Am I worth being a nurse?

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Hello, fellow nurses and nursing students!

I've recently finished my pre-requisites for the Nursing Programs at CSUEB and I'm scared I won't become a nurse because of how impacted it is to become a nurse in California.

I have a GPA of 3.77 (CSUEB preq. classes), however I have a score a 64% from the ATI TEAS exam (I plan to retake it in a week from now but I am scared I'll won't score as high as the competitive which is 80%). I also gained experience from home cares by working for elderly with no certifications but I've been working with patients while going to CSUEB for approximately 400 + hours. Ive gotten all As & Bs but never a C.

I've applied to CSULA, CSUEB, & CSUB. I am trying to apply for CSULA but the deadline is before my retake of TEAS, should I still apply with the 64% TEAS score?

I feel like all hope is lost for me because of my TEAS score.. Is there any suggestions/hope/ guidance or recommendations you guys can give me as a pre-nursing student striving to become a nurse?

Am I worthy of becoming a nurse...?

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Specializes in Stepdown . Telemetry.

Well you definitely want to retake that teas test which you are doing. It cant hurt to apply this quarter with the score you have now...your other stats look pretty competitive.

Have you considered other programs than the CSUs?

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I've been doing research for other school, however, I haven't found many nursing school except for accelerating schools like Unitek college or Carrington College which I am not really interested due to expenses and trying to manage a school/job community. I also found online nursing school, however, I want to be more hands on to enhance my personal learning skill as a nurse.

Do you have any suggestions/recommendations?

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I live in California also and know how hard it is to get into any BSN programs. This is why I am applying to the ADN program at my community college. To get in you just need a 75 or higher on the Hesi and have around a 3.0 GPA. My school also has above a 90 NCLEX pass rate and is well respected almost all the students that graduate from the program have jobs immediately after nursing school. It is also a plus that the tuition for the program is around 5 grand, meaning no dept. I do plan on getting my BSN eventually and see if my employer can pay for it.

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Definitely retake TEAS after studying a lot. I don't think you'd be accepted to any of those schools with that score. Also, apply to more schools. But I agree, avoid Unitek and Carrington. Good luck!

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I recently retook my exam and got a 71%... Its better than last time but I feel like it's not good enough.

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Are there no colleges around you that don't require a TEAS score for their application? If there are, the easiest option would be to focus on schools without a requirement of the TEAS.

However, if that's not an option, how many attempts are you able to make on the TEAS for these schools? If you have more attempts, it might be worth it to take a month or two to study specifically on the areas you missed, whatever's shown on your score report. Maybe see what areas you missed on both tests. There are many study guides and free resources, and ATI has some prep resources you can buy. You can buy a ATI's SmartPrep study plan that gives you questions based on your weak spots and includes the two practice tests and the study guide. It's supposed to be helpful, but it's expensive. Or you can focus on videos and self-directed studying, which can be just as effective in my experience. My advise on how to study for the TEAS would depend on how you have been studying for it so far.

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. I also found online nursing school, however, I want to be more hands on to enhance my personal learning skill as a nurse.

Do you have any suggestions/recommendations?

Online programs are for people who already hold nursing licenses and wish to get a higher degree. You cannot attend nursing school online to become a nurse in the first place. Hands-On is necessary but it is required, not as a matter of preference but as mandatory for the clinical component of your nursing education. That said, you have received some very good advice.

Final thought might be whether you are willing to relocate? Are your ties so great to your current community that you can't consider moving to a less impacted area? It's worth mentioning that even if you get accepted to a nursing program finding a job in California upon graduation is more like locating the Holy Grail than not. Just something to think about.

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I can take it once more, however, the only test available is in 2 weeks... I'm debating on doing it again but I only have a short amount of time to study. :/ Should I still do it?

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So you aren't able to schedule it for a later date at all? Not even at a different testing center?

Two weeks isn't the best amount of time, but it's not the worst, depending on how busy you are with other responsibilities--especially if you really just need to increase your score by about 9%. I'm assuming at this point, you would be applying for a fall start, and so you wouldn't have to save your attempt for a later semester this year? I think if you can't take the test at a later time and you feel like you can put some time into studying, then I'd go for it. You wouldn't really have anything to lose other than the cost of taking the test. Just use all the resources you can at this point. Idk if you've looked, but there are at least two TEAS groups on Facebook. One I know has resources and such uploaded on it.

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Hello!

I've actually recently retaken my exam and I got 81.3%. I fear that I won't get into the nursing program even though I have reached that score due to competition. I'm thinking of applying again next year, but I actually do not know many schools that is really good for nursing. Any recommendations or thoughts?

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Sorry for the late replies, I was studying my brain off with while I have been working along with patient care and top of that finishing my GED. My friend recommended me to apply to Arizona State University so, I applied this year. However, with my GPA and TEAS, I fear I might not be accepted anywhere. :/

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