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Thanks for the response, I figured that might be the case and have looked into ICU & ER positions already locally. The "I can't relocate" is more on a permanent basis. My husband has an amazing job here and I don't want to disrupt his job. However, I am totally willing to spend months away for training and deployment as needed. I just have to drive ~3-4 hrs to get to the closest base, so I wouldn't be able to drive there every other weekend or I would be exhausted. ?

I'm looking for information on the different branches for Reserves. I currently work at an ASC as an OR Charge Nurse and am wanting to branch into the military setting. Experience 9 months med/surg1 year OR1 year PACU/Pre-Op/OR at an ASCI am currently 39 years old, live in Dallas, TX (unable to relocate) and am in the process of obtaining my BSN with a completion date no later than 10/31/2020. I do need to work on my physical requirements in order to join any branch, but since I'll have until then I think I should have plenty of time to meet that goal. What I'm looking for not sure if this is in every branch, but something like AFR 1 weekend/mo and 2 weeks/yr would be perfectso far AFR Flight Nurse has caught my interest the most, but with my background would I qualify for something like that?NOT med/surgI wouldn't mind doing OR or some sort of perioperative nursing, but not sure if that would be an option given my location. There are no bases close to my home, so not sure how that would work out.something to further my career/improve my knowledge base I already tried to call a recruiter and basically they won't talk to me unless I have a BSN. I would hate to get my hopes up thinking this is obtainable for me, only to find out later that it's not. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

NAC is just what WA state calls their CNA's :) I don't know the specifics on why the name/acronym is different, but it is the same thing! NAC=Nursing Assistant - Certified. So as long as you use a school listed in my post above you'll be on the right track! Good luck!

Since you already have prior medical experience and if you're not working I would highly suggest looking into one of the faster paced programs so that you can get your license ASAP. The one I attended was 3-4 weeks long (Tues-Fri 8am-2:30pm, but they offer a weekend only option as well) for the most part with some different times for clinicals. There are a lot of these types of programs available and the cost varies a lot as well, so just look at reviews online and try to find a decent one near you. Just check here to make sure the program you choose is legit before you make a decision! You can absolutely spend an entire quarter/semester at a college taking a CNA class and will get a much more detailed education, but it is also more costly and takes much longer to complete. Also be aware that a NAC is required for most nursing programs in this area anyway, so best to get it out of the way now than the wait until the last minute and miss an application date (this happened to several of my classmates!)

This post was extremely inspiring!!! I have been attempting to lose weight for going on 5 years now and while I have made a downward progress (lost 50 lbs!) I am still far from my end goal. I appreciate all the details you put into this post and I will try to apply some of the same methods and see if it helps me to stay on track more. I think my biggest struggle has been finding sweets that are better options for me that I actually enjoy! I have tried almost anything out there are far as protein bars etc goes and while I can usually stomach them for about a week, after that I get to the point where I can barely get it down. Thanks again for the post and you look amazing!

I'm still a student, so I'm unsure of pay or job availability in itself, but I'll share what I do know. Dupont itself doesn't have anything much to offer nurses (only a few doctors offices). You'll need to look into Olympia, Tacoma, or work on base for more job opportunities in hospitals. Dupont is a great location since it's between Olympia & Tacoma, but traffic can get pretty crazy around that area of I-5 (especially heading towards Tacoma). It is also quite expensive to live in Dupont and there are several other smaller towns close to base that are much cheaper, but would limit your jobs. Good luck in relocating and an early welcome to the area! :)

hang in there!!! My program hasn't even started yet and I already feel overwhelmed and extremely anxious as well. I've considered asking my Dr for anxiety meds as well, but am afraid it might mess with my performance once school starts. For now I'm trying to get as much exercise and healthy eating in as possible to help the time pass. Thank you everyone who posted their advice as I'm sure I'll be coming back to this thread in a few weeks and reading through it myself! Good luck Cynthia, if you really want this you can do it girl!

My class doesn't start until the 21st and I am EXTREMELY nervous! More than anything I've been trying to look up ways on how to reduce stress and anxiety so that I have a game plan for when I do get overwhelmed in the program! Good luck to everyone who has already started and all that are starting in the near future!

easier said than done! LOL I think I'm freaking out more since I know I won't be at orientation and I'm very afraid that I'll miss out on hearing something!

ddfg34, did you ever decide which school you'll be attending? Someone from SPSCC called me yesterday since I had been holding off on sending my response until I knew CC received mine! Have you gotten your hep B vaccination yet FNP? I'm going to get mine today! I might go ahead and get the MMR and start the 2 step TB test as well. Know of anything else we'll be needing? I really wish they had sent more than just the letter like SPSCC did so that we could start getting things rolling!

South Puget Sound Community College and Tacoma Community College are both lotteries (although higher grades + certifications, etc do give you an advantage and minimum grades are required for certain classes).

It was a tough call! For me it ended up being a comfort decision more than anything. I ended up making a spreadsheet to compare the two and it really came down to whichever one I wanted! I was unable to find anyone who had specifically participated in SPSCC's program since its redesign which made me hesitant to accept it. I also felt like any time I asked other peoples opinions about which they thought their first statement was always "didn't SPSCC lose their accreditation?" I felt like their reputation has been spoiled and even if they are better than they used to be I wasn't willing to risk it since Centralia College had accepted me as well. I have heard feedback from people who have gone to Centralia College and it sounds like it is a solid program that no one seems to complain about so I'm happy with my decision! Good luck to you!

Yes! :)

I won't be at orientation sadly! I will definitely be there the first day of class though, see you soon!

totally understandable! Good luck to you and I hope you make it in!

Here we go guys! I won't be able to attend orientation and will have to pick up my packet and meet with them the following week, but I look forward to meeting everyone!

Centralia College it is, starting a new thread so we don't confuse people too much when they look at this hah. FYI Lisa, 3 of the people I know of were also accepted into SPSCC, so that's 3 spots opening up already! We're most likely not the only ones who have decided upon another school so hang in there!

okay just an FYI to anyone else breezing through this thread, according to WGU they will accept credits from both schools to contribute towards their RN-BSN program. This morning I plan on contacting Centralia College to see if they will work with me since I am unable to show up for the orientation on the date specified. If they will work with me then I will choose to go to Centralia College! It feels good to finally have a decision made, however if they aren't able to work with me I guess SPSCC it is.

I'm really not sure Tonim228, I would try to contact the Financial Aid office and ask them! Everyone at the school is usually very nice and eager to help.

I happen to live a tad farther from Centralia mileage wise, but with SPSCC I'd have to drive across Lacey/Olympia to get there so it evens out as far as time goes. I've been trying to find people in the programs, but haven't been able to find anyone yet! Now that I know so many people that were accepted into the Centralia program I'm starting to lean in that direction again. Waiting to hear back from WGU to see what their opinion is since I plan on transferring to them after I finish the ADN at either school.

grats!!!!! I know most of the people I took pre-req's with @ Centralia got in as well! You two can feel free to make a new thread for Centralia College! :) I'm afraid to before I make a decision for sure!

fancy seeing you here!!!! grats once again!!! I'm going to join up with this group as well! Looking forward to our futures!

Same thing for Centralia College as well though. They only have state, not national so again, same boat! lol I'll try to decide by the beginning of next week so I can move forward and quit thinking about this so much!

yeah sadly they're both very similar. I've made a spreadsheet to compare the two and will be sending some questions to both colleges to get responses to help me make my decision.

I got mine today as wel! Grats FNP! Now how the heck am I going to decide between SPSCC and CC??? ughhhhh