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sarahjuly what exactly NCLEX books are you using? I am also struggling with these assessment, clinical type questions and was thinking that NCLEX books might help but wasn't sure which ones to choose.

anyone at all from Oklahoma????? ive already asked a few times but the more i hear all the info you guys are getting the more i feel out of the loop not hearing anything at all...

anyone from oklahoma? who is are analyst would it be the southeast one with texas?

it is so frustrating to see all of you getting three emails when I havn't even recieved one!!!!!

no email..should i be worried or do i just have a slow analyst?

yeah thats what i meant...I didn't think that hrsa would cover the tuition if there was any other scholarships paying for it, i thought they would just pay the difference of what was due after the other scholarships paid out. What you are saying is that hrsa went ahead and paid for all of your tuition, allowing you to get a refund check of the other scholarship..does that make sense? I am curious to see how it works out because right now i have a lot of other scholarships and grants. If I could get a refund check for some of those other scholarships that would help out with living expenses which would be great! Which year did you get hrsa? are you still in school or working?

Really! I thought they would just pay for whatever tuition is left after other scholarships have been paid. I didn't think you would get a refund check. It would be great though if thats how it works!!

I am a single mom and any free babysitting I get goes to the time I actually have to be in class so the rest of the time is with my kids, studying or not. I suggested a while back the mcds playground bc its been a great tool for me. Another thing I found is that after school, kids, work, and home stuff by the time the kids are asleep, I am practically asleep too! lol so on those nights I go to bed with the kids and get up a couple hours before they do to study. This is just an example of how you can manage practically any schedule if your prepared to work hard. :) Also one more tip for all mom/students out there...get a crokpot (its like coming home to a man who cooks!) Hope this helps! You can do this!

Melatonin, they actually have it in a vitamin supplement form. You can get it at any grocery store. It works to promote sleep and helped me have a more fulfilling sleep without feeling drowsy when I woke up.

I am not a nurse only a student but as a single mother of two young kids and having lost a child myself, I have put a lot of thought into this exact question. The things I have tentatively started to put into place is perhaps working a 12 hour night shift. I have some experience in working night shift from when my first son was born, me and his father worked opposite shifts. To me this is ideal because I can get my kids to school, sleep and be up when they get home. Also I would only work three nights a week which would be great. Oh as a side night for anyone trying to get used to working night shifts is to try melatonin supplements they sell it over the counter in the vitanmen isle, works great! Another option is some advice I got from a LPN-she worked for a staffing agency picking her own schedule and still getting a lot of experience working in different departments (wherever that shift happened to be). For me personally I am hoping to get a few years experience working night shift and then working as a school nurse to have the exact same hours as my kids. I know though that in all reality we have to basically take it one step at a time and go with the flow. Overall while the kids are young my main concern is spending time with them not making money, as long as we have a roof over our head and food on the table! Hope you work it out, I know how hard it can be to balance everything!

I get the same thing from my family, but more about getting through school in general. When I told them I decided to go to college at age 25 they were so discouraging. They acted like I would just give up half way through and I would be out all this money. My family is all very close and when I stood up for myself and did it anyways they acted like I was just a child who would need to learn her own lesson which hurt a lot. Now that Ive gotten through prereqs, on the honor roll I might add, and Ive gotten accepted into the nursing program my family says they are really proud of me and are a lot more supportive. My Mom tho still has back handed comments. I called her yesterday to tell her that I had gotten another scholarship which meant all of my school is paid for 2010-2011, she said great, now you just have to actually get through it. uh..yeah. Through all of it I've learned a lot about making a commitment to something and sticking to it. In the end this is my own life and my childrens life, it is up to me do what is best for us. You have to find your own balance between valuing your familys opinions and knowing yourself well enough to do what is best for you. Hope this helps!

Ok so I am bookmarking this page! lol I do have a question, you mentioned a pda or smartphone. How important is this and could you recommend a good one. I have had the same phone for years just your basic phone and I've considered getting a pda but wasn't sure. It makes sense tho that it would help, I am just the kind that likes to keep things simple. Thanks so much for taking the time to write this out for all us clueless newbies!

Haha guns are bigger lol um I have to give a shout out for Tulsa from what Ive heard its nicer (cleaner, newer) than OKC. There is a lot of country just minutes from town, Owasso, Verdigris, Claremore. Also a great sight for cheap houses is bidselect.com. It is hud homes and since you seem like you might be able to handle some repairs, it can be a great deal. It also doesn't cost anything like some of those other hud home sights. Hope this helps!

i think being a single parent is a big part of why I got an EFC of 0..but i dont really know what all qualifys you for it. Me and my kids live very modestly so I don't have to work while in school ( we eat beans bc its cheaper than meat!) so right now my income is only from child support which is very low sooo I know for me personally the efc of 0 seems to be justified.

I am 26 and a single mom! I have been through so much in my life and the last one broke me but also in a way helped to rebuild and gave me the determination to do this. I think you have to have the right mindset..its going to be hard, your not going to do as well as you want to, you might take longer but thats ok,..the biggest thing is knowing this,preparing yourself and slowly plugging along. Its good to have long term and short term goals but the majority of time you should focus on getting through this semester, this class, this day, this hour! lol When you start looking at everything it can feel overwhelming but just focus on the next step and at some point you will turn around and your already half way there! The money should be taken into cosideration but not so much to the point of stopping you. There is many oppurtunites for single moms especially if your efc is 0. The biggest one is the HRSA which you can apply for next year. The school you apply for might have some great scholarships too. Hope this helps! But seriously I almost laughed when I saw this, if you look around in class you should see many late 20s and 30 year olds in class with you :)