Single Mom, become a nurse??

[Honeylee]

:uhoh21: Im a single Mom, now after 7yrs married and two little boys! I have been trying to get into nursing school for years, but because of my Ex hubbies controlling ways I never got the chance. And now that Im single I would really like to pursue a career in this field. I have heard mixed things though, like if you're a single parent, you must have lots of support, or you wont make it. Besides child support, there's nothing else that will assist my time in school.

I really want to be an RN in OBGYN, I understand it will take a long time, probably longer since Im a mom as well.

I just wanted to see if anyone here and done it, if they would do it again, and what the best route would be for me to take.

Thanks so much

Amberlee:balloons:

[KEL2BanRN]

honeylee, you can do this! i am a newly single mom to three sons, ages 7, 8 and 9. i have no support - no family nearby, nothing. ex lives an hour away, so he's no help, either. but i'm doing it and doing well at it, too, i might add. i'm one of those people who just dives right in and makes things work; if i see something i want, i make it happen. the hardest part is taking that first step and getting the ball rolling. best of luck!

[Lamie]

Wow, this is encouraging. Maybe someone can give me some hope, too: my husband is deploying to Iraq this summer and I was going to start a full-time LPN program in the fall. We have a 7-year old son who I was planning to put into before-and-after school care since we have no other family around. All my friends work full-time jobs, so they really couldn't help. The program I'm going into is VERY strict; it MO-FR 08:00 - 03:30, and you CANNOT miss a day or be late more than three times, otherwise you will be dismissed from the program and will not get a refund. It costs $7000 for the 11-month program. Since I am a very conscientious person I thought that I should be able to handle this, but did worry about what to do with our son if he got sick and couldn't attend school. He has never been sick and missed a day of school (we are all very, very healthy), but you just never know.

To make things worse, I just found out that I'm pregnant, due in November, which already voids my plans of attending LPN school this fall. I will be able to attend the next program which starts in spring 2008, and my parents will fly in from Germany to help me with the baby. However, they will not be able to stay the full 11 months, and between the time my husband returns from Iraq and them leaving, I will be on my own, possibly during the time clinicals start. The college does have on-campus child care that I can afford, but again my biggest fear is what to do if the baby gets sick; if it screams all night and prevents me from getting enough rest for the next day let alone time to study. I really do not want to postpone the LPN program any longer since slots are filling up fast and I'm not getting any younger. I'm so scared that I missed the boat and won't be able to become a nurse after all.

Single moms, I have a heck of a lot of respect for you - I'm scared to death facing all this on my own. What do you do when your little ones get sick? How do you make time to study, buy groceries, get enough sleep, etc. I really need some encouragement.

Thank you!

[Lisa CCU RN, RN]

Wow, this is encouraging. Maybe someone can give me some hope, too: my husband is deploying to Iraq this summer and I was going to start a full-time LPN program in the fall. We have a 7-year old son who I was planning to put into before-and-after school care since we have no other family around. All my friends work full-time jobs, so they really couldn't help. The program I'm going into is VERY strict; it MO-FR 08:00 - 03:30, and you CANNOT miss a day or be late more than three times, otherwise you will be dismissed from the program and will not get a refund. It costs $7000 for the 11-month program. Since I am a very conscientious person I thought that I should be able to handle this, but did worry about what to do with our son if he got sick and couldn't attend school. He has never been sick and missed a day of school (we are all very, very healthy), but you just never know.

To make things worse, I just found out that I'm pregnant, due in November, which already voids my plans of attending LPN school this fall. I will be able to attend the next program which starts in spring 2008, and my parents will fly in from Germany to help me with the baby. However, they will not be able to stay the full 11 months, and between the time my husband returns from Iraq and them leaving, I will be on my own, possibly during the time clinicals start. The college does have on-campus child care that I can afford, but again my biggest fear is what to do if the baby gets sick; if it screams all night and prevents me from getting enough rest for the next day let alone time to study. I really do not want to postpone the LPN program any longer since slots are filling up fast and I'm not getting any younger. I'm so scared that I missed the boat and won't be able to become a nurse after all.

Single moms, I have a heck of a lot of respect for you - I'm scared to death facing all this on my own. What do you do when your little ones get sick? How do you make time to study, buy groceries, get enough sleep, etc. I really need some encouragement.

Thank you!

Wow, you'll have your hands full come November. Ok, for one, I hope the parents can stayb six weeks because most daycares don't take infants till that age. As far as being kept up all night and not getting rest...well that wil happen baby or not, sad to say.

I am in RN program, but I imagine the LPN program is just as hard since it's just 11 months and there is so much info to learn.

You just have to do what you have to do.

I just start the week, take a deep breathe and swim to the end of the week and hope I have enough O2 to make it.

