GMU vs NOVA vs Marymount

I'm 42 and I'm in a mad rush. I've been a flight attendant for 21 years and want to pursue anesthesia. I'm looking at many more years of schooling. Thankfully, I've been offered several ICU positions and will start fellowship in Fairfax July 28th.

I was in the Canadian Armed forces for 15 years. Was in the Air Force flying in the P3C (operated various electronics gear), miss those days,best job in the world,lol I'm more of a hands on guy, those why I went with the ADN program, and really dislike school,lol but surprisingly I'm doing well thus far. I have two sisters back in Canada that are RN's, both have their BSN, 1 is a diabetes coordinator and another I believe is in the ICU. I have no clue on what I want to do when I grow up,lol

Love Canadians!

I'm not crazy about school either, but I can't seem to get around the requirement.

Thanks for your input on the differences between the AD and BSN programs. I would encourage everyone who can to finish a BSN degree of course, but I know it is not for me right now. I have a couple of friends who are INOVA nurses and they have assured me that NOVA graduates with ADs are well respected and there are plenty of jobs for them. In fact, I've heard that NOVA graduates are more prepared than most from GMU nursing programs. They tend to get considerably more clinical time during their hospital rotations. I will also disclose to you that I got into the accelerated SU nursing program last fall, and I survived the first semester, but the second one nearly killed me and I had to withdraw. I am not going to say that I was not smart enough for the program or anything like that because that was not the problem (my grades were always great) but it totally did not work for me. We had to take all our classes in the same room from the same seats, and it did not work with my learning style at all, and we had very little time to work at a job to make some moneyu. The only ones I knew in the program that had a job while in the program were single girls with lots of family support. I recently moved into an apartment with my fiance, and I could not afford not to work, at first it worked out fine like the first semester, but we had several things that happened that put us in deep financial stress. And I started slacking off in the classes, because not only was I stressed over being in the same room. I started getting panic attacks and severe anxiety during classes, and it was not good. I understood soon enough that I had entered the accelerated program way too fast without looking into how it consumed your life. I don't mean to rant at all or act like I need sympathy or anything like that but I want to share how the SU accelerated program works and why I will not try accelerated nursing again. I would not encourage anyone to take the Accelerated program at Shenandoah, I think it was far, far too overpriced and it will stress you in ways you never thought possible and even more critical, when you go over stuff in class, you go over it so fast, that before you know it you are jumping over important topics, and you have so little time to go back and re-read previous material, there isnt time to go deep into issues and I think many students lose out in the end. I already know the SU accelerated program has a lower than average pass rate for the NCLEX. I do not know much about the Accelerated program at GMU, maybe because it is at a bigger university they are kinder to the students and make them move to different classrooms and don't isolate them into one room, I don't know. I am taking the HESI exam the first week of next month, and it is my goal right now to get in the 90s percentile for all the subjects, so I am working towards that. I think that INOVA in the end is better...not for everyone, but for me at least. I really hope to take classes in the Arlington Campus. Two days a week of classes would be fabulous and I could work 2-3 days a week as well and devote the rest of my time to studying and practicing. I am also looking into the online program, I might apply to both, I have a friend who is in the NOVA nursing online currently and she says it is a very good program but she would not recommend it because it is hard to met other classmates. But she says it is great to "go to class" online in her pajamas and eat her breakfast there. I am wondering at this point, how many accepted students are sent to Arlington and how many to Springfield? and do you get to chose where you go? I've heard the INVOA nursing program is competitive now and is not first come first serve like last year...that means GPA will count a lot more...so its getting to be more like GMU, SU, and Marymount.

Flames,

I am fascinated with the healthcare system in Canada because it is so different from ours. Tell me about how nurses are treated and paid in Canada. I am curious, because I've heard very mixed views about the healthcare system there. In comparison to standards of living and opportunities and salaries in USA (VA in particular to keep things simpler) how does the salary and lifestyle for a nurse in Canada compare? I'd love to hear more about this since you are blessed to have experienced both sides of the USA/Canadian border.

The acc program at GMU is very stressful too. The first semester has 21 credits. I'm sure you'll do great whatever your choice will be.

Hi Sumihane,

Thank you so much for sharing your experience; it has definitely given me an idea of what to expect with an accelerated program. I got accepted into Shenandoah's accelerated program for this Spring (starting this Jan). I am considering going because I will be done a year from now. Can you give me an idea of when classes and clinicals will be. I am interviewing for a ten hour/week part time job in DC. I am living at home, and the only expenses I have are gas but will need money for school (books, supplies, food, etc) and that's why I am considering working. If I get this job (10 hrs/week) is it feasible considering I will be computing an hour back and forth so its essentially 14 hours a week?

I have no information so far about how the schedule for this program is and what the daily hourly commitment is. Also do we get vaccations at all?

Thanks alot.

Hello all,

I am a future (hopefully) nursing student, currently living in Connecticut. My family lives in northern Virginia, and, after being laid off 3 times in one year, I have made the decision to change careers to nursing.

I am 29 years old, married, no kids. My husband and I will be living with my parents for the duration of whichever nursing program I get into.

I am posting here because I am applying to the accelerated programs at Shenandoah, GMU, and Marymount. I do have a BS in Journalism. I wasn't considering NOVA until reading these posts. I'm hoping to get into GMU, but does anyone have reliable information on how competitive and how respected each of these programs are currently? I won't be applying until next Fall, after completing many prerequisites.

I definitely will not be working while going to school, and if you are wondering if you can work while doing an accelerated program, it states on the website of every school I have researched that working is highly discouraged. I imagine the amount of instruction time, studying, and clinical schedule would severly limit any available working hours.

It is unlikely I will be working in northern Virginia. My husband and I will be relocating to southern Maryland or Virginia Beach, whre he can get a job (with the government.) So I want to be sure that if I am lucky enough to get in everywhere I apply, I'll attend a school that has a strong regional reputation.

Thanks for any advice!

Currently, the nursing field is not very welcoming to new graduates. Many of the hospitals in NOVA have hiring freezes. There are so many programs pumping out graduates that it is not as easy as it wasto find a job. I got my BSN at UVA and it took me two months to find a job around this area.