Nursing school & family: Now or later?

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I am a stay home mother of 2 girls (3&6yrs) After an 8 yr hiatus to relocate and start a family, I decided to return to school to finish my RN. I had completed all my sciences and most of my pre recs, all were accepted. I was asked to take Physiology again to prepare for fall entry...here's where it gets tricky. I've always had a 3.75 gpa and now I'm struggling to pull a "C" in this class. I'm not studying enough and my grades are showing it. I know with all my heart this is what I want (to become an RN) but maybe it's just not the right time. If I quit now, I'll have to repeat my sciences before applying again. I'm not sure I can even pull a crummy "C" out of this class right now. (there always seems to be something going on...sick child, soccer, dance, homework, Brownies, etc) I never seem to be able to just sit down and study! Any suggestions?

I know it's only gonna get tougher during clinicals, and my first allegiance is to my children; I'm really in a bind here!

Thanks for listening!:o

Hang in there!!! A&P has always been a tough course. Try studying from an A&P coloring book or computer program. I know that they sound dumb, but they work AND they work quicker than some other ways of studying. I'm a full time mom too. My son has always come first.I'm now in my JUNIOR year in a four year BSN program. DOn't drop out now, because you are a mom and your kids will always have something going on. Won't it be great when you'll be an RN. They'll be very proud of you and you'll set a great example for them to follow. I hope this helps

Hi,

I think you should stick with it! I am working on my BSN (hope to graduate in May 2004) and am married with two children (4&2). My children are in a half day program (I pick them up as soon as I finish school each day) so I don't really have 'child care" for studying. I study at night(i always plan to study during their nap time but always end up falling asleep with my 2year old!) I also go to the library to study when I have big exams coming up (husband watches kids then) I am going to school full time this semester and it seems like every week I have a paper due and one or two exams or a quiz! It is so hectic and like you I also want a 4.0. I got one last semester but have decided to be happy with what I get this semester as long as I try my best. The point of nursing school is not getting the highest GPA but learning how to be a good nurse and that can be accomplished with less than a 4.0 :)

Ask for help from family and friends when you need it. Remember that school is *temporary* and it is an *investment*. An older friend of mine said "you will *never* regret your decision to become a nurse and I believe that. When I start to think well maybe this isn't good for my kids, maybe I'll finish later, etc I remember how *short* this time period is in the grand scheme of things. I also try to remember how important this is for the goals we have set for our family and how we will all benefit. Your children will be so proud of you! My mother put herself through law school while raising my sister and I alone with NO help from my father. We were 10 & 6 when she finished and I remember how we all celebrated when she passed the bar exam on the first try! :)I have always been so proud of her and she has always been a source of inspiration for me.

My daughter is already proud of me and tells everyone her mom is going to be a nurse :) She said to my husband and I "when I grow up I wanna be a mommy, a firefighter, a nurse, and I wanna go to the desert to dig up dinosaur bones" (ha ha) She already knows that she can grow up to be so many different things and I feel that is partly from her seeing me going to school and working towards becoming a nurse.

Good luck and hang in there! :)

:rolleyes: Hi! I am a lot like most of you with children except after reading the posts I think I have the most kids. I have five kids (ages 11, 10, 8, 4, 1) and I am taking 13 credits plus the A&P lab. It has been 6 years since I went to school and I finally decided that I needed to gain knowledge and not let my mind go to mush!

It is difficult to get good grades but it is possible. My kids have activities every day of the week. I just take along my books and study whenever I can. I also study before and after class for a little while. Every little bit counts! Right now after midterms I have 3 A's and I am two percentage points away from an A in A&P and I have an A in lab. Mind you....I graduated from high school with a C+ average and wasn't the greatest student. :D So my point is that you can do it.

Keep trying like I am....I am applying for the nursing school in January. I may not be the youngest in the group (I'm 32) but I am determined because I KNOW that I'll be a great nurse. So will you if you stick your mind to it!

:p

Specializes in Perinatal/neonatal.

I am so happy that I stopped to read this post. I'm the mom of 2 awesome boys and the wife of a military man. I'm also a LPN and I'm going into a RN program in January (I don't have to start the nursing courses until Spring 2003 since I already have my LPN license). My own mother keeps trying to persuade me to put off RN school until my boys are older. I guess she thinks I should work while there's a nursing shortage. Anyway, my hubby is going to sea and I'm going to RN school. We can manage this. I have spent 3 darn years in Naples, Italy so I think I can manage nursing school!!!!! It has done me good to hear that "it doesn't get any easier when the kids are older". I really didn't think it would. My guys are great and they know how much I want this and how hard we have to work together to get it. Good luck Moms! Stick with it and take care of yourselves and your families.

~Angie

Hello Moms,

I am a mother of 3 boys ages 8,5,and 3. I am back in school and facing the dilemma of which route to go. LPN or the RN route. My husband is real supportive of me and he is behind me 100% and so is the rest of my family. I am 28 years old and I guess I am a little anxious. After hearing all of these various stories I realize that I am not in this boat by myself. That is a relief, I just want to make the right decision. I know that I want to be a RN and get a MSN degree I just guess that I am a little scared. I also thought about the LPN program because at least that way I would feel like that I am actually doing something. I don't know but I am going to continue to pray and I know that with the Lord's help I am going to make the right decision. I wish everyone well and I know that everyone is going to do okay.

Shunda:) :) :rolleyes:

Specializes in Perinatal/neonatal.

