Question from a non-nurse

[kjhummel]

I'm new here! My name is Kristin and I have always wanted to be a nurse. I am married with 2 kids and have less than a year of college.

When I first started looking into becoming a nurse, someone recommended I look into nursing homes offering free CNA training and certification in exchange for working for them for a set period of time. So I looked into that for my area (I'm in NJ) and I found not one nursing home with that kind of program out of over 30 in my area.

So then I talked to a friend of mine whose husband works at a hospital and is working on his RN. He said that a lot hospitals (including his) offer a nursing scholarship program that works like the CNA I heard about, the hospital pays for your school as long as you sign a contract stating you'll work for them for the set period of time.

So I called all the hospitals in this area and the area in FL I might be relocating to. No luck either.

To top it all off, in frustration, I looked into nursing schools to do it on my own only to find out there are waiting lists years long!!!

All I want to do is to become an RN, or even LPN, I just want to have a job that I know I am helping people and being a nurse is my dream. All I hear about is nursing shortages and how many unfilled nursing positions there are (9,000 in FL) yet why is it so hard to become one???

Any suggestions, please?!

[RN 2005]

Yes, it really is frustrating isn't it? There is just not enough faculty out there to train all of the would be nurses I am afraid...I started out just taking basic classes that all programs require and then went on from there. The waiting lists are very long but sometimes an excellent GPA can get you in quicker depending on the school. I actually was planning on another nursing program but once I started out taking classes and networking with other students I found out about a program I did not even know about. It is amazing what you can find out from the other students along the way. The student nurse section of this board will really help you, and give you good ideas. I suggest searching some keywords that relate to your geographic area. You may find out some tips from the other students. Good luck to you - Where there is a will there is a way. Believe me! Things just started falling into place for me once I took the first step. :)

[n8isgr8]

I live in S. Jersey, about 15-20 min. from Philly. I just got into a LPN program here at CCIT, it is a public school so prices are very reasonable. There are a-lot of schools in the south Jersey area for Lpn. The problem is getting into a college for ASN or BSN. THey are so filled even at community colleges and classes are usually filled before the "official" registration, for the public, at least this was my expeirence this year. You say you have some college if you have all your pre-reqs Apply for the waiting list for next school year, if not you would have to take them, but then there is still no guarentee that you will be accepted to the next years nursing classes. I have decided, since I have a limited amount of time to take the Lpn and work my way to rn part time nights. I may take longer, but this is the only way for my situation. I am in a program that starts in April and ends next june ( with Summer off). I would definately look into a community program and there are a lot of places willing to pay off any student loans if you sign a contract for employment. Try asking LTC facilities. If you are close to Pa. I know for a fact Fair Acres Geriatric Center does this, and there are many others. Good luck I hope this helped a little!XOXOXOXOXOXOXO Jami