[karen manners]

Help!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I can look for money to pay for an RN Refresher course in WA State? It would be around $3000.00 dollars. There are 2, one at Bellevue CC and an online one through WSU. I have just completed the FAFSA and found out that I made too much money last year,
($29,000) even though right now I am unemployed. I also applied to see if I was eligible for a FEELA loan (for continuing ed/professional development) and my credit isn't good enough. I don't own a home, so borrowing money on that is out and my credit cards (2) all have low limits on them (I got them to help me reestablish credit after declaring bankruptcy)and they are to the limit!

I know how it sounds, but I'm really not financially irresponsible! I owed alot of money for medical bills at one time. I was infected with the AIDS virus through a needle stick at an AIDS hospice on August 23, 1993. The judge (in all his wisdom)ruled that my ex's insurance only had to pay for some of the bills in the divorce and I finally had to declare bankruptcy 4.5 years ago due to the rest. I tried to pay the bills back, but I talked to an attorney through the AIDS Foundation here, who said that I would never get caught up, so I had better just declare bankruptcy. He helped me do it and it was at no cost to me, so that was truly a blessing.

I was raised believing though, that if you have bills, you pay them, no matter what, and I was really ashamed about it for a long time. I have since come to terms with it and realized that it was really the only solution and I now have insurance to cover medical bills no matter what, whether I am working or not through the AIDS Foundation. I don't have many bills for anything anymore, but I am also currently not working. My field is chemical dependency, which doesn't pay well, and I want to go back into nursing (RN) so I can start making a decent wage and get caught up! The nursing board said I needed to take a refresher course and I agree, I do. More and more, Drug and Alcohol treatment agencies are asking for master's degree's plus a CDP license (at least in WA State) and I don't want to go back to college for a masters degree when I already have an RN degree! That just doesn't make any sense to me.

There are all kinds of scams on the internet but they prey on gullible, desperate people. I may be desperate, but I'm not stupid. lol... I'm a sensible woman and I know there's no such thing as a free lunch!

Any words of wisdom, support and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I have run out of idea's. I just keep praying, hoping that God will show me an answer. Someone on this site suggested a website called Modest Needs.com and I am going to try that next. ANY other idea's would really be appreciated and also alot of prayers, please! smile:

Sorry this is so long and many thanks to all, Karen