Struggling

Will you be working full-time while you're in the nursing program? If you'll only be working part-time or not at all, you'll probably find that the workload is still tough, but somewhat manageable. Working full-time during pre-reqs and nursing school is a huge challenge for anyone, so I hope you're not beating yourself up over it. It takes plenty of time and energy for all of us to learn this stuff. :)

You can do it! If nursing is what you really, really want, go for it. However, since you asked for other suggestions, here's my list of go-to alternatives for when I have those days:

-Physical/occupational therapy assistant

-Rad tech/therapy

-Speech pathology

-Dental hygiene

Depending on how long you want to be in school, those are all healthcare careers that would be pretty satisfying.

The above careers that are listed are also great, but they probably require a bit more than basic biology still. It'll be hard to find a hands on health care job without taking more than basic biology. You will usually need some sort of human biology or anatomy class as well. It sounds like you are having a hard time because you work, not because you are not grasping the material. Could you somehow cut down hours?

Have you tried to break your studying down into segments? For example, use 1/2 hour increments instead of 2 hours of study time in a session. Focus on small sections several times throughout the day and use a later chunk of time before going to bed on how the pieces fit together.

If nursing is what you really want to do, stick with it. No one said it would be easy .... you can do it, you just need to find what works best for you.

For the biology part of your studies check out YouTube videos. Some of the guys on there know how to break down a subject a little better than your professor! Try Interactive learning or bullharrier.

Try getting a tutor. I was a 4.0 student in high school and ended up almost failing Biology and had to drop Chemistry. Ask your professor for help. Things do not come easy for me either. Do not wait until the last minute to get help.

After my undergrad degree I reviewed my study habits before taking A&P 1 and 2 in two different 5 week sessions. You know what I Aced them :).

Maybe try to take out loans and try to not have to work as much! It will pay off in the end. The more time you put into studying, the better off you will be because it takes a lot of repetition to really get a solid grasp on the material. Make sure you stay up on the readings!

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I am not really able to cut back on hours at work. As for the loans, I will have to check into that and see what I can do. I really enjoy working in healthcare and I would like to stay in this field. The job I have now is very enjoyable, but just is to much of an office job and the pay is just not quite enough. I know I will need biology plus additional biology related classes for just about any medical job. I am more so concerned about when I get to the nursing part and clinical. I still have time to figure that part out. I have 3-4 classes I have to take before I can apply anyway. So one way or another I will end up with a degree in the medical field. What area, that has yet to be decided. Thanks again to all of you for the support and suggestions.

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