[Hopefull2009]

I'm running into the same problem. My family is full of nurses and doctors, though almost all are retired. Everytime I start talking about getting worried about not getting in, they cut me off and say, "Nonsense! How can you be worried about not getting in?"

God bless 'em, they just don't understand it isn't like it was 40 years ago. You don't just show up at the school and sign up.

[General E. Speaking, RN]

seasoned nurses at my hospital don't even understand the fierce competition to get into school nowadays.

I get the "when are you going to finish" question all the time. I have been taking pre-req's (part-time) since Fall 2003. Hopefully, I will be in a transitional program in May. A light at the end of the tunnel- hope it's not a train

Considering a RN-BSN after this

[WDWpixieRN]

For the OP, get a thick skin, because these will be the same folks who will have NO CLUE about what you're doing once you're in school...it is not the same as taking a history or English course, or even an A & P class...you won't find a lot of understanding except among classmates and folks on these boards!! It's almost like an "inside joke" where you have to be there...

I had a pretty intense test last week and my husband was rolling his eyes at the amount of studying and stressing I was doing over the weekend....he said, "You always get good grades"...but he wasn't connecting the dots -- perhaps there is some correlation between the amount of studying I do AND the fact that I get decent grades? It's not a gimme.....

Hang in there and don't let those that can't understand get to you....just enjoy the ride!!

[Batman24]

People have no idea how hard it is to get into nusring school. I wasn't even prepared for just how competitive it is and I am the one applying. lol It gives you a newfound respect for the nursing profession and all the education and expertise they have. I don't think they get the respect they deserve.

One school has 850 applicants for 40 spots and they take their own first. It's beyond a long shot. Thankfully I am lucky enough to have another school that goes by a waiting list.

[Hopefull2009]

On the flip side, how can finding Nursing instructors be any different from finding Chemistry and Physics professors at schools? I have never heard of a school that had to cut back on their Chemistry majors because they couldn't find professors that were willing to work for less money than they would make out in the field.

My Chemistry Professor is a PhD and a Chemical Engineer by trade. The President of our college is the same.

The same goes for instructors of computer courses. I have never heard of a college cutting back those programs either.

I can imagine that there are enough instructors that might be disabled, just tired of working in a hospital, or cannot keep up with the physical demands of bedside nursing, etc, that can teach at a college level where it doesn't require scaling back of the program. I have met so many instructors over the years that left their fields of service to teach...for the love of teaching...can Nursing be so different?

I mean, don't get me wrong. I am sort of glad of the shortage, because in the end, that keeps us ALL employed and working at decent salaries. But I do think that the shortage is an artificial one.

[RNfromMN]

Originally Posted by Hopefull2009

On the flip side, how can finding Nursing instructors be any different from finding Chemistry and Physics professors at schools? I have never heard of a school that had to cut back on their Chemistry majors because they couldn't find professors that were willing to work for less money than they would make out in the field.

I'm just guessing, but I think it's because there aren't a flood of people rushing out to become chemists & physicists...it's like this repeating pattern; everybody wants to be a nurse because we're in such demand, this creates a shortage of instructors because there just aren't enough to accommodate all the students, the demand keeps getting higher because of wait-lists, with the growing demand, even more people want to be nurses, creating even less instructors per student, etc. ,etc

[catzy5]

Originally Posted by Hopefull2009

On the flip side, how can finding Nursing instructors be any different from finding Chemistry and Physics professors at schools? I have never heard of a school that had to cut back on their Chemistry majors because they couldn't find professors that were willing to work for less money than they would make out in the field.

My Chemistry Professor is a PhD and a Chemical Engineer by trade. The President of our college is the same.

The same goes for instructors of computer courses. I have never heard of a college cutting back those programs either.

I can imagine that there are enough instructors that might be disabled, just tired of working in a hospital, or cannot keep up with the physical demands of bedside nursing, etc, that can teach at a college level where it doesn't require scaling back of the program. I have met so many instructors over the years that left their fields of service to teach...for the love of teaching...can Nursing be so different?

