Nursing school decision

[Leslieg_78]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I'm trying to find a solution to my problem of enrolling in nursing school. I just turned 38. I have 5 kids ages 10 and up. I work full time as a Marketing Analyst which is a job I hate. I spend my working hours crunching numbers at a computer. Have I mentioned I hate my job, lol. I have a BS in Business. Back when I was younger I had no clue what I was interested in. I honestly love working with people. I enjoy doing a variety of tasks and not the same monotonous tasks I do now. I thrive on high stress situations which most people find odd. Over the years I have become very interested in healthcare. I've realized I'm not satisfied in my career. I want to help people.

Nursing seems like a great fit for me. My dilemma is being a mother, having 5 kids, working and finding time for nursing school. I've checked at a local college that has an ASN course. I have about a semester worth of prerequisites already from obtaining my bachelors degree. I get that nursing school is a full time commitment. I want desperately to do this but taking off work is going to be very difficult financially. My husband makes what I make now and to cut our income in half would be difficult.

I can easily pay for schooling, it's supporting my family while doing so. Has anyone else done part time work while in school? Would an online college be more beneficial? I've not seen any part time nursing programs that are good for working adults. I can maybe take a year off work for clinicals but 2 years I cant. If not I may have to wait till my oldest is in college. That would make me 46. Any advice I would greatly appreciate it.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

It is extremely possible to work part time while in school. Many nursing students do it now/did it in the past. I worked basically full time (double shifts on weekends) all throughout all but the last semester of nursing school.

As for not finding part time programs, have you looked into evening programs? These programs tend to be the ones that are part time. They are designed more for those who are working- class 1 to 2 nights per week in the evening then clinicals usually on the weekend. My local nursing program has class 5-9:30 during the evening and the bulk of clinicals every other weekend. There are a few clinicals during the week that are required, simply because those clinical experience (OR observation, for example) aren't available on the weekends.

You will not be able to find a nursing program that is 100% online. That is because clinicals absolutely must be done in person. You may be able to find a program that offers the classroom portion online, however.