The Path I Chose
I have chosen to stay at Amazon while I pursue my Associates in Nursing at Ivy Tech Community College. The Career Choice program that I go over in a previous blog, is amazing, and is maxed out at the federal level allowed for employers to fund their employees schooling (without taxing their employees). Progress I have made before starting this blog:
I have taken and passed the TEAS (which yes, you have to take in some form).
I have been accepted into the RN program.
I am currently taking the CNA class before beginning my RN classes next semester.
I have found a friend that allows me to rent a room.
I chose Ivy Tech Community College because I did not want to pay over $10,000 a semester for school. Community Colleges are great for someone trying to get started in life. A year of schooling at Ivy Tech has cost me about $6,000 to $7,000 for a YEAR. Most of this my employer paid for. A few of the other colleges in the area are wanting $16,000 per semester. I was wanting to transfer to a college in Tennessee, however they wanted $60,000 per semester (I would be considered out-of-State as well). I have to remind myself I am paying for a degree, not luxury; I can always build on the base I develop. On a side note, I learned that if I do get an associate degree in nursing (with Ivy Tech at least), Purdue University offered to give me a “significant” discount on all of my credit hours for when I begin to pursue the next level of education. (Due to graduating from Ivy Tech during 2023 (no promises on future endeavors). These schools are both located in Indiana.
Find your local community college and ask questions. Keep in mind “In-State Tuition” is significantly cheaper than “Out of State Tuition”… there are several requirements to meet in-state tuition in different states… easiest way, pick a college in the State you have resided in and paid taxes in. (Some states do make exemptions if you are married and your spouse moved for work, however, this is a state and college decision.)
The TEAS test is HARD. It does cost money to take as well. Ivy Tech charges about $80 to take it, and I could only take it a certain amount of times before I would have had to wait for really bad applicants or wait a few years to take the TEAS through Ivy Tech again.
The TEAS covers things that you probably did not go over in your prerequisite classes. (You do not need prerequisite classes for your CNA, but you do for the Nursing Program). The best way I found to study for the TEAS test was to buy the pre-tests from ATI. This is an expensive option, it cost me almost $400. I did pass the test with flying colors. However, I had a classmate do better on the test than me. She was smart and used the free website Quizlet.com. (Side Notes: Quizlet will try and get you to sign up for a paid version, but they do have a free version. You will NEED Quizlet. It is an excellent study guide for everything related to physiology. The average passing score on the TEAS test is 64%, so don’t feel bad if you are a straight “A” student walking away with a grade you would usually be ashamed of. Also do not skip studying for the English and Reading sections, they do ask complex questions on these subjects as well! This is not hidden information, it is included in any ATI study book.)
My reasoning for taking the CNA class —that is not required— is for building experience. A lot of my classmates are already in the health-care field. This aspect is intimidating for me, as I have never been in the health-care field. I am going to school with CNA’s, LPN’s, and paramedics. These men and women are intelligent and can begin deep conversations on developed topics that the average person would not be knowledgeable about. Their experience and tact is formidable compared to someone with my life experiences. In addition these people have already dealt with death, and some of them have fought it and won. I see these experiences as being worthy of knowing. I also see the experience of being a CNA as an opportunity to observe how the people, who will hopefully be supporting me one day, live and function. On the other note, it also gives me an opportunity to see how Nurses treat CNA’s and use this to develop my mindset on how I should and should not treat my CNA’s when I begin my career.
I will post updates and links to equipment and training information as I go through this program. I am hoping to develop this site enough to build a passive income by using affiliate marketing in the meantime. If you need anything I advertise for, please buy from my links!
