Frustrated, need to vent.

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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I apologize in advance for the tone of this post, but I am in a really frustrated mood right now and need somewhere to vent. Any advice, words of encouragement, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

See, here's my situation. I'm really wanting to become a CNA. In the next few months, I'm planning to take training classes and hopefully obtain my certification. I've been preparing myself for it every day - studying, watching skill videos on YouTube, etc, etc. I love the idea of doing it - I love the idea of helping take care of sick, elderly people for a living and making their lives a little better. I'm also hoping it'll help prepare me for the nursing field and decide if that's what I really want to go into or not. I'm planning to work as a CNA for a few years, and then after I've saved up some money and have my own car, I might go back to school to become an RN if I decide I want to further my career/make more money.

Now, here's the problem. Due to my transportation issues, my schooling options are limited. I don't have my own car, the bus system here is ****-poor, and my husband works too much/is too exhausted when he comes home to give me rides anywhere. Due to this situation, any school that isn't within a certain-mile radius of my house is basically out of the question. For a while, I wasn't sure what to do about school given I just couldn't find out a feasible way to get back and forth, at least not until I have my own car and that probably won't be until years from now until we're financially stable enough for that to happen.

However, I stumbled upon a place called the Gretna Career College that is only 2 miles from my house and which I can easily get to with the bus. They offer a combined medical/assistant CNA training program where afterward I'll be eligible to take the CNA exam in my state. The only catch?

THE TUITION FOR THE PROGRAM IS OVER $12,000 DOLLARS!!!!!!!!

And that's not even including the cost for uniforms, books, lab fees, etc. etc. I'd really like to find a cheaper program if possible but it seems like this is the only place close by that offers CNA training. I checked to see if I could perhaps just take the CNA portion and then obtain my certification to lower the cost, since truth be told I'm not that interested in the MA option, but no, of course you can't do it that way - they have to drain you for every last penny.

There's just no way I can afford that kind of tuition without some kind of aid. However, I'm worried that I might not be eligible for aid, or that the aid might not fully cover the cost. Even though my husband makes $50k a year, there's still no way we can afford to pay out of pocket for school atm. We're too much in debt, not to mention our $1,600 a month mortgage, plenty of bills, hospital bills, groceries, etc. etc. It's just not feasible. However, I'm worried my husband's income alone might disqualify me, even though I'm still unable to pay for it due to all our other expenses. Not to mention, I've read that loans only cover up to $9,500 - which means I'd still be having to pay like $3,000 out of pocket. There's just no way we can afford to do that right now.

I did submit a FAFSA application today and I'm just praying that I'll be eligible for enough aid to cover most, if not all, the cost of tuition. It's just really frustrating, I want to attend this program and work as a CNA so badly but everything's just so hard when you have no car and no money. I have been wanting to go to school for years now, I hate to think that I might not be able to just because of a ridiculous tuition cost. I want to get on with my life already, I want to go to school, get a job, etc. I'm sick of sitting on my butt all day with nothing to do.

sorry for the long-winded rant but I really need to vent. I'm just hoping that there's some kind of solution to my problem.

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Well 12 grand is a lot of money but they are training you also as a medical assistant and that makes you employable. Most grants you get will not cover 100% of your schooling. Have you spoken to the schools financial department? Are there any long term care facilities that provide training classes? I bet you'd meet someone in your class that you could hitch a ride with if you kicked in for gas. Where there is a will there is a way. Don't give up.

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Thank you for your reply... I have not spoken to the school's financial aid department yet, but plan to whenever I go up there to apply. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there are any nearby LTC facilities that offer training - they require you to be already trained and certified.

And yeah, I'm trying not to give up or let things get me down too much. I'm just hoping I can get enough in grants/loans to cover most of the tuition. Another thing that makes it frustrating is that even if I am able to get a loan to cover it all, it's still going to take years to pay it off given that I won't make that much as a CNA. So it's probably going to be at least 10 years or so until I'm financially stable enough to afford my car and go back to school to get my ADN, and then I get to look forward to paying THOSE loans off... -_-

By the way, I'm curious - if the loans/grant don't cover it all and I DO have to pay some up front, how does that work exactly? Like, can I set up a plan to pay a little bit at a time, or am I required to pay for it all at once? Sorry if these questions seem stupid, but I've never attended school before so I don't know how these things work.

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I just did my FAFSA and I got the max on the Pell grant of 5500 and it said I was eligible for a student loan up to 9500. Since I don't plan to go back to school until next September I haven't looked into the payback on the loan. Depending on your state there may be other programs. I highly suggest making an appointment with the Fianancial Aid person. When you get your FAFSA email pay attention to the "EFC" number. The lower the number the more in grants you may be eligible for. Paying for the difference between the loans/grants and your contribution will depend upon the policies of the school.

If you take the MA/CNA class you will most likely make more as a MA. You could always get a job as a MA to help pay off your loan then switch to a CNA position.

Best of luck to you.

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I just did my FAFSA and I got the max on the Pell grant of 5500 and it said I was eligible for a student loan up to 9500. Since I don't plan to go back to school until next September I haven't looked into the payback on the loan. Depending on your state there may be other programs. I highly suggest making an appointment with the Fianancial Aid person. When you get your FAFSA email pay attention to the "EFC" number. The lower the number the more in grants you may be eligible for. Paying for the difference between the loans/grants and your contribution will depend upon the policies of the school.

If you take the MA/CNA class you will most likely make more as a MA. You could always get a job as a MA to help pay off your loan then switch to a CNA position.

Best of luck to you.

Thank you, and that does make me feel a little better. I was just really upset earlier because I am wanting this CNA training/certification so badly, but just worried things might not work out due to our financial situation. But I'll wait and see... maybe I can get enough in grants/loans to cover most if not all of the tuition.

I just really want to work as a CNA =) I love the idea of doing it. Altho if I have to work as an MA for a while to pay off my student loans, I'm willing to do that but the CNA is my real goal. Then I'm hoping one day later on down the line, I can go back to school and become either an RN or a vet tech, which is my dream. I just have to remind myself I don't have to rush things so much, it's never too late to go back to school. I've browsed these forums and seen people 50+ in nursing school for the first time. My main priority is just getting the CNA training/certification for now, then seeing where things take me from there.

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College loans are hard to come by these days. If you cant get money for the MA program then you may simply have no choice but to travel long distance to attend a CNA class. This may create hardship, but on the plus side there are usually CNA courses that are really short, like only a month long, so you wouldnt have to bite the bullet for long. Most CNA classes are like 2 months long, so even thats not too bad.

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Do everything within your power to not get any more in debt. It sucks the life out of life and makes a slave of us all. Pay cash or live without it. It makes married life too too hard.

Since your husband is well employed, maybe there is a medical facility you could volunteer at while you figure out the details of getting the training you need? Maybe that facility will assist you somehow as you become more familiar with the people that work there? (Connections rock.) Someone might even have a cheap clunker, but good, car that will give you wings?

Go slow, pray, stay debt-free as far as possible, and believe in yourself.

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