Work/School/Life

[Studiogirl]

Hi. I am brand new to the nursing scene. A little background. I am a returning student. I have a degree already in architecture, that is famous for being a 24 hour endeavor. I spent many all-nighters studying and drawing assignments, however, I went into graphic art and freelance work right after graduation. I worked at that for several years, until the recession and living in a small town took its toll on my career and now I find myself at 41, needing a new career direction.

A few years ago, I had a serious bout with food poisoning that did not land me in the hospital, though it should have, because later I was admitted for having panic attacks and dizziness. I developed an interest in health and Medical practices though.

So, here I am at 41, and taking pre-requisites for an RN program because I missed the deadlines for an LPN program application. I won't be able to take LPN classes until next fall if I want to attend locally, and I do. I have the option for taking a CNA class in the spring semester along with RN prerequisites, which I am considering.

I am currently attending classes only, not working, while I am on Disability, enabling me to dismiss the remainder of my previous student loans and essentially begin again, as long as I pay for classes. Myself and not use loans. I'm eligible to begin working again next year though.

My question is... how hard is it to work night shifts as a CNA while attending classes for LPN? And then after that, working night shift as LPN while attending classes for RN? Will this allow me more time to study and make more money to pay for classes? Is this a common decision for people returning to school and work and able to stay up night hours? Is this a good plan for attending all the way through to BSN? And how possible is all of this at the age of 41?

I'm already feeling like I'm loaded pretty well, jumping straight to sophmore level classes like A & P 1 and Nutrition, with no health career experience, but is that indicative of how hard nursing is as a career? I almost wish I had started with a CNA course, but I knew I was going to go as far as I could at this local community college and thats an RN Associates, so I decided to jump right into prerequisites instead of just a certification for CNA.

Sorry if this question is a bit confusing. I'm just trying to plan my next few years and become gainfully employed and not make a fool of myself. I really want to succeed at this and learn about healthcare practices, make money, help other people and myself succeed.