Hi everybody I am 24 years old and am just finishing my associates degree in business. I have 2 classes to go and I am really stressed on what to do when I finish and start my bachelors. I have been thinking of getting into medical school but I am scared I will not make it I have a son a husband and a job so I don't know if I will do so good that they will accept me.

So I'm looking into other options I love healthcare but hands on I work at a doctors office in billing but I would rather be in the back with the patients or better yet in a hospital, specially I would like to be either an obstetrics nurse or ob/gyn. Anyway if I decide to go another route, which is what is probably best, it just might be to get my bachelors in human services so I am wondering if anybody has any experience with this degree, exactly what jobs are available to somebody with this degree. So any opinions are very welcome I am confused on what to do.

Wonderme:confused::confused::confused:

I'd say go for what you feel you would really love! If you would like to be with the mothers in L & D, go for the nursing. There is a great need for nurses in many areas and you could advance from there if you decided to. Go onto obtaining your Bachelors and Masters... or maybe go onto becoming a CNM or an OB at some point.

My nephew became an RN, then eventually went back to school to become an anesthesiologist assistant. He loves being with the patients and also loves the money.

Take your time snd gradually move up in the healthcare field. Start in lab work taking blood from patients or as an LPN. If you climb your way into healthcare, you will have the advantage of knowing how it all fits together.

What I am really scared of following the health care career is having to leave my son by himself too much. I heard that when you are an RN you start working nights and I would not mind that If I were alone or only with my husband but it's scary to think to leave him alone like that. Health care Is what I would love to do though is anybody here experienced with this? Is school hard? And the hours? I am so worried on making the wrong decision because this requires so much money, time, energy so I really need to make the right decision not only for me but for my family.

PS: the doctor I work with started as an anesthesiologist and he was getting a lot of money.

Wonderme

Your son should come first. You don't have to do it all now with a career and schooling.

I was 43 when I finally went to grad school, after my kids were in school all day. (I had gotten my bachelor's before marriage and kids.) Figure out the most reasonable healthcare job or position whereby you can be with your son, like work in a doctor's or chiropractor's office part-time (or, heck, even at the front desk at a public library--customer service! ) until he's in school all day. Fine-tune your people skills first.

I hate to sound old, but geez, you are ONLY 24. If you can't be a good mom and spend time with your child while he needs you during these formative years, I won't want you messin' with me as one of your patients.

Wonder girl,

What you also need to think about is the job I have now. I do work at a doctors office at the moment as a billing clerk and I don't even make enough money to buy my son what I want to buy him, I have to rely on my husband to do it for me and I don't like that. As of now I see my life as depending on my husband and worse comes to worse cause you never know if my husband is not around next year I loose my house and I won't be able to take care of my son to the best of my ability because of my salary, I would not even be able to pay for daycare.
I don't think that just because I want to go to school and better myself means that I am a bad mother. I want to better myself because of my family. I don't want to start my education in 20 years I want to have an established and long term career in 20 years. And not still working in billing making very little money.
I appreciate your opinion wonder girl but school is not something I am not going to give up until I am done and can provide a better quality of life to my son. I can go to school and be a good mother at the same time I have been doing so until now.
My question at the moment is what career path to take, and the sacrifices needed then I will make my decision if its worth it or not.

Wonder me[/I]

It's doable... you have greater flexibility these days as well. Many classes can be taken online so you can still be home. You might find there are childcare opportunities at the school you go to. You can go part-time and work your way towards your goal. Since you are already in school, it would be just continuing on from there.
Not all nurses have to start on third shift or night shift. You could work the pool and fill in when you can.

Then why didn't you get a bachelor's degree before you got married, so you could be financially independent? You are setting yourself up for failure--i.e. being a less-than-adequate mother.

Is your husband in a high-risk job or very ill? Are you planning to divorce him? Why do you think you need to plan on being financially independent of him?

Take a college course or two. Check into distance learning at your state university or local college, so you can be home for all or part of courses. In Illinois, the state universities ask that a student spend only so much time per year on campus, maybe for orientation or for certain courses. Getting a good education that's accredited is so much easier now.

