In need of some advice....

[chaleda_04]

Ok, I am going to try and make this as easy to understand as possible. I think I have posted something along these lines before but it is a bit more complicated now. I need some advice as far as where I should go to nursing school and when! Any help would be appreciated.

Here's the story: I live around San Antonio and decided awhile back that I wanted to go to nursing school. The problem is where to go, and when to start. My mom graduated from Baptist a few years ago, so of course I thought of going there. I have taken all of my prerequisites to get into an RN program. But, it seems like every semester, something else comes up. So, I decided then that it would be ok to go into an LVN program that started in May, and then go straight to the LVN-RN mobility program at Baptist. But....I had overlooked the fact that my hep b series would not be complete by the deadline as required. So now, my next option is another RN class starts up at Baptist in August, but I am scared to death that I won't get in and I will have to wait until January to do anything! My grades are good, but not fantastic (due to some serious slacking on my part, mostly right after high school) so I really think I would have a better chance if I did a one-year LVN and then a one-year LVN to RN program. Now, Galen Health institute has a branch here, and I could get into a one year LVN class starting in May and hopefully go straight from there to Baptist. The problem with that is that it's about double the price of going anywhere else in town but I really like the atmosphere and the people at the school. I just don't know what to do!

I don't even know if any of this will make sense, but thanks to anyone who took the time to read all of it! I guess I just need someone to tell me what to do. And I know that in the real world, someone can't always tell you the right path to take, but I'm getting so frustrated after being out of high school for 3 years and feeling like I'm spinning my wheels. If you have any advice, thanks, if not, that's fine too J

Ok, the rant is officially over.

[MB37]

Do you have to have all three Hep B shots completed? My program only requires the first two to be completed before the program starts. Make sure you talk to someone if you're close instead of just assuming you can't start in May, you may have a little time assuming clinicals don't start right away.

I have no familiarity with those schools, but based on what you reported, this is what I would do if you definitely can not start the LVN program in May:

I wouldn't go to a program that costs twice as much just to save a few months. If it was a few years, maybe. Plus you're only 20. When does the next LVN program start at an inexpensive school? I would go ahead and apply for the RN program that starts in August, and see what happens. If you don't get in, you're no worse off than if you don't apply at all. Then why don't you sign up for a CNA course in the interim? You'll feel less like you're spinning your wheels, you'll probably be more comfortable in whatever program you wind up in, and it might improve your application. Let's say you get rejected in August - then go ahead and get a CNA job if you don't have one already, reapply for both LVN and RN in January, and take a couple of courses that would be needed if you ever go back for a BSN. Hopefully decent grades will also boost your GPA. Worst case scenario, you enroll in one program or another in less than a year with hospital experience and more coursework under your belt.