I mean, don't get me wrong. I am sort of glad of the shortage, because in the end, that keeps us ALL employed and working at decent salaries. But I do think that the shortage is an artificial one.

I agree with you to some extent but on the flip side, what is the job market for a chem prof? physics? yes their are many jobs out there but as many and as diverse as nursing? by the time one is qualified to be a nursing instructor (Masters atleast, and 3 years in a speciality field) they are so much in demand by many other venues that they can write their own ticket they get flexibility hours that they can make great money, and many that have gone that far in their education is because they LOVE nursing and may not want to teach.


Interesting topic.

[catzy5]

Originally Posted by wdwpixie

For the OP, get a thick skin, because these will be the same folks who will have NO CLUE about what you're doing once you're in school...it is not the same as taking a history or English course, or even an A & P class...you won't find a lot of understanding except among classmates and folks on these boards!! It's almost like an "inside joke" where you have to be there...

I had a pretty intense test last week and my husband was rolling his eyes at the amount of studying and stressing I was doing over the weekend....he said, "You always get good grades"...but he wasn't connecting the dots -- perhaps there is some correlation between the amount of studying I do AND the fact that I get decent grades? It's not a gimme.....

Hang in there and don't let those that can't understand get to you....just enjoy the ride!!

NOW THAT IS MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE!

I tell you nothing makes me madder then that, my friends and family members always say this too, you put too much pressure on yourself you worry and stress and study all day and then you get an A. Ya I am STUDYING exactly I am not a non studier I work extremely hard I am 39 years old I want this bad and I don't want it in 5 years!! I want it now so I work for it. oyieee don't even get me started hehehe.

[Freedom42]

Originally Posted by Hopefull2009

On the flip side, how can finding Nursing instructors be any different from finding Chemistry and Physics professors at schools? I have never heard of a school that had to cut back on their Chemistry majors because they couldn't find professors that were willing to work for less money than they would make out in the field.
I
have met so many instructors over the years that left their fields of service to teach...for the love of teaching...can Nursing be so different?

I mean, don't get me wrong. I am sort of glad of the shortage, because in the end, that keeps us ALL employed and working at decent salaries. But I do think that the shortage is an artificial one.

The problem with the nursing instructor shortage is not merely one of salaries keeping pace with market levels. You've got to consider the student-teacher ratio as well.

Odds are that your nursing instructor cannot legally teach more than 8 to 10 students in a clinical setting at any given time, whereas there is no legal limit on the number of students your chemistry teacher can have in his or her class. Schools need more nursing instructors than chem teachers because of legally imposed ratios.

If you're at a public school, has your state legislature factored that into your school's allocation? Probably not, and that's exacerbated the instructor shortage.

[carolinapooh]

Originally Posted by Hopefull2009

On the flip side, how can finding Nursing instructors be any different from finding Chemistry and Physics professors at schools? I have never heard of a school that had to cut back on their Chemistry majors because they couldn't find professors that were willing to work for less money than they would make out in the field.

My Chemistry Professor is a PhD and a Chemical Engineer by trade. The President of our college is the same.

The same goes for instructors of computer courses. I have never heard of a college cutting back those programs either.

I can imagine that there are enough instructors that might be disabled, just tired of working in a hospital, or cannot keep up with the physical demands of bedside nursing, etc, that can teach at a college level where it doesn't require scaling back of the program. I have met so many instructors over the years that left their fields of service to teach...for the love of teaching...can Nursing be so different?

I mean, don't get me wrong. I am sort of glad of the shortage, because in the end, that keeps us ALL employed and working at decent salaries. But I do think that the shortage is an artificial one.

In a word - money.

Money, money, money. Becoming an instructor requires, occasionally, a cut in pay and benefits. And also - schools have to have money to pay instructors. They also have to have the resources to get more clinical site agreements to support the instructors they need to hire and the students they can now admit.

It's basically down to money. At least, that's how I understand it.