How many classes are mom's taking at once?

jjamfam · Nov 13, 2009

Hi I am a single mother to a 6 year old. I am hoping in Jan to start my pre reqs!! I am so worried I wont have any time with my lil boy after work and studying. How is A&P 1? Do you study 24/7? I know i didnt answer you ? but I would like to see how you manage school and kids.

Thanks

freesia29, ASN, RN · Nov 13, 2009

My kids are both in school, the 4 year old in preschool, so I try to get most of my studying done while they are in school themselves, as well as the classes...I take the ones that are the same time they are in school. So far it has worked out.

I study before bed, once they are in bed, and on the weekends , especially before an exam, DH will take them out for a few hours so I can have quiet time to study.

I think A&P 1 may be harder for me....it's harder for me to memorize.....I think the physiology part of it, now we are doing the nervous system and then endocrine system....seems to be easier for me....so I am hoping A&P 2 will be easier now that the memorizing of bones and muscles is out of the way.

Before I started it, I picked up A&P for Dummies and read that a couple of times...I think that is helpful too....just to give you a general overview, in layman's terms before hitting the heavy duty textbook. It was well worth the $10 for it! LOL!

Readyforthenextstep · Nov 13, 2009

I have a 2 and 4 year old taking A&P1 and Psy 202. It 's tough with no family around and I have the kids all day long with me and DH works 60h a week as well. I wish I had waited until they both go to school because I am exhausted and I could use way more time to study. I am not too bad but this semester is the worst so far.

Chris99mu · Nov 13, 2009

I have 2 kids, ages 3 and 5 plus I watch another baby full time. My husband works 6 days a week, 80+ hours a week (and he is NOT a doctor or lawyer :cry: ) My mom is close by but only watches them when I have no babysitter to attend my class.

This summer I took 3 classes - 2 online and 1 on campus. I got all A's, but they were nutrition, development, and ethics.

This fall I am taking a repeat computer class online and A & P I on campus at night (MW). The comp class I am getting an A in, A & P....not so much. I probably have more time to study then I truthfully tell myself. But after chasing three kids, at the end of the day, I just want to go to bed.

In the spring I will take A & P II and that is probably it. I might not even have the baby, but since I can only take night classes, I simply cant pay a babysitter 4 nights a week in order to get Mirco done. So that will have to wait for summer.

I am hoping to get into Nursing fall of '10. But by that point, I definitely will not have the baby and both of my kids will be in school full time, even if I have to pay for my 4 year old. At that point, school WILL be my full time job. But then again, that's *IF* I get in....Big "if".....

Christina

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Nov 14, 2009

When I was first doing my pre reqs my college did quarters not semesters, I had 3 kids and I was taking between 15-20 credits a quarter.

I am in my first semester of nursing school now and now have 4 kids and I have no say so in how many credits I take, 14 credits, next semester is 16 and we have clinicals on top of that.

I had all Pre Req and Co Req classes done so now I only have to take the core Nursing classes.

Strwbrywne · Nov 14, 2009

Looks like a lot of us mom's are in the same situation. My hubs works 60+ hours a week and is rarely home in the evenings. I have a 5yo in kindergarten and a 3 year old who attends preschool 2 days a week. It's been tough to juggle classes around my husbands schedule. I've found the online classes have helped. I think having online access to your professor and fellow classmates, makes it so much easier to learn. I can just hop online and post a question. The professor is logged on every evening, so you can have a live chat with her. So much easier than meeting at lecture because I have quick access to answers as I am reading the material. I am taking A&P I online this semester, but have to go to the campus 1 day week for the lab portion.

Somehow it has worked itself out. I just keep telling myself I want this so bad, I will sacrifice to make it happen. I do not get study time while chasing my 3 yo all day! I WISH I could sit her in front of the t.v., but it never happens. I get most of my study time in after they are in bed. (Many of pot of coffee at midnight!) I also meet a study partner on Monday's for 3 hours. It's the one day through the week that husband is off and I schedule that time. If there is any advice, I would DEFINITLEY say make a schedule of your week and stick to study times. While my daughter is at pre-school, I use that time to study as well. I don't feel like my kids are missing out, because I make sure to plan crafts and together time with them too. Even if it is spending 30 minutes before bed reading or playing a board game, I know I am giving them attention and they feel loved.

My Spring semester will be A&P II and Mircro- both online for lecture and will have to travel 2 days a week for the labs. I am scared out of my mind! I have my eyes on the big prize.....come May I can apply to clinicals. From Jan-May, I will live and breath Mircro and A&P II......gotta doit, gotta doit! Keep a positive mind and you can accomplish!!!

Squirmy McCoy · Nov 14, 2009

I have a two year old and an 11 year old. I am going to be taking 4 classes in the spring, but only one is a full semester class - chemistry. The other three are compressed and all online and they're staggered as to when they start - one in Jan, one in Feb, one in March. I work full time as well, so I'm hoping that the compression will help with my school workload. My mother in law has promised to help with the kids since my husband wants to go back to school, too. It's going to be a hectic couple of years, but it will be worth it! :)

freesia29, ASN, RN · Nov 14, 2009

MI VIDA LOCA....

Since it sounds like you are in the nursing program already full days....how do you manage? Do you have a paid babysitter? Does DH help out?

I am trying to figure out once I am in...and not able to choose my schedule, what we will have to set up.....I cringe at the thought of paying $10 per hour for babysitters...that is what they run here for 2 kids......or is it cheaper to hire someone on a weekly basis, 5 days per week nanny? The time is flying by faster than I realized...I could be in the program as early as September...

Thanks!

