latonyad34

I am a 13 year veteran of the navy and a single mother. I do not recommend the military. Contrary to popular belief, whilst the military offers a bit of stability concerning pay and benefits, the life is much more difficult and less welcoming to parents. Especially if those parents aren't married. And there certainly is no guarantee that you will be together in the future. Also, many goals are put on hold because the military's goals come before self and family. I agree with the people who recommended working as a CNA for some time. Out of my clinical group during my first semester of school, only 3 of the 7 passed. The other 4 had to work during school. We started out with 220 students and ended up with 57. The majority who failed, worked. I do believe that anything is possible as well. But I am a realist. I know that it is VERY difficult to do well and work during school. But can most definitely be done. Maybe take your pre-requisites and work as a CNA over the next couple of years. Don't be fearful. I would recommend completing the courses that you can and see where your life is in a couple of years. Circumstances could open up and allow you to achieve your goal of nursing school. That is very admirable that you are heading in the right direction to attain a CNA cert. You may be able to provide for yourself and your daughter. If you have your mother for support, then consider maybe that is a feasible option if you are ultimately accepted to nursing school. She may be a great resource.

I'm not a nurse yet, however I did finish my first semester of nursing school in New Orleans after having left the military. The military life probably closest models that of nursing, with the unfriendly family hours and work demands. So I figured I could handle nursing just fine. The two fields are almost identical in terms of environment and expectations concerning parents. I'm a single mother of a 5 year old son, and at the time I entered school, I was in a relationship. I realized that a parent MUST have a support system to get through school, and obviously once licensed. I mention New Orleans specifically because it is a location with very few good resources. There is a lot of childcare available during all hours of the night but not so much reputable child care. When my relationship ended, greatly in part to the time commitment to my son and school, I knew that attempting to get through school with no support system was going to be overwhelmingly difficult. Mind you, I would have succeeded without the guy, but I guess you could say he was back up. So I imagine that having a supportive partner can give a student or nurse the confidence to stick with the nursing field. I do most of my studying at night, but find that my son seems to need more attention, the more studying I need to do. So the balance it tough. An infant may not notice so much as long as there is someone providing love and stimulation. I can only guess that older children are able to entertain one another. I moved to Texas last summer in order to get closer to family members and friends for support, and to where I knew resources would better serve my son's needs. I will start an online BSN program in the summer. I haven't given up on my goal of becoming a nurse because I know that there are many options for type of work and schedules. I know that without a doubt, hospital duty will not work for us. I've looked for CNA work and the 12 hour shifts would easily make me a neglectful parent. You really have to consider your life situation. I have no parents or grandparents living, and the bulk of my family is in California. i have only my sister who I am not really emotionally connected with(found that out recently), an elderly step-mother who works, and friends who are spread out over the area. So still not really a support network much more than if something major happens to me or my son. If you have family and friends who are willing to be caregivers, then by all means you can succeed in this. After reading this board, I was on the brink of completely reconsidering, but I know that nursing is my passion and you don't let what appear to be mountains stop you. You find pathways that you can navigate, and nursing offers that. And you learn to create support systems as you go with other parents. Success in this I think is basically about being realistic about circumstances. If you have 4 children, no partner, no local support, and limited resources, nursing is most likely not the best choice until your circumstances provide the opportunity. But by all means, with no children? The sky is the limit. And I offer the advice that every book geared to nursing students I read shared, don't enter a new relationship before school. And try to hold on to your relationship whilst in school. Although successful in my first semester attempt, I would have loved to put all of my energy into my studies and clinicals. You can only know if this will work for you by getting started, but also assessing if a support network, and back ups to your back ups are available. Good luck!

Redbeans you tell the good aspect of our semester, but failed to tell the reality of it.....only 53 out of the 220 finished. It was rough to say the least. But obviously possible to make it. I think they realized how much weight was put on us due to the curriculum change and realized they needed to try something. I wish everyone well in August. My advice is work on procrastination and study NCLEX style questions. The nursing material will be easy, you have to learn testing on it.

