Ok, so I am enrolled at a 4 year college, but I am currently taking a couple of prerequisites for the BSN program at my local community college. It seems as though EVERYONE wants to be a nurse, many of the students are in their late 20s and some already have a bachelor's degree. I can't help but feel exasperated. I feel as though I am competing with EVERYONE, and I feel that I am at a disadvantage because some of the older students already have a bachelor's degree.
I keep hearing how there is a nursing shortage, and I can't help but feel that this information is inaccurate. EVERYONE wants to be a nurse. Nursing schools are facing gluts of applicants, many of them are there just to get a job. I feel like it isn't fair for an 18 year old to have to compete with both her generation AND older people who already have college degrees and years of work experience on their resume.
Dear God, I see alot of the older students took a line from my post and just ran with it. No need to get offended, but the fact of the matter is this: Most of the older nursing students THAT I KNOW are going back to school because they lost their job or want a job that has a decent salary and benefits, not necessarily because it is a "calling."
And to the Intern, I never said the older people were "evil", so do us a favor and knock it off with the attitude.
Yeah, it's definitely me with the attitude.
Not only are these dastardly* old people performing better than you, but *GASP* they consider salary and benefits a part of a career choice? How horrible!
I don't know what program you are applying to, but if they actually are taking your apocryphal "pregnant single mothers struggling for Cs" over more qualified people, then find a real school.
*Yes, Ms. Literal, I know you didn't call anyone "dastardly" but I used the word. A newspaper columnist should be able to recognize a satirical comment.
I am some what in the middle as far as what your writing about but I do have to ask something... what school is going to accept a pregnant student struggling for c's over a 3.96 gpa student? i've never heard of that...maybe there is something else going on, sometimes its easy to blame rejection on something otehr then ourselves but that doesnt make it true, and if it is true then that wouldnt be a school i would ever want to attend whether i was old, young, pregnant, or whatever..
one other thing, it might not be a nice idea to keep saying -older students- many students greatly vary in age on here. im in my late twenties but some of the responses were from older people and some from younger people but the point is everyone has an equal shot plain and simple, on my app for ns there isnt even a spot for birthday
Also, should I, an 18/19 year old with a 3.96 gpa, extensive volunteer experience and a newspaper columnist, be refused a spot in a program for my classmate, a pregnant 27 year old who only pushes for C's, has a 3.0, two kids, and NO volunteer experience soley because she is older? I have a feeling that some older students will say "yes"....ageism in reverse at its finest.
I've heard this argument before only in the form of affirmative action. When I was younger people complained about losing a spot at a school or job to a minority with lesser qualifications. The difference here though, is that the pregnant single woman is a lot more likely to be discriminated against than the perfect little overachieving teenager.
Honestly, if your achievements are as good as you present them... they only thing that will lose you a spot over an older person with similar qualifications is your attitude. The interview could make or break you.
Dear God, I see alot of the older students took a line from my post and just ran with it. No need to get offended, but the fact of the matter is this: Most of the older nursing students THAT I KNOW are going back to school because they lost their job or want a job that has a decent salary and benefits, not necessarily because it is a "calling."
And to the Intern, I never said the older people were "evil", so do us a favor and knock it off with the attitude.
I am an older student going back to school for nursing, and I don't think you need to feel a calling in order to be a nurse. I also don't think there is anything wrong with going back to school for nursing for job stability and financial security (of course, wanting to help people and being sympathetic/kind helps too). Isn't that why people go to college, to get better paying jobs? Life happens, you lose your job, or you hate your job, or your priorities change, and I think it's perfectly acceptable to go back to school and find work in a different field. That's what's so great about our society - we have tons of choices, and we aren't necessarily stuck in them once we make our choice.
I think if your grades and entrance test scores are competitive, you have just as good of a chance as getting accepted compared to older students.
And to those who keep raging on about how it is all about GPA, test scores, and volunteer experience, what if an older student and a younger student are neck to neck in terms for a spot? Should that older student get a spot because he/she is older and supposedly "wiser" and "more mature" than the younger student?
Also, should I, an 18/19 year old with a 3.96 gpa, extensive volunteer experience and a newspaper columnist, be refused a spot in a program for my classmate, a pregnant 27 year old who only pushes for C's, has a 3.0, two kids, and NO volunteer experience soley because she is older?
I have a feeling that some older students will say "yes"....ageism in reverse at its finest.
No one is getting through to you!! :hdvwl:
Maybe that's why you have yet to be admitted into the nursing program. Again, you have made another assumption and you are incorrect. I would not say that a 27 year old is a better candidate for the nursing program, just because she's 27. I would consider ALL of the facts involved. That is what your school is doing. I can't understand why you would even think that if you were neck and neck with another candidate, that the other person would get the slot simply because they are older. Maybe it's not because they were ASSUMED to be more mature, maybe, they were in fact, MORE MATURE. Not mature, age-wise, but definitely cognitively. Maturity has nothing to do with age. I know A LOT of mature 18-year old people. I know some immature 40-year old people, as well.
If you indeed feel that you have been discriminated against and you have a fair claim, then you should be getting your claims VALIDATED and stating your case with that school.
Maybe you haven't completed all of your pre-requisites.
