CareerChange2011

I'm in Illinois. In 2003 I was taking grad classes (not for nursing) part time in the evenings when I was laid off from my full-time day job. When I filed for unemployment, I got a little bit of hassle for saying I was in school, but I ended up being able to collect. It was primarily about being able to show that you could legitably work full time in the same capacity (e.g. I was working 8-5 and had to be able to take a new 8-5 job, if offered). You also have to keep a record of your job search, in case they audit you. In Illinois at the time, I had to apply for a minimum of two jobs (in my field) per week. In other words, if I had decided to start taking day classes, I might have run into a problem because I would not have been able to "return to work in the same capacity." But I continued to take night classes (and even increased my school load), while looking for a full-time day job and collecting unemployment.

Hm... I went to the info session at Truman last night and not a single word about taking online applications or centralizing the application (now or in the future). Nothing. I wonder if this is only for OHC and KKC students this year, or anyone else who happens upon this page...

Thanks for the responses. Guess it's just wait and see... I thought maybe it had something to do with the new director of nursing they hired, but since her position is district-wide, it doesn't make sense to only extend Truman's deadline and not Daley's. (And from what I can tell, Daley's doesn't seem to have been extended). I do see on Truman's website that they "updated" some of the nursing school forms in Jan 2011, but the only thing I can really see that is different is that they made it mandatory to get a B or higher in Bio 121 (their old forms allowed points to be assigned for a C in this course). They've changed this on one form but not another. They also added tie-breaker points for GPA, which wasn't on their website forms previously, but was on one of the handouts they provided at the information sessions). Like Baila said, there's really nothing that makes sense about extending the deadline, especially if they aren't actively promoting it. They added the extension deadline to their online forms, but they did not change the April 1 notification date, so it doesn't seem to benefit anyone other than procrastinators. I think I'm going to go to their newly added information session next week and see if they are willing to share anything new.

I am in a similar boat as you, only I'm a few years older with no kids. I spent most of the last year really focusing on prioritizing prereqs for various accelerated BSN or direct-entry RN programs in my area. I already have considerable student loan debt from an unrelated master's degree and have recently started researching more about the routes to becoming a NP. The two schools I'm most interested in (Chicago area) allow you to apply directly to a master's or doctorate NP program with an RN license and a bachelor's degree in a non nursing area. You don't have to take that middle BSN step, although there may be a few added "bridge" courses added to your program. I am hoping to get into the associate's program and get an ASN and then apply shortly thereafter to the NP programs. Yes, there is some lag time in there between graduating, passing the NCLEX, applying to grad school, and starting a program, but I figure it will give me time to find a job. And yes, experience does look good when applying to grad school, but it isn't an absolute requirement (at least at the schools I'm looking at). My only reservation about doing an ASN program is the fear that it will be harder to find a new-grad RN job as I keep hearing that a lot of hospitals are really looking for the BSN grads. I figure the job market could be different in a few years, and I am really open minded about working in the less popular specialties. So for me it is really about the cost difference. The accelerated programs are going to cost me $40,000 to $60,000 more for the initial RN portion, and I decided that wasn't for me. Plus the accelerated programs do not give you much hope for holding any kind of a job while you are in school. I believe I will be able to work as a CNA during a "regular paced" ASN program, which I think is more beneficial to me in the long run. I do think this is very much a personal decision though. I don't think there is a right or wrong path. If $100,000 fell in my lap today, I'd go for the accelerated path in a heartbeat. As for PA...I've done some research, but not a lot. Like you said, the requirements to get in will take longer, including the prereqs. Most require more chemistry and some physics that is usually not required for nursing entry. I haven't done any research into OT, though I have a sister who is currently in a program (as a second degree student) and loves it. My route to NP as a second career is going to be longer than I initially intended, but I'm finally feeling very good about my decision. Of course, now I'm waiting to see if I get into an ASN program for the fall (with applications also submitted for BSN programs as a second choice).

Does anyone have any scoop on why Truman College suddenly, little more than a week before the application deadline, extended it for another month? On their Website there is an announcement that the deadline has been extended until March 1. However, they provide no explanation as to why (or how it will affect the decision process and timeline). I highly doubt they don't have enough applicants unless they are rethinking their entrance guidelines, which wouldn't surprise me, but would also be somewhat shady this late in the game. Just wondering if anyone knows of anything going on, or if it's just a ploy to get a bigger pool of applicants.