Mind is Spinning...Need to Make a Decision and Need Advice!

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This is going to be a bit long, but I really need advice...:( I posted here once before about people discouraging you. Well, I am over that, but I sure do need some advice and have no idea what to do.

I have always been a stay-at-home mom. I got married fresh out of high school and immediately had a baby, who is 4 now, and also now have a baby who turned 1 a month ago.

Due to wanting to feel fulfilled and feel as if I'm bringing in an income, I enrolled in a medical transcription course after being urged by my aunt who works for Blue Cross. I am only 25% through with the course and though I enjoy it and it is interesting, I feel that it's not something I want to do more than a couple of years...which has me wanting to stop and not finish it.

I was talking to my friend about nursing and we both decided to try to enter a nursing program together. The plan was to go for LPN and enter a bridge program.

My issue is timing. My baby is only a year old. Nursing is something I would really enjoy, I think. I would love to be in Labor/Delivery (I know that must sound cliche, but I love all things pregnancy and birth) or in the ER. I have no problem with the pre-reqs...I could take those online or possibly on weekends. But if I got into the LPN program, that would start next summer. I would be covered for school tuition through the Georgia HOPE scholarship, but I would have to take out loans to cover my youngest going to daycare. Or...I could just try to get into the ADN program and forget the LPN to ADN bridge, but that would only start a few months later...AND is much harder to get into.

Which brings me to another issue...though nursing is something I would love, I have also been thinking of DMS...medical sonography. Again, I would love to work with pregnant women. I know that they typically make more money, but that is not the motivation. I think I would really enjoy it and with all of the complaints I see about the work load of nursing...maybe it would be a better choice. The only problem with that is that one of the pre-reqs is physics and I've never had a physics class and that scares me a bit because you really need a 4.0 to have a chance at getting in. This year they had 68 applicants and only accepted 11. The first 30 of those applicants had a 4.0, so they factored in test scores. BUT...the nursing school I would want to attend had over 300 applicants and they're only accepting 30. So, I actually would have a slightly better chance of getting into the MS program.

Honestly, if truth be told...I may want to do DMS over nursing because I think it would be less stress and more enjoyable and normal schedule...and more money, of course, usually...but I am doubting if it would be a good decision. I've always excelled with classes and grades, etc...I was in the top 5% in my class in high school...but I'm letting that word "physics" get to me. And the school is 40 miles away and I would still have to put my kid in daycare and finance that.

What should I do? Should I just finish my MT course (which I was thinking of quitting) and work slowly through pre-reqs to achieve the best grades possible and just wait to apply when my baby goes to pre-k? I'm so torn. I really want a career as fast as possible...but I don't want to put my baby in daycare. I don't want to be away from him, either. That's why I was choosing MT for a while. I was also thinking of getting my CNA and finding a place that would let me work a couple days per week when my husband is off work. He only works 3 days per week, so I could work maybe 3.

Sorry so long...just very torn about this and my friend wants to go TOMORROW to talk to a counselor at the school. Don't know what to do! I just know I want to work with pregnant women in either nursing or MS and just cannot decide....:bluecry1: And I don't think taking a while to think about it will help...I've been thinking for 3 years about it!:(

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You are looking at too many options at one time it seems. That is what we tend to do when there are so many choices and we haven't committed ourselves yet. If I were you, I would take one step at a time and don't let the word "quit" enter my vocabulary. Finish your trancription course. If you can get started with work in this area, then do so. If not, then get your CNA certificate. By that time, maybe you will have got enough prereqs under your belt so that the choices are more clear. Just take each step, one at a time. But try to enter the world of work with each one, so that you can better decide where you want to spend your working life, once you are more "settled". (And don't worry about having so many occupations going. The more trades you have to go into, the better off you will be in any economy. Good luck with your future. And good luck with the mommy job too!

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You have so many options to choose from and all could work for you. You have narrowed down the fact that you know that you definately want to work with pregnant women. Go to see the counselor tomorrow to help you weigh your options and find the best fit for you between the DMS and Nursing. If you really want something quick I would say go for CNA, which is only a few weeks, become certified and begin working as a CNA. From there if I were you begin taking pre-reqs...shoot for the stars go for it you can do WHATEVER you want!!!

I understand that a big part of your struggle is also the fact that you didn't want to be away from your baby and I understand that ( I have a 12 month old and I started the ADN program in Jan) but your child is young and in the end you will be proud. Go see the couselor tomorrow and make you decision and whatever you do DON'T give up!! I hope this helps and may you and your family be BLESSED.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

It sounds like you are trying to solve for too many variables at once (I've been there myself!).

Not to confuse you even further, but since staying at home with your baby is important to you, and you love working with pregnant women, why not consider becoming a doula or childbirth educator? You can do a distance learning program (I certified through Childbirth International, which you can google and ask me about anytime) from home, set your own hours (for CBE, and can limit the number of doula clients you take on monthly), and still get to work with the population you like while challenging your brain! It may be what you were looking for, but didn't find at a traditional school.