You aren't a typical student who is unmarried, childless, and fancy free. You are married, have a child, and work part-time. You are limited in how much school you can handle.

I would rather know you are enjoying your child, teaching him things, reading to him, counting with him, talking with him than getting yourself all worked up your education that can be done gradually and in good order.

Your child doesn't want "stuff" -- he wants YOU.

Wonder girl,
I have a 5 year old son and am 24 years old do the math. I have made some wrong decisions in my life but that does not mean I am a bad mother and I will never regret having my son when I did, he is my everything and that is why I want to offer him the best. My husband DOES work a high risk job so yes I have concerns on him being around next year or even next month. Not all of us had the opportunity to get an education before having kids and I actually have more of an opportunity of going to school now than before I was with my husband because my parents pretty much left me to fend for myself as soon as I turned 18. Actually before I turned 18.
So you think that my son just wants me and I guess he will eat out of having me around and dress out of that as well? I am taking online classes right now and am about to finish my education online but not everything can be done online I am not in Illinois. I'm sorry wonder girl but I think you are just looking for excuses to call somebody a bad parent and that is wrong on your part.

Doula,
Thank you for your understanding what I need is positive feedback not negative. I have tried to find something in healthcare to do online but I'm sure you know that is not possible because of the fact that you need hands on experience as well. I have found the bachelors in the science of nursing online but you need to be an RN in order to be able to take it. So I need to become an RN first. I want to be happy in my career and not unhappy and not wanting to go to work everyday. I want to be able to do what I love and be proud of that and a healthcare career is what I really want. I just need to find the right balance between my family, education and job.

Thanks for the comments everybody.

You had said, "I dont even make enough money to buy my son what I want to buy him" and to me that meant more than the basics. I have never called you a bad mother. I've told you your son needs you right now. I was a prescyhool teacher. We knew right away which kids in each new class had stressed-out mothers. I don't want you to be like that, and your son a behavioir problem. It doesn't all have to happen "right now" with your education and career.

I've given you positive solutions for taking college courses. I didn't say all courses are offered online and I'm glad you have taken advantage of that. You now are telling us about your "wrong decisions" and more history about your life. Thank you. Had I known all that, it would have helped.

I will bow out now and unsubscribe.

I'm sorry I guess I really got thrown off with the little comments about unfit mother and such that can really get to somebody you know. I do appreciate the fact that You are giving me your opinions and comments. Even now that I am in online classes I still don't have time to even pick up my son because I do work full time. What I want to find is something that either I don't have to work constantly or make enough money that I don't have to work such long hours. That is why my first question was what can you do with a bachelors in human services which I can take online. Being a nurse is something that I would love to do but you can't always have what you want right? Sorry about the misunderstanding.

Wonderme

Here's a few ideas... you could go this route and work towards the nursing later on. You may even find some classes you take will transfer into a nursing program so you would be able to finish a bit more quickly. Or... you may find you absolutely love this field and the career you get into and decide to stay with it. Whatever you decide, wise to have something to fall back on... you just never know what life will bring your way and women need to be able to support themselves.

Human Services Career Network - Where People Helping People Come Together

Human Services Jobs - NationJob.com - Careers, Work & Employment opportunities

Careers: Human Services

Doula thank you for the links I have a lot to think about. I am also thinking of just starting as an lvn aka lpn. I looked into lvn's needed and there are plenty of jobs in the L&D in hospitals here, but some of them are 12 hour shifts, I also know an lvn who works going into elderly people's homes and take their blood, their pressure and just check on them and they don't work such long hours at all. I went into the links and most of the jobs offered to social workers require a Master's degree I am barely going to get a bachelors. I want something to start right away after school. I still have to think more about this. What is your career standing right now? Since your name is doula are you a cnm?

I'm a teacher, a pregnancy/childbirth/newborn care/breastfeeding educator, a lactation counselor, and a labor and postpartum doula.

The childbirth education mix and doula work are things I can do on my own time... work as much as I want to or as little as I want to. Currently I work out of a couple of hosptials and privately.

