BARRY WILLIAMS /Special

Tracy and Cynthia Conner will graduate with associate degrees in nursing from Columbus Technical College in December. "We had to give up a lot of our family and social time to study," she said.

What's more stressful than one family member going through nursing school? How about two nursing students who are married and have two teenage children?

Tracy and Cynthia Conner will graduate with associate degrees in nursing from Columbus Technical College in December. The Conners are planning to take the N-CLEX exam and begin job-hunting in January.

But before then, the Conners are looking forward to spending Christmas with their kids without having to study.

Tracy and Cynthia Conner had already earned one college degree each and had many years of experience as managers in the textile industry. When he began to see companies streamlining and shutting down, Tracy Conner knew he needed to retool his skills. Cynthia Conner talked her boss into letting her go back to school part time.

"I had thought of being a nurse when I was younger and found out that I could get a degree in two years at Columbus Tech," she said.

"I started researching it and discovered that nursing would give me career longevity, mobility and the ability to keep improving my skills and, thus, my opportunities. That was very attractive to me," he said.

Another advantage was that there are plenty of nursing jobs available in Columbus, and the family wouldn't be forced to move.

The couple knew that going back to school would be tough financially and academically, but for job security, they believed that the transition would be worth it.

"You just do what you have to do, and our kids and family have been very supportive," she said.

Linn Storey, program director of the School of Health Sciences at Columbus Tech, helped the Conners to enroll in the necessary prerequisite courses and to apply for HOPE grants that paid for those classes.

After the couple took the prerequisite courses, the moment of truth was at hand. They had to get accepted into the nursing program.

"The letters came on the same day," Cynthia Conner said. "He said, 'You open yours,' and I said, 'No, you open yours,' so we opened them together and were very happy. We had said that we would accept it if either of us got in, but both was the best outcome."

Although instructors sometimes teased the couple about who was doing the cooking on the night before an exam, the Conners said that they had wonderful teachers and a positive college experience.

"When we were investigating our options, nurses at the hospital told us how impressed they were with the skills of Columbus Tech grads," Tracy Conner said. "We felt like we got help and encouragement from Day 1 when we visited the admissions office."

"We had to give up a lot of our family and social time to study, but when you're with the same group of people for 18 months, they become like a little family," Cynthia Conner said. "There was a lot of camaraderie, and we all helped each other through it."

The couple's children also pitched in by quizzing them on medical terminology and helping with the housework.

Going through clinical rotations confirmed that the Conners had made the right decision.

"There are so many different types of RNs. The telemetry, med-surge and perioperative units intrigued me, but I know if I get into something that isn't exactly my cup of tea, I can do something else," Tracy Conner said. "I have yet to meet a nurse who has done the same thing her whole career.

"I feel like I've kind of changed. I was always empathetic, but now I look at people differently, and I want the best for them. There were days in clinicals when I was glad I was at that hospital on a particular day for a particular patient, because I got so much out of it. It gave me a glimpse of the rewards I have to look forward to."

Although Cynthia Conner had enjoyed managing people for 16 years in her previous career, she is glad to be going in a different direction.

"When we were going through rotations, I liked it all," she said. "The idea of nursing has been in my head for a long time, and this was the time to do it. We knew it would take some sacrifice but that, at the end of the day, we would both be RNs, gainfully employed with better opportunities. Not everyone gets a second chance."