aleighc1

An ADN allows you to sit for the NCLEX to become an RN. If you have the time, go straight to RN, you will make more money right from the start. I know there is a lot of debate about this, but some say it can be harder to find work as an LVN (although, it seems lots of people are having a hard time finding work, regardless of their status) because their scope of practice is slightly smaller than an RN. Where I live, you have to do the exact same pre-req's to get into the LVN and RN program, the RN program is just 2 quarters longer. I've never heard of that school, so I can't tell you anything about that. I personally would never pay $38,000 for schooling, but for some people, they don't mind taking out the loans and find the end result is worth the expense. I'm married and have 6 children, and I just don't want to add that kind of expense to my life so I'm choosing to go to community college to get an ADN and later will bridge to a BSN. By doing this I can pay cash for my education. Another option is to go straight for a BSN, and then you don't have to worry about any bridge programs. It's all a personal choice based on time, money, and your long term goals. Good luck.

Everett Community College has a CNA course that is 10 credits, and I think they are going to offer it for spring quarter this year. (I took it about 4 years ago and thought it was a really fun course) I realize Everett is rather far for you, but just thought I'd mention it anyhow. I'm finally back in school after a long break. This quarter I'm taking cellular biology, and nutrition online at EvCC

Something very similar just happened to me, but it was cellular biology I was trying to get in. I've been out of school for a year, so I was in the last group to be able to register. I was so bummed when I saw the last spot for the class I needed, get taken the night before I registered. (I only need 4 more classes to apply, but I must take them in order, and I really didn't want to push myself back an entire quarter by not getting in this class) My hubby told me to put myself on the wait list anyhow, and register for other classes just in case. I was 3rd on a list of 15. This was a month ago. I just checked my waitlist status today and found out I've been placed in the class! Tuition was due a couple days ago, which always causes a few spots to open up in classes. You made the right choice getting on the wait list, hopefully you'll get bumped in very soon!

Where I live, we have a public university that does a RN to BSN program. I believe it's one night a week, lasts one year. The cost is probably around $10,000 for the entire year.

Where I live you have to do the same pre-requisit course work for an LPN and an RN. At my local community college, LPN is 4 quarters, RN is 6 qaurters. Here a CNA starts around $11-$12 an hour, LPN starts around $16 an hour, RN starts at $25 an hour. If you can devote time to an LPN program, you can probably finish an RN program! Don't sell yourself short! If you want to be a nurse, then you should absolutely do it. Good luck!

Don't have the answer to your question, but just wanted to say you might want to ask this on OB/GYN nurse specialty board. :)

I know this thread was started a while ago, but wanted to chime in as a mother of many. These things just happen! With my fourth child I told my nurse the baby was going to be coming soon, and while she listened to me, the doc did not. I told her it was time to check me and as she was doing the exam I went from 6 to 10 and his head came right into her hand. I'll never forget the look on her face! lol! She had never had that happen before. The baby arrived 30 minutes after I told my nurse he was going to be there soon. I think the doctor learned a lesson that day because when I was back to have #5, I told him the baby was coming soon and he made sure to gown up and get himself ready, and that baby also came out within 30 minutes. (again I was only at 6cm) With my 6th child as I was walking into the hospital I was telling my husband it was probably false labor and I was mad I made him come home from work. 20 minutes later my baby boy was born, I was still in my own clothes, on the triage bed, and no doctor in sight. The poor nurses were RUNNING my bed down the hall trying to get me into a room. The second they hit the brakes he popped his head out. My water was heavy with meconium, but he and I were just fine without any docs, monitors, etc.... I did feel bad that all the nurses involved had to fill out incident reports though. Don't beat yourself up and view it as a learning experience. In the end the only thing that matters is that mom and baby are healthy. :)

I don't have advice, as I've never been in that situation, but I just wanted to say good for you! That's awesome that you had the courage to leave a bad situation and create a better life for you and your kids. Good luck to you!

First I would suggest you find out what your school policy is about missing class/clinical. Every pregnancy is different, even women who have more than one child can have pregnancies as different as night and day. (I can speak from experience on this one as I have 6 kids. I've had pregnancies that were super easy and didn't even have morning sickness, and I have had pregnancies that have left me flat on my back for months) You may be blessed with a very easy pregnancy and breeze right through school. You could also face a difficult pregnancy and struggle. I suggest you also find out what would happen if you had to leave the nursing program in the even any complications came up. (ie: bedrest) Would you be allowed back in? If so would they let you start from where you left off or would you have to start over? Will the school work with you in terms of any limitations? (ie: lifting/moving patients?) The good news is that by February you will probably be about done with the morning sickness phase, and if you deliver in the summer you won't have to worry about missing class. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, and congratulations!

I personally think that before starting a nursing program, any nursing program, you should find out what potential employers think and what type of reputation that program has. There is a community college nursing program in my area that is easier to get into than others, but they don't have a good reputation for turning out good nurses. Most graduates from that program complain that the only places that will even consider them are LTC. Where I live, Everest does not have a good reputation, and most of the people I know that go/went there are people who found community college to be too hard. I realize in other places Everest might have a great reputation, I'm just sharing how it is looked upon where I live. Think about what your long term educational goals are, and make sure you really do your homework before choosing a program. Seek out graduates of the programs you are interested in and ask them their honest opinions. Be sure to also consider what you are committing yourself to financially. I'm married and have children, so I feel it is unwise for me to take on a lot of student loans to pay for my education. (I'm going to do an ADN first, and then a RN-BSN program. By doing this I can afford to pay for my education in cash) Every program has good points and bad, just make sure the bad won't affect your entire future.

