Okay, Waterknob... well... at the risk of displaying my delirium, here on PC, for all to read... I will offer a couple of vocational thoughts.

First, this time of year is a good time to be looking for work in the retail sector. Retailers are going to be hiring for the holidays. However, come January, those same retailers will be laying off many of the people they hired. So, unless you stand out as a "keeper", you may well find yourself unemployed once the holiday rush is over. Making yourself stand out, could be difficult, given the health problems you're struggling with.

Second, if I understand correctly, you've been working as a medical assistant for 10 years now. Is this correct? From a vocational counseling perspective, I would be concerned if you left the medical field to take a job in retail. This is going to raise a red flag for any future employer. They're going to want to know why you would abandon a 10 year career in the medical field to work in retail. (Also, just as an aside here, if stress is a concern for you, I'm not sure taking a job in retail starting as the holiday season ramps up is necessarily going to be better. Retail work during the holidays can be little short of hell! (I've done it.)

Of course, if you could leave your job to go to school, or perhaps work part time while you go to school, then this is a different matter. Ideally, what I would recommend, given what I know of your situation, would be for you to try to come up with a way to build on your experience as a medical assistant. Ten years experience, if this is in fact what you have, is nothing to sneeze at. Yes, this type of work can be stressful (I did this too, years ago.) But nowadays there are few jobs that aren't stressful. It's the nature of the employment milieu we live in today. (Employers try to wring every last drop of energy from every employee so the employer doesn't have to hire more workers.)

Of course, I don't know what type of medical assistant work you do; whether you work in a hospital, nursing home, do home care, etc. But I wonder about the possibility of working toward a position such as a health unit coordinator, working in a health care business office, pharmacy technician, hospital central supply technician, or other similar type of work. These types of positions would build on your previous experience & would demonstrate a commitment to furthering a career.

I realize some schooling would probably be required for these types of jobs. But the training isn't necessarily extensive. And, depending on who your present employer is, perhaps they would be willing to help to some extent by varying your hours, etc. You could also look into the possibility of getting some type of financial assistance. Training for most of these types of jobs is available from vocational-technical schools; & their admissions officers should be able to assist you to explore financial assistance opportunities. I would imagine that your work history in the medical field would make you a prime candidate because you've already demonstrated you have what it takes to succeed in the medical field. And the medical field in general is growing, while retail rises & falls with the seasons & the economy in general. In the meantime, I would think it might be worthwhile to see if you can figure out a way to continue to work as a medical assistant, but in some less stressful environment.

Okay... so this is my spiel for the moment. I'll keep watch for additional posts & add further replies... or... if you don't want to hear it , just let me know & I'll disappear! (You're also welcome to PM me, if you want to.)