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

lamie:

i can't offer any help or words of encouragement with your childcare/baby situation....but...

i really do not want to postpone the lpn program any longer since slots are filling up fast and i'm not getting any younger. i'm so scared that i missed the boat and won't be able to become a nurse after all.

i'm 51 and in the second semester of an rn program....your profile indicates you are 37...i got news for you -- you got time!! you can't go back and have more kids (well, unless you're a minor miracle and at my age, i ain't even near to being interested in that) and you can't get back the time you don't spend with them when they're young....my "baby" is 19 and has left for college this year and i am heartbroken and wonder where the time went....i sat in his car with tears in my eyes yesterday while he was filling up to get ready to go back to school after spring break....i miss him so much....on the other hand, there are some benefits from "empty nest", lol....

my point just is, it's not slipping away....you have time....relax and just know that when the time's right, it will all work out....spend this time getting all prereqs, coreqs, etc., out of the way and maybe look for an rn program that might actually work out better for you at a later date....just don't think this is an all-or-nothing situation for you right now...it's truly not...

my best to you and thanks to you and your family for your sacrifices with your husband being in the service and heading overseas!! godspeed to him and the other men and women in our military. :icon_hug:

[butterfly01]

but I also don't get any child support from my daughter's father.

Why not? You don't want it? Go through the state and make him pay. You may not know, they will increase your support if you will tell them who he is. It's kind of like an incentive program.

Of course, if he did not feel like he was ready for a child and you did, that is an entirely different story (not to the state though), as that would have been your choice.

[CTstudent]

To the lady who's pregnant, I would suggest you not start the LPN program this fall with a new baby due in Nov. It's really going to be too much. When is the next class starting? They probably have one in Jan or March which I think would be more convenient for you.

[lisabeth]

I wish you the very best. It took me a long time to be able to do it, but it finally happened. I will not let anything stop me this time. No ex-, nor any future relationship. There will be plenty of time for that after I get through.

[kukukajoo, LPN]

Just wanted to share- I am also a single mom and somehow doing it and doing well! it CAN be done for sure. I don't have any support either and also have the added responsibility to be the primary caretaker of my 86 year old grandmother who does not drive.

Also, do you know about filing your FAFSA? That's what schools use to determine your level of aid for grants and loans. You'll need your taxes but you can do it all online and you should get it in as soon as possible as each school has deadlines for preferences.

There are TONS of scholarships out there for single parents and women in general and women returning to college after a long absence in education (non-traditional student).

I am 38 and transferring into a BSN program from An ADN program this spring. I LOVE the program and my classmates- they are the ones who support me. Oh, and I have a counselor who provides moral support as well.

[lisabeth]

Wow!!! That is awsome. Way to go.

Just wanted to share- I am also a single mom and somehow doing it and doing well! it CAN be done for sure. I don't have any support either and also have the added responsibility to be the primary caretaker of my 86 year old grandmother who does not drive.

Also, do you know about filing your FAFSA? That's what schools use to determine your level of aid for grants and loans. You'll need your taxes but you can do it all online and you should get it in as soon as possible as each school has deadlines for preferences.

There are TONS of scholarships out there for single parents and women in general and women returning to college after a long absence in education (non-traditional student).

I am 38 and transferring into a BSN program from An ADN program this spring. I LOVE the program and my classmates- they are the ones who support me. Oh, and I have a counselor who provides moral support as well.

[kukukajoo, LPN]

Thanks! Hey I wanted to add that it isn't impossible, but you HAVE to want this and understand that it will be hard and at times you may feel like giving up. Something keeps me going, though and I know wanting to set a good example is important for my kids.

I never graduated high school so I had to take a bunch of classes I never had then- Chem, Bio, Algebra... I learned that the college level really is the same that they teach in HS, just over a concentrated period of time (16 weeks vs 40) so I took it at the college level instead. This fulfilled the requirements, and also I am using them as transfer credits to the BSN program. I was also able to get financial aid which I would not have received had I taken it at the HS adult ed (and they cost about the same!).

I took most of pre-reqs before applying to the school and had been attending school a year and a half by the time I started the program. I stayed full-time so I could join the honor society and get aid, and took some classes online when I could. I was registered as a general studies/liberal arts major so I was not limited in what classes I could take.

I also took classes not needed at my school for the program but relevant and needed at various other close-by programs to keep my options open. These included Law & Ethics for the Medical Professional (Transferring in as bioethics) and Medical Terminology. Both classes have helped me tons in the program and the added bonus is when I transfer I will be ahead with all the courses transferring in.

Also, be proactive about scholarships- I have a folder dedicated to them as well as a spreadsheet to track them and to know to reapply next year. In the folder I keep letters of reference, big envelopes, applications, official transcripts, etc. I keep word docs in a file on my pc called "scholarships" and save all my essays and cover sheets so I can just tweak them as needed. I got a used typewriter and it has paid for itself as I have received thousands in scholarships alone simply by typing and completing the process. I found that many times scholarship foundations do not receive enough applicants so you have a better chance than you would think!