3 replies to this topic

[tlgreer]

Let me quickly explain my situation. My name is Tara, (im new to the forum) and i'm 22. My husband, who serves in the military, and I were recently transferred to Kodiak, AK. The problem is that Kodiak is an island 250 miles off the coast of Alaska. They do have a comm. college, however, they only offer their nursing program every 4 years. It's not scheduled to start again until 2007. (This is about as rural of a community as is gets. We have about 20 mi. of paved road on the island. The rest is mountains and forrest. )The only way I could attend school living here is to fly to anchorage for my classes. This is absolutely not doable. I have a husband and one year to take care of, not to mention the expense. I been desperately trying to find online courses, however, they all require that you already have a license. The only school that I've found that will train you for your LPN lic. is DEaconess College. This was great for me until I found out they want $406/credit hour. I simply cannot afford this. It would cost me upwards of 30g's to get my LPN license. At this point, I am desperate. (Its ironic that it took me this long to decide what I wanted to do, and then it seems almost impossible.)

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions/comments, or could offer any info on online programs I would be so appreciative. Thanks in advance.

Tara

[azurec3]

Persevere!

Maybe you could take some of the prerequisite classes at the college - start building your transcript? Maybe some on-line classes in medical terminology or something?

Will you always live there? Maybe your hubby will be able to transfer, but meanwhile you can move forward with what you can do.

Just a thought -- follow your dream --

Eileen

[TerryRN58]

Something you might want to consider is moving in with your parents or your husbands parents. My wife moved back home with her parents to attend school so she could continue her education after I took a position with a hospital in another town. It was not Pleasant being apart so much. She also took our daughter with her and I missed them both a great deal. It did however allow us to achieve what we wanted to accomplish. I couldn't help smile when you said you are 22 yo and it took you so long to decide what you wanted to do. You are soooo young and have an entire life time ahead of you. When I went to nursing school I was 29yo and at least 1/3 of my class was older than me. The average age of student school wide at that time was 28. Don't rush life. Take some time to enjoy your child and explore your new home. I am an avid hunter and fisherman and would love to live in Alaska. Hunting and fishing aside Alaska is a unique place and you will not be there all that long. It you take the time now to learn about it and explore the culture and history you will be glad you did when you are my age (46). Something else you might check on is to see if the hospitals near you would assist you with getting your education in exchange for a commitment to work for them for a time. I know some hospitals have done this in the past. Remember everything has it's season. Keep taking steps to achieve what you want even if their just baby steps. Another thing to keep in mind is "be careful what you wish for, you might get it" Nursing school was hell, and being in the nursing field will challenge you every minute of every day. If you have a lot of stress right now with a one year old and a new home you might want to take some time to let things settle down a bit before beginning nursing school. Don't put off your dreams though it's just that you might want to move toward achieving them at a little slower pace.

Good Luck
Hope this helps

Terry, RN

[Msrio]

Tara,
You sound so Ambitious! How long will your husband be stationed in AK? Sounds like you have a few options. Either you can wait it out till he's done in Ak, you can wait until the next nursing program begins, or you can opt to come back to the states and get your degree. If it's that important that you do this "now', then coming back to the states might be your only alternative. However, you're still young. You have lots of time. Enjoy being a mom for awhile. Take your time. Good luck!