Plus, you can always do what I did: work as a doula/CBE for a few years while your children are young, then once they start school, you can apply for full-time programs if that is still what you want to do. This way, you can take your time over the next few years and really consider which field would be right for you. I hope this helps. Best of luck to you no matter which path you take!

Jamie

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I'm right there with ya! I've been back and forth SO many times trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I too got married and had my babies young so I completely sympathize with the feeling of dreading spending time away from your kiddos. My youngest is now 3 but even now it's super hard because I've always stayed home with him and even mentioning daycare to him causes his little eyes to well up. Hes even said, "No mommy! Please don't leave me! I'll come with you and be really really quiet!" :cry: ((He knows how to KILL me inside!! lol)) However, I too want a career. Especially for them. I want them to have a lot of great experiences and opportunities that we can't afford on a single income. And I've always known I wanted to go into health care so I want them to see their mommy go after her goals and achieve them. :D

I guess I just wanted to tell you not to let anything scare you away from doing what you truly want to do. This is something that is going to take a lot of your time and energy and it's something you will be doing -hopefully- for a very long time. So go for what you want and don't look back! When I first looked into going back to school, I was just going to go for my LPN because I didn't have to take all the hard prerequisites that go along with the RN program but I decided I was not going to sell myself short over a few semesters of hard work. So I went for it and after all those classes (micro, a&p...) I still have a 4.0 and I start the ADN-RN program next month!!! :yeah: You can do anything you put your mind and HEART into. If DMS is what you think you would be happiest with, try your hardest and apply. You may be surprised at where you end up. Good luck with whatever course you decide to take. :redbeathe

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Specializes in PICU/Pedi.

You keep mentioning the idea of financing day care in order to go to school.Check your unemployment office to see if they have a child care subsidy program. I am in one that helps subsidize my day care as long as I am working and/or going to school at leats 25 hrs/week. When I work during school breaks, I pay about $100/month for two kids, but last semester when I was going to school and not working, I payed $16/month! You may have a program like that in your area. There are rules, and you can only use day care providers that are subsidized by the program, but they will have a list of providers. You can even have a relative qualified to be subsidized to watch your children, but I don't know how that works. Look into it!

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

Talk to the counselor, whose job it is to help people sort things out.

Make a chart of all the the things you want to do, list the pros and cons and expenses under each one.

Rate the lists about what is most important to you. Does one then stand out from the others more in fulfilling what you dream about? :confused:

Don't get caught up in artificial deadlines, rushing into something that won't end up being what you want in the long run. If you start a semester later, so what? enjoy the extra time home with your kids and know that you are still working towards your other goals.

Enthusiasm for an area is important, (not essential but certainly good for your inner well being :p).

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What I would do is finish the transcription job first--that you can do while at home to bring in some money while your baby's at home. My mom does MT, and she loves it--obviously it's not for everyone, but she started years ago, and now has her own business doing it :D Anyway, she did it when I was still living at home and it was great to have her home every day--on my sick days home from school, etc....

I think for a mom with kids in the house it's a great job to have--make your own schedule, work when you can, as much as you can, etc...so I think it'd be a great job to have while your kids are home, and you can always start nursing school after they're in school...but that's just my thoughts :)

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Finish the medical transcription, then reasses where you want to go. You could try a physics class at your local JC. If you find it is too hard, drop before the date where a W shows on your transcript. You can work as a transcriptionist part time to earn the money for daycare while completing your pre-reqs. Each summer save the money you earn as a transcriptionist to pay for the following semester of daycare when you go to nursing school. I would finish what you started though.

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Thanks so much, girls! The doula idea is GREAT; however, it would be difficult to do that because women go into labor at any time and I would not have a reliable sitter. My family lives in South Carolina and I don't know anyone I could depend on to have their schedule open like that. But that would be something I'd enjoy, though.

I think I have decided to finish my course. I think it will help me when I actually get into school. It's already helped me a great deal...with terminology, etc. I find I already know what a lot of you nurses and pre-nursing students are talking about just with reading the reports and learning what I have so far. Honestly, I first wanted to do MT and then go into nursing once the kids were in school, but I keep reading bad stories of how people are making pennies and are being worked to death or can't get hired. I'm taking my course through an accredited school, so I'm not worried about that.

Thanks a lot to the person that said to take the physics course...that is a FANTASTIC idea and I hadn't even thought of that. I could totally take the physics class FIRST and decide whether I thought it was too hard or not. YAY!!!

I am going to continue with my course and enroll in the pre-reqs that are applicable to both programs and then make my decision. Thanks so much! I still don't know what to do, but at least I have a plan now. I appreciate all of the input.

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