ekidsmom

You dream about wound assessment... Just happened to me a couple of nights ago.

1. August 22nd 2 Virginia 3 ADN 4 The best advice I have gotten is not to be too hard on myself. I'm used to straight A's and I've been told just to aim for passing and not to put so much pressure on myself. 5. I'm doing this for my family, but I'm also doing it for me! I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 5, but for various reasons, I'm just now getting around to it - 31 years later!

I have a BS in Psychology and am completing prereqs for the nursing program at our local community college. Even though I have a bachelor's, I have received generous financial aid. Last semester I took only one class, but I didn't have to pay for anything but books. As for having to quit work, if you go through a community college program, it may be possible to work (nights and weekends at the hospital) while completing the program. Our ADN program is only 10 credits per semester (if you get all your prereqs out of the way first), as opposed to 16 credits per semester for the BSN I also considered. Our local hospital reimburses tuition, so I plan to do the RN to BSN after I get a job. Then, all I will have to pay for is the ADN (probably less than $3000 out of pocket). If you aren't ready to make the leap, I agree with the poster who suggested volunteering and job shadowing. I have done both and enjoyed them immensely. Good luck to you!

If you can get in the door (even as a volunteer) at a hospital, I think the rest will work itself out. I volunteered a few hours a week for a few months and now I have gotten 2 job offers and have another interview next week (in the same hospital). Make as many contacts as you can while you are volunteering, and if your local hospital has a website, check for jobs daily. Good luck!

Congrats!!!!!!!! You'll soon get to find out for yourself what nursing is like:)

Thank you all for helping me make this decision. I took the ER job and am very excited about it! I go for my health screening tomorrow. Shots - should be fun:)

@nik77 - Good luck to you. Hopefully you'll get some good financial aid. I didn't think I'd get anything, but they paid for the class I took last semester, so all I had to pay for was the book. The semester before that they paid for about half. It would be nice to have the BSN sooner, but I figure it will cost me as much as $15,000 more than if I do the ADN and then let the hospital pay for the BSN. That's a lot of money! I'm going to call the local hospitals to make sure they are still hiring ADNs and paying for BSNs. With 3 young kids, I'd rather have a lighter course load now so I can spend more time with them.

Thanks for your input. All my classes but one I could take locally. One semester I would have to drive about 45 minutes each way one night a week (Yuck!). I'm leaning toward the ADN primarily because of expense, but I am concerned about whether the hospitals here will stop hiring ADNs at some point. I have a friend with an ADN who just got hired as an RN in the hospital, but she is already an employee in another capacity. I have a part-time job offer at the hospital, so I'm hoping that will help. Have you already started your program?

I have been completing prerequisites for an ADN program at a local community college. I was very content with that, but I just found out that there is a program through a local 4-year school and I could get my BSN in only one extra semester (I already have a BS in Psychology). When I looked into a local RN to BSN program it looks as if it will take about 5 semesters (at a slow pace). My dilemma is that I'm fairly confident that I can get the RN to BSN paid for by the hospital, and the community college is far less expensive than the university. I will also need to take a lot more classes over the next few semesters if I pursue the BSN. I need some opinions, would it be worth the extra money and tougher class schedule to be done with the BSN sooner? Or should I keep going for the ADN and plan on doing the Bachelor's later?

Thanks to the OP, and thanks for all the nurses who have offered encouragement. I am 35, with 3 kids, returning to school for my second career as an RN. It is hard enough to balance family, work and school without having to worry that it may all be a big mistake. I feel very strongly that I am making the right choice, but all the negativity is disheartening. It is very nice to hear from those who enjoy their work.

There will always be someone trying to rain on your parade, but don't let them! Make the best choice you can for yourself and hold your head high! You'll be working faster with your LPN and you can get your RN later.

I'm sorry it didn't work out. I'm sure something better will come along. Good luck!

How is your job going? Is it better now?

I have been getting discouraged too. I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 5 years old and it has taken me 30 years to finally pursue my dream. I think I need to stop reading the posts where people are complaining. Everyone is different and just because they hate the profession of nursing, it doesn't mean that I will. Maybe a lot of these nurses went into nursing for the wrong reasons or had unrealistic expectations. We will bring a fresh wave of enthusiasm when we become nurses, and our patients will benefit.

I have a friend whose mother was murdered over a workplace incident. No one thinks it will happen to them. Please treat this very seriously.