I'm a Sexual assault victim intervention advocate in the New Orleans area. We serve all branches in the region, sexual assault should be the least of your worries. Yes it occurs, but the awareness and prevention measures have been effective at reducing the numbers. I can't speak for overseas regions and other situations, but sexual assault and harassment are always risks anywhere. You could also join the reserves and work part time as a nurse....performing drills. You can have a little more control over where you are because you'd drill at local military installations. I grew up in Oakland near where Oak Knoll hospital was. If you went Air Force you could drill at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. Just a thought. A lot of people have negative perceptions of the military but have never served. It has it's pros and cons like anywhere else one might work. Every experience is different. You could find that you hate it or that it was the best move you ever made. I found the latter. Also as a nurse you'd most likely be working in a facility, unless you're hanging out after hours with risky behavior, your fear would likely be unfounded.... Wouldn't let it deter..... And remember the contracts come to an end....

I'm a Sexual assault victim intervention advocate in the New Orleans area. We serve all branches in the region, sexual assault should be the least of your worries. Yes it occurs, but the awareness and prevention measures have been effective at reducing the numbers. I can't speak for overseas regions and other situations, but sexual assault and harassment are always risks anywhere. You could also join the reserves and work part time as a nurse....performing drills. You can have a little more control over where you are because you'd drill at local military installations. I grew up in Oakland near where Oak Knoll hospital was. If you went Air Force you could drill at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. Just a thought. A lot of people have negative perceptions of the military but have never served. It has it's pros and cons like anywhere else one might work. Every experience is different. You could find that you hate it or that it was the best move you ever made. I found the latter. Also as a nurse you'd most likely be working in a facility, unless you're hanging out after hours with risky behavior, your fear would likely be unfounded.... Wouldn't let it deter..... And remember the contracts come to an end....

Just finished basics this spring. I wanted to discount the naysayers and negative folks on here who droned on about how hard Charity is and blah blah blah. I can't lie, it was rough.Though not official we have lost over half of our class. I passed by the skin of my teeth. But be discouraged not. It is very possible to make it. I know a couple of folks that did pretty good. Just a couple. Just expect a challenged. They did change the curriculum due to some cheating a couple of classes back. We experienced the downside of that. Stay positive and believe that you can do this. But understand that you will study for knowledge but MUST learn how to read and answer NCLEX style questions. Study those books now. The concepts and information are easy to grasp but you must learn how to answer test questions. I can't give names but recommend Ochsner Kenner or University hospital. The instructors are wonderful. But there are other good ones as well. Good luck this fall.

You can figure out your profile score yourself. Within the application packet there should be a profile sheet that assigns points for how many courses completed, the grade received, and the TEAS score. I applied knowing I had a 13. And yes the top profile scores are the ones selected first. The process of determination starts from the highest score and selects all the way down to the last available slot. If you haven't taken already, try to do extremely well on the TEAS. As far as choosing your hospital, it's a gamble because everyone is choosing at the same time. I don't know how many people vie for Northshore hospitals. It was tough to get the hospital I wanted and I ended up somewhere else.

I have been in the Navy for 14 years and separated from active duty to attend nursing school with plans to return to the Nurse Corps. It is very lucrative; there is a $50,000 loan payoff incentive, and sign-up bonuses. There is the matter of learning to integrate into military lifestyle but wouldn't that have to be done for any new position? I think that nurses in the Navy are well respected, and you can't go wrong with the benefits available. Definitely research and then search your heart. But don't discount it as an option.

