should nursing school more students and not have a cut off requirment

love7777 · Jul 20, 2011

I apoligize about the title I was in a bit of a rush and did not proof read it.

nowim clean · Aug 1, 2011

If this is really something you want and are suppose to do you will. If you did not get in this time no big deal it was not your time. My wife and I went 5 years before we got in but we both did and we were in our mid forties. My advice keep trying to get in and while you are waiting take classes that will transfer to a BSN program ie higher english, world civics, economics, ect. Apply at each college in driving distance, but never give up or become discouraged. God will bring you all the way through it if you place it all in His hands.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Aug 1, 2011

There is a very good reason for maintaining higher standards for admission. Nursing school is more difficult than most other undergrad programs and requires a lot of effort from students. The best way to determine future academic ability/performance is to by looking at past performance (GPA). Even with high cut-off scores, there is a pretty high attrition level, so schools are focused on limiting enrollment to only those students who can actually do the work. Nursing education is an expensive endeavor for schools due to the mandated instructor:student ratios that are much lower than other programs, lab equipment, etc.

Commercial schools (for-profit) generally have much lower entrance requirements, but they are very expensive.

SRNA2011 · Aug 3, 2011

When I was in nursing school I remember our Dean told us the reason why they have a cut off requirement and cannot let more students in the program also has to do with clinical placement for students and lack of faculty staff. If there are a lot of students in the program it might be harder to place them at clinical sites, since not every single hospital is a teaching facility or accepts nursing students. Also keep in mind that other nursing schools/programs in the area will be at the same hospital, so there is limited space during the week. This is why some nursing programs have clinical rotation during the weekend.

There is also not that many full-time nursing professors and clinical instructors. Usually nursing classes are offered once or twice a week with a few professors teaching the class. In clinical, it has to be a small group of nursing students since nursing units cannot have 20 students there all at once with only 1 clinical instructor.

babyNP., APRN · Aug 3, 2011

I feel you, but who would teach you if there were unlimited students? Especially clinicals? It's unsafe to have more than a number of students per clinical instructor during clinicals because the nurse student is practicing under her/his license. In my program we limited it to 10 students per instructor.

And why aren't there more teachers? Well, imagine having a PhD and then having a bedside nurse make more money than you. Hardly seems fair...I'd like to teach eventually, but it'll be years and years down the line when I don't have to worry about taking a pay cut when supporting my family.

It sounds like you need to move somewhere else if it's that high of standards to get into school...