ALL of these posts' were EXTREMELY informative and VERY helpful!!! THANK YOU! I have been a stay home Mom for 9 years, got my real estate license in 2006 - NOT a good time to get licensed!! Anyway, tried real estate for 2 years, made no money - decided to change my career and get into the medical field. I took Basic Arryhthmia and EKG courses, got certified in both, but having a hard time getting a job, because I have no working experience in the medical field. So, I am volunteerng at the hospital on a nursing floor- medsurge. I have committed to 240 hours of volunteer work. I am hoping to complete the program by June 2010. Once I have completed, my hope is to obtain a permanent paying position at the hospital, so that I can go back to school for nursing. I am 46, so changing my career a little late in life, makes me want to get through school, as quickly as I possibly can! I would LOVE to take an accelerated nursing program!! I too will be starting from the beginning, having not taken any classes as of yet, to get into a nursing program. So, again, all this information was very, very, very informative and helpful!!! Excellent!! Thanks again, everyone! I'm up for the challenge, and looking forward to when I can finally start!!:)