RN - Evening and Weekend courses in Cleveland area??

scadams29 · Jan 21, 2009

Kent State has an ADN program at it's Twinsburg location, some classes are at nite, but not sure about clinicals. Tri-C has a modified evening weekend program. It is modified because some of the clinicals may start earlier than 5:00 pm. Lakeland Community College also has an evening and weekend program. I don't know much about LCC but I do know that Tri-C's program is highly regarded. Wish you well in your search.

jaylynn67 · Jan 22, 2009

Huron School of Nursing has an evening/weekend program. I worked full time while going to school there. The hours are very convenient for working people.

goodgrief · Feb 10, 2009

just go full-time to a BSN program, you'll be grateful you did in the future. cut your expenses to the bare minimum (rent, electricity, food), sell your car and buy a used one so you don't have a car payment, take out student loans if necessary, make good grades so you can get scholarships, and apply for pell-grants, work part-time on the weekends. I did that with a wife and 3 kids and I'm graduating this april with my BSN.

Equinox_93 · Feb 11, 2009

just go full-time to a BSN program, you'll be grateful you did in the future. cut your expenses to the bare minimum (rent, electricity, food), sell your car and buy a used one so you don't have a car payment, take out student loans if necessary, make good grades so you can get scholarships, and apply for pell-grants, work part-time on the weekends. I did that with a wife and 3 kids and I'm graduating this april with my BSN.

Was your wife working while you were in school? Not everyone has a S.O who can put them through school. Many of us have kids, bills and some don't have that financial leeway to be able to do that. With small children, daycare can run over 1k a month for *one* kid. Throw in bills etc. and many of us need to do evening/weekend classes so we can work at a job that allows us to stay afloat. Some are *already* running on bare minimum expenses and there's nowhere else to cut *from*. Try to remember that not everyone starts from the same financial point.

bestbabynurse · Feb 11, 2009

Awwww. I miss Cleveland. Check all of the Hospital based (Huron Rd as suggested) and the Community colleges. Test out of what you can for your theory segment. That will shorten the time spent doing prerequisites. Do an RN program, as you will limit your options and have less job security right off the bat with a LPN program. Many never get the chance to go back to school afterwards.

goodgrief · Feb 11, 2009

My wife doesn't work, she stays at home with our kids, which saves us from having to pay tons to a day care. I have a teacher assistant job for during the school year and just find a full-time job during the summer about a month before classes end and just SAVE SAVE SAVE. We pretty much have our expenses down to the bare minimum (rent, electricity, food, gas). We don't have a car payment or credit card bills. We live on campus, so cable, phone, and internet come with the price of rent, which is considerably cheap. Another way to get really cheap rent is to be a community aide/manager. Many times they'll let you live in the apartments free/cheap. Trust me, we've struggled, but it'll all be worth it here in about 3 months when I graduate. We've done lots of things to get us through, our kids are on medicaid and WIC, we get food (pretty much just canned goods) from a community action place in our neighborhood. Probably the most expensive thing for us is buying diapers/wipes for 3 kids. We have a son who's 1 yr 10 mo, and twins that are 8 months. You do what you have to do. I grew up in a pretty poor family, so did my wife, so we've both learned how to live on bare minimum all our lives, I guess it's been easier for us to adjust.

I honestly feel that anyone can do it if they just put their mind to it, if they're humble enough to accept help from others (govt, community programs, family, friends, etc.). People can come up with all the excuses in the world not to do it, and if going to school were easy, EVERYONE would do it and it really wouldn't be as valuable. But it IS DIFFICULT, that's why not everyone does it, but that's why it's also more valuable. You can do it! I know from experience!

bestbabynurse · Feb 11, 2009

Oh my. Hats off to you!!! My years in nursing school was during my families all time low financially, and reading your posting caused many memories to come flooding back. It surely will be worth it. Take it from me. I'll never forget my study partner that I met on my first day at the college. She gave me a car one day. So, with faith in my God, and keeping my priorities straight, I made it through then...and I have faith that my family will make it through these troublesome times as well. My two children are grown now, so now I hope they learned how to be successful and what really is important in life. There are many types of education and I attribute my spiritual education as being the true lifesaver. The rest falls into place with some effort.

