[mgc]

i currently have 6 yrs of respiratory therapy experience in both adults and neonatal. also 2 yrs as an icu rn. this spring i will start my rn to bsn program. my grades are not the best (2.8 gpa). i'm hoping to raise it during the bsn program. i can definetly get some letters of recommendation. i am willing to move out of state. i am in san diego. here are my questions : what schools should i apply to? when should i apply? what are my chances of getting into a program? what else can i do to get into a program? need some advice.

[HelanaDietrich]

With your background, you will get into nursing school. Our closest nursing program has deleted their GPA competition requirements, rather it is now on a first come, first serve basis, as long as you have the basic 2.0 average for college admission. Don't worry about getting into the "trendiest" school. If it is an accredited program, you will get out of it what you need. Nursing is something that is within the spirit. There are nurses out there who come out of the more so-called reputable programs, and they don't belong in nursing. They are just there for the buck and the status. That does not necessarily make them better nurses. Keep a positive "can do" attitude, and you will complete what you set out to do. Good luck.

[darienblythe79]

Originally Posted by HelanaDietrich

With your background, you will get into nursing school. Our closest nursing program has deleted their GPA competition requirements, rather it is now on a first come, first serve basis, as long as you have the basic 2.0 average for college admission. Don't worry about getting into the "trendiest" school. If it is an accredited program, you will get out of it what you need. Nursing is something that is within the spirit. There are nurses out there who come out of the more so-called reputable programs, and they don't belong in nursing. They are just there for the buck and the status. That does not necessarily make them better nurses. Keep a positive "can do" attitude, and you will complete what you set out to do. Good luck.

I believe that "mgc" was refering to CRNA school.

[darienblythe79]

Originally Posted by mgc

i currently have 6 yrs of respiratory therapy experience in both adults and neonatal. also 2 yrs as an icu rn. this spring i will start my rn to bsn program. my grades are not the best (2.8 gpa). i'm hoping to raise it during the bsn program. i can definetly get some letters of recommendation. i am willing to move out of state. i am in san diego. here are my questions : what schools should i apply to? when should i apply? what are my chances of getting into a program? what else can i do to get into a program? need some advice.

Might I suggest getting those grades up. My advice, do whatever you can to make yourself more attractive to the admissions committees. Check out the sticky on the top of this forum, and check out the AANA website for schools. Good luck.

[HelanaDietrich]

The acronym I think might have been in question was GPA (Grade Point Average).

[HelanaDietrich]

If you have problems getting into a school, think about this. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston offers nursing degrees through Doctorate, along with all other medical specialty. Their nursing program is 100 years old (one of the oldest in the nation). Their GPA admission requirements is either 2.00 or 2.50. Alot of nursing candidates get freaked out over thinking they have to have the most competitive GPA. Go to the website for MUSC. They express that they weigh everything on a whole. One of the greater factors they consider is your past dedication to the medical field. You have a very strong history that they look for. The credit you can get for having been an ICU nurse and in the respiratory field will take you a long way. MUSC is not the only program that uses this philosophy. A woman graduated from my nursing program with the highest GPA in the 30 year history of the school, a 99+ average overall. She studied in all her spare time. But in the clinical setting, she was a nervous wreck. She was so nervous she would become confused. We had students taking their prerequirements such as Anatomy and Physiology and they barely struggled by with a passing grade. But they got into the nursing program. Realize that you background will carry a whole lot of clout. Believe me, a 2.8 GPA will not cause you to not be accepted when you have the best criteria over some 19 year old with no background. Keep your chin up, focus on the fact that you actually have an advantage over many wanna be nurses. You will get in.

[ICUDOUCME?]

Originally Posted by mgc

what schools should i apply to? when should i apply? what are my chances of getting into a program? what else can i do to get into a program? need some advice.

You are referring to CRNA school right? I took your post to mean that you are already accepted into a BSN program and will start shortly.

Typically, BSN courses run into the 18 to 20 credits range right? How many credits will you have completed at the end of the program? Say you get all As. Factor those credits into your GPA. You will find that a GPA of 2.8 is hard to bring up by getting As for the rest of your program.

You may break 3.0 though, which is the usual minimum requirement for a lot of these programs. With your other experience and doing well on the GRE, I could see a school overlooking a less than stellar GPA. It also depends on why you got such low grades to begin with. Were you dealing with major stressors in your life at the time? Maybe a letter of explanation to go along with your transcripts would help.

One other suggestion is to maybe take the worst graded classes over. One C in a line of Bs and As can really bring you down. And if you had a 4 credit class that you got a C in, and then get an A, that could do a lot.

Anyway, with your respiratory background and ICU experience, you sound like a good candidate to me!

[HawaiiRRTRN]

MGC,

You're headed in the right direction. I, like you, have similar qualifications (13 yrs RT, 1.5 yrs ICU RN) and will complete my BSN Spring '07. The earliest you will be able to apply to CRNA school will be just before you graduate from your BSN program and then only at certain schools. Some schools want the BSN completed before application, some before you actually begin the program. It is program dependent. As to what school? That is totally dependent on what you want out of a program. There are approximately 90 CRNA programs out there, the best advice is to start researching now. As far as grades go, do well in your BSN classes and think about repeating any science classes you did poorly in, that should help. As many posters have said previously, grades are only part of the overall picture. Good luck to you!

HawaiiRRTRN

[darienblythe79]

Originally Posted by HelanaDietrich

The acronym I think might have been in question was GPA (Grade Point Average).

I wasn't referring to an acronym. I was referring the OP's screen name.

[AnxiousStudent]

The OP is has already been accepted to a BSN program!