Katie Bang

i stayed home for the first 15 months, she was strictly breastfed until she was weaned at 13 months old, never even had a bottle (not so much by my choice, but after about 6 months of trying a bottle i gave up!) so she was very attached to mommy. after i went back to work she started clinging to daddy more, and mommy less until it got to the point she would not even let me hold her, she would scream in agony if i tried to pick her up - to the point of gagging she was so upset and would only calm down when her father held her and comforted her. it was devastating, and i was only gone m-f 8:30-5:30, i wasn't even gone overnight ever! it kept getting worse when i decided to consult a therapist i work with, she suggested i spend more time playing with her when i get home-get on the floor do whatever she wanted to do no matter how tired i was, and it helped and things are much better. i've been back at work 6 months now, but will be starting my full time nursing school in october, and then will be staying home when i am not at school. i just know how trying it was for not only me, but my daughter, so i would think it would be very hard on a little one to not see mommy for that long, but then again these days you have webcams and cell phones, so depending on his/her age i guess if it's the only option, it could work.

look for different options close to home, there's more than just rn, or bsrn programs. i did not get accepted to the rn at a local c.c. twice, so i looked into lpn, bsrn, cna, anything to get my feet wet (i have a 2 year old, and am pregnant with our second). maybe you can do an lpn program for 1 year then bridge into a rn program, and then into the bsrn program, it's a lot of time, but worth it. i eventually opted to go to a private 4 year program, already having 2 years of prereq's done, i got in and will be starting in oct and done in 18 months and have a bachelors. i am lucky though, my husband is very supportive, and has watched our first (and will watch our second) while i study. but we will be a 1 income family with 2 kids in daycare once my classes start in october. point is keep searching, i've been looking 2 years, been denied 2 times, and paid for applications into over 15 schools (not nursing programs just the schools in hopes i could get into their nursing program) and last week just got into this school. private school is stupid expensive, but as a single mom you'll get awesome grants (pell grants, student loans, scholarships, etc) you have a much higher chance at getting in since they are not as competitive. you probably won't pay anything until you graduate and begin to work, that's how loans work here in florida at least. you may have a decent amount of loans when you get out-but you are a mom first, not a student, and being your little one's mommy is more important than fulfilling this particular dream. just keep looking in ca, at least find something in the same state, so if you do leave her/him with your folks you can come home at nights or even weekends. don't let her lose that identity as your baby; it will affect her in her life and ability to bond with others. my daughter felt so abandoned when i went back to work she stopped allowing me to hold/touch/kiss her! i had to go to a child therapist to get advice on how to get her "back" kids are very sensitive!

I have a 3.2 and applied to a community college 2 times and got denied. I had 33 credits, and worked really hard, I only had 1 C ever, AND the C.C. had 3 campuses with nursing programs. I then applied to South University (Tampa) and was accepted, and all of my prereq's transferred over, so in 2 years I will have my bachelor's as opposed to an associate RN. I will be in debt to my ears, but I've tried EVERYTHING else, so I'm ecstatic-go private if you can, but do the prereq's somewhere much cheaper.

I just signed up at South University and have plenty of questions, but some answers too! The school seems great so far, I'm taking 2 quarters of prereq's - 9 classes - and since they work in quarters I'll have them started in April and done in August, and apply to the October start date. The cost is incredibly higher, but the classes are smaller and you spend more time at the supporting hospitals. I have done all (but 9) of the prerequisite classes at Hillsborough Community College and then applied to the associates RN program and got denied twice with a 3.2. I've applied to other 2 year RN programs and cannot believe how competitive they are. South University seems to be a blessing so far, just giving me the opportunity is worth the higher price.

