Very Discouraging

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I met with the counselor at our local community college yesterday. She helped me make a list of all prerequisites I would need to transfer to the State University's BSN program. I knew there would be a ton of classes to take, but was not prepared to see how long that list ended up. I am working fulltime and have three kids at home. Because of how competitive nursing programs are, I pretty much have no choice but to get a 4.0 GPA. In order to not get too overwhelmed and keep my grades at their highest, I don't see how I can take on more than two classes at a time! Taking two classes in the fall, two in the spring and one in the summer makes my prerequisites last FOUR YEARS! I wish I could just quit my job and get it all done...but I can't. We need the income.

Anyone have any advice? There has to be something I haven't thought of. How many prereqs did your program have and how long did they take to complete?

wow...i feel so much better after reading everyone's posts! i was starting to get discouraged too. i also work full time and have been taking my prereqs for two years as i am only able to take one a semester. financially i can't afford to work part time and apply for nursing school for at least another year (paying off debt), and even though i am slowly moving towards my goal, it seems so far away. it's so frustrating that the only thing stopping me is money, and i have keep trying to think of ways to get into school sooner, but i keep coming to the realization that what i am doing now is probably best.

it makes me feel better to know i am not the only one that feels this way, and that there may be light at the end of the tunnel. thanks for your posts everyone! :)

college of staten island require only basic math, english skills and 4 pre-reqs and they are ethics, psychology, english and A&P I (the first of the two). for a BSN degree, you need to have at least Micro, A&P II (the second of the the two), pharmacology course, statistics, chemistry (one year), physics (one semester), literature (one elective), sociology (one elective) and a CORE class to enter. But our school is very considerate in that they have two programs, ADN and BSN. You can enter ADN 2 yr program first and once you are done, apply to BSN, which means, you only need to take pre-req for ADN first, and you may be accepted and get your RN licensure first before getting into BSN program. That is a perfect set up. enough time to lapse between jobs, families and kids. and for ADN program although its 2 yrs time frame, you can complete it within 5 yrs! Isnt that great? : )

I personally don't like accelerated programs, I feel like knowledges gets into the brain and takes TIME to do so. To finish anything too fast is not a good sign and your skills maybe under expectation once you graduate. Just think about how RN jobs nowadays demands you have high skill and A LOT of experiences even with some entry level jobs...

You suffer doubles up in an accelerated program and very risky too. (what if you fail out and need to apply to other schools and happens that transfer process is very time consuming and there's gonna be more waiting lists...)

So my suggestion is, for those that need to and REALLY wants to be RN. Take your time, learn those pre-reqs well for they are the fundamental stepping stones to RN program. Dont rush into any kind situation without knowing consequences. And you may want to try apply to my school, it's competitive but worth doing.

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I did my pre-req's one at a time while working full time. I made all As and it definitely impacted where I was on the list of people applying. Got in on my first try. Doing all my pre-reqs took two years. I did two semesters in summer, so basically got in four semesters a year. I'm graduating in three weeks. :)

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

Accelerated programs are not for everyone. I don't believe I will be a less qualified nurse because of it. Everyone has different learning styles and I would probably be bored learning this material at a slower pace. Besides, I will be in the workplace faster. Been in school way too long already, I don't have 2 years to sit in class when I could be learning a lot more on the floor while employed.

Many accelerated programs are accelerated because they shorten breaks. One school listed a 6 week break for winter which seems a bit insane but the accelerated program shortens it to 2 weeks. There are other examples and they also split some classes up.

Also, I know many people when I was in undergrad that took 18-20 credits per quarter while many others took 12. I varied but often went toward the higher end. I didn't feel that I didn't learn as much just because I tended to take more classes. From what I've seen, the accelerated programs seem ok to me.

Can you do any of the classes online? It may give you a little more flexibility. You can choose when to do your school work and can work around kids/work schedules. Just don't get discouraged and give up. One bite at a time and you'll eat that elephant!;)

Depending on how you work your schedule out, it could take 1-2 semesters to finish prerequisites. It also depends on the school's requirements. I had a lab partner who came back to school for nursing, and she took 1-2 classes every fall/spring semester and finished in 2 years. She also however, had prior college credits, so there were several classes/geneds she didn't need to worry about. It all depends on how much time you can dedicate to studying. You'll be fine, regardless. Don't give up. Keep trying!

Just to let you know you're not alone, I am an almost single mom of three (will be final sometime first part of next year). I already have two degrees, though, and am applying to an accelerated BSN program (12-month program) geared for non-traditionals like me. I need about 24 hours of prereqs for their program.

I am in a unique situation where I can take spring and summer with full course loads to hopefully start the program in August. However, if I didn't have the culmination of lots of circumstances allowing me to do this, I would definitely plug away at taking what I could reasonably handle while taking care of life. And if I am not accepted to the program the first time, I will definitely cut back my course load and possibly take summer off if I'm not accepted to the second place I apply either, since I'll have more time to complete the prereqs. The other program I'm applying to is not accelerated but requires fewer prereqs. But I'm working on the optimistic approach right now. :p

I know the time factor seems daunting, but it puts you in the same spot in the long run. You definitely know your circumstances best and seem to see how it would work out for you with what's going on around you. I think you sound very rational and like you've thought this out well. Good luck to you!!

exactly, just like Crittytn mentioned above, you will need to find what's suitable for you. accelerated programs are not BAD, they are just more concentrated and need to devote MORE time to study, if obviously you have less time than other students, your best choice will be a slower program but in the end gives you the same results :)

Some might say that you get into work force faster once graduate from an accelerated program, but you never know what the work force is going to be in 1,2,3...years from now. Still, rush into anything too fast is not going to benefit in long terms and its just common sense. Just do what makes you more comfortable, do well and then move on.

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