I wanna be a nurse

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HI all, I am curently a Automotive service writter at a local repair shop. I am sick to death of working a thankless job, i have been in and out of schools for various things, accounting and computers. For the last year or so i have been thinging about nursing, i reall thing that is what i would like to do.

my problem,

all the schools that are in my area with the exeption of one, are all run by the univeristy in my town, they work on a point system

you can apply with no prereqs, but you get no points, well you get a point for being a male, or a minority, so i get one point, you wont get in unless you have alot of points, so you take classes to get points. the list of classees you get points for would be the same as the prereqs i see yall talking about,

the only other opition is a school about 30min away, where you need to meet their prereqs with a C+ or better then you are in, the catch, a one year waiting list,

my question, is this about the same with everyone elses acceptence to nursing school.

my plan is to take about three classes (about all i can do with work right now) a semester and apply, they have classes starting in the spring and fall, so i can apply twice a year, and just keep taking classes getting points and applying whenever i can untill i get in,

i know a few people that are nurses but they went through school before they changed the program to the point system

does this sound like a good idea?

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My schools works on a point system as well. If you want it bad enough you will jump through hoops to get there. Also, don't be in such a hurry. Have you shadowed a RN or LPN to get an idea of what they do? I only ask because it sounds like you've been through several careers in a few years and I would hate to see anyone waste time and money to get into a career they don't like. But if you know this is what you want, then go for it.

I've been taking pre reqs for 2 years (full time for the last year) and I'm just now apply for fall 04. It takes a while but, like I said, if you want it then go for it.

Good luck!

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a friend from high school is a nurse and my bosses wife is a nurse i have talked to them alot about it, i was origianaly going to take a scrub tech course, 7months, then be able to get out of my job and go for my RN i have decided to skip the tech, due to the fact it puts me behind a year,

I have been cursed with not being able to decide on what i want to do, the other "careers" i have chosen i did because they pay great money, they are boring and not really for me. I love being a computer junkie but its alot better as a hobby than a job. Im a people person. i want a job where i get to interact with people and make a difference in their life. hard to do at my current job where people have to come in to get their car fixed and no one is ever in a good mood about that.

this is something i want to do, its something im sure ill love, i would have started classes sooner but im finishing up paying off debts. that should make it alot easier. i plan on enroling in a CNA class and working as that while i go to school. drop in pay from what i get now but with no bills it shouldnt be to bad

i must aplogize for my bad spelling, heaters been off all night and my fingers are frozen and not working good

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I just noticed that I'm the same age as you and I went through about, oh I don't know, 7 different career choices before I came back to this one which is what I should have just stuck to in the first place. The CNA thing sounds like a good idea, plus I think it will make your fist semester of nursing a little easier since you will already know that stuff.

There are a ton of loans and scholarships available. Check with your FA department, a lot of schools are and local hospitals are doing loan repayment programs in exchange for 2 years of work at the hospital. It's a good way to get through school for cheap!

Good luck!

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Specializes in LTC & Private Duty Pediatrics.

soultick:

- Regarding pre-requisites, etc. Welcome to the game.

- My advice, grab your pre-requisites at your local Community College - just make sure they will transfer into the program(s) you are interested in.

- Start talking to everyone, everyone now!!!, so that there are no surprises. Last thing you want, is to think you are 6 months away from starting nursing school, only to find that you don't have some b.s. pre-requisite out of the way.

- Also, get your microbiolgy, a&p1, a&p2, sociology, psychology, any non-nursing classes out of the way. Can do most (if not all) at local community college. You want to lighten your load for nursing school as much as possible.

- Yeah, it may sound like a long haul - but there's some merit to pursuing your education in this manner.

- First, you probably have been out of school for a while. You may never have had to study 3 to 5 hours a day - everyday - AND - hold a job down. It's tough to do at first - so you gotta build yourself up to this kind of a committment.

- Second. Community colleges are dirt cheap (relatively speaking), and they have night classes (most of them). Also, are geared to helping you succeed (i.e., study sessions, tutors, etc).

- Third. The more pre-reqs you get done - the more points you get - the better your chances are of getting into nursing school.

- Forth. Nursing school is a bear. The folks that I knew that got through A&P101 & 102, and got A's , are getting B's & C's in their nursing classes -- yes, it's that hard.

---------

- Therefore, go grab a few classes and start the ball rolling.

John Coxey

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I totally agree with John. Good advice! :)

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Thanks for your posts. I went up the the university, (closest community college is 30miles) and got a list of prereqs and a application packet, we need to have people write letters of recomendation for us, and we have to have a cna before we can even apply. So this path for a career has been in my mind for about a year, Im gonna go for it. I have not been in school for some time, and in high school when i tried i got good grades, but most the time i was busy being a kid.

the entrence is very competitive, 3.0 to even be considered, people i talk to say 3.0 isnt high enough, all the prereq classes must be passed with a C+ or higher, This is going to be the single most challenging thing i have ever done.

classes start today for winter semester so i got some time to prepare myself for summer.

oh what have i gotten myself into

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Specializes in LTC & Private Duty Pediatrics.

Soultick:

- You may have to be a CNA to apply to actual nursing program, but you definitely do not have to be a CNA to take an A&P or Micro pre-requisite.

- Do not waste this semester not doing anything. At the very least, grab a basic math/algebra class online. Don't worry about the credits transferring - instead, use it as a refresher to brushen up on your math skills. Then take the class again only this time at the university - and grab your A. No one has to know about the online class.

- At the very very least - teach yourself Algebra.

- In the meantime, talk to some nursing homes -- they usually have in house CNA jobs. Granted, you'll be at the bottom of the pecking order - but who cares. Just work 1 shift a week as a CNA and keep your current job and study.

Johnny

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Originally posted by soultick

Thanks for your posts. I went up the the university, (closest community college is 30miles) and got a list of prereqs and a application packet, we need to have people write letters of recomendation for us, and we have to have a cna before we can even apply. So this path for a career has been in my mind for about a year, Im gonna go for it. I have not been in school for some time, and in high school when i tried i got good grades, but most the time i was busy being a kid.

the entrence is very competitive, 3.0 to even be considered, people i talk to say 3.0 isnt high enough, all the prereq classes must be passed with a C+ or higher, This is going to be the single most challenging thing i have ever done.

classes start today for winter semester so i got some time to prepare myself for summer.

oh what have i gotten myself into

Check with local nursing homes.....almost all offer a very short 2-3 week CNA class, afterwards you can sit for the CNA exam and then start working. I know with my school you get a bonus point if you have med work experience.

Good luck

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John always has good advice..

thanks bud.

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I what i ment for to late now, is the semester started today, i havent been to that school for so long i need to go through some ordeal to get readmited into school there, there is a tech school that offers the cna, its a twelve week program, only two days a week, but they also offer math programs that will transfer to the university, so thats where ill start, i would totaly be on board a online class or distance learnging but i need to get readmited to the University

but thank you very much for the advise

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