Adults returning to school for healthcare programs must juggle not only classes, but homework, tests, papers, clinical experience, job and family responsibilities. Planning ahead and remaining flexible are crucial, according to two area college counselors who work with adults.

Plan for success

Jamal Adam, a counselor and instructor at Minneapolis Community and Technical College (www.minneapolis.edu), advises new students to take a course called, "Strategies for College Success," which helps with time management and planning. He also focuses on math skills. "I tell them to study that because some of the health careers, such as nursing, require a level of algebra," Adam says. "A lot of students might need two or maybe three semesters of math to attain that level of competency."

He also advises new students to keep an open mind about majors. Many come into MCTC to study nursing because they don't know about other healthcare careers. "I tell them to do the research and see if other fields are good for them," he says. "These other fields have a technical aspect to them. They may be more comfortable using machines."

Know your limits

Adam also warns new students against taking too many classes. "You also need to think about the time to do your homework and study, which is just as important as the time you are in the classroom." As a general rule, students should budget two hours of studying time for every hour in the classroom, he says.

Vesna Hampel-Kozar, a counselor at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul (www.metrostate.edu), says students must also plan far enough ahead at work to accommodate not only classroom time but also clinical work, which may have to take place during the work week. She also advises lining up reliable caregivers for children and elderly parents well in advance, and setting up a social support network.

Find peer support

"Finding a mentor at work or at school, connecting strongly with an academic advisor, really connecting strongly with peers, especially other working adults" are all ways of getting that support, she says. "The more social support you have, the easier it is to manage the additional stress that you're going to be taking on."