Well, we have covered the need to make sure that the medical field is for you….if you decide to press on, the next step is figuring out how you are going to pay for your nursing education and where you want to go to get it.
Before I discuss financial aide and how to utilize it, I would like to stress a very important fact about nursing school…..IT IS DIFFICULT TO WORK AND ENGAGE IN A FULL TIME NURSING PROGRAM! In fact some instructors will tell you that it is a set up for failure. Don’t believe me? Pick a school that has a nursing program and ask the Dean of Nursing or one of the instructors…they will back me on this! If you have children AND plan to work, I’ll tell you right now…you are setting yourself up for a stressful roller-coaster! Nursing school is a full time commitment. Now, I say this not to dishearten those who have children and aren’t making a ton of money ( I was a single parent throughout my nursing program). I say this because some snub their nose at the very idea of taking out student loans to a) pay for nursing school and b) handle their living expenses. No, it is not illegal, and yes anyone can do it. You have to pay it back, this is not a grant…we will get into those later. A site that will give you more information on student loans and how they work is http://www.college.gov/wps/portal. Notice that when student loans are mentioned, some are deffered without accumulating interest, others will gain interest…at a locked rate. The most important thing to note on when discussing student loans is that you have the option to start paying the loans back after you are out of school for six months or drop below six credits in school. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS! Why? Take a look at the hourly rate new grads in your area are being hired at…..hmmm, could you afford to pay $200.00 a month in student loans on that salary? More than likely! Why stretch yourself to thin by working and going through a grueling nursing program if you don’t have to? I didn’t!!!