Equinox_93 · Feb 11, 2009

How do you go to school full time (which generally means days as most programs don't offer fulltime evening/weekend schedules) and maintain a teachers aid position (as teaching I'd think would generally also be a day job...) ?

In this economy- not many will be able to just up and sell their house to downsize to a rental- even if that rental is paid by doing work for the complex. In many areas- no one is buying...

Some of those excuses are valid when one doesn't feel comfortable accepting government aid when they are capable of supporting themselves and their family. Most couples I'd think would rather have both spouses work to make it through school than to accept government aid. I know we would. I'd rather go to school nights and weekends and do it that way. But- whatever. It IS an individual decision.

I mainly responded because your post sounded so very flippant, assuming that one could just go ahead and do it the way you had. Not everyone is in a position to do that. I would agree that *with loads of prior planning* it's certainly do-able. BUT- the way you made it sound anyone could just drop everything and go do it "your way"- which, if you really think about all the different situations people may be in- you can probably see the impossibility there for at least some of them :)

My wife doesn't work, she stays at home with our kids, which saves us from having to pay tons to a day care. I have a teacher assistant job for during the school year and just find a full-time job during the summer about a month before classes end and just SAVE SAVE SAVE. We pretty much have our expenses down to the bare minimum (rent, electricity, food, gas). We don't have a car payment or credit card bills. We live on campus, so cable, phone, and internet come with the price of rent, which is considerably cheap. Another way to get really cheap rent is to be a community aide/manager. Many times they'll let you live in the apartments free/cheap. Trust me, we've struggled, but it'll all be worth it here in about 3 months when I graduate. We've done lots of things to get us through, our kids are on medicaid and WIC, we get food (pretty much just canned goods) from a community action place in our neighborhood. Probably the most expensive thing for us is buying diapers/wipes for 3 kids. We have a son who's 1 yr 10 mo, and twins that are 8 months. You do what you have to do. I grew up in a pretty poor family, so did my wife, so we've both learned how to live on bare minimum all our lives, I guess it's been easier for us to adjust.
I honestly feel that anyone can do it if they just put their mind to it, if they're humble enough to accept help from others (govt, community programs, family, friends, etc.). People can come up with all the excuses in the world not to do it, and if going to school were easy, EVERYONE would do it and it really wouldn't be as valuable. But it IS DIFFICULT, that's why not everyone does it, but that's why it's also more valuable. You can do it! I know from experience!

PuppyLuv1978 · Feb 23, 2009

Try Tri-C - I believe they have an evening program. Good luck!

goodgrief · Feb 23, 2009

My TA position is pretty much just grading papers in the evening when I'm not in class during the day. It's a TA position for a nursing professor at my university and it's a very flexible job.

You talk like accepting government aid is a bad thing. That's what it's there for! You've probably paid taxes all your life and will pay them for the rest of your life, why not get something back instead of always paying in? Honestly, I don't agree with people who use govt aid all their lives and for generations of families, but my situation of using govt aid is ONLY a temporary situation, which is what I think the govt programs were originally set up for. So that people can get on their feet and become contributors instead of drainers, givers instead of takers.

I'm not trying to say my way is the only way to do it, I was mostly trying to tell you HOW I've done it and give you some ideas of how it can be done, you know, give you a little motivation.

Complainers and those who make excuses never get anywhere, those who succeed are those who take action. Unless you take action, you'll remain in the same boat you're in now for the rest of your life.

I guarantee there's a way you can go to school (where there's a will there's a way)....you just have to figure out what works out best for you and especially for your family.

I wish you all the best of luck!!

CraftyStarr · Mar 2, 2009

Take a look at Tri-C. They are affordable and they offer Night/Weekend ADN and LPN programs.

http://www.tri-c.edu/programs/nursing/Pages/default.aspx