I want to go to school to become an RN but I'll be honest, my head's spinning and I've never felt this stupid!

I'm almost 23 and homeschooled as a teen so I honestly don't seem to have a clue on all this. I have my CNA already (been doing home health past 3 years and think I've lost touch with working in an institution). I'm waiting for info from some places nearby but the cheapest one (community college) has a wait list that's already to summer 2014 and I don't even have the general courses and prerequisites done. I'm waiting to hear back from Kaplan although it's more expensive, I hear they can get you in sooner.

My father says he wants to help me so that's great but he doesn't understand I'm currently in almost $10,000 in debt (mostly medical debt) that I'm working full-time right now trying to pay it off. Makes me want to scream in frustration because I'm not sure what to do and I'm so scared I'm too stupid to be an RN.

If there are any RN's out there reading this, what was your schooling experience? Is it possible to become one going to school part-time? I don't know if I can handle full-time school and work (the clients I do home health with can be extremely draining on me and one is verbally abusive so by the end of the day my brain's mush).

Sorry for the long post...I guess I'm just starting to freak out a bit.

Hi ilidawn! I'm not a nurse yet but I am in nursing school. I'm in the middle of getting my associate's right now and plan to do the RN-BSN transition right after. I started nursing school at 24 and have many classmates in their late 20's, 30's, and even 40's so you are never too old to start in my opinion.

I would speak to a nursing program advisor so they can fill you in on prerequisites and average GPA to apply. I know different schools have different prerequisites and programs usually hold an information session. My program was pretty competitive but there wasn't any waiting lists. It's based on grades and its a clean slate each semester so people would have to re-apply if they didn't get in the first time.

I'm currently using the pell grant to pay for nursing school so you may want to look into that. You apply through the FAFSA website and if you qualify, you have some tuition payed for by the government that you don't have to pay back. This has helped me so much financially.

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE my nursing classes. It requires a lot of studying and dedication though and you have to take it full time here. There are classes and clinicals where you spend a day or two in the hospital working with clients. There are also LVN programs that are year long and LVN-RN programs. I have friends who work part-time on the weekends but the week is pretty dedicated to the nursing courses.

I really hope this helped. I'm only speaking from my own school experience. I wish you the best of luck with all your goals!

Thank you so much for sharing! Gives me hope I'll start scheduling appointments to talk with advisors and look up FAFSA. I'm so glad to hear it's not too late. My dream is to work in a hospital setting. It's hard to not get overwhelmed at first but I can't imagine not working in healthcare because it's what I enjoy most. Good luck to you too in your goals!

I am not an RN , in fact never wanted to be one but I am urging you to go ahead and get into Nursing School, get your nursing degree become an RN. With an RN degrees you have many opportunities as where you will work. Go for it !.

Thank you! I'm really wanting to get it so I can go anywhere and still be able to find work. My father wants me to move back overseas someday (he really wants grandchildren I think lol that's probably why he wants me to get my life on track and be closer). I read online that with an RN all I'd need is to take tests when you're in another country and the degree can be used there. The encouragement is so much appreciated since I'm a timid person and when I'm afraid of failing I usually don't even try

Have confidence!


Have you considered LPN? The difference between an LPN and an RN is generally two things: salary and RNs can "hang blood & give IV pushes". But overall, an LPN does many of the exact same things that an RN does. Also, from my understanding, schooling to become an LPN is not as demanding as it is for an RN, however, the transition from LPN to RN is easily done too if one later desires this. It can be done via an Accelerated Degree Program :] Just Google, so many options. Best of luck!

I'll be talking to advisors about the LPN programs as well but I'm wondering if it'd be easier for me to get it all done at once. Maybe I'm trying to bite off more I can chew though. I'm going to contact one of the hospitals where I'm at too to see what type of educational opportunities they offer since they've got some programs from what I've heard.

On a slightly related humorous note, I keep seeing in my head that guy from the Adam Sandler movies going "YOU CAN DO IT!" lol

The hospitals in the area where I live no longer hire LPNs. Do a lot of research before deciding.

Definitely want to check what job positions are available in your area. That said, I worked in a hospital, I wasn't crazy about it as the shifts were long and the scheduling is often times less than desirable, especially if you're a new nurse. But you may very well enjoy that kind of environment, working with new people all the time :] Anyway, there are many many jobs that nursing staff can do (CNA, MA, LPN, RN), and in many various different kinds of settings.

There was a point in my life where I felt like I might be too stupid to make it as an RN (just like you said). I decided to go for it and not only did I get my BA as an RN, but I did it all in Sweden in Swedish (and I'm American!). I made up my mind and that was all I needed. I am so happy that I went for it.

You are very right about the world being "open" for an RN to work. Many countries are happy to have us. Good luck.

QuilterThe way a lot of hospitals don't hire LPNs was part of my iffyness on it. One of the first things my charge nurse at the nursing home told me was it's a good stepping stone but that they were being phased out of the healthcare system (how sad!). Thanks for bringing that point up because I had forgotten all about her telling me that.

kelleyb Oh wow! that's amazing! thanks so much for sharing, that gives me hope it's possible especially in other countries. That's so cool doing it in Sweden and in another language!

Thanks everyone for the help I'm starting to write out a list of questions I have for advisors that way I'm not stuck going blank when I'm on the phone lol

Yes, do keep up the hope! It will be hard work, but if you really want it, you'll make it happen.

I'm currently doing the pre-requisites at my school for nursing school. I'm also a student worker and my boss is the nursing advisor. He said that a lot of people wonder about doing an LPN program first. But then he said that the LPN program is 18 months long and then you have to go to nursing school for another year to get your RN. So he doesn't get the point of doing all that when the RN program is only 2 years. Basically going the LPN route would take 2.5 years when the RN would take 2.

But then again the nursing waiting list at my school resets every year.....

I hope I helped somehow

Thanks! Wow when put that way regarding time in school, it makes way more sense going straight for an RN. I just got one of my info packets still waiting to hear back from other schools. Trying to get my brain back in gear for learning now. After my mom died in '08 I just went into auto-pilot in my life and my brain got put on pause it feels like lol. Thinking working on mathematics will help most since I hear that's useful for RN courses.

I honestly think you should go to the schools and talk to the advisers face to face yourself. Not only do you need to talk to the advisers, you also need to talk to the financial aid people and see what kind of grants you are eligible for. I think it's better as you gain a ton of information and most of the time, they print out papers for you. I always find myself more satisfied after I talk to these people face to face versus through the phone. Ask if the school offers any grants for students with an EFC of '0'. EFC = expected family contribution. This is how the government decides on how much of the pell grant you will receive. A '0' means you will receive the maximum amount, which is roughly 5,5k ish for one academic year, I believe. If you receive that and you take classes at a CC, it won't be too bad as classes at a CC are much cheaper than anywhere else. For ex., I pay roughly 800 for a 3 credit course at my university, whereas if I take it at a CC, I pay about 300. That's like 1/3 of the price!

Good luck on whatever you decide to do. If you want it bad enough and you're willing to work hard for it, you'll be able to achieve it. As corny as that sounds, you will find it to be true x]