I'm still SCREAMING mad...and SAD....

nursedawn67, LPN · Apr 23, 2002

I wish I could help you out with some information....all I can say is hang in there....don't give up on your dream! And stay with us...we are here for you! :)

micro, RN · Apr 23, 2002

you belong.......

Patience911 · Apr 23, 2002

Hey Cindy.

Hang in there girl! There is definitely a nursing shortage...world wide and felt in Saskatchewan.

One of the reasons you are having problems is that when the federal government started cutting transfer payments to the provinces, they not only cut funding to health care, but also to post secondary institutions. The end result was fewer health care workers being trained. The college of nursing has the same problems....a lot of interested applicants but not enough $ to hire instructors and space to train them.

Keep fighting! With the current crisis in health care and the long wait lists for surgury and the closing of hospital beds, the demand for healthcare workers is not going to end.

Have you tried contacting your MLA( member of the legislative assembly) and your MP. Tell anyone who wants to listen what is happening to you. I believe that until the voters put the heat on the politicians, they will continue to keep their heads stuck in the sand and hope that the problem will just go away. IT WON'T.

Don't give up on your dreams. I too went back to school with 4 kids. I took some night classes and kept at it. You can do it. Just remember that the more noise you make, the better your chances.

And don't be discouraged. With the aging population in this province, a job in health care is a good bet for the next 30 years. The work is not always easy but the rewards are great!

Good luck:)

Cindy/Canada · Apr 24, 2002

Thank~you to all of you for the support. I begin school this June for the special~aid. When I have that completed I will take the distant classes for some of the nursing courses.

Thanks again....cin

disher · Apr 26, 2002

Cindy, I think SRNA (Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association) would be interested in your story. Nurses want to attract new people to the profession. If students are deterred by roadblocks, we will never stabilize the shortage. Lack of funding to expand nursing enrollment needs to be addressed and srna can help lobby for more funding to nursing programs if they know the problems candidates are facing. They can be contacted at their website wwwsrna.org

Cindy/Canada · Apr 26, 2002

**Never thought of this Dasher...now I have something to do this afternoon!

Thanks...warm hugs, Cin

prn nurse · Apr 27, 2002

I clicked onto this board for a different reason, and read your post and thought I'd tell you what happened to me, which was similar. I also attended LVN (LPN) school, before moving up to RN. And the same scenario....school waiting list a mile long, etc. And , I was an older female. And, I desperately wanted in. I felt IF THEY KNEW ME, they'd let me in. I went over to the school a dozen times. I had a dozen excuses to go over and spent time talking to the dean's secretary. 1st for an application or some kind of form. Hung around and talked, smiled a lot. Talked about the weather, the school, how much it meant to me to be a nurse. A week or so later, I took my transcript over...hung around....week or so later, took my medical papers over...etc. I did this over a period of 2-3 months, met the dean a couple of times, ...(.the secretary introduced me).....and by the time the class started in August, I WAS IN!! Try to go at an unbusy time.....(Not Monday morning).....Make a great impression...get the secretary to like you.....she will get you in...after all, those others are just names on papers. You don't have nuthin to lose. And I never told anybody my modus operandi til now.

mother/babyRN, RN · Apr 27, 2002

You know, years ago when still a young idealistic person, I realized my SAT math scores left a lot to be desired. I applied to only one nursing school after having taken math and chemistry courses after high school that I hadn't taken while in school...Anyway, I was rejected from the school and , feeling much as you do, dashed off a letter (figuring I didn't have anything to lose), chastizing them for randomly rejecting me before ever laying eyes on me expressly just because of those math scores. Then, I honestly and sincerely told them that I wanted to be a nurse and that I was sure I would be a good one, and they would never know it if they let an opportuntiy like my interest and passion slip by. Surprisingly, within a week of them receiving that letter, they called, set up an interview and rejected the rejection, and I was accepted. I struggled, but I gave the commencement speech. It was hard all the way through, but it was worth it. Had I never written that letter, I wouldn't be here today......Go for it! Show em what you have and let them know YOU want to be a nurse....

mother/babyRN, RN · Apr 27, 2002

If you KEEP letting them know of your interest and passion, in the way PRN nurse and I did, they will know you are serious.....You have to impress them with that. Good nurses won't quit to get what they need and want...If they see that, they will remember you..Good luck. Many prayers your way....

Cubby · Apr 27, 2002

My first goal was to be an LPN, I did not get accepted into the LPN program, so I just went and became an RN! Showed them!!!

You have got to have determination to achieve any goal. I know you will succeed.

Lee Anne · May 12, 2002

Cindy,

There is another way of doing the LPN course in Sask. Alberta has a distant LPN course ,which alot of Sask residents take. Very successful, no waiting lists...etc.. I am taking it from BC. If you would like more information, just email me and I can give you the contact numbers. This is how I beat all the waiting lists etc..