Hello nurses and nursing students! I was hoping you could please help me out.
About me: I am in Atlanta, Georgia. I am about to finalize my divorce, and I will be a single mom of one. I have no degree and no career training.
My goal is to become an RN, but I also need to start bringing in income as soon as possible. What is the smartest way to do this? Become a medical assistant or something similar, start working, and take courses slowly to progress to LPN or LVN, work at that level, while I continue to hack away at the courses to become an RN? Please forgive my ignorance, I really have no understanding of this process. What is the fastest certification or training I can do (nursing assistant? medical assistant? I really have no idea!) that is on the track to getting my RN, but I can start working quickly?
Sorry for the ignorance again, I know I want to be a nurse for the job security, it matches my personality and personal strengths, I just don't know the best way to go about this.
Check out the ultrasound tech program at your local community college. It is a short program and starting pay is as good or better than RN, plus working conditions are much better and you could actually have your weekends and holidays off! Seriously, why don't more people check this out instead of everyone jumping on the nursing bandwagon. There are better jobs out there.
Because nursing has MANY avenues for advancement and opportunities for furthering one's education whereas being an ultrasound tech doesn't. As a nurse, one can work in many different settings in many different roles, and go to grad school for even more options. As an ultrasound tech, you're basically a trade profession ('tech') with very little room for advancement.
This is what i did. Got my CNA license and worked home health. Worked over time and a lot of it. Put back all of my OT into a savings account. Did all of the LPN pre reqs online. Started LPN school and worked on tje weekends. 11Months no days off. Went back to school for BSN. I moved to Dallas. Was wait listed for nursing school. I have a GPA 4.0 Cum Laude and still wait listed. Enrolled with Excelsior bridge. I finished all of the exams in less than 6 months. Waiting on my test date as we speak.
I agree with the advice to start as a CNA. There are many opportunities for CNA jobs with flexible shifts and overtime if you want the money. You might not be able to at first, but eventually you might get a CNA job that has tuition assistance for their employees going to nursing school, so that would be helpful. Just plug away at the classes you need to get into a nursing program and then when that happens continue to plug away at those classes. With dedication and organization, you can do it :)
I think the OP has decent job prospects. My experience with Georgia was that it was pretty easy to get a job there. Atlanta itself may be a little tougher (though I know a ton of new grads that got hired in Atlanta with absolutely no connections to any Atlanta-area hospitals), but OP should have no problems in any of the outlying cities around Atlanta.
Here in Florida, I was able to take a course for CNA in three days (Friday Saturday and Sunday). A month later i received a letter letting me know when the test would be and at what time. I passed the test on that day. The cost of the program was about $250, plus the fee of the exam, it all came down to about $400 I believe. I was never able to get a job, everyone wants experience but I didn't have any. Not to discourage you because I honestly could have tried harder, I just didn't because the one place that did call me back wanted to pay me 8.00 an hour, and I make 9.75 as a cashier at Publix, with a .25 raise every 6 months. I know as a CNA, I would have gotten more experience but because of my classes, and all my bills, I decided to keep Publix as my source of income. I am starting nursing school in 2 months and I admire you for what you are trying to do. Keep in mind that if you do work as a cna, you will open a lot of doors for yourself. If you do get paid a low salary, you can use that to your advantage for when you apply to financial aid. There are also scholarships you can find online for single mothers trying to get through nursing school or start. I would honestly go to the school first, find out how much the program costs, how they can work with you, find out if they have free childcare as some colleges and unversities do. Find out how being a single mother can let you get some extra help. Don't narrow down your options to just one school, look for information online about all the schools offering that program. In florida, you don't need to be a CNA to be a nurse or part of the RN program, BUT you do need in some schools a certificate equivalent to it, just not a license. I got that waived because I do have my CNA license. Find all that info out, and most importantly don't lose hope. It will be hard, but remember that you will be doing this for yourself and for your child! Best of luck xoxo
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Not to rain on your parade, but RN jobs are kind of hard to get these days. Why are you choosing Nursing? Is it something you've always wanted?
Not to be nosy or too personal, but is there any chance your marriage can be saved?
I do wish you all the best.
It depends where she lives.
Like I stated there are RN jobs with sign on bonuses. I know most job markets for nurses are bleak & dismal but there are areas of the state where generally, no one wants to live & that's where the jobs are.
My CNA course was a month. I was there 5 days a week. It may be tough if you have a small child and need child care. Nursing home is always hiring CNAs. I got my first job 2 weeks after I was certified.
There are different shift options, so theoretically you can work full time as a CNA for the first 6-12 months and then gradually drop to part time when you take prerequisite and later enter nursing school. Apply to nursing school when you complete all your prerequisites and your supervisor can write you recommendation letters. If you have no previous college degree, most BSN programs take 4 years to complete. If this route is too long and you need money sooner rather than later, consider an associate degree. Many community colleges offer ASN and you can finish those in 2-3 years while still working 30-40 hours a week. Things will get tough when you do clinical. Child care, study time, stress from school and clinical sites, so make sure you have a good support system for both you and your child. Maybe join a single mother group, maybe talk to your classmates who may also be a single mom. Apply for scholarship for school. If you do find a CNA job in a hospital, they would usually cover part of your nursing school tuition. Also, working in a hospital as a CNA boosters your chance of getting hired as a RN there. Most hospitals require a BSN in my state. I don't know what's the situation in your state. If you are going the ASN route, make sure you apply to a BSN program when you find your first RN job. Some programs allow you take classes online so you don't have to attend a school for your BSN. If you want to keep going, get a NP when you have more time and experience. I know a lady who went from CNA to ASN to BSN to NP. Good luck!
sjalv
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Because nursing has MANY avenues for advancement and opportunities for furthering one's education whereas being an ultrasound tech doesn't. As a nurse, one can work in many different settings in many different roles, and go to grad school for even more options. As an ultrasound tech, you're basically a trade profession ('tech') with very little room for advancement.