NOLAMOM

I am currently trying to decide on which Nursing School to apply to: LSUHSC School of Nursing or Delgado Charity School of Nursing. I've done quite a bit of research and would love to attend LSUHSC, however I am a working mom to two young children (age 3 and under) and attending nursing school would require me to be out of the workforce so I am looking into Charity School of Nursing since it is a shorter program (I might even be able to finish it in 1.5 years due to the prerequisites I have). I already have a Bachelors and a Master degree so I have a good chunk of the prerequisites complete for both programs (as long as Charity accepts that mine are 10 years old). I am aware of the CARE program at LSUHSC, but I want to be able to see my children so I don't want to go down that path. I realize that Charity is an ADN and LUSHSC is a BSN, but I've also been told that most hospitals will pay for your RN-BSN bridge. I guess my questions are: 1.) is it harder to get a job out of Charity's ADN program versus LSUHSC's BSN program in a specialty that you want? (As of now, I want to be in L&D or mother-baby) 2.) is the education more comprehensive (better”) from LSUHSC versus Charity? 3.) is there a salary difference in starting jobs if you're coming out with an ADN versus a BSN, or is is it just an RN is an RN? 4.) is there anything else you'd like to share to help me make my decision? Thanks in advance for anyone out there who replies!

I am currently trying to decide on which Nursing School to apply to: LSUHSC School of Nursing or Delgado Charity School of Nursing. I've done quite a bit of research and would love to attend LSUHSC, however I am a working mom to two young children (age 3 and under) and attending nursing school would require me to be out of the workforce so I am looking into Charity School of Nursing since it is a shorter program (I might even be able to finish it in 1.5 years due to the prerequisites I have). I already have a Bachelors and a Master degree so I have a good chunk of the prerequisites complete for both programs (as long as Charity accepts that mine are 10 years old). I am aware of the CARE program at LSUHSC, but I want to be able to see my children so I don't want to go down that path. I realize that Charity is an ADN and LUSHSC is a BSN, but I've also been told that most hospitals will pay for your RN-BSN bridge. I guess my questions are: 1.) is it harder to get a job out of Charity's ADN program versus LSUHSC's BSN program in a specialty that you want? (As of now, I want to be in L&D or mother-baby) 2.) is the education more comprehensive (better”) from LSUHSC versus Charity? 3.) is there a salary difference in starting jobs if you're coming out with an ADN versus a BSN, or is is it just an RN is an RN? 4.) is there anything else you'd like to share to help me make my decision? Thanks in advance for anyone out there who replies!

Hello there! I am hoping to get some good feedback and real life stories from some nursing moms as I try to make the big decision to go back to school to become a nurse. I am a 33 year old working mom with two small children (a 1 year old and a 4 year old). I am currently an accountant at a large company where I have a pretty good schedule and rarely have to over-time, however I am not happy and don't feel fulfilled in my current job. As a result I have been thinking hard about going back to school to do something that I would actually enjoy or find some fulfillment in. I wish I could go back in time to when I was 20 years old and say "don't go to business school; you should do something you are passionate about!" (I had originally always wanted to be a pediatrician or a teacher, but decided to be "practical" and go into accounting & finance). Since I don't have a time machine, I am currently looking into the process of getting my BSN and becoming a nurse (I would love L&D or something in pediatrics). I love the idea of helping people and making a difference. My questions/concerns arise because I am concerned about the amount of time I would be able to spend with my boys both as a nursing student and as a nurse. Currently I work 40 hours a week and my boys are taken care of by a nanny (and the older one goes part time to preschool) - I wish I could spend more time with them as it is and am worried that if I enter nursing school and enter the workforce that I would see less of them and put a burden on my husband (who already has a very stressful, demanding job that requires a lot of overtime). I would need to take some pre-requisites in order to apply, but I can do those online through our local community college and I can continue to work while getting those. However, I plan to quit working if I get accepted into the BSN program (probably about 1.5-2 years from now) and focus on school full time (and work during the summer to cover tuition costs). I've looked up the current schedules and the course load doesn't look too bad, and I would plan to be in school mode (either in class or studying) from 8am-4pm M-F. Is that realistic? I received a Bachelors and Masters degree from a Top 50 University, so at one point I was academically inclined, but it has been 10 years since i graduated...Also, what on earth are schedules like for practical/clinical work during the last two years of school? Are those 12-hour shifts? How much say do you get in when those are scheduled? And then once I start work as a nurse, since I will be a newbie, how hard is it to get a schedule that I have a choice over (or will I be stuck with the "worst shifts" because of seniority)? Are there vacation and holidays for nurses? I apologize for such a long post, but I wanted to give you as much background as I could so that I get some helpful comments/stories/etc. to help me make my decision (and convince my husband!) Thanks in advance!