What direction would you go in? (job offer, apply, secretary, employers)

[evolve]

I feel I am become stagnant, and want to expand on my "career"
A little work background
I was a medic in the Navy for 7 years
5 of those years were clinical/patient treatment
2 were as a program coodinator in a training department
once out I became a Medical Secretary/Surgery Scheduler (been doing this for about 3 years now)because this was the first job offer I got and needed to accept whatever I could get.
Going back to school full time is kind of difficult for me as I have to work full time to support my family, and not to mention alot of the fields I am interested in do not offer online courses or night classes.
What do you think the next logical step would be for me to advance or further my career. I would love to become a nurse but I have heard from some of the nurses I work with that it is almost impossible to go to nursing school and work full time. Any suggestions?

[Rutt Roh]

are you still currently doing that same secretary/surgery scheduler job? have you spoken to your manager/supervisor about advancing on your career while mentioning your circumstances? most times, if you give your employers enough advance notice on these types of issues, i think they'd be more receptive in giving you some leeway especially if you've proven yourself in your current job. not to mention, to show initiative in advancing your career and not "stagnate" really stands out because it indicates to them that you're not going to stick with the status quo.

i'd do more research in some nursing courses that do have night classes - there must be some that are out there that may fit into your tight schedule. i have a few questions to you that might spark some ideas:

1. are there any certifications you can pursue in the meantime that might help down the road?

2. are you or would you be flexible to pursue a different healthcare related field?

3. regarding your current position, what does your manager do? what is his/her qualifications and how did they get there? that may help you see the steps they took to get to where they are now.

[cityflair]

When I don't know which way to go, I pray about it. God always gives me clear direction!

[brightdoglover]

The OP could take a class or two while working full-time- like Micro, Chem, or Nsg 101 or whatever doesn't involve clinical. I have seen that no one I work with has been able to do clinical or full-time school while working full-time. A couple of programs have evening classes and weekend clinical. Some co-workers work third shift and sleep at work (against all rules) to finish.
One co-worker is 70 and finishing nsg. school (while raising an autistic daughter). He tried the full-time nights and part-time school and finally ran out of gas- went to weekends-only and is now doing clinical. He also took out his retirement stash to do so. It seems to be going well.
I'd look around for any two-year programs and see if something could be arranged. Also, some community colleges require a number of college pre-reqs to apply for the nsg. program, and of course these could be taken one or two at a time. It's the clinical time that has to be arranged.
Nsg. school isn't hard. It's just takes time. You can study on the bus or on the night shift, but clinical is clinical.
Good luck. Sounds like the OP has a great background to keep going.