WeeMama

I think I've narrowed it down to 2 schools, Emmanuel and RSAA. Any thoughts on those? The 2 biggest hurdles I am trying to overcome are the cost and childcare. I was laid off from my job of 12 years in the software industry a couple months ago so funds are WAY limited and I'm banking on the certification being worth it. I'm also a single mom of 2 and I'm taking 13 credit hours of pre and co-reqs for the nursing program at a community college, so trying to figure out childcare during the weird clinical hours might be an issue too. Luckily it's very temporary. I really appreciate all your posts, I just don't have the money to throw away on this so I really wanted to be sure it was the right thing to do. :)

I'm taking BIO156 right now, the 16 week class. It is a lot of work, a lot of writing. I have a VERY thorough instructor, she is incredible at outlining exactly what needs to be done. I'm taking 13 credit hours and I'm a single mom of 2 and I'm not having any difficulty getting everything done. I think with good planning 8 weeks with that as the only class would be totally do-able. :)

Oh.. and a very happy Mother's Day all! :)

I just finished the first lab for BIO 156 and it was really cool to be able to do it at home. My 5 1/2 year old had a blast helping me do it, too. I'm a single mom so most of my work has to be done while they are in school or after they are in bed, it was awesome to involve my kids in my school (he's kind of a little geek like his mom so that helps too ). Is anyone taking their CNA before getting in to the RN program? Does it apply? I was in the IT field for 12 years but got laid off and so far have not been able to really find anything, so I was thinking in the meantime I might try to get my CNA license and get my foot in the door somewhere. Anyone have any thoughts on that or done that?

BIO 156 has been fine so far, but it's only been a couple weeks. There are a lot of essay questions, which I am relatively good at, so I got really lucky there. The instructor is very detailed and provides good feedback, so that helps also.

I'm going to Rio as well. My kids are in preschool right now so I do my work while they are in school.

Hi there, relatively new here too... I took all my nursing pre-reqs and co-reqs right out of high school but then left school to take a well paying job. I worked there for 12 years and was laid off a couple months ago. I am 33 and have 2 kids, one is 3 and one is almost 6, so I'm using this downtime to attend classes. I only need to repeat BIO 156 (doing that now) and BIO 201 before I can apply to the program. So far I'm really liking it, I forgot how interesting school can be!

You guys have been so, so helpful, thank you so much! I looked on my state's dept. of labor website and there is a whole list of approved programs, so I'll be making a lot of phone calls. I really appreciate you all taking the time to help me!

Forgive my ignorance, I've been researching and trying to weed through the actual information and the "information" from schools advertising their programs. What is the real difference between a CNA, a Patient Care Technician, and a Medical Assistant? I am currently attending nursing school for my RN, but am still in the prerequisite phase. I would like to obtain a CNA, PCT, or MA certificate in the meantime so I can gain some experience, I have 12 years in the IT field and very little medical experience outside of volunteer work. Which is the best route to take? My goal is to work in a hospital, preferably peds but obviously anywhere will do at this juncture. Any advice? The more I can do online the better, I have two small children and I'm a single mother. Specifically I have the following questions: 1. What is the difference in actual job duties? 2. Which certification is most useful when applied to an RN? 3. Which certification has the best job outlook? 4. Which certification is most likely to lead to a job with more patient care and less office work? 5. Is it feasible to get any of these certifications online? If so, does anyone know of reputable programs? Thanks in advance everyone!

I'm new here on this forum and this is my first post, I just couldn't resist. I'm 33 and was laid off (along with 200 others) from my IT management position of 12 years. I'm a single mother of 2 kids, ages 5 and 3, with whom I share custody with my ex husband. I went to nursing school right out of high school but stopped shy to take a fantastic job opportunity and I have regretted it ever since. I've decided to take this time to go back to school. I had to repeat 2 prerequisites before I can go through clinicals and I'm currently taking those, and I've decided to go ahead and get my CNA in the meantime so I can get some experience and get my foot in the door somewhere. This is such a whole new thing for me, I'm not really in to taking risks, especially having full financial responsibility for 2 kids, but with the job market as it is, nothing is really happening for me at the moment. Anyway, the point is, I was really beginning to feel like such a fool for even thinking I can do this and I came upon this thread, and I wanted to let everyone who posted know you made a huge deposit in my bank of hope, so thanks and good luck to everyone!