Student

Try to not think about nursing. Try to not think about nursing. Nursing. This isn't working. Taking care of Willow should keep me distracted. Nursing. But she's just baby. I can't go back to school. Nursing. I'll plant some flowers. Nursing. I'll paint a room. Nursing. Willow won't be in kindergarten for another 4 years. But if I started school now...Okay, fine. I'll look into it.

I thought my desire to go back to school to become a nurse would cool off after having Willow. If anything, it intensified. I started doing the math, asking questions. If I became a nurse, it would be great to get started the same year that Willow started school. How many years would it take to get my degree? Where would I get it from? When should I start? Who would watch Willow? Is it okay to leave her to do something so selfish?

I know me, sort of. I wouldn't sleep until I had some answers.

I met with a friend in the nursing school at USI to ask her some questions. If I could, I would go there. Unfortunately, USI stopped awarding associate's degrees. I would have to get a bachelor's degree. Even with my education degree, that was a lot of classes and a lot of years. Also, USI is $167.30/credit hour. One class (not in the school of nursing) would cost about $850 (with fees and books). Once I started the school of nursing, a semester would cost about $4600. Wow. And USI is 19 miles away and it takes about 40 minutes to drive there. This wasn't looking good.

Later that same week, I was walking through Walmart. (I do that occasionally just to relax.) I saw a girl I remembered from high school but I doubted she new me. My plan was to do what I always do when I recognize someone. Hide. As I approached her and was prepared to avoid her, I felt this overwhelming urge to say hi. This was crazy. We weren't even friends in school. Say hi. She has no idea who I am. Talk to her. No. Do it now. She's almost gone. Noooo! "Hi, you're Amy, right?" I can't believe I did that. Now I'm in this awkward conversation. Don't be a loser. Try to act normal. Hey, she remembers me. She has a kid, I have...several kids. I stay at home, she's a...nurse at Deaconess Gateway. You're kidding me. That's where I want to work. She went to school at Ivy Tech. Wow, God, thanks.

Because of my conversation with Amy, I realized Ivy Tech could be a very good option for me to consider. She had an associate's degree and said most of the nurses she works with have associate's degrees. I would have to look into this.

While checking out their website, I saw information for a campus preview day and immediately signed up. They have a brand new building that is beautiful inside and out. Everyone I met was very helpful and happy to be there and happy I was there. I saw some of the classrooms and got a chance to sit down with several of the teachers in the nursing school who were very encouraging. They looked at my transcripts from USI and thought I only needed a couple of classes and then I could start the school of nursing, probably by next fall. But once I started the school I would have to take all of the classes required each semester for two years. No turning back. No stretching it out. Okay, this was a lot to take in. I would have to think about that later. But for now, at Ivy Tech one credit hour is $95/credit hour. One class would cost me about $500 with fees and books. A semester would be between $1500 and $2000. I don't have that kind of money but it was a lot less than USI, especially since I would have to take a lot fewer classes. I could be done in three years if I wanted to. It was also a bit closer at 15 miles (25 minutes) with my sister the baby-sitter living only a mile from campus. This was looking good.

I explored the rest of the campus and sat down in the commons area and filled out an application. That same week I sent off requests for transcripts from my high school and from USI. Over the next couple of months I:

• was accepted
• made baby-sitting arrangements with my sister (thanks Jenny)
• signed up on campus connect (online area where I find everything I need to do and know)
  
• registered for my first class: Anatomy and Physiology 101 (I love that stuff!)
  
• paid my tuition (thanks to my friends who paid me to paint)
• went to the Ivy Tech bookstore and found the books I would need for my class. Only $264 for two books! What a bargain! I said no thank you and bought one on ebay for around $65 and the other on Amazon for $85.
• made an appointment to meet with the head of the nursing department (this Thursday)

My newest title: student. I am officially a student at Ivy Tech Community College. And we are officially caught up.