Jill2010 · Nov 14, 2009

I am a mom to three sons ages 10, 5 and 4. Currently I am about to finish my second semester of an ADN program (I'll graduate next Dec). In addition I work part-time and my husband (who just returned from a one year deployment) and I are separated. I love nursing school (even though it is a challenge!) and work as a PCA at my local hospital. I know it will be SO worth it when I finish! It definitely CAN be done!! You just have to make up your mind that you are going to do it and stick with that. As far as child care, I am very fortunate to have family near by to help me with my boys, and hire a babysitter when necessary.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Nov 14, 2009

MI VIDA LOCA....
Since it sounds like you are in the nursing program already full days....how do you manage? Do you have a paid babysitter? Does DH help out?
I am trying to figure out once I am in...and not able to choose my schedule, what we will have to set up.....I cringe at the thought of paying $10 per hour for babysitters...that is what they run here for 2 kids......or is it cheaper to hire someone on a weekly basis, 5 days per week nanny? The time is flying by faster than I realized...I could be in the program as early as September...
Thanks!

My 3 boys are in school full time so I only have my daughter to worry about, when the boys don't have school and I do my oldest babysits them, my daughter is 2.5. I have no friends or family close by to help out, my friends are in school with me or live far away and have jobs. My husband isn't much of a help but better then nothing, he goes to work out of state though for 5 months out of the year, he will be leaving after Thanksgiving again and will be back home in May (with visits in the mean time) I was looking into a nanny and stuff but the thing is, if they get sick or something then I would be screwed. So I enrolled her into a really good daycare/pre school/ private school. I really like it, it's called The Primrose School. The going rate for childcare here for 2 year olds is 220-250 a week. Hers is 250 a week until she is 3 and then it will drop down to 198. This is where most of my student loans go. As soon as my school money came in I paid off the whole semester of day care so that I didn't have to use that money for an emergyncy or something later on and then stuck not being able to pay for her day care. Her school is open from 6:30-6:30 so it fits within my school time and I don't have to worry about a teacher being sick and the day care being shut down and the only days her school is closed is on federal holidays when my school is closed also.

I am in my first semester of Nursing School and my schedule varies day to day, it's not like a strict 8-5 majority of days we are done no later then 3, very rarely are we there until 4-5 some days we start at 8 and some days 10. So what I do and what has worked for me is I keep my daughter on her same routine, everyday I get up at the same time regardless of when school starts, I have her to school by 7:30 (on clinical days my husband had to take her because our clinicals were once a week from 6-2:30 so before her daycare happened) clinicals are done now for the semester and next semester when my husband is gone we are at the hospitals for our clinicals and they start at 7 for day and their is an evening option clinical as well. Anyway, so I get her to school and I go to school and study if I don't have class, if we have an hour or two between classes I will usually go out to lunch with nursing school friends or study as well. I keep my daughter in a consistant schedule no matter what my schedule is. I usually pick her up around 4-4:30 every day.

Some things make me nervous for next semester when my husband is gone that I just sort of went through. I got the swine flu and was sick but it wasn't to bad, the nice thing actually is since her school is paid for I could take her to school and I could go home and rest. Well the next week she got it. Obviously she can't go to school when she is sick and I had mandatory days at school that I can't miss or I will be dismissed from the program so my husband had to stay home with her. She was sick on a Friday afternoon so I thought she would be ok by that Monday but she wasn't. Finally by wendesday I took her to urgent care and she got a secondary infection from the swine flu. So anyway it wasn't until Thursday she could go back to school. This obviously got me thinking about next semester when my husband is gone. I mean hopefully now that she has gotten sick she is good for the season but still, I need to come up with a back up plan. I was thinking of finding someone that I can call in an emergyncy like that. Or worst case scenario if it is a mandatory day for me I would keep my oldest son home from school and have him watch her. It's not ideal but neither is me getting kicked out of school.

My other obstical is clinicals next semester. They will be 3 days a week and at the hospitals (first semester was in a nursing home). Well they're at 1 of 4 places, we put our preference of where we want to go 1st and 2nd choice. But that is not guranteed. My first choice would be my best bet obviously, my second choice is less ideal. It would be evenings and I would have my oldest son baby sit and pay him. But it will be hard on him I am sure. If I get put at option 3 or 4 then I don't know what I will do and I am trying not to worry about it until I know where am at. They are further away from my house and with her school opening at 6:30 it wouldn't give me time to drop her off and make it to clincials by 7 (really 6:45 because they want you to show up 10-15 mins early) but again, I will worry about this when I know for sure where I will be.

It isn't easy when you have kids, especially when you are a single mom (like I am 5 months of the 9 month school year) but if you are determined and motivated it can be done.

I started my Pre Reqs in 2004. I got on the wait list for nursing school March 2006 (my school was waitlist not competitive they are switching to competitive though) and I just started nursing school in August of this year.

During that time I have run in to many roadblocks and was so tempted to give up so many time, but I just kept focusing on my goal of becoming a nurse and what that meant for me and my future and I kept pushing through. Now I am almost done with my first semester of nursing school, I am doing well and I have 3 semesters left.

Stay positive and tell yourself I CAN DO THIS and I WILL DO THIS and take each obstical as a challenge and think through it. Nursing is all about critical thinking and priorities. You walk into your patient room to give him his meds and you find him laying down struggling to breath, do you panic and leave, do you give him the meds and let someone know, do you immediatly sit him up and get him some oxygen and call for help. It's all about critical thinking and you must do this in your real life as well.

There is a motto in nursing school, Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming.

It's true.

I hope this helps and good luck to you all. If you have any questions feel free to ask.