Hi All! I have always wanted to become a rn. But the reality is I have 4 boys under the age of 6, a husband who is at work 6 days a week and I don't really have any support system other then my husband. I plan on talking with someone at the college soon but was hoping to post my thoughts and questions here first.
1.) How hard are the Prerequisites? - I wouldn't say I'm super smart, it would be horrible going into this when I could be out of my league.
2.) How many of those classes can be done online?
3.) What exactly happens in nursing school. Meaning is it more hands on work, book work or a mixture between the both?
I would really appreciate some answers and advice. Thanks so much!
I have 3 kids, under 3 and a husband who works all the time. I did 4 or 5 pre-reqs at a time, most online but a few science courses in person. You can one class at a time if you aren't I'm a hurry!
I agree with the above posters, just whittle at it little by little. My mom used to tell me "Ten years will go by whether you do something with it or not. At the end of the ten years you can be some place else, or you can be right where you are now." Start on the prereqs now, so that by the time your littlest one is in kindgergarten and your days are a little more free, you can start nursing school then. And many, many a mommy has made it through school with young kids. It's not easy, but it can be done. I have two boys, 6 and 4, who both have autism, and I'm starting school in June. But to answer your questions more specifically:
1) The prereqs depend on which program you are in but generally include your basic college gen ed like English, math, and humanities, along with science classes like microbiology and a full year of anatomy and physiology. Some programs require more than that so do some research and decide what program you want to go for FIRST so you do the right prereqs. Repeating classes because you took the wrong one sucks! As far as difficulty, it depends a lot on your study habits and your natural aptitude (everyone has subjects they do better in than others). The science classes can be intense, but if you study and master the material you will be fine. The prereqs will probably take you a year or so if you do them full-time, and maybe 2 or 3 if you do part-time, depending on how many credits you take each semester.
2) To my knowledge, all of the prereqs for the Maricopa nursing can be done online. Many, including the science courses, are available through Rio Salado. If you aren't familiar with online classes, they require a lot of organization and discipline to make sure you don't fall behind. I always found myself remembering that assignments were due two hours before the deadline - super stressful! Get a calendar and write down all the due dates and hang it in a place you can see it often. Without the constant reminder of having to go to class, it's easy to forget about.
3) I haven't officially started school yet, so I'm not the best person to answer this, but the nursing program has both a lecture portion and a hands-on skill portion, which consists of lab time where you work with simulated patients, and clinical time, where you work on actual patients. The program I'm in is divided up by blocks which are increasingly higher acuity. Block 1 is long-term care and community health, Block 2 is med-surg, Block 3 is OB and Peds, Block 4 is OR, ER, and psych...something like that. The way most schools do it is that you'll have the lecture portion of class at a regular time, say Mon, Tues, Wed, 8am to 2pm, and then have 8 or 10 hour clinicals on another day where you put your skills into action, following around a licensed RN. The other days you spend studying, and I hear there is a lot of material to cover, so you'll need to develop good study habits. That's about all I can tell you so far, lol. Ask me again in 6 months and I can probably tell you a whole lot more.
Maybe take the prerequisites now as your friend suggested and later you could complete nursing school once they are in school themselves. Once you are a working nurse you could work 3 days a week and have the other 4 with your kids. That's the main benefit of hospital nursing to me - the 4 days a week off. Other areas of nursing, like home health, generally offer 9-5 jobs if you want a more traditional schedule, however.
I have one boy that is 8, I could not imagine 4 under 6. I would wait until at least a couple of them are in school. Nursing school is extremely competitive and you need the best grades possible to get in. The way my schedule is set up I start my classes after my son goes to school, and finish before he gets out. I have several back up babysitters for when there are delays and school closings. It is tough. You could do one prereq at a time for now. I stayed home with my son until he was old enough for school and then decided to go back to school. I did not realize how much goes into it until I started. Nursing school is in the fall for me and I will have clinicals that cannot be missed and somedays I won't get out until 5. I made my ex understand this and he is going to rearrange his schedule to work with me. He also works lots and owns his own business. His work is one of the reasons we divorced. He never made time for his family. So it's completely up to you, but do what is best for you and your kids. Remember they are only this little once.
Wow, you ladies are awesome! Someone had asked me why not put my kids in day care? Even though I respect the woman who do that, it's not the best choice for me. I'd love to be a nurse, but love spending time with my kids more. Doing the prereqs little by little sounds like a great idea. That way when I have the kids in school I could commit to nursing school. Thank you everyone so much, I think you all gave me that boost I needed!
Girl, I totally hear ya! I have 3 girls under the age of 4, I took ALL my pre reqs online. I have 2 more to go and I start my accelerated 1 yr RN program in June. In total, the pre reqs are 9 classes and then 1 yr core RN. At the end of the program, I complete my associates and I get to take the NCLEX to become an RN. Since I dont have 4 years to go to school, I am going to a tech school and doing the RN bridge program. I didn't have to be an LPN to take this, I just had to pass my TEAs test to make sure I had the brains to just take the pre-reqs needed. At a community college, you will have to take a bunch of classes that you dont really need. However, it will be a hell of a lot cheaper. The career college i'm going to is expensive as all but i'll finish faster. us busy moms with kids and a husband.. its not easy! Good luck mama
I am in second semester of nursing school. I have 4 kids (teenagers and toddlers) and a husband who works all the time. It is possible to do it and still have time for your family! I am on financial aid, which pays for daycare for the semester for my youngest 2. I use my time while everyone is at school/work/daycare to study and I spend the evenings with my family. I LOVE this time to study. I usually get 1 or 2 days a week with no clinical, no class, and I use that time to study my behind off. (Not to mention that the only thing I hear for 8 hours is the fan going.)
Three of my children are in school, and the youngest (4) is in a daycare/preschool. I was a stay at home mom before I started school and I was hesitant about starting them in daycare as well, but they really got a jumpstart for school. My 4-year-old can read and they even know some spanish, not to mention the manners they were taught there. It really is a wonderful place.
I will be done with my ADN program next May and by that time my youngest will be going to Kindergarten.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that YES it can be done, and you might enjoy yourself along the way! So far I still have my A, so that's a good thing. You just have to know how to manage your time. Also, your husband might have to help on those long clinical days, which could be 12+ hours.
Most of the pre-reqs aren't that difficult. The one I had the hardest time with was A&P, but I took it over the summer, with Algebra. (Do not recommend). If you aren't ready for daycare, you can usually find night classes for most pre-reqs. It could take a couple years to get those out of the way, depending on how much you want to take on.
In the end, go with your gut. Don't put off doing what you want to do, besides, the earlier you get it done, the earlier you and your family can benefit from it!
amberdawn85
178 Posts
I have 3 kids, under 3 and a husband who works all the time. I did 4 or 5 pre-reqs at a time, most online but a few science courses in person. You can one class at a time if you aren't I'm a hurry!