Is nursing school realistic

idkmybffjill · Feb 26, 2018

Have you considered maybe taking one of the classes while continuing to work at your federal job? That way, you can get an idea of if the classes are something you can and are willing to take. You could probably find a local college that has one of the courses as a night class or, less commonly, a weekend class. I'm not sure I'd quit my stable job that has retirement without knowing that I was able to handle nursing/pre-nursing classes and that it was definitely the right path for me.

And is there not some type of tuition reimbursement at your job? Is there a way to get them to consider letting you take the courses and then take a federal job as L&D nurse and be able to keep your 8 years?

araew2129, ADN · Feb 26, 2018

I would definitely enroll in a prerequisite class while working and see how it goes. I am switching careers from my state job in social work to go into nursing and was also worried about being able to learn all the science and math. But I am doing just fine! Maybe you will find it does suit you after all.

MeAnurse? · Feb 26, 2018

Thanks for responding. I think I will try to get into some evening classes this summer and maybe even a CNA class. My local community college requires that before applying to nursing anyway. I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon. I just hope I can make it through the math and science classes with decent grades the nursing program here is very competitive.

monkeyshines, ASN · Feb 26, 2018

Hey, also a federal employee here (10 years) and working toward changing my career to nursing. I think I'm crazy sometimes for considering giving up the excellent benefits, but I'm honestly tired of my job, and working for the feds is not as stable as it might once have been. I'm currently doing prereqs in my spare time and I absolutely LOVE it. I'm so much more focused this time around, and I think it's helped me decide that I absolutely want to go down this path. Definitely try some prereqs if you can. Community college is pretty cheap, and online classes and night/weekend labs work out pretty well.

araew2129, ADN · Feb 26, 2018

Thanks for responding. I think I will try to get into some evening classes this summer and maybe even a CNA class. My local community college requires that before applying to nursing anyway. I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon. I just hope I can make it through the math and science classes with decent grades the nursing program here is very competitive.

Just a bit of advice... start with an easier course if you are doing a summer class as they are condensed. The first prerequisite i completed was nutrition over the summer :)

MeAnurse? · Feb 26, 2018

Were you able to get any tuition assistance?

araew2129, ADN · Feb 27, 2018

As I already have an undergrad degree in social work I was not. If you dint have one, then you probably will be able to. Either way, community college is usually very affordable and if you start one class at a time it most likely wont be too cost prohibitive. My nutrition class was less then $300 total (including renting the book from amazon).

Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN · Feb 27, 2018

I would suggest taking your pre-reqs via a local community college to see if it's going to work for you. Check out which classes are required for entry into the nursing school you hope to attend. Most community colleges will also have placement testing for core classes (math and English etc) so hopefully you will get a decent idea of where you're at with your math.

To keep you current income, I would suggest taking as many classes as you can either online or during the evening or weekend. If you can pull your transcripts, have the nursing advisor at the school take a look to see which classes will transfer over. Some colleges accept classes from many years ago, other colleges will expect your sciences (for example) to be no more than 3 years old, or whatever. Every nursing school is different, so you need to find out exactly what your local college requires.

Once you have an idea of what you can transfer and which classes you still need, then you'll be in a better position to make a decision on what to do. I strongly suggest looking into the community colleges rather than private, mainly due cost savings.

You can apply for federal aid via FAFSA, but it will be based on your previous year's income, which is a bit of a problem if you are planning to quit work to attend college. Having said that, still worth applying because if nothing else you may be offered low interest student loans.

Regarding work - several people in my school work, some of them full-time, so it can be done. Not easy, but do-able if you're good with time management. Many schools offer evening or weekend programs too, for those who want (or have) to keep working.

Could you volunteer or job-shadow at a local hospital? That would also help give you an idea as to whether this is for you.

MeAnurse? · Feb 27, 2018

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I submitted my transcript request to be sent to the Community College so I will be making an appointment to talk to an advisor next week. I'm hoping I can place high enough in the math that I wont get stuck taking several semesters worth of math classes. (Idk if I could handle that mentally the idea of it nearly throws me into an anxiety attack) but I'm willing to give it a shot.I wont be quitting my job until I'm actually accepted into the nursing program. I live alone so I have to support myself and maintain health insurance. Also I took the beginning class for my CNA in high school but then graduated early so I never took the second semester with clinicals but I really enjoyed the material. So I don't think getting my CNA will be an issue once I retake the courses. And I've spent plenty of time in hospitals and have nurse friends and family so I'm pretty aware of what I'm getting into. The good the bad and the ugly. Although I'm sure there will be some surprises along the way.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Feb 28, 2018

I'm really worried about the math and science classes... school was never easy for me... I haven't been in a basic math or science class since highschool (8 years). Is it realistic for me to make such a drastic move...

If by "realistic" you mean quitting your stable, well-benefited job to go to undertake a course of study in which you have previously struggled even before your academic skills atrophied, my answer is, "No, it really isn't." In fact, I think it would be downright foolish.

If, however, you mean setting nursing as a 5-year goal - and you plan to start with a class or two taken in the evening while you keep your job and get a sense of how you'll do - sure, that's totally realistic.

As far as men in L&D, they are a rarity - mostly due to self-selection, I'm guessing. I've never met one, actually, but I have heard of a couple in circles which overlap my own so they are out there. I imagine that it will be a challenge to get past a lot of people's biases but you have one huge advantage: Being memorable by being so unique.

kaydee le · Mar 2, 2018

If I were you, I would stick to my federal job. However, you have the reasons to leave and start nursing career. I do not want to discourage you but nursing pool now is too tough. You do not want to just pass the science classes but ace them. Otherwise, you will not get accepted from nursing school. Besides you can consider private school, which is less competitive but tuition is super expensive like over 100k for the whole program. Again, I do not want to stop you from your calling, but you need to be realistic and plan ahead if you decide to go for nursing.