Ok moms......advise Please!

Assuming you actually live in Columbus, OSU has a BSN degree. 4 years. Not sure why you think it would take 7-8. I got my associates in 2, my BSN in 1 more, MS in 2 more. So it took me 5 years total to get my MSN. You've asked this question multiple times, you are not going to find your answer here! Sit down with your hubby and go over pros and cons. LPN is a waste of time in my opinion, unless you want a future working in a nursing home. They are being phased out, and the pay is very little. LOL, everytime I read one of your questions I think "Oh, I can give this girl some advice. This is right up my alley." Then I see that it's you again and I realize I already did. Whatever you decide to do, it's going to be a big challenge to balance home and school. Go into it with a plan for how your family will be able to help pick up the slack and you should be fine!

The way I see it is no matter which path you take, realistically, you're going to need daycare. You will quickly find, you can not study with kids as young as yours in tow. You will NEED to block windows of kid-free time to get the coursework done...no and, ifs, or buts about it.

Furthermore, are you considerning budgeting daycare for if and when you do find work during or after you finish your course-work? It sounds like you're only thinking about daycare for one of the scenarios you paint. I think for you, daycare is not only going to be necessary for all the scenarios you paint, but well past graduation. If budget is an issue, which it sounds like it is, you need to go back to the drawing board and get realistic about how quickly you'll be able to finish your coursework while raising a very young family. You may have to even consider going half-time if you can't afford daycare...to ensure you can study and get the work done and juggle your family.

As for which path to take. It sounds like you need to do more research about hiring trends. If hospitals and doctors offices aren't looking for administrators, then why persue that path? Considering the economy and the fact that you seem open to any of the options you're tossing around, I'd pick the field that offers the most flexibility and is more in demand (or better put, not a flooded market). Nursing homes are not a fun environment, but considering population trends right now, there will be a big need for nurses with this expertise.

A friend of mine was in administration and got laid off twice within the last 3 years, and work has been spotty due to the economy and hospital cutbacks. Just something to consider. What are the trends in your area? You need to find out.

There just was a recent question about something similar. LPN's are really being phased out. Their scope of practice is VERY limited and you'd probably end up in a nursing home. I saw those changes 25+ years ago!

If you have the option, why not a 2 year ADN nursing degree that you could eventually finish your BSN then FNP. BUT. . . . A university should be able to convert some of the BS in Healthcare administration to a nursing completion degree.

Why don't you contact people already working in the jobs that you would ultimately like-sounds like Doc office is your top choice. So call the office manager of your doctor or pediactirician and ask if they could take a second to talk with you. This person could tell you about managing a med office as well as nursing because they are probably involved in hiring nurses. Who knows- It may be that office manager jobs are mostly a hire from within-someone who starts out as an admin. Supplemental schooling might even be something a practice pays for.

Does the local college offer night time course for the general ed course? I know most colleges do know. That would allow you to start taking some general ed courses then you can decide what you would really like to do. What has helped me decide what career field to go into was to look in the help wanted ads. It gives a great idea of jobs available in the area and I see RN's wanted all the time.

Another way to look at it is whether your strength is in strategy or execution. Many people who are strong at execution (which I suspect would be a large part of nursing responsibility) do not enjoy strategy (how to grow the hospital/office, vision for 3-5-10 years, etc). Many people whose strength is strategy are weak executionally. All facets are necessary, but our strengths tend to lie towards one end of the spectrum. Marcus Buckingham has some great Strengths Finder books, including one geared for women. You might check his website to take some of the strengths tests to help determine what you would like to do. If you have time and intereste, Trombone Player Wanted from Marcus Buckingham is a great program to work through.

Instead of telling you my opinion, I will share one thing that helped me out a bit: I took a Briggs-Meyer personality test online. (I am also pondering the future of my own career as a preschool teacher/early childhood ed track.) The results really helped me figure out where my strengths and challenges both lie and was informative and encouraging.

The test will give you a lot of information about yourself which you probably already knew, but quantifies it in a way that makes sense in the bigger picture of professional work and how we 'fit' in society in general.

I know this didn't exactly answer your question, but it's a tool worth looking into and I hope it can give you a bit of extra insight. Good luck. Both jobs are valuable, giving of yourself, and very necessary.