LovelyMe

I think you could possibly experience some MAJOR burn out if you take both jobs- and do you honestly want burn out when you are starting a NEW profession that requires that you be alert and ready to act and think fast!? If you feel you can handle it and dont have any other obligations in your life then at least try it but i'm thinking one of these jobs are going to suffer in the end if not both- and I would personally want to put all my effort into being the best that I could be at being a NURSE not at trying to fit more time into a cramped schedule. I hope you do well in all you do and wish you nothing but positive outcomes!!

What about some of the insurance companies that have the 1-800 #'s for people to call and talk to a nurse? I have No idea if they even offer thier employees to work from home but its worth a shot. I completely understand your situation- although I'm in school right now to BECOME a nurse and work in a hospital or office- I work from home currently and work nights- its hard to do and i still have to put my daughter in daycare so that I can sleep during the day. Plus I get BAD CABIN fever!! (but I am also working full time as I'm a single mom so a little different situation there) I thought I would LOVE working from home but i'm ready to be out and about again! ( I worked for my company for 4 years before I was able to convince them to let me work from home also-) I'm sure you will be able to find something- it will prob require a lot of research. Anyway, GOOD LUCK!!! I hope you do work something out!

Ahhh BOO on the "Dont live in Tucson" comment!! Yes we are very close to the Mexican border but there is a lot that Tucson offers! I live in Tucson and I LOVE it!!! There is so much to do here- TONS of hiking, caving, rock climbing sight seeing etc. Plus its a few degrees cooler then Phoenix!! Tucson has a great college feel to the downtown area but offer several suburban neighborhoods bordering it. I have also lived in the Phoenix area- I worked downtown Phoenix but commuted in from the East Valley. Traffic is a nightmare and it would take me sometimes longer then 2 hours to get home. Of course i lived in Queen Creek so it was FAR EAST of Downtown Phoenix. There are definate plusses to living in such a big city and you would probably never be bored. We also love the salt river in the summer and its not too bad of a trip for us that live in the Tucson area either. Not sure about the job market for nurses as I am still in school- however while looking at job postings I do tend to find a lot of nurses jobs that are open at the hospitals that only ask for a year or 2 years of experience. :)

Before I moved away, one of my friends was a night shift nurse and a single mom, and I would watch her daughter for her over night. She only worked 4 nights a week so when I got off work I would go to her house to pick her daughter up and bring her home with me feed her dinner and get her in bed then in the morning on my way to work I would drop her off with her mom who would then take her to school so she could go home and sleep! It worked out great. I personally never charged her because it didn't make sense to me since it was during the night when we were all sleeping. Maybe you have someone that would be willing to help out like that if needed. Of course there may not be options when you are starting out but you may be able to choose between a few different shifts when you start out... The maximum of 12 hours is for most state liscensed childcare facilities. I know there are some great daycares out there that are a little more flexible. Of course you would want to check them out completely. I used to have a daycare provider who would take my daughter at 3am and I wouldn't be back to pick her up until almost 4pm that afternoon. (I had quite a commute to work.) She was WONDERFUL! They are out there you just need to look when the time comes!!! Good Luck!! There is always a way! Even when you are a single mother. It just makes us a little stronger!!!!

I'm so so so sorry to hear about you and your family's loss. My deepest condolences goes to you. I would like to agree with you that there could have been more done to help save your cousin and to help save others who feel it necessary to OD. However, there is a lot out there advising people on the risks of taking prescription drugs and even over the counter medicines and recreational drugs. I do not think that having it be a requirement for everyone to submit tests to their doctors to prove that they are not using is very Fair and probably violates our rights- i would be deeply offended personally if I was required to do that. Not everyone uses and I think that would be unfair for the majority of people out there that do not have an issue. We can't regulate everything. Its our responsibility to be "responsible" and for those that choose not to there are consequences. Most people that USE or OD on pills, drugs, etc have a much deeper issue and in some cases awareness and intervention isn't going to be enough. I have also lost someone to an OD and i too felt like there could have been more done-If only i had loved her more or told her I loved her more... This person that I lost had a very loving family and friends. She had a full support group. But in one weak moment she decided to take it all away from herself and there was no turning back. My heart really truely goes out to you and I hope that you will be able to find peace in this situation. Best Wishes, Melissa

Merry Christmas From Tucson, AZ!! *wine

No WAY! I went to the orientation- you have to have your prereqs done which is Communications 101 your A&P, and Psych 101. then you have to pass their entrance exams which are easy to do- then they sign you up to take the Hesi and do some interviews then you get offered a spot based on the points you earned on all of those- I mean its not EASY you have to be dedicated and really want it. It is expensive but its a great school. The thing is though is if it seems like you may not be able to get into the RN program right away they might try to get you to get into something else- stay true to what YOU want to do. MA is not RN!! They ARE a for Profit school- keep that in mind. Hopwever from what i have seen from the school they are excellent in their education. I am signed up to take the Hessi the end of January for a spot in August in Tucson. But i'm also still pondering Pima Community College instead because of the GREAT price difference!!!!

When I lived in Vancouver I went to Clark (not for nursing) But it was a great school. I have friends that have graduated from Clark and transfered to WSU Vancouver and did well.

I love our Ice Cream truck Lady- She decides she needs to start her rounds at noon and she comes back every hour until around 8pm. Every now and then I will wake up to that and can't get back to sleep- But most days i'm able to sleep through it! Yesterday I had the Cox (Our internet cable provider Guy) come to the door at 9am. COME BACK LATER-i'm SLEEPING!!!! Tee hee! I love the night shift though. :)

I'm not a nurse yet so I wouldn't know what is going on in the hospitals here where i live. BUT when I was pregnant, i was almost in SHOCK when my OB (In Denver) asked me if I wanted to have a Csection or Vag delivery!!! I asked him why I would need a C/S and he said "well some women opt for that becuase they can schedule it, its easier, etc..." I couldn't believe it. I ended up being induced but had no problem delivering my healthy baby girl lady partslly. I have friends that say "oh i'm going to have a C/S so I dont have to deliver lady partslly so I dont stretch out etc... " I guess its a choice now...

Hey! I am starting my PreReqs at PCC this Spring- and i just applied for FAFSA at the beginning of the month and I was approved for 1800.00 in pell Grants- plus i was approved for certain amounts of subsidized and unsub federal loans (which I wont take unless ultimately neccessary) So i'm thinking you should be able to get some Aid still. :) I have been thinking of going to PMI for nursing- but I have to get my prereqs out of the way. I figured while i do that I would get my requirements out of the way for PCC and apply for the Nursing program- then see where i end up on the waiting list. I would so much rather go to PCC then pay 40K for PMI but we shall see..... If I need too i'll go the PMI route. But I'm going to try to do really well in my classes at PCC and hopefully i can get into the nursing program sooner then later.

Maybe look into some hospitals that have a new nurse program- ?? I'm not a nurse YET! But when researching the hospitals in my area i see that some of them have programs for recent graduates to help them acclamait and "Learn" more on the job- I know you aren't a new graduate but this could possibly be an option if you look into it.

Hi! I dont have any info on ITT becuase i never knew they had a nursing program. And I'm assuming you mean Pima Medical Institute and not Pima Comm College... But PMI tuition is 40k. Its pricey but its 2 years and they provide all books and scrubs. I've heard a lot of good things about them- which is one of the reasons i'm considering them. I've done some internet research and from what I see they have a high graduation rate and a very high NCLEX pass rate. I'm going to an orientation meeting to find out more next week at PMI Tucson. If I find out anything extra i'll let you know. Melissa :)