Newbie needs help finding nursing school

KELLYGIRL · Jan 29, 2003

I have not heard of any nursing schools with the schedule you would prefer. However, I do know that you should get all or most of your pre-reqs out of the way before you begin nursing school. :specs:

I was working as a general laborer in a plant and decided the next time I got laid-off was my chance to go to college.

Once I completed my pre-reqs, it was off to nursing school.

It is worth it. Trust me.

You may need to find another job to fit your schedule at school instead of vice-versa. Most of us have had to do that, quit work, work part-time, or PRN (as needed).

The question you should ask yourself is what is most important to you. Weigh out the pros and cons.

Let us know what you have decided. Good Luck!

KELLYGIRL

colleen10 · Jan 29, 2003

Hey there Jgg,

Welcome to the board.

I wanted to respond because I have been in a somewhat similar situation as you.

I used to do Recruiting and Marketing for an IT company and when the market went belly up so did the company. I was laid off along with 3/4 of the rest of the company. It took me 8 months to even get an interview for another job that pays less, uses less education and experience, etc. My advice to you is the IT business is extremely shakey right now, as it has been for the past couple years. If you are worried about loosing your job, try to be a little pro-active. Maybe start saving a little money or try to pay off any debts you have like CC, etc.

If you do loose your job and go on un-employment think about getting a part time job or seasonal work. This way, you will be able to collect some wages and part of your un-employment and the over all length of your un-employment will be extended. Therefore, buying you more time to find a suitable job. Many of the people that I was laid off with did this and they found it extremely helpful because some of them have been laid off for close to two years and still haven't found anything.

As for going back to school, I can see where the 11-7 shift would be difficult to work around, because most evening classes here in Pittsburgh, PA start at 5 or 6 at night. We have a lot of Evening-Weekend Nursing school programs, but most of the pre-requisites needed to start clinicals are not offered on the weekends. Only at night or during the day.

I would sit down with a school counselor and figure out what pre and co-requisites you will need for nursing. More than likely, you are going to need the basics like Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Psych, etc. Once you figure out what you are going to need, and you will more than likely need these no matter what school you go to, see if they offer any of the early AM perhaps before you are due in at work. Also, ask if any of the courses are offered over the internet or via video tape.

I wish there was more advice I could give but you really seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. You really need to start knocking away at those pre-requisites, even if you can get into one class for the summer or fall semester, you will still be ahead and feel like you are making some progress towards your goal.

One other thing I wanted to mention is if you get laid off you may want to think about volunteering at a hospital/LTC facility or perhaps going to get your CNA certification. That way you could work in an LTC and gain clinical experience. Also, some schools offer the CNA classes as a reduced rate if you are out of work, etc.

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you want.

Col

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 29, 2003

http://www.allnursingschools.com

wonderful site to find the school by state/location, type (4 year or 2 year or diploma), costs, and much more.

good luck.