Getting into today's RN programs...

Hi. My name is Dennis and I'm a new nursing student. I used to work as a net-eng in the IT field. If you are like me and would like to get into the nursing profession, I think you have made a very good decision. When I tell people I want to get into nursing, some people think I want to take a lil shortcut into the medical field. Gosh, these people have no idea how much work it takes to get into an RN program today and the responsibility and intelligence required to be a registered nurse. With a waitlist of about 2-3 years for some schools, it can be a very aggravating process. I'd just finished watching a nursing workshop video that was filmed a couple years ago and in it the director said "just a couple years back, you could literally walk into the program." He even mentioned "if you try to keep your GPA above 3.0, you'll have a sure shot of getting in." Well, let me tell you the situation today: all 30 students accepted into the program with me had GPAs of around 4.0! It is, IMHO, literally the toughest and most competitive undergraduate course that anybody can go through at any school. As you can see, things have changed alot and the image of the nurse will surely change along with it in the near future. There will be alot more respect! I would like to share some of the experience some of my peers and I have been through. Now, if you still want to get into nursing school, please be sure to tell yourself that you have to stay committed from the day you start to the end. Most schools will calculate your admission priority based on your GPA (ex: most recent 30 sem. units and/or all your pre-requisites) along with a test (ie. TEAS). You have to be extremely serious about it because one pitfall can cause you your slot in the program. Unlike what some people may lead you to believe, most of the other students competing for your slot today are not those "looking for a shortcut in the medical field type". In my situation, most of these students in the past are the type that would go for a BS in Computer Science, a pre-med or pre-pharm student, and other competitive fields (you're probably one of 'em). I'm a very friendly person and tend to move around to get to know all my classmates and we talk alot about our goals in school. I was surprised to have met quite a few idiots in class who still thinks nursing is a "walk-through" type of program. Of course, these fellows never made it through the science pre-reqs, but boy oh boy, the serious folks ARE SERIOUS! Anyways, what this means is that you will need to come out at the top. You will need to bust your a** and get A's in every class. That means no TV and games. The two classes I've seen that've knocked people off-course towards the end are Physiology and Microbiology, so be extremely wary here. The pre-requisites will take about a year to complete. Apply to a few schools in your state and if you are able to relocate, your chance of starting nursing school next fall will be rather high. If you have any questions, please let me know. Good luck!

Hi my name is Alexia and im waiting to be accepted into a medical school to start my pre-requites to get into a nursing programme. I have recently completed an associates degree in business administration but realize that this is not what i really want to do. I want to be a nurse and know that if i study hard i will be successful but there is one subject that i just dont like and always had a problem with and that maths. Do you have any advice as to what i can do...?
Oh and im also married and have a 1yr old son....do u think i can balance out my studying and family life...?

Dear Alexia,
Math is not that big of a deal as the other science courses. As long as you're comfortable with basic algebra, then you should be fine. If you've finished your AS degree, then it's likely you have fulfilled the requirement for math (a college math course such as Statistics). You shouldn't be too worried about it. I can't tell you if you'll be able to balance things out, but from what many people have told me many times, there will be some changes of lifestyles in the family. For example, your husband may have to do a little bit more of the work in the house to help you out and may have to spend a little bit more time with your 1 year old baby. I know it's alot tougher for you since you got a family. If possible, look around to see if you can apply to a few schools in the area and be sure the pre-requisites you're taking will cover the requirements of all the schools. Please come in and talk to your nursing counselor as he or she can definitely point you to the right direction. I think one of the biggest problems we've been having here in my area is the unavailability of open pre-requisite classes, which drastically slows your plans down. If that's happening to you, don't let it stop you from doing what you're doing...look around at community colleges in the area or nearby towns to get the required courses. Good luck.