant money (I have not maxed out on Pell/Stafford/Perkins as most of my BA was paid for by scholarships) and taking the nursing prerequisites, and living small and taking the rest of the money from Pell and paying off the university (seriously the U won't let me register for more classes because I'm out of state; the comm college is letting me register plus they still have Perkins money left over for the year...trust me this is legit, I swear!) and also doing the ADN program here

2. attending the comm college and taking the premed classes and applying to med school (also using the leftover money to pay off my BA degree and graduate)

I have worked in a level II trauma center as a patient care tech, and also at a level I trauma center (which surprisingly wasn't as busy as the level II....hmmmm!) Anyway, I quit my tech job to go back to school and got a different job in public health which I then got laid off from because I can't afford to be a student at the university I was attending anymore--also our grant period ended and I was the last hired.

So I'm thinking. I want a job in healthcare, helping people. I like the hands-on skills that nursing has, but I don't like the cattyness (cattiness?) of certain nurses I've met. But I hate most medical residents because they seem to be kind of lacking in basic skills (like common sense--I worked at teaching hospitals) and because I don't really fit in with the "typical" pre-med (paid my own way--in a way I feel like I am too "practical" to go to med school and this is why I should go to nursing school)

The comm. college has a great nursing program. I would have to wait a couple semesters to start. The other option would be a year-and-a-half long program at the university, a graduate entry level master's, but it's really expensive (I don't know if I could qualify for the loans necessary if Stafford didn't cover the cost b/c I don't have great credit) and it's lock-step. I have had some health problems in the past that have prevented me from finishing school sooner (took some time off) and I don't want to stress things out (autoimmune) by taking 19-20 credits/semester and also trying to figure out how to pay for it.

Advice? How did you know you wanted to become a nurse?

I am also a writer and plan on doing an MFA program (quite possibly part-time while I'm in nursing school because the MFA for me is not a huge stressor); I have taken classes in the program I'm interested in already, and have written lots while also working full-time. I am applying for the MFA this fall for entrance Fall 2010, but I also might not get in because it's hugely competitive (best program in the country) and I'm not applying to other programs.

So in the end I'd be:

BA+MFA+ADN

or

BA+MFA+MD? or ADN+eventual MD?

I'm pretty young and I like to be in school (obviously!!) I think also nursing would probably offer me the flexibility of making a living and also writing, or doing other things (teaching at a university level in writing or nursing or medicine?)

I guess I'm not totally sure I'm up for the challenge of medical school yet, and want to get my bearings before I plunge in. The problem is that I don't know if I should take the premed classes this summer (chem I, bio I) or the nursing classes (a+p I, first aid, sociology, health skills, etc). I want to help people and like the hands-on of nursing--and I think that doctors don't get that as much. I don't know. Lol. Ideas? Personal experiences to share?

[Agrippa]

Well it seems as if you value other things in life - more creative things. If this is so, I think you should know that a medical career will take a big part of your life. Not saying that nursing wont, but its not like a medical career where you need to dedicate 4 years of school, 4 years of residency, and depending on what you want to do, fellowship, etc, maybe even more. I was in a similar situation. I decided to go the nursing route. I realized the reasons I would go MD vs nursing was more prestige and money. I realized that in the end, those things are not worth giving up the prime years of my adult life, time with family friends, time to myself, etc.

My advice, just take some time to be introspective and figure out what is important to you and your motivations for each option. Good luck.

Also, you dont need a MFA to be an artist, writer, or creative!

Just FYI - Also, if you get a BA, you are no longer eligible for Pell Grants, but you can still get Stafford loans.