StaceyA1971

Thanks for your fast reply. I have been advised by a few that I have talked with about this. That it is best to obtain an LPN and then work for the RN. Seeing all sorts of classes online for nursing degrees. I just wondered their validity , accredidation etc. is all. I didn't want to spend hours wracking my brain , hours of preparation , hard earned money and so on. For it all to be for naught. As far as self discipline , I do excellent on my own. I also tend to retain things well without having to go over and over things. So I do feel that an online course could suit me fine. But am anxious when it comes to financial aspects and or accredibility of online courses. Reading and Comprehension was always a strong plus for me in school etc. So I wouldn't think at this time it would be a problem.

You know I often wondered about this too. As when I first started out my in the workforce etc. I started out at 17 years old in a nursing class at school. I was placed in a local nursing home as a c.n.a. At this particular place they had myself and others of the same age. Doing colostomy care to include changing , cleaning , etc. And there were also occasions to where we also inserted catheters too. Maybe , it was just a bad nursing home in which I started out in. But there were times that we as the cna's were expected to go above and beyond. Meaning takign vitals ,weights , dressing and or undressing residents , bathing , feeding , making beds , passing ice water/ nourishments , Granulex treatments (for decubitus) , caths , colostomy bags etc. I will never forget being new to the "field" and to the nursing home. And a nurse handing me a can of Granulex and telling me to cleanse so and so's "bedsore". There began many major crash courses , that our school instructor hadn't prepared us for as aides. Back in 1988 as a cna I earned $3.35 an hour to do all of the above and then some. I worked at that home for about a year , moved to another that was as bad if not worse where help was concerned. As it was there were nights that the aides would each have 30+ residents to care for. And throw in on top of that nurses duties as well as housekeeping duties. Eventually ,I quit that circus and went into in-home nursing and loved it. Worked 48 on and 48 off. Took care of no more than 4 persons at a time. Got some major crash courses there too. Because not only then was I there to bathe and dress , feed etc. I was also there to cook , administer shots , medications and so on. I really came to love in-home as it was the best of both worlds and then some. But the lady that I was working for went out of business , filed bankruptcy etc. So here I was an in-homer without certification etc. Ended up going into another field , management to be exact. And thus far have not been back into nursing. But as of late , I have not been working. And the desire to get back into nursing is pretty strong. I have tossed around the idea of going for an L.P.N. course and then possibly into R.N. But am leery about costs pertaining to courses , as I learned a valuable lesson with my husbands school loan !! :angryfire I really do not have a desire to go back into cna classes either. I am so divided on what to do. I am unsure about whether to go into Geriatrics , hospital setting or doctor's office settings. Is anyone else here also struggling with the financial aspects , what route to take etc. ? Any suggestions would be appreciated on this ! Here's a rundown , I am not currently employed. I live in Kokomo , Indiana and there is an I.U. campus here as well as Ivy Tech , as well. Are there any cna's here going for an LPN or an RN degree ? If so , what do you think about it ? And what about online courses ? Can you really take online courses and them prove to be effective in the long run ? As I am all up for online courses , but if I take them I want to be able to actually get a job !! Again , any suggestions would be greatly appreciated ! Stacey