ok, i've made the decision to go to school. the big Q is when?

[kaya767]

hi all,

i've been "lurking" on this site for a few months since i discovered it, and i have made the decision that i want to get into nursing. i've thought about it for years and the desire keeps nagging me and won't go away, especially since i have become increasingly unhappy in my current sales position. before i did sales i was a massage therapist and have always imagined myself going back to a healing profession, and nursing just makes so much sense.

anyway, my problem is when to start. i got married last year and my husband and i are going to start trying to get pregnant this fall. i am 34 so i really can't wait much longer to start a family, especially if i want the option of having more than one child. i have not applied to schools yet, and i was thinking about taking pre-reqs at a local CC this fall to start. i already have a bachelors in an unrelated field from 10 years ago, so i'm hoping most of my pre-reqs will transfer over and i can take the nursing pre-reqs. the local CC also has a bridge program with samuel merritt college so that if you get a 3.0 or higher you are guaranteed admission to their nursing program. so if all goes well and we get pg by oct or nov, that still means i would have a newborn while starting at samuel merritt. i don't really want to keep waiting to go to nursing school, but i also don't want to miss the first two years of my child's life! i'm not sure if i would try and work part time while going to school or just take out loans and do the ABSN program.

any advice?

[JettaDP]

I would start taking the pre-req's this fall. That way you will be a little ahead of the game if you decide not to apply to nursing school if you have a newborn.

If you want to not miss the first couple years of your childs life, then you may want to either hold off on having a baby or hold of on school. Because you're going to have to miss a lot. You'll have to be in the classroom for lectures and labs as well as clinicals. And when you're not in class, you're going to have to have your nose buried in the books.

But since you're not pregnant yet, I would start your pre-req's. Because you already have a previous bachelor's degree, you can get into an accelerated program that will require a lot less pre-req's. And if it takes you awhile to get pregnant, maybe you can at least enter into an LPN program and then work on your RN when you child is a little older.

One more note......another reason to start your pre-req's now instead of waiting is that you can concentrate on nailing the classes and getting a really good GPA. You won't have a baby to keep you distracted.

Hope some of this helps your decision! Good luck!

[Little Doe]

I returned to school after getting my youngest set for Kindergarden and I started taking what pre-reqs my BA didn't cover at the community college. In my situation, this has been a perfect way to ease into school. I don't have to rush and take a full load like I did to stay on pace for graduation my first time around, and as a result I am less stressed and have all A's (which can only help a person's GPA!) Additionally, here in MO there is a fairly significant wait to get into a nursing program even if you've already applied - most nursing programs are full for the next two years already.

As far as managing your nursing career with children is concerned, I have been a SAHM for 7 years and I greatly enjoyed it. But you haven't even gotten pregnant yet, so there is no reason you can't try out some of your pre-reqs during your pregnancy and see how they sit with you. It may help you decide just how much (or how little) you really want to become a nurse.

Good luck with your plans!