Help! Advice needed

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I'm a social worker that decided to change careers to nursing. Prior to social work, I started my BSN in 2010 and decided at that time it wasn't for me even though I was getting all As and Bs. I was young (22) and had no experience in healthcare. Fast forward to 2018 and I decide to go back to get my BSN after working in hospitals and nursing homes and gaining more experience in healthcare. I get into my first school of choice for their evening/weekend program (I'm an adult with a FT job) and I did great the first semester (3.8 gpa). I ended up getting diagnosed with cancer right after my first semester and I spent the better part of 2019 doing treatments. I'm 4 months in remission now and I was going to go back to school in January after being off the year but cancer is expensive and I have so many bills to pay back that I cannot afford to go back right now let alone deal with the stress of a full time job, school, and scans every 3 months. My school is also 70 miles from me now because I had to move since losing my better paying job while going through cancer treatments. I love the school I'm at, but its not financially feasible to drive 70 miles 5 days a week (2 classes during week, friday clinical prep, and then sat and sun clinical). I want to take another year off until my life gets somewhat back to normal and I have more time in remission and then transfer to another program closer to home. I'm just worried that a school will see that I was in a nursing program twice and then decline me. My grades were good so that's not an issue. Do you think this is a real concern?

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

First, so happy you are in remission. Can you contact the school you were in and explain the circumstances and ask them if they would consider taking you back next year?

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9 hours ago, AnnieNP said:

First, so happy you are in remission. Can you contact the school you were in and explain the circumstances and ask them if they would consider taking you back next year?

I could... I'm just not sure I want to drive the 140 miles round trip to go when I can find a school that is closer. I'm just worried what other schools will think of me switching programs.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Lots of people switch programs. In your circumstances- it should not be a barrier at all. A pre-emptive call or letter to the Dean and admissions director might be a wise move.

Glad things are going well enough to be returning to school!

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