I come from a family of health care providers. My  maternal grandmother and my mother were both Registered Nurses , as well as my middle brother, who is also an RN. Several times I was in several different nursing programs, but never finished because of lack of financial aid or the job, I happen to be working in took precedence over my education. I seriously want to be a nurse and have accumulated a lot of college credits toward it. I also have 2 associate degrees, and credits in accounting and business, too. So, you could say I am quite a well-rounded student. But it's also making me wondr what step to take next. I current work as a general merchandiser in retail, and have been doing so for 15 years..But, nursing is my dream..Especially Rn. And,I also hold a Certificate in Certified nursing Assistant from New York State. But have been living in Michigan for over 15 years, and really like it here. Any suggestions or input from anyone in the group would be sincerely welcomed and appreciated. Thank You.   =)   P.S. I am 52 years young, this year.

Hi Nirsinggig -

I don't know your situation and 1 little paragraph is certainly not enough for anyone to pass judgement on, but it sounds like nursing school has not been a priority for you in the past.  It has been a dream that has been put on hold a time or two.   And maybe it had to be put on hold - no judgement here - but if you want your dream to come true, you have to do some planning for it.  Figure out a "road map" that you can follow ----- one that you think you can stick to.  Talk it over with your support group - who will help out with bills, home responsibilities, etc so you can focus on school?

If you can't afford to quit working, I would suggest looking into the CNA requirements for your local hospitals.  Working as a CNA may provide a more flexible work schedule than your current employer.  But you can still bring in some money for the family and you can network with the staff and make job placement easier for yourself once you graduate.

I'm in a similar situation myself (a well rounded student :) with a family to help support).  Hubby is very supportive of me going to nursing school. 

Our current "road map" to making this dream a reality consists of....currently being focused on paying down our bills (paying OFF the smaller ones and not running up any new ones) while I work on my pre-reqs.  I can work at my current employer while doing the pre-reqs because they are all offered in the evenings.   Our hospitals require active enrollment in a nursing program to be a NA.  I plan to work as an NA and apply for every scholarship I might qualify for.  That should be enough to cover our finances but if not, loans are an option to cover the remainder.

Best of luck to you!

Of course, start that "Road Map" today - contact schools, and check out your options - I was an "older" student - that's no problem.

My school accepted college credits 20 years old! As was said, it depends. I worked both full and part time, all the way through school (not easy, believe me). There is a way, if you really want to do it!