Daniel Said:

Full time mother, with full time job, looking to go back to school ( college) to get degree.?

We Answered:

Look for an adult accelerated degree program. They're geared toward you! Many have classes that can be taken online or in the evenings and since they're for adults, you won't be the oldest in your class.

Additionally for nursing, ask at a couple of local hospitals. Especially in NY, many hospitals will pay you to go to nursing school part time in return for a 2 or 3 year contract with the hospital. A guaranteed job and the hospital pays your tuition? Sounds good to me!

Robin Said:

Real College or Job Training?

We Answered:

There is a 2-year RN degree and a 4-year. During the program, you'll be required to do clinicals. This is where you get your job experience. Upon receiving your degree, you should have no problem landing a job.

Melinda Said:

Is nursing something that's worth it?

We Answered:

If you want to do it, then its worth it. I think your family should be more supportive/encouraging of your goals & ideas. It sure beats McD's!

Just FYI, to travel you need a Bachelors of Nursing, and you need to be able to speak fluently the language of the country (Spanish, French, etc as you indicated). You can travel locally (in the US, if that's where you're located) but this takes a couple years experience first before you can do this. To travel internationally is quite expensive, as it involves a lengthy process of obtaining licenses, etc. In some cases, licenses can take around 6 months to obtain... so its best if you're moving there for at least a year.

You can work as much or as little as you want, as with any job. Where I work, a full time position is 2 day shift, followed by 2 night shifts, followed by 5 days off (which is technically 4, because you sleep for 1). All shifts are 12 hours. You are free to pick up overtime on your days off, which many people do. Sometimes you work holidays, but thats just part of the job.

As far as ease in getting a job, it fluctuates. 2 years ago, it was dead easy to get a job anywhere as a new grad. Now, times are a lot tougher. However, in another year or two this will open back up- especially with this new health plan in place- and more nurses will be in demand.

Definitely worth it. But do a degree, to give you more options. It'll save you upgrading later.

Rodney Said:

Extraordinarily depressed about the job market..wondering if it's ever going to get better..and how long?

We Answered:

I don't know what to tell you, other than it will in fact get better. The problem is that even though the economy is creating jobs (60,000 in October), it's not at a high enough rate to absorb the number of people entering the job market.

Please keep in mind that this isn't your fault.

Laura Said:

Is my plan realistic?

We Answered:

You sound like a go getter. I like the plan and wish you the best. Remember for go getters like you the issue is often credentials. The live in New York idea while a challenge will provide opportunity to go on line and get more credentials like a nurse antithesis. Consider military service not for the patriotism but for the credentials. You can sit in the bottom of a missile hole in Montana and get a PhD while working and getting paid.

Oh and one more thing...mother nature will start whispering in your ear. Play deaf at real biological risk.

Tiffany Said:

Nurse wanting to go into Occupational or Physical Therapy..?

We Answered:

You're not alone with having to deal with so many issues in nursing as it's supposed to have a high burn-out rate (as well as the social work/human services field). Please be aware that both the OT and PT field may be both emotionally and physically draining, too, albeit rewarding. With OT, it seems as though the levels of schooling are at the associate degree, bachelor's/master's (combined), master's and doctoral degree level. They have apparently removed the bachelor's in OT programs.

Please be aware that even though one has the right amount of credits to enter a bachelor's degree program in 'something' that science (biology, chemistry, anatomy & physiology) courses may not be valid after a certain number of years. Before taking any prerequisites especially science, please check with the college program(s) that you would like to get accepted into so that one doesn't take a course that may not transfer. For example, a lot of schools will Not accept 'human anatomy' but instead 'general anatomy and physiology', so it is imperative to check Beforehand.

With any of the therapy programs, one must successfully complete a clinical fieldwork placement under supervision and then get a satisfactory score on a registration/certification test.

A person may get an associate degree and then transfer for a bachelor's degree in psychology, for example, and then go for a master's degree as you'd mentioned. Please note that one may need to take the GRE (graduate record examination) as one of the prerequisites for a graduate (master's degree) program.

How about job shadowing/observing those in the OT and/or PT field in the different areas that they might work including a physical rehabilitation hospital for patients with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), spinal cord injury/paralysis, stroke ("brain attack") which is a type of brain injury, hip/shoulder/knee replacement, hip fracture or such - pediatric hospital - nursing home/long-term care facility or such. Please realize though that observing is nothing like having an actual patient caseload :) Perhaps you can volunteer at some OT or PT department, too, before taking prereq courses for a program.

For general career info: http://www.bls.gov/oco and can search.

Please only consider programs accredited within the industry: http://www.aota.org and http://www.apta.org

For US colleges: http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ

Edit: You're quite welcome. No one can really guarantee that there will be less cattiness and gossiping in OT or PT though :) Regarding job shadowing, it can really help someone decide if that particular field is a good fit for them or not. As I'd mentioned, observing is nothing like actually providing treatment for patients. Please, at least, look into volunteer work at the local hospital (perhaps 'rehabilitation hospital') or nursing home. Go with your 'gut feeling', listen to your intuition. Please forget about the salary and focus on the job tasks and whether or not you feel that you would like to do those tasks on a full-time basis for many years to come.

Lloyd Said:

*VERY IMPORTANT How can I provide a good letter for a scholarship explaining my need for financial assistance?

We Answered:

A lot of scholarships I've applied for have a set amount of words. (Average 350 - 500 words.) If yours doesn't have a set amount of words then I suggest you just get your story out there. If it takes 350 words or a full page... just tell your story!!! My suggestion would be between 350 words to two pages.

As for what to include... Explain your current situation and how the scholarship would help. Explain what college means to you. Be detailed and show them that you are taking the time to let them know about you and that you are working for this scholarship.

Also keep in mind... It's only $250. I understand it's a blessing but don't go out of your way. Don't push your school work back because you want to get this paper perfect. Save your time for school work to raise your GPA which will give you better options for scholarships and save your time for doing things for better scholarships.

A good thing to do for the future... When you have time right a few papers about you that you can use as scholarship essays. Have one around 350 words, another around a page and another around two pages. So, in the future you can go into those and change and update things and then you don't have to sit down and try to write a page paper with a ton of other things going on like having a baby crawling around. :) That way you can take 10 minutes updating it instead of an hour writing it from scratch!!!

Best of luck to you on getting it. :)