What to do

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 26, 2017

Welcome. We moved your thread to our Canadian Nursing forum.

PNStudent18 · Mar 3, 2017

I recommend getting a tutor and see them at least weekly with questions prepared. Since you never took any sciences, you need to spend much of your time studying and organizing your time wisely.

Please don't go into Nursing just for the money, if you end up not liking it, you will have a miserable time as the program is tough and requires a lot of time and patience. I believe that pre-health will prepare you for the Nursing program better than high school courses. Since you need only English in order to get accepted into Loyalist, I wouldn't worry too much about "failing". You will have classmates in the same situation as you.

CanadianAbroad · Mar 5, 2017

Try applying to St Clair College. The RPN program in both Chatham and Windsor are good. If I could do it there and succeed, you can. Good luck!

madricka, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2017

My sister did pre-health (at St Clair College in Windsor) without any science background and did very well (& she liked it!). As with any program, work hard, attend all your classes, do the homework, ask for help early if you get stuck. A lot of colleges have free student tutors available through the library or support centre -- use them! I had this job when I was in nursing school and I had regular students each week come to see me (just don't wait until the end of the semester and expect them to work miracles!). Teachers are also a great resource. There are a lot of resources in schools to help students -- everything from how to study, how to use the library, tutoring, counselling, career advice, etc. It's all there for you! Don't be afraid to take advantage of them! And don't be afraid of pre-health, the program is designed for people who do not have a science background (if they did, they wouldn't need to take the program!). There will be a lot of others in the same boat as you. Make friends in class and you will have study buddies. Take a deep breath! Nothing bad is happening, it will be fun and exciting -- starting something new is always a great adventure!

I think what concerns me more is your anxiety and fear (at least that's how it sounds from your post). It seems like you have some issue to work out and some coping strategies to develop. School counsellors are great and there is often yoga or meditation groups on campus which are helpful. Learn deep breathing and other mindfulness strategies to help you relax. Everyday try to look at things a little bit differently -- you said repeatedly how afraid you are of the program. But maybe it's not scary and what you are feeling is excitement? That's ok! New things can make you feel nervous but there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone is nervous about new things. But you have something cool to look forward to! Make a list of all the awesome things coming up: new program, learning cool things, developing confidence in your abilities, new friends, new connections with instructors, amazing resources at school, new school supplies (always fun!), a whole new future!

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and it tends to snowball, but looking at the positive (and there is always a positive) will help you feel better about it. Pre-health may seem scary but a lot of people do really well and like the program. And don't worry about how long certain programs take, the time will go by SO fast. Take a program that seems interesting to you. If you admire nurses and are impressed with their confidence during stressful situations and you would like to be more like them, then you will probably enjoy the program! Everyone is nervous and unsure in the beginning. It's ok to push yourself a little and trust that it will be ok.

Ghazal12345 · Mar 28, 2017

madricka-Thank you so much! you made me feel so much better! I definitely need coping strategies and meditation. Ive had so many things going on in the past that made me feel this way and I will definitely be using the counselling services at the college. I accepted my offer for pre health at loyalist and I am so excited because it will be a new and great opportunity for me to study as much as I can and get good grades, and hopefully get to an RPN program after. I will apply to Mohawk, Loyalist and st clair. :)

Khow89 · Apr 1, 2017

You should try volunteering in a hospital to see if you enjoy working in such an environment. Although not all nurses work in the hospital and you will not be performing any nursing interventions, you will be interacting with patients and forming a volunteer-patient therapeutic relationship. I think volunteering is a great way to generally see where you can potentially go in the future or not want to go.