Do you have a nursing advisor you can talk to? They will be able to give you the best advice. Also, look at what the nursing schools in your area require. What about sociology or speech/communications? I agree that a second language class is also a great idea.

I loved my medical terminology class, it was so fun and I learned a lot. I certainly don't think it would be a waste of your time if you took it, even if you don't need to.

I agree, take the pre-req's first. (all the schools in my area won't even consider you for nursing if you don't have all the pre-req's completed when you apply) By the time you are finished with that, perhaps your husband will have a better idea of where you guys will be living, and then you can figure out where to apply.

All the health sciences at my school (and all the surrounding schools) are graded the same way. They hold those going into the health care field to a higher standard; nothing wrong with that.

I have the Mosby's and Tabers, and I love having them both. Sometimes one will explain better than the other. Tabers is smaller and more portable, Mosby's has more pictures. (nothing like a good medical picture to really drill it in your head!) If you have a Borders near you, make sure you are signed up for their rewards card. Every so often they send out 30% or 40% off coupons, which really come in handy when building up a library of expensive books.

That's wonderful! Good to hear you are not giving up on your goal to be a nurse. Good luck to you!!

My husband met a guy that actually did buy himself a set of the mechanical dinosaurs from the movie! He had them set up in his office. (yeah, his office was HUGE)

I would suggest you get an appointment with a nursing advisor. Only they can tell you what your chances are of getting in the program at your school with your math grade. You don't want to waste time and money on a class you don't need to re-take, but you also don't want to waste time trying to get into the program if your math grade is going to get in the way. Ask a nursing advisor and they should point you in the right direction.

You might have better luck asking on your state board, under the regional section here. Pay differes greatly between cities (as do job opportunities), so it's hard to say without more knowledge of the area you live in.

In my area the starting wage for phlebotomists is more than that for CNA's. It wouldn't give you the same experience a CNA might, but it would give you skills that will be useful to your future. In my area the phlebotomy course is only 1 quarter long, so it wouldn't derail you too much from your goal of med school. Honestly, I think that if being a Dr is your dream, nursing school is just going to be a waste of your time. I also agree with the others that said it isn't really fair to take up a spot in a nursing program if you only plan to work as a nurse for a few years while in medical school. I have heard many times on here that the first year of nursing (actually working in the field of nursing) is extremely difficult and I don't think you would want that extra stress while trying to get into med school. Good luck to you!!

Often community colleges that have nursing programs offer a CNA course. Some long term care facilities will also train CNA's. You could try doing a Google search of your area, or visit the CNA or Ohio forums here on allnurses. If all that fails to find you a program in your area, look in your local newspaper to find out who is hiring CNA's, and just call them and ask them where to find a class.

Yes, I think in my state we have two years after our class to get certified, so I'm a year past that limit. I know of another class in my area that's only $650, and I can use the scrubs and other equipment I already have. I may look into it in the summer.

My community college class was $1,995! And that did not include scrubs, books, or any sort of extra anything. For my course it was: class $1,995 scrubs $100 transfer belt $25 books $100 tech fee $35 name pin $10 shoes (whatever you wanted to spend, I spent $20 at Walmart) Stethoscope (optional) $15 at school book store Total out of pocket: $2300!!!! The worst part for me is that at the end of the course I found out I was pregnant (big surprise), and was HORRIBLY sick throughout my pregnancy. (I was physically ill for months, I couldn't function at all) My baby had some health issues when he was born, so I was never able to get my certification! I'm getting ready to start back to school for my nursing pre-req's and was thinking about getting my certification, but my class was about 3 years ago and I think I'd have to take a refresher course before I would be able to take my exam.

I know this thread was started a while ago, but I thought I'd chime in anyhow. I took my CNA class at my community college, and we had to buy transfer belts, name tags, and scrubs from our school. (we got to wear dark navy scrubs, but we all had to have the exact same which is why we had to buy them from the school's vendor) We weren't required to have our own stethoscope, but I picked up a $15 one from the school bookstore anyhow, as did many of my classmates. It worked great for what I needed it for, and it was really nice to be able to practice whenever and wherever I needed to. (I actually thought mine had better sound quality than the ones the nursing department had one hand for us to use) I purchased a waterproof watch with a second hand (it had both digital and analog display) at Walmart for $10. We had to wear white shoes, and I'm sure your school will give you specific instructions on what you are and are not allowed to wear for shoes. Good pens were a must because we did LOTS of writing in our class, and it was always a good idea to keep a couple in our pockets at clinical for writing down vitals and other important information. Good luck with your class!

Yes, the pre-req mountain can be tough to climb! It's great that you already have the stats class, that means you don't have any math pre-req's to complete. Try making an appointment with a nursing advisor, and bring a copy of your transcripts with you. The advisor can help you come up with a plan of action for your schooling. Sometimes just having a plan laid out makes things less overwhelming. Even though it may take a while to get there, once you have a nursing degree, you have a degree that will be of use to you for the rest of your life! Good luck!