Bless your heart. I have only a four year old son and raising him feels like overload. I also have a boyfriend who I am not really too much am not concerned with because my goal is to do well in school. Whilst I don't have as much on my plate as it sounds like you do, I can offer that I am highly ADD and have had to learn a new way of managing my time. I struggle with not feeling good enough from time to time since I started my first semester. I just tell myself I'm good enough, and I work to stay on top of my time management. With my son, I've noticed that if I can give him quality minutes, he is good to go. Right now I am on the couch studying.....okay I diverted here for a minute......he is on the floor playing with blocks. Every hour or so he comes for hugs and kisses. I stop what I am doing to indulge him. That lasts for literally a minute or less. I know you have the 1 year old who probably requires more of mommy, but if you can remind yourself that those moments for your children don't take up much time and they are quality filled that mommy guilt goes away. Huge in my schedule, I had to move dinner up early. I was good for cooking at 6 or 7 which got him into bed later. I have to start at around 4 or 5 now. Stick to your simple favorite meals so you can keep cooking healthy meals but that don't require much prep and cooking time. I had a nurse tell me that her children ate chicken nuggets and hot dogs through her schooling, but to remember it won't always be that way. Bathtime comes immediately after dinner. I like to have him finished by 6:30 or 7 so he can start winding down. He's in bed between 7:30 and 8. There is no getting out of bed. I begin studying shortly thereafter until I'm tired and just go to bed. I study a chapter and then notes from lecture and pharm.Then I do some questions from my NCLEX practice. I realized after my first test that it's easy to overstudy. If you can learn to compartmentalize and focus on just the objectives, you can minimize study time and make it more effective. As far as chores, sounds like your husband and 13 year old can pitch in. For me, laundry waits until Saturday and Sunday if I don't necessarily need to wash during the week. A tidy not so much clean house works for me, because I have more pressing things to worry about. I hope I helped a bit. Breaking everything into their own individualized tasks has been key for me. Good luck.

I am going into week 5 of my first semester of nursing school. My early assessment of NS is that the concepts of nursing are not that hard to grasp for some. It is the management of time that is difficult for most. There is so so much info coming each day, in addition to new skills, and a new way of thinking. IMO it isn't as hard as it is information overload. Once you get in your mind that he or she who can come in to disorganized chaos and be able to bring it together and do well on tests, will succeed as a nurse. And tell yourself you can do this. The key for me has been organizing my study skills. I've learned to stick completely to the objectives given by the instructors. It is easy to over-study because the text provides in depth information to the concepts and theories. Our first exam came entirely from the lectures and notes. I imagine each program and school is different. We are told classroom content FIRST, and then textbook. Next, I take care of self and home. I'm not working and am a single mother. I have found a pretty good balance. My perception of this is not that it's something difficult in my life, but it's something carrying me to my destiny and career path. Honestly, I'm having a great time going to NS. I spent 13 years in the Navy for the most part unhappy and performing jobs I didn't care much about. Now, going to class and studying is my work and the information is interesting and it's exciting to think that I'll be putting it to use in a couple of weeks.

I'm in Basics Sec 319 and Pharm 305.......my anxiety is just now kicking in. I'm wishing everyone the best of luck and look forward to us posting all of our troubles here in the weeks to come.

I went to the open house also. Was very informative and made me more comfortable. I'll be taking my clinicals at Oschner in Kenner. Haven't ordered books yet, but yes amazon seems to be the best place to purchase. The CPR course was easy to set up and easy to pass......I ordered and received my uniforms from the shop on Tulane last month. It was cool to finally be in full preparation for this. Can't believe we'll begin in a little more than a month. I wish everyone the best of luck.

Thanks for the insight. Our tour guide also said she thought Pharmacology was easy. If we can get by without the text, that would be gravy............good luck this semester, and yes see you at orientation.....

Apparently my advisor didn't submit a paper that we had to sign at the advising meeting for myself and some other students. We were locked out from picking our classes. I called the registration office to find out what was going on and was told I wasn't the only one. I was sitting at my computer at 8:50. By the time I was able to finally choose a course, it was 9:20 and all that was left was Northshore hospitals and Oschner in Kenner. So I went with Oschner in Kenner since I live on the Westbank. I'd hoped for University, but I'm staying positive and believing that it was divine intervention. Maybe I will have the most wonderful instructor ever!! I understand that we won't be at the hospital much for the first semester anyway, so I'm not really worried about it......

I had to do exactly what you are considering. I was accepted into a nursing program and would currently be enrolled but I had to defer enrollment to finish my career on active duty in the Navy. So I will begin nursing school in January. I had taken breaks during a couple of semesters when I could have taken my A&P II courses one at a time. Now I am overloaded with A&P lab and lecture, plus Microbiology!! So I am struggling to study for all three classes, and barely attempting to make a B in each. Whatever you have to do to lighten your load is advisable. Knowing what I know now, I would have taken one easier course with a more challenging course. The positive of our demise though, is that it will prepare us for the loads of study to come in nursing school. But I don't recommend it. Good luck.