Ok moms......advise Please!

Updated on June 14, 2012
T.S. asks from Lima, OH
7 answers

Ok, so if you read my profile you see that I've been married for 7 years and both my husband and I have 3 wonderful kids (4, 2 and 10 months). I have been pondering on what to go to school for. So here is my dilemma (if that is what you'd like to call it). My decision is between LPN or BS in Healthcare Admin. I will give a breakdown of each point and then you can give me some advice of what either you would do or what maybe you have experienced or know some other people that have experienced this.

LPN - I can take this at a local college and I believe it will only cost around $9,000 (tuition and books). Most of the classes I can take online but obviously Chem, PNS (clinicals), Math, etc. you cannot. The waiting list is only 1 year and if I am able to obtain good enough grades, I can get into the clinicals sooner. Unfortunately, since my husband will be working day shift soon, this mean no daytime or afternoon classes. This means we have nobody to watch the kids unless we get a sitter to come to the house or one that I can drop off the kids to that is close enough. This is an added expense and most people I have spoken to want kids either full time or they charge a lot! I chose this instead of RN because even though the waiting list for RN is only 1 year, it will still take me about 2 years just to get the gen eds done. I was advised by several people to take your clinicals w/ no other classes due to the amount of work involved. Since the local college is no longer quarters and now semesters, it will take an additional 2 year just to get the clinicals done. So the associates in nursing will now take 4-5 years. I know LPN's get paid less and are not allowed to help in most hospitals. I am shunning away from nursing homes b/c I don't particularly care for those environments, which most likely leads me to doctor's offices. And I know doctor's offices are VERY difficult to get into.

BS Healthcare Admin. - There is an legitimate online program with Columbia Southern University that will cost $19,980 (tuition and books included) for a bachelor's in healthcare admin. Since this is all online, I wouldn't have to worry about childcare. My biggest issue with this is am I going to find a job out of college?

Now I know most of you are wondering, where is your passion? What do you really want to do? Do you want to help people who are sick, or do you want to be the manager that runs it? Well this is a VERY hard question for me. First I want to say that I would NOT be going into nursing for the money. Nursing has always been an area that I have considered as a possible choice for me because I am genuinely a caring compassionate person. I love to help people! But I also think, I have worked 8 years in an office environment and I am darn good at it (sorry if this sounds cocky). There are good and bad about it, but I have always wanted a management job. So I thought, ok I could do a BSN that way I get a little of both worlds. Well in order to do this, since I have no colleges around where I live that do a strict BSN program, I would need to get my RN (4-5 years) and then spend another 2-3 years finishing up my BSN. So then we would be looking around 7-8 years for everything. Now I know I can work as an RN while I am getting my BSN, which is fine.

So here's the question. Do I get my LPN, work my way towards a BSN while working? Or do I just go for the RN? Or do I do the online healthcare admin degree where I can run the business? I just cannot seem to find where my true passion lies? I think I could be a fantastic nurse, but if I do go for nursing, I will probably want to get my BSN and then my FNP (family nurse practitioner) license. At the same time, I am good at office oriented things and I think I could be great at management. My ultimate goal regardless is to work in a doctor's office (whether this is managing it, being an LPN/RN or NP).

I just need some guidance here. Thanks.

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A.A.

answers from Tulsa on

Assuming you actually live in Columbus, OSU has a BSN degree. 4 years. Not sure why you think it would take 7-8. I got my associates in 2, my BSN in 1 more, MS in 2 more. So it took me 5 years total to get my MSN. You've asked this question multiple times, you are not going to find your answer here! Sit down with your hubby and go over pros and cons. LPN is a waste of time in my opinion, unless you want a future working in a nursing home. They are being phased out, and the pay is very little. LOL, everytime I read one of your questions I think "Oh, I can give this girl some advice. This is right up my alley." Then I see that it's you again and I realize I already did. Whatever you decide to do, it's going to be a big challenge to balance home and school. Go into it with a plan for how your family will be able to help pick up the slack and you should be fine!

4 moms found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

The way I see it is no matter which path you take, realistically, you're going to need daycare. You will quickly find, you can not study with kids as young as yours in tow. You will NEED to block windows of kid-free time to get the coursework done...no and, ifs, or buts about it.

Furthermore, are you considerning budgeting daycare for if and when you do find work during or after you finish your course-work? It sounds like you're only thinking about daycare for one of the scenarios you paint. I think for you, daycare is not only going to be necessary for all the scenarios you paint, but well past graduation. If budget is an issue, which it sounds like it is, you need to go back to the drawing board and get realistic about how quickly you'll be able to finish your coursework while raising a very young family. You may have to even consider going half-time if you can't afford daycare...to ensure you can study and get the work done and juggle your family.

As for which path to take. It sounds like you need to do more research about hiring trends. If hospitals and doctors offices aren't looking for administrators, then why persue that path? Considering the economy and the fact that you seem open to any of the options you're tossing around, I'd pick the field that offers the most flexibility and is more in demand (or better put, not a flooded market). Nursing homes are not a fun environment, but considering population trends right now, there will be a big need for nurses with this expertise.

A friend of mine was in administration and got laid off twice within the last 3 years, and work has been spotty due to the economy and hospital cutbacks. Just something to consider. What are the trends in your area? You need to find out.

2 moms found this helpful
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L.K.

answers from Kansas City on

There just was a recent question about something similar. LPN's are really being phased out. Their scope of practice is VERY limited and you'd probably end up in a nursing home. I saw those changes 25+ years ago!

If you have the option, why not a 2 year ADN nursing degree that you could eventually finish your BSN then FNP. BUT. . . . A university should be able to convert some of the BS in Healthcare administration to a nursing completion degree.

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M.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Why don't you contact people already working in the jobs that you would ultimately like-sounds like Doc office is your top choice. So call the office manager of your doctor or pediactirician and ask if they could take a second to talk with you. This person could tell you about managing a med office as well as nursing because they are probably involved in hiring nurses. Who knows- It may be that office manager jobs are mostly a hire from within-someone who starts out as an admin. Supplemental schooling might even be something a practice pays for.

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A.S.

answers from Clarksville on

Does the local college offer night time course for the general ed course? I know most colleges do know. That would allow you to start taking some general ed courses then you can decide what you would really like to do. What has helped me decide what career field to go into was to look in the help wanted ads. It gives a great idea of jobs available in the area and I see RN's wanted all the time.

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A.B.

answers from Dallas on

Another way to look at it is whether your strength is in strategy or execution. Many people who are strong at execution (which I suspect would be a large part of nursing responsibility) do not enjoy strategy (how to grow the hospital/office, vision for 3-5-10 years, etc). Many people whose strength is strategy are weak executionally. All facets are necessary, but our strengths tend to lie towards one end of the spectrum. Marcus Buckingham has some great Strengths Finder books, including one geared for women. You might check his website to take some of the strengths tests to help determine what you would like to do. If you have time and intereste, Trombone Player Wanted from Marcus Buckingham is a great program to work through.

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H.W.

answers from Portland on

Instead of telling you my opinion, I will share one thing that helped me out a bit: I took a Briggs-Meyer personality test online. (I am also pondering the future of my own career as a preschool teacher/early childhood ed track.) The results really helped me figure out where my strengths and challenges both lie and was informative and encouraging.

The test will give you a lot of information about yourself which you probably already knew, but quantifies it in a way that makes sense in the bigger picture of professional work and how we 'fit' in society in general.

I know this didn't exactly answer your question, but it's a tool worth looking into and I hope it can give you a bit of extra insight. Good luck. Both jobs are valuable, giving of yourself, and very necessary.

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