Jerico Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I'd like to find a way to provide for my family. I don't need the money now but if I go back to work I want to be able to contribute in a substantial way. Time is money too. Anyways, we live in a small isolated mountain town. Thinking of options. One is related to health care. Maybe nursing school? If I go this route, what would the best degree be? Are online schools looked down upon when applying for jobs? Other ideas? I'm drawn to flexible options. I'm not necessarily interested in a 9-5 job. My husband's job is pretty flexible too so he would do schooling with our kids while I'm at school or work. We would continue homeschooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 (edited) Your best bet is to contact the HR department at a local clinic or hospital to see what they are looking for. I know that in my area, they want face-to-face nursing degrees unless it is an add-on to an RN or BSN earned face-to-face. If you want to work at a hospital they want a BSN, which is more than you would be able to get at a community college, if that's your plan. I have a good friend who was a nursing professor and still works 1/2 time in her 70's, and she always tells local students to get the BSN if at all possible to improve their work opportunities. Those with LPN and RN degrees usually end up working in doctor's offices or nursing homes. You might also look into other areas of health care. There seems to be a good market here for part-time x-ray and sonography techs. Edited February 15, 2017 by G5052 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicMom Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I've never seen an RN degree that is online due to the amount of hands on experience and training needed. You can do a two year degree and then get your BSN online. For flexibility and pay, RN is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I live in similar location- isolated very small town. Medical related jobs are about all there are other than working at the school or the prison if one is looking for a "career". There are plenty of openings even in the medical field because the pay is so low that qualified people will not relocate here and locals who get qualified eventually move in to place that pay more. I have actually looked at getting a nursing degree, but with the sequence of classes required, it will take me at least 8 semesters and I already have a bachelors degree in an unrelated field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Freelance medical transcriptionist? It only requires training for a certificate, and it can be done full or part time, and from home, so it's something you could do now, get familiar with the medical field and medical terms, and decide if that really is an are you're interested in going back to school for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkyMtnMom Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 If you happen to live in Colorado, as of 2020 they will require all nurses to have a BSN. So, if nursing is the route you decide to take, the 4 year BSN will be a requirement by the time you will be done with school. Do you have an Associate's degree? Any pre-req's that would count towards a 4yr degree? I am currently in a BSN program that will take 3 years, but everything is very fast paced. It is 18 months of pre-req's at the community college and 18 months of clinicals and more intense classes through a 4 year university. The first 18 months I could take all online. But my advisor suggested doing math and science in person because they will be easier to grasp and labs for science are easier in person. If you're interested in something like that, look into Integrated Nursing Pathway Degree. Nursing is a fantastic career to get into! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I'd like to find a way to provide for my family. I don't need the money now but if I go back to work I want to be able to contribute in a substantial way. Time is money too. Anyways, we live in a small isolated mountain town. Thinking of options. One is related to health care. Maybe nursing school? If I go this route, what would the best degree be? Are online schools looked down upon when applying for jobs? Other ideas? I'm drawn to flexible options. I'm not necessarily interested in a 9-5 job. My husband's job is pretty flexible too so he would do schooling with our kids while I'm at school or work. We would continue homeschooling. In some cases, nobody knows if you took your coursework online or on campus if you choose a brick and mortar university where you have both options. I would definitely make sure potential universities are regionally accredited. When you get to an admission counselor, ask what their graduation rate is and how many people who have graduated have found jobs in the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 If you happen to live in Colorado, as of 2020 they will require all nurses to have a BSN. So, if nursing is the route you decide to take, the 4 year BSN will be a requirement by the time you will be done with school. So, now I'm wondering, do nurses make enough that a BSN makes sense? I mean in terms of the cost/time it takes vs salary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 So, now I'm wondering, do nurses make enough that a BSN makes sense? I mean in terms of the cost/time it takes vs salary? Oh heck yeah. At least around here they are very well paid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerico Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 Your best bet is to contact the HR department at a local clinic or hospital to see what they are looking for. I know that in my area, they want face-to-face nursing degrees unless it is an add-on to an RN or BSN earned face-to-face. If you want to work at a hospital they want a BSN, which is more than you would be able to get at a community college, if that's your plan. I have a good friend who was a nursing professor and still works 1/2 time in her 70's, and she always tells local students to get the BSN if at all possible to improve their work opportunities. Those with LPN and RN degrees usually end up working in doctor's offices or nursing homes. You might also look into other areas of health care. There seems to be a good market here for part-time x-ray and sonography techs. Thanks. I definitely thought of techs first. I think talking to the hospital is a great first step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerico Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 Freelance medical transcriptionist? It only requires training for a certificate, and it can be done full or part time, and from home, so it's something you could do now, get familiar with the medical field and medical terms, and decide if that really is an are you're interested in going back to school for... I already