Any stay-at-home moms that went to nursing school and could offer some wisdom?

[Dkarj]

Dear All,

My wife has developed a passion for becoming a nurse, and we are in the process of delineating all of the necessities/repercussion of the process of getting an ADN/BSN.

We live in Massachusetts and there are some nice programs nearby but by far the biggest difficulty for us is imagining how to pay for prerequisites. I am a lecturer at a local university where she can take some of the prereqs but not all of them.

I'm so glad I stumbled into such a warm community and I hope that someone out there might be able to offer advice/encouragement or even reasonable discouragement if need be. My wife doesn't know I'm doing this but I am desperate to gain the perspective I need to help her though I am involved in my own issues/concerns at the moment.

I suppose my specific questions would be: 1) what cost-effective way is there to get the prereqs done? Are their loans/grants that cover these or do they usually only apply to the nursing program per se? 2) has anyone out there gone to nursing school and raised children (we have two)? Ought we to wait until they're both school age (one is 3.5 yrs old, the other is going into 2nd grade)? 3) What general tips/advice/mindblowingly helpful tidbits might be out there?

Thanks a million and sorry for such a vague and desperate post!

David

[mairose15]

My biggest tip would be a technical college. I got my ADN and only paid maybe $500/quarter (7quarters). I had 2 small kids. I also have a mother and mother-in-law close by who love spending time with their grandkids. They were a Godsend! Now that I'm working - 3 12hour shifts - I get to spend 4 days with my kids & 3 at my wonderful job. I couldn't be a happier person. I also recommend that you get used to not having the cleanest house or the laundry done everyday or dinner on the table when you get home...some things will have to wait! I wouldn't say it's for everyone but we made it work - I have an amazingly supportive husband, kids, sister, parents, in-laws and I never could have done it without them!!

[NeatNik]

I'm a mama to three kiddos {2,3, &6} and I just completed my ADN this May! I was in school full time for two years {it can be done}! With support from family, friends and a wonderful husband I was able to graduate with honors and am in the process of interviewing for jobs. Here are a few thoughts about being a SAHM and a nursing student.

• Look into community colleges for prereqs. Many schools offer a list of classes that will transfer into their nursing program.
  
  
• Fill out the FAFSA for federal student loans and grants. I'm not sure if there are specific loans for nursing students but I do know that several private banks that offer healthcare specific loans {Wells Fargo to be exact}. Scholarships are available as well. Many of the scholarships that I found require full-time status so I'm not sure if this would work for her prereqs.
  
  
• Find good reliable childcare for both classes and planned study time. Many states offer childcare assistance to moms who are returning to school check you local health and human services. With your youngest being so close to school age it may be wise to wait until he/she is in Kindergarten although before and after school care may be needed on days your wife has clinical.
  

Here are some things I was NOT prepared for when I went to school:

• How very tired I'd be at the end of the day. I'd want to play with my kiddos but often it took all my energy just to go to school, study, come home and make dinner. I felt very lonely and had little time for friends.
  
  
• Getting childcare when prelabing before clinicals.
  
  
• All the paperwork needed to prepare for clinicals {care plans, lab sheets, medication write-up ect...
  

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All in all I survived. I'm glad I went to nursing school and am excited to start a career. I'm planning on not working full time mainly because I just miss my friends and family! Hope this helps. Good luck to you :)