Ms. Sleepyhead

If you already have a Bachelors degree you should look into the accelerated BSN or direct-entry MSN programs. Most require some prerequisites, but then are only 15-20 months in length. In my MSN program there are several students with business degrees.

I would definitely go for the Xavier program! It is very intense but still very doable if you are determined, even with a 2 year old.

Just call the school and have a chat with someone who works within the program. Or even better, call and make an appointment to stop in and speak with someone in person. The program and the faculty are excellent!

I just had the second of a 2 step TB test yesterday for school. As I read this post now I am wandering how the nurse will read my test tomorrow. The first test last week was clearly negative. This second test has resulted in a nice size purple bruise almost 1 inch in diameter. I just knew when she stuck me that I would bruise because it really hurt! I am hoping the nurse who reads my test knows what she is doing.

I am in my 40s and starting a direct entry MSN in a month. The program encourages older applicants who desire a change in career. Students in the program come from a wide range of educational backgrounds. Life experience in any field makes for a more well rounded student!

I am curious to see the responses to your inquiry as I am in a similar situation. I have a PhD in a medical science. My experience over the past 15 years includes basic lab research, clinical research and clinical laboratory diagnostics. When I was involved in clinical research I worked directly with patients at a major university hospital. This was the work that I enjoyed the most and one of the reasons I decided to go into nursing. I start a direct entry MSN program in a month. I am not sure if general bedside nursing will be the direction that I take my new career. Clinical research coordinator is definitely an option for me. I can say that most of the job openings that I see list RN as a requirement. Even where RN is not a requirement it is preferred. Since being laid off last fall I have applied for at least 15-20 CRC/CRA positions without even a single phone call back. I have every bit of the experience required to coordinate a large scale clinical research study except for the fact that I am not an RN. I am terrified to make the change back to student status and accumulate the student loans. But I believe some of the best moves to be made in life involve some degree of risk!

45K for a 20 month direct entry MSN $8500 paid for by school and federal grant money and the rest by a combination of subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loans

Reptiles, including snakes, carry Salmonella. Children under the age of 5 and those with compromised immune systems should not handle a reptile or come into direct contact with someone who has handled a reptile. For liability reasons I would not bring a reptile to work at a LTC facility.