tried this. I never got my certificate. Granted it was 10 years ago but I guess it wasn't suited for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Only thing is even if you can take many courses on-line, there will still be a huge amount of in person time needed for clinical stuff. So you'd have to be able to be flexible for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerico Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 If you happen to live in Colorado, as of 2020 they will require all nurses to have a BSN. So, if nursing is the route you decide to take, the 4 year BSN will be a requirement by the time you will be done with school. Do you have an Associate's degree? Any pre-req's that would count towards a 4yr degree? I am currently in a BSN program that will take 3 years, but everything is very fast paced. It is 18 months of pre-req's at the community college and 18 months of clinicals and more intense classes through a 4 year university. The first 18 months I could take all online. But my advisor suggested doing math and science in person because they will be easier to grasp and labs for science are easier in person. If you're interested in something like that, look into Integrated Nursing Pathway Degree. Nursing is a fantastic career to get into! Good Luck! I do live in Colorado. This is good to know, thanks. I have a bachelor's degree. Too bad I didn't get a useful degree the first time when my parents paid and I was young with lots of energy. (To be fair, my parents told me college was not optionalnor did they encourage me to get a useful degree). I live about 2 hours from a university, same town as my parents so ideally classes could be nights or weekends or squished into a few days and I could go back and forth. Wanted to do what I could online simply for logistical reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 (edited) Freelance medical transcriptionist? It only requires training for a certificate, and it can be done full or part time, and from home, so it's something you could do now, get familiar with the medical field and medical terms, and decide if that really is an are you're interested in going back to school for...I would strongly caution people going into medical transcription. The vast majority of physicians either type their own notes, or use dictation translation software. Transcription services will likely be unheard of or for only very specific people in the nearish future. I'd recommend online medical coding instead. If there are any places to do: ultrasound or X-ray tech, that could be fast and lucrative. Nursing online would be a joke imo as how do you have patient interaction? Unless there are programs with in hospital practice. Plus online schools tend to be more $$ vs community or a local university. Are you interested only in medical type fields? There's tons of therapy type careers: OT, PT, vision, respiratory, speech. All are different and with different educational lengths. I think other lucrative choices would be computer/app programming, engineering type degrees. Lots of news outlets tend to publish "best careers" type of synopsis articles with regards to payment and time investment. It may also be worthwhile to take those career quizzes to see what other options there may be. Edited to add stuff Edited February 15, 2017 by displace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkyMtnMom Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 So, now I'm wondering, do nurses make enough that a BSN makes sense? I mean in terms of the cost/time it takes vs salary? I know most of the metro areas of Colorado are HCL, but most nurses around here at start at around $80k. So, yes, I would definitely say its worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerico Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 If there are any places to do: ultrasound or X-ray tech, that could be fast and lucrative. Nursing online would be a joke imo as how do you have patient interaction? Unless there are programs with in hospital practice. Plus online schools tend to be more $$ vs community or a local university. Are you interested only in medical type fields? There's tons of therapy type careers: OT, PT, vision, respiratory, speech. All are different and with different educational lengths. I think other lucrative choices would be computer/app programming, engineering type degrees. Lots of news outlets tend to publish "best careers" type of synopsis articles with regards to payment and time investment. It may also be worthwhile to take those career quizzes to see what other options there may be. Edited to add stuff Good ideas, thanks. I'm sure a lot of the nursing program could be done online. Not all of it is face to face. Plus, online is a huge plus for rural folks. We just don't have the options of a bigger town with several universities. I'm open to many different things. I am, however, limited by my location. So I was trying to think of things I could do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I don't know if available near you, but there are accelerated BSN programs (and Master's) programs for people with a Bachelors degree in a different subject. Your first degree may end up helping you get something better/quicker. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I'm doing a Communicative Disorders bachelor's that is 100% online and there are master's degrees in speech & language pathology that are "hybrid" with online classes paired with supervised fieldwork. The fieldwork could be done at a school, hospital, rehab facility, Early Intervention program, etc. A hot new trend in speech therapy is teletherapy where the therapist uses Skype/Facetime to coach the parent to help the child. That is something that could be done from home PT if you wanted. Speech therapists don't typically make huge salaries but they do make ok money . My local district starts SLP's off at $75k (teachers with a master's start at $57k by way of comparison). You didn't say if you already have any college under your belt so it may be more schooling than you're interested in. For me since I already had my bachelor's, it is 12 classes to do the 2nd bachelor's/grad school pre-reqs (I finish in May) and then the master's. Done FT, the master's is 2 years but the hybrid program I'm targeting is 3 1/2 years PT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 online or B&M depends upon the field and degree. you can't legitimately do a nursing degree online. any program you do - make sure the program is accredited by the agency that oversees it. check on the graduation rate. some of those online colleges - have lousy graduation rates. there are a number of occupations that can give a decent income without a college degree. (they do require training) you can google for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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