Advice on applying for Spring 2021 without work/volunteer hours

[MamaZan]

Hi everyone,

I live in OC, CA. I'm finishing up my pre-reqs this semester, graduating with my AA in Health science, and taking the TEAS mid June. I will be applying to places this fall with one school that bumped theirs up to July. My issue is that the first class I took on this journey (5 months after having my son) was anatomy and I got a C in it. BUT I got an A in physio and will be getting an A in micro. I've already asked my CC (Coastline) about retaking anatomy this Summer since they just announced they were offering it online but they said I couldn't since I got a "passing" grade. I've taken Chem(B), Stats(B), Critical Thinking (B), Pharm(B), Public Speaking(B), Psych 100 (A), and Lifespan&devl psych (A). I also have no work/volunteer experience but my original plan was to do that this Summer but now with what's going on with COVID I don't know if that's possible or even safe to do so?

Even if I score 85>100 (which I'm trying my best to do) I'm still quite a few points behind having a competitive score because of my science GPA and experience. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do here? I'm excited to apply but also defeated seeing my points compared to others.

Thanks

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

Here it is straight: Apply out of state. For nursing, your stats aren't competitive enough for California.

While there's nothing to be ashamed about when you get a "B" in a class - because it is a great grade....Nursing Schools in CA are so competitive that you either need to have straight A's or maybe just 1 "B" in there OR have some healthcare work or volunteer experience in order to cancel out the grades. Even then, if you don't have straight A's in Anat, Phys, and Micro, you're already behind.

AND for work or healthcare experience...not just 2 or 3 months and you just started right before you turned in the application. Schools know when you're trying to just throw a lifeline on your application. They're looking for experience where you are there are least over 6-7 months before you turned in the application.

You can try a private college, but those cost a lot more $$$ than public schools.

[MamaZan]

Thank you for responding.

Unfortunately applying out of state is not an option. I have a 2 year old and my fiance's business is here. An ADN program(with the goal of doing an RN-BSN bridge) is what I'm shooting for and it's more of a point system to get in rather than straight to University. While I do agree not getting an A in anatomy set me behind, I don't feel I'm out of the game yet. A few reputable hospitals such as Hoag have a volunteer program specifically for pre-med/nursing students to get their hours in and you have the option of 3, 9, or 15 months to complete it. This is what I was applying for but with all that's going on, I think that's out the window for now. I might look into private schools but I guess I'm wondering if going the CNA route and getting my certificate, then job and obviously my hours in, would be smart and/or safe.

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

You could go the CNA route, but the other option would be to try to go for a LVN, go out and work, and then try to bridge to RN. You'll need to do the research to see if there are schools in your area (public & private) which have the LVN program available.

When it comes to CA nursing programs, community college programs are highly competitive due to the low cost compared to others. There is stiff competition. I'm sure you're probably getting a lot of potential applicants not only from the OC area, but also LA, Riverside, and even Ventura Counties. Take a look around this website and look up the various discussions about schools in your area. I'm sure somebody has posted something. You'll get a peak and what the competition is like and what the grades going in look like. I'll tell you, a good amount of people are going in with high GPAs in both the cumulative and science pre-reqs. Majority of them w/ straight A's. Not everybody, of course -- there's always exceptions. But the ones up there are going to be the ones w/ straight A's in the main science courses.

Good luck.