Regarding the decision as to whether you should go as a missionary now or get your RN first, several variables come to mind. I see specialized training as a preparation to fulfill a specific need. Has someone invited you to return to Mexico as a nurse because of an urgent need in a concrete location?

Perhaps it would be better to raise support and go as a missionary, get involved in a ministry situation, and after 2 or 3 years think of further training according to the specific needs you have observed, the gifts you have seen developing in you as you serve, and the advice of your supervisors. You'll discover that being a full time missionary is quite different from just going down for a summer!

Just a detail, but my wife is an RN. She appreciates all she learned during those three years of study, but when she became a missionary she discovered that the ministry which really drew her was teaching and counseling. As a result, after the children were in school, she went back to school during one of our furloughs and got a degree in these areas.

Are there not an abundant amount of Mexican nurses looking for jobs? You should find out - you don't want to be taking a job from someone who might need it more than you.

Have you thought of the possibility of studying nursing in Mexico? It would be a great opportunity to identify with the people and the culture, study nursing in the context of the Mexican realities, make important contacts in the medical profession, and make great strides in Spanish. It would also be a whole lot cheaper!

One important factor to keep in mind: a nurse with a Mexican degree practicing in the U.S., or a person with a U.S. degree practicing in Mexico, would need to obtain a license. In the U.S. the person would need to get information from the Board of Nursing in the state in which they want to work. They would need to pass a licensing exam to be become a Registered Nurse. I don't know what all the rules would be in Mexico.

May the Lord guide you as you ponder your options. Don't forget that He is more interested in your finding His place for you to serve Him than you are in finding it!

Blessings on you!