May my dreams be fulfilled?

[Kearuneh]

Okay, so first let me say WHY I want to help others:

3 years ago, my grandmother had to enter the hospital because she had two ruptured disks touching her spinal nerves. Half of her body was in constant pain, the other half was numb. Although, the pain and the numbness would switch sides of her body every now and than.

I stayed with my grandma, whom I love dearly, for 3 days, day and night, sleeping on the floor, and answering her every beck and call to take care of her.

Now, many of you nurses would ask 'why wouldn't the nurses at the hospital help her?' Good question: they failed at their jobs miserably; it took them two hours to help my grandmother after she had pressed the call button. After that, we stopped bothering with the Flagler Hospital nurses and I took care of her.

This was my wake up call. From than on, I decided what I wanted to do in life is help others.

And now, I can't decide what KIND of nurse I want to be...I'm leaning toward helping cancer patients...but I can't decide.

Here are my problems: (One) I can't find scholarships at all. I graduated with a 2.9, a fairly decent GPA...and I'm white.

(Two) I can't figure out what exactly I want to do in the field of nursing. I want to be a nurse, that's definite, but what to do?

Anyone have any suggestions on both of my problems? I'm alllll ears!

[elkpark]

Welcome to allnurses! :balloons:

There are federal aid/loans for students available, many states offer scholarship/loan programs for people to enter nursing, and plenty of us paid for our education ourselves. Are you saying that you can't follow your "dream" of being a nurse unless someone else pays for it? Also, you may want to talk to nursing programs in your area about their requirements for admission. There is tremendous competition for "slots" in nursing programs these days, and, in most programs, a 2.9 GPA is not v. competitive. You would want to really work on bringing your GPA up while completing the prerequisite courses.

As for deciding on a specialty area, during nursing school, you would study all the "main," general areas of nursing practice, and most people come out of school with an idea of what specialty they want to pursue based on their clinical experiences.

I'm not trying to criticize or discourage you, just provide some basic info that most people new to the idea of nursing are unfamiliar with. There is lots of good info available on this board, if you look around. I would strongly encourage you to talk to all the nursing programs in your area and get some solid information about costs, available scholarships and loans (financial aid offices in the schools are usually great sources of info about what's available), and admission standards and requirements. Best wishes for your journey!

[Kearuneh]

Whats up with the quotations around dream? What are you implying behind it?

ANYWAY I can't bring up my GPA...I already have a high school diploma...unless you personally know of some way for me to re-take my high school courses....

As for the scholarships/grants: I've gone everywhere, done everything I can, made as many essays as I could, and LITERALLY typed essays and postings until my fingers bled. So its not that I want someone to 'pay' my way: I know nothings free unless you work for it. Which, is my view on life.

I probably miss-titled this thread; as I'm sure many people are currently scoffing at.

But please, anyone reading this, don't think for a moment that there was not ONE thing I didn't try to do.

At this point, I think I'm going to have to apply for a student loan. The free and easy scholarships and money people keep talking about isn't as free and easy as people think: especially when the requirements are for certain ethnicitys, or specific fields of nursing. Heck, most of the scholarships I've wanted were FOR specific fields which brings me to my next point:

I am trying to find THE field I want to pursue. I want views from nurses on what they do, ups and downs, sideways and crossways: not find out during classes! As I'm sure you know, classes aren't the same as the real deal(All they teach is HOW to do something; the real situation is much much different): so please, don't mock me. (Perhaps you didn't mean to type it that way, I know full well that typing on a computer can come out not in the way you meant it. But that is how I took it.):typing

[llg, PhD, RN]

elkpark was not mocking you. She was trying to give you some straightforward information. Most "free" scholarships are given to exceptional students and/or students who fit into some specific category that has led them to be disadvantaged in society. You say you don't fit into either category, which means you will have to fund your education the same way most other people do:

1. Get grants from the school. To do that, you will fill out all the financial aid forms that the school gives you as part of your application process.

2. Work and save your money so that you can pay for part of it yourself.

3. Get a student loan for the rest.

As for knowing exactly what field you want to work it prior to the start of school ... it rarely happens that way. There is no way you will know for sure until you actually spend time in the various specialties, "trying them on" so to speak as you go. You can develop general ideas and have some ideas as to which areas you might like the best, but you won't know for sure until you give them a try. Many people don't even know at graduation: they find their niche only after they have worked as a nurse for a while. Some people are surprised by the jobs that work well for them in the long run. Sometimes, they are the ones that least interested them at the start of their careers.