Sorry I did not read it all, but one of my favorite experts gave me a heads up on this thread. I am a recently graduated RN working in labor and delivery. Now, you don't always have to start nights, and the hours can be flexible depending on your facility. I chose to work nights so that hubby can be home with the kids at night, the pay is higher and I can be home with the kids during the day.

Yes, you have to be an Associate Degree RN before you can become a Bachelor RN, in most cases. Some girls try to skip to the higher degree, but I found that taking it one degree at a time is a better decision.

You are not too old to go back to school. I just graduated at age 44 and am loving my job. If you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer them.

Doula,
So how much school did it take you to be where you are now?

J_9,
Hi, do you thinks starting as an LVN is a right way to start? I am about to finish my associate degree but in business, but I decided that I would rather get into healthcare. I was a bit intimidated by it because my aunt was accepted to school and everything then backed down because of the time and hours it was going to take her she also had a little boy, and that is why I opted for office jobs and education. I just don't want to do that for the rest of my life, I want to be out there helping people and learning in the healthcare field. The field that I like the most is L&D so I want to find something to be able to get there. My husband works out of town most of the time he travels and is gone for months at a time so I don't have anybody to be with my son at night only during the day and even then they can't watch him for 12 hours at a time, so I am scared to go into nursing and only find night shift or 12 hour shifts when I am almost a single parent.

Wonderme

>>>>Doula,
>>>>so how much school did it take you to be where you are now?

For the teaching you would need a degree in Education (minimum Bachelor's) and then the teaching certificate. In some areas, where there is a great need for teachers, they will have a fast track to help perspective candidates get into teaching pretty fast, even if their Bachelor's was in another discipline. Pros and cons to this however.

For the childbirth educator and doula type work... there are several organizations that certify you... ICEA, DONA, CAPPA, Childbirth International, and Bradley Method, are several of the more well known ones. Each program is a little different but basically you usually have a couple of years to complete it (certainly can be done much faster than this for many people though). The nice part is you get to work with families during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum but you basically choose how much you work. You might work through a hospital or you may have your own practice, or both. Classes that you might teach do tend to most often be in the evenings, or maybe on weekends, due to working families. With the doula work, if you did labor support, hours could be anytime, day or night... I might be with one family for about 6 hours and then with another family for a couple of days. Postpartum work you can decide what you want to do in most cases. The labor support does not lend itself well if you don't have back up for childcare... but the postpartum support, teaching childbirth and newborn classes, and lactation support would if that were an interest.
It is up to you how involved you would want to be in it.

We don't have LVNs where I live. Also, LPNs are not allowed to work in most labor and delivery units as the litigation is very high.

Nursing school IS very intimitidating but the reward is worth it. My son was just 18 months when I began my prerequisites. I went to school part-time for 3 years, then full on for Nursing School. He was 6 when I graduated. So it can be done if you have a good support system in place.

I work 12 hour shifts, but not all units work 12. Some only work 8 hour shifts. My unit works 12 hour shifts only because we do not have the staffing to work 8.

So give me an insight on the pre requesites for nursing school. I am so not good at math but anyway do you remember the classes you took and were they hard?? I called the school of medicine located here but the classes they told me I needed were to get into being a doctor. Also J_9 how did you do it is it a degree or you just took the classes separately.

Wonderme

I don't know where you live, and of course each locality has slightly different requirements as to the prerequisites, but what I had to take was Englishes, Maths, Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, Psychology, Chemistry, World History, that's all I can remember right now.

Were they hard? Well, most of them came naturally to me except for the maths and the chemistry, those were the courses I REALLY had to study for.

I went to a local community college as the teacher/student ratio was much lower than a university. I preferred more individualized attention, and universities here really can't offer that.

You contacted the school of medicine, that IS for doctors, you need to contact the school of nursing for the info you need.

Since I had a young son, I took one or 2 courses a semester until my prerequisites were completed, that way I had more "family time." After applying to the nursing program, and being accepted, I started school full time, as nursing school does not have part time programs. This took 2 years. I then graduated with my Associates degree. I will be going back next fall, part time, to earn my bachelor's degree.

I prefer taking steps in degrees. You see, if you are going for your bachelors and have to drop out, you wasted time and money and have no degree. One degree at a time, I feel, is better.