Hi Shunda,

Congrats for deciding to become a nurse. You mentioned that you haven't decided on a LPN program or the RN program. If you are serious about getting a MSN degree someday, please give real thought to going on to the RN program. The LPN program is fine (I did it), but I wish now that I had just gone for RN the first time around. I think you'll end up saving yourself a little time and if you go into an ADN program you'll be able to work once you pass boards in a resonably short amount of time. I spent one year taking the pre-req courses (Eng. 1 & 2, Psych., Human Growth & Development, Nutrition (Awesome class!), etc...) before I decided to go into the LPN program. Time was a huge factor for me since we move a lot. (I'm getting ready to come back to the states after spending 3 years here in Italy.) There are even RN-MSN programs available to you once you get your ADN/RN. I'm planning to go to Old Dominion in Virginia for my BSN (toss up with Lincoln Memorial Univ. in TN), then to Frontier for Midwifery. I have to "step it" so I can keep my family together as much as I can. No big deal. You have lots of options available to you. Best of luck.

~Ang

Hello NurseAngie,

Thank you for responding to my post. Do you feel as if the LPN program gave you an advantage to a new nursing student going into the LPN program? I know their are so many options available. I have been accepted into the LPN program for January 2002 or I can keep working on my pre-requisites for the RN program. I have 2 1/2 more weeks to decide on what I am going to do. Do you have many options since you are already a LPN? Oh well, just keep praying for me that I make the right decision.

Thanks

( :) Shunda:) :)

Hi Shunda!

Sorry for butting in, but I wondered if you've actually talked to any of the instructors in the nursing program? Maybe they could answer some of your questions and give you some insight as to the path THEY took! They all have advanced degrees, too, so maybe they can tell you more about that. They can also tell you something about the actual program at your school. I'm lucky- I can sit for the LNCLEX after four semesters, work as an lpn and continue on for my RN (another two semesters). I live in a small town 2 1/2 hours away from an university, but there is a great program through OHSU in Portland, OR so I can continue on for my four year degree and beyond! That is another possibility- always helpful to use the internet if you travel a lot!

I think everyone here is just awesome- way to go ladies!

Jackie

Originally posted by Jacaut

Hi Shunda!

Sorry for butting in, but I wondered if you've actually talked to any of the instructors in the nursing program? Maybe they could answer some of your questions and give you some insight as to the path THEY took! They all have advanced degrees, too, so maybe they can tell you more about that. They can also tell you something about the actual program at your school. I'm lucky- I can sit for the LNCLEX after four semesters, work as an lpn and continue on for my RN (another two semesters). I live in a small town 2 1/2 hours away from an university, but there is a great program through OHSU in Portland, OR so I can continue on for my four year degree and beyond! That is another possibility- always helpful to use the internet if you travel a lot!

I think everyone here is just awesome- way to go ladies!

Jackie

Hi Jackie,

No I appreciate you very much. I just have been so stressed out on trying to make the right decision. Here the way the program works, it is a year long for the LPN program and it is 5 semesters for the RN program with a year of academics. But they do have a mobility program for the LPN's the only catch is that you have to have all of your academics out of the way before you can apply or you can go the long way as if you were never a LPN. I don't know, I just want to make the right choice. If I go straight for the RN program I will not graduate until May 2004. If I go for the LPN program I will graduate December 2002. I know that I do want to be a RN but I just want to make the right decision. Everyone continue to pray that I make the right choice. I am praying for everyone here and I appreciate you all.

Sincerely,

Shunda:)

Specializes in LTC, ER, ICU,.

Yes, your first concern and commitment is to your children, however, we as parents have to do what is best for everyone at some point in our lives and the best for some is not the best for others.

I am doing this for me and my children will benefit in the the long run. They will see mom going for what she believes in and I want to see that getting it when they are young is the way to go, but if they do not, they do know that it is never tooo late.

Children can handle more than we think they can (of course, it depends on the child).

If you have good adult support, it can be done.

What do you really want to do is the ultimate question.

Hi all!

You know, I was just thinking about how I used to get stressed and bored with A&P. I really liked the classes, but there came a time when I just wanted to stop because I'd had enough! Now I don't even have that luxury! I have a cold right now, but I'm trying to clean my house because it really needs it (and so do I for my mental health) and then tomorrow I have hours of studying to do. No time to get bored anymore! No time to really get healthy- and I even feel like being sick is a luxury I can't afford. But it's worth it!!!!!!

Getting it right might not be so much the path you take as the way you take the path. It may not really matter in the end if you are a RN or a LPN- but how sane you stay while pursueing your path. Nursing is dynamic- so many people have done career switches and field switches and who knows what else! If you want to be more hands on- be a LPN. If you might want to manage nurses or do more skilled work, be a RN. Both? LPN to RN. More time with the kids? LPN. Also- check out the job maket in your area. I know at one time Boise, ID had a real glut of LPNs and there were hardly any jobs advertised while there were lots of RN jobs out there. Here- well, everyone is needed!

Smiles to all!

And there's no need to be perfect, just aim for happy!

:)

Jackie

Hi ! I understand what you are going through with the grades thing. I have never tested well and it is the worst when your app. to nursing programs are competitive and based on grades. I am really nervous about MATH and how I will do in that department when it comes time to apply to my nursing program. My friend was SOOO scared that she was not going to get in because she had two 70's in A&P. Well let me tell you they only pick 16 a semester (it was only a year for the longest time) and my friend GOT IN, one of the 16 for 21/2 years of clinicals! Thank God! Some people just don't test well although they do grasp the stuff, esp. the hands on! Much easier learning! This is true esp. if you are an older student WITH kids as well! I know because that is me all the way! You can do it! Even if you are borderline pass fail for certain classes, ASK the teacher if you can do anything extra to bring up the grade. Most are usually great about it if they know you're trying hard, attending the best you can, etc.... Hope that helps! I'm sure I'll be doing the same thing! Keep a great attitude and rely on sincere prayer. God will take care of you, and direct your path! God Bless! Kristy ;)

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