Oh man I'm envious! Let us know how it goes! We did a cat, and a sheeps brain and eye. No heart at all, but in A&P 2 lab I got to do every test on myself, blood/urine/skin, everything we learned about was tested on us hehe. It was really neat to examine our blood under microscopes! Good luck, and as most have said already stick with vicks and a mask, because you don't smell the body but the formaldehyde is unpleasent!

well it is an overall cumulative, i've take a&p 1 and 2 (lab and lec), microbio (lab and lec) col. alg, english 1&2, nutrition, humanities, oh my..and many more. i've taken every pre req, as well as every co-req. there is no entrance exam at all. it is solely based on pre reqs! i hope they look at the fact that i've taken all the co-reqs as well. as far as retaking any class, i cannot because i've only gotten 1 c (ap1 lec) and c and up cannot be retaken! all my maths and englishs and the others are a's and b's. (more b's than a's). i was told by the dean of nursing at florida keys c.c. that the reason these schools are so competitive is because if the students taking the state board fail (or do not meet the national average) 2 years in a row, the school loses its accreditation, and cannot offer nursing. so maybe the acceptance board will see that i really want this and am not going to fail! i'm still going to the dean if they will even let me make an apt. i need to find out what they base their decision on. at fkcc you get more points for things like having your co reqs done, for testing higher n the teas etc. i'll have to search around this site to see if anyone has posted something about hcc's acceptence procedure...

Oh I'm sure, I tried talking to an advisor, and then going to a different school altogether (Manatee County C.C.) and the advisor told me the same thing. I feel stuck, and aggravated about it! Maybe I can talk to the dean about making an exception. She should be able to see how dedicated to this program I am.

I am very skeptical of online programs for nursing, and have not found 1 that seems legit. Has anyone found one that is the real thing? I have 30 credits of pre/co requisite courses for nursing, and have taken every single class except the nursing classes themselves, that I can until I get in (if I do!!). I've already applied, but I'm so worried with how competitve my school is and was trying to look for backups. I got 1 C my first semester in a&p1 lecture, and in the state of FL cannot retake it by law. My 3.2 may not allow me to get in. Any ideas on how to become an RN online, I would think they'd have to be attached to a hospital so you could do your clinicals.

I didn't read the other responses yet, so sorry if this is a repeat, but I would assure her that you are in shcool for HER, not to find a replacment. Let her know if she can handle her emotions, it will be worth it in 2 years when you are making good money and have a great stable job with wonderful benefits for your family! Let her know no matter what she says, you're not dropping out of school, so she has 2 choices: Make the decision to not be jealous, and look to the future for comfort, or let it ruin your relationship and potentially ruin your schooling. Keep in mind just having a baby she is "fragile" Mine is 15 months old, and I still have some insecurities I've never had before! So be sensitive, compliment her often, especially before class. Just say how good she looks, so you can leave on a good note, and leave with her in a good mood hopefully!

I am at a loss at the moment, and wonder if anyone else has a similar problem. After having my daughter 15 months ago I decided my true calling in life was to be a nurse. I started school weeks later, and ended up getting 1- C in a&p 1. I was taking 6 classes that semester and took 6 the next to accumulate 30 credits that are required to apply to the RN program at Hillsborough Community College. I've gotten a mixture of A's and B's, however that 1-C brought my GPA to a 3.2!! I was told I could not retake the class because in the state of Florida, if you get a D or F you can retake the course, but anything better and you are stuck. I tried to take it at another school altogether and was told by the counselor it was a statewide "law" and there was nothing to do about it. I can start an LPN program but every single one in my area is full time, whereas the RN is only 3 days a week, 2-3hr lectures and 1- 10 hour clinical day. There is no way I can afford to put my daughter in daycare full time, and then NOT work so I can do a LPN program. At least with the RN I can stay home (which I've done since she was born) and not have to pay for full time care. There is no rolling admission either, and is EXTREMLY competitive. I applied in June and should expect to find out in late Sept. if I was accepted or rejected, but I am not too confident right now. So has anyone been in this situation and gotten around it? I feel it's unfair that if I fail I get a second chance, but if I get a C in just 1 class while maintaining great grades in other classes I am stuck!

Wow, I got the campus choice, but no letter about Sept. meeting, however she did email me with this same information. But only because I emailed the dept. asking when I would know!

They only look at your core classes when computing your gpa, a&p, Micro, Sociology, etc. I don't think the math even counts, unless you have the same grades as others, then they start looking at your other classes.

I recieved an email from the nursing department after I inquired about when they would be letting us know- I was told they meet mid Sept. and send letters in Late Sept. So we ill know then!