[Kearuneh]

I think I've gotten the point with all the previous statements on grants and such....but thats not my only focus, ladies...

...what I really don't understand is why both of you feel that I should 'try them on'. I have been to classes, and as I've stated before...it doesn't WORK without constant research from other nurses, and doing as you've said. Classes are training, and again, are not the real thing. I want someone's POV, not some class that would lead me in the wrong direction in the end.

What I've been trying to do is get some nurse where my grandmother lives to let me shadow her for a day, and see what it would be like in the day of a nurse.

Which, at this point isn't really going anywhere...BUT:

If you've read my first post you'd notice that the nurses in my area are incompetent...thats why I would have to go to where the most competant nurses I know of are: where my grandmother is.

[llg, PhD, RN]

...what I really don't understand is why both of you feel that I should 'try them on'. I have been to classes, and as I've stated before...it doesn't WORK without constant research from other nurses, and doing as you've said. Classes are training, and again, are not the real thing. I want someone's POV, not some class that would lead me in the wrong direction in the end.

.

You need to "try them on" for the same reason that you need to try clothes on before you buy them. They might look good in the catelog or on the hanger ... but you won't know if they fit you well and until you try them on. The same goes for food. Something can sound good when it is described and it might be another person's favorite food, but you won't know if YOU like it until you taste it. The same goes for the various types of nursing.

Going to nursing school is not just sitting in a classroom. As a nursing student, you actually DO nursing care at the bedside in the various specialties. That student experience is much more indepth than a few simple hours of shadowing someone. School will give you a chance to try each major specialty on over a period of many months. If that is not enough for you, perhaps you should consider becoming a nursing assistant for a while and actually work in a hospital to see if you really like nursing before you invest in a nursing education.

[Santa'sMom]

Do you have any college credits? It looks to me like you are saying that you have a 2.9 GPA for high school. That's not the same. The RN nursing programs generally use your college GPA and usually require several prerequisite courses prior to application for admission. Another route you could take would be the LPN program. You mentioned Flagler Hospital so I'll assume (I dislike that word immensly!) that you live in that area. First Coast Technical Institute offers an excellent program and is very reasonable in price. If you have limited income you may well qualify for a Pell Grant. The best thing to do as far as financing goes is to fill out the FAFSA form and send it in. The school(s) you are interested in can help you with that and/or with figuring out what their findings are. FCTI also offers a CNA program and PCT (patient care technician) program. Both are excellent ways to get started in the healthcare field. If you go to work at a hospital as a tech, they will often pay your tuition and books for the RN program. Some nursing homes do the same. I'm very sorry that you've had such a bad experience with nurses. I am concerned that you feel the nurses in your area are incompetent. I've been working in the field for about a dozen years and I can honestly say that there are incompetent nurses out there, BUT, they are few and far between. There are good nurses and there are bad nurses, just like in every other profession. Sometimes its what you, the consumer put into the equation that turns the tables. If you are argumentative, bossy, or hateful toward the staff, they will find it harder to be nice to you. (I am NOT saying that you did this). On the other hand, if you want the nurses and other staff to be nice to you, it is often helpful if you remember that they are people too and are nice to them first. Sometimes they are just having a bad day and your taking a moment to say, "Hello, your hair looks nice today," can be the catalyst that turns things around for the staff member. I think that you will find if you do enter the healthcare field that it isn't as easy as it looks. It is a rewarding career, but it is still challenging and sometimes things can be very overwhelming. When you go into nursing school, you go in as a generic nursing student. You don't get to specialize in school. Specialization comes after you graduate, and usually after you get in a year or two of experience, at the very least. As llg stated, becoming a nursing assistant (CNA) will offer you an excellent opportunity to see what nurses do and where you may wish to go with your career. You have a lot of options available to you and I hope that you will pursue them and find your niche in the world. Go forth, learn, and prosper!!

[KateRN1]

If you've read my first post you'd notice that the nurses in my area are incompetent...thats why I would have to go to where the most competant nurses I know of are: where my grandmother is.

Which begs the question: What gives you the authority and the knowledge to judge the competence of a nurse?

And if you feel that nurses in your area are so incompetent, why would you want to join such a profession?

How did they not meet your expectations?

I just love it when people judge a profession/professional they know absolutely nothing about.