Maybe you don't have the highest GPA of all the candidates, although you believe that you do.
Maybe there is a waiting list. Some schools have them.
Maybe your other professors have indicated that you should not be considered for a nursing slot at your institution at this time. Other professors are asked about their opinions of students, who are being considered for certain programs. Their recommendations are taken seriously and held in high regard. It does happen.
Also, you keep mentioning these single mothers and pregnant women. What about them? You seem to have an elitist attitude. Do you think that you are somehow superior to a single mother who's trying to make a better life for herself and her children (or unborn child). Did you fail to read my earlier post? People come back to school for a variety of reasons. Right now, it's mainly due to the economy. Is it possible that someone was laid off from their job and decided that they would go back to school for Nursing, since that had always been their dream? It is possible, despite your belief that ALL these older people are just doing it just for the money and have no real interest in humanity.
Just because I was in banking for 7-years and completed a degree in a completely different major doesn't mean that I'm in Nursing just for the money and that I have no interest in it. I can make a lot of money in Social Work too, if I completed an MSW. I could have completed that degree in less time, be making a similar salary (maybe more) and have a Mon-Fri, 9-5 work week. I chose nursing instead. Why? I chose nursing because I always wanted to do it, but I never had the courage. I decided that I was not going to live my life in fear and wonder if I could have done it. When I'm lying on my death bed, I don't want to "wonder" if I could have been a great nurse. I don't want to wonder if I could have helped my community more. I don't want to wonder if I had what it took. I'm giving myself the opportunity to make a difference. I will have my Nursing degree in May.
My guess is that there are NOT droves of 27-year old, pregnant women with 2 kids in nursing school. It wasn't because of their age, the fact that they have entered motherhood, or their single status. It sounds like you have a problem with one or two individuals, who made it into the program and you can't figure out how they surpassed you, so you're attacking and making discriminatory comments about an entire population of students based on their sex, age, marital status, and pregnancy/children. Wow! If you were an employer, you could be sued! Now, It is you who have brought the age discrimination to the forefront and you are in fact, the one that is being discriminatory.
Each school has a reputation and standard to uphold and they only want the best. Admitting candidates based on assumptions would affect their program and all schools work hard for their accreditation. They are not going to lose their accreditation or be under public scrutiny because they didn't follow protocol with regards to admitting qualified candidates. They aren't assuming anything. They are looking at the total package. They are not going to affect their accreditation by allowing just ANY student to enter,and end up with a failing nursing class. It would certainly lower their NCLEX pass/fail rate, which is public information. Who wants to attend the nursing school with a pass rate of 48%?
You are just unprepared, despite your high GPA and extensive community service. Oh, and just so that there is no confusion. A high GPA is a good thing, but because your GPA is a 3.96 and someone else has a 3.0 doesn't mean that they are not a viable candidate and that you are the better one. There are a host of other factors to look at and Age of the student and the number of children that they have is NOT on the list.
In my opinion there is more to this than you are stating. I don't know if you're intentionally omitting some POSITIVE information about these students, or negative information about yourself.
Maybe you truly do not understand how the admission process works. I'm going to give you the benefit and say that the latter is the reason for your viewpoint. Take this into consideration and contact your school and contact your advisors on campus. They can lead you in the right direction and have you better prepared for the next time. That would get you a lot further than venting and making stereotypical/discriminatory/accusatory comments.
I also want to point out to the OP- you may find yourself a pregnant single mom one day. Try not to be too judgmental.. Karma has a way of putting us in the shoes of others when we are unable to feel empathy.
OP- I can see where you are coming from. Some schools give you extra points for having work experience in the medical field and when you are only 18 it feels like bs when someone beats you solely on that even though you might have a higher GPA and test score.and sometimes the extra points can seem like it is skewed to the older non-traditional student's advantage.
it the end--- alot of it has to do with luck and timing IMO.
in California, most BSN programs don't accept 2nd bachelor students so you are basically competing with traditional students. In my opinion older people have it harder because they have to go either the accelerated bachelors option or do the entry masters option which are both very competitive and expensive. I feel bad for alot of 2nd bachelor people because many have little options and sometimes their only way of fulfilling their dreams is to apply to a private college (which sucks cuz its $$$$).
In my opinion there is more to this than you are stating. I don't know if you're intentionally omitting some POSITIVE information about these students, or negative information about yourself.
This quote above was my first thought. There are some facts missing here that don't quite support a cogent argument that these older students are getting an edge in the nursing workforce and admissions process. Perhaps the OP feels intimidated that there are so many older students with extensive life experience around her, pursuing the same career path to which she feels more entitled based on having identified nursing as a career right out of the gate and being at the top of her game?
I am one of those older students who has in fact "enjoyed and endured" (dare I use the phrase) another career before discovering that nursing is where I ultimately need to be. At the OP's age I had long identified health care as a career that suited me to a T, but life has a funny way of diverting people away from their goals and into different directions. This I feel has the purpose of making one stronger and more well-rounded, whatever the experience may be (a different career move, new family responsibilities, illness, etc.). So if that person persists and eventually returns to his or her original career goal, he or she will be more ready than ever and THAT is the appropriate time for their career change. If nursing was exclusively for the younger students, there would not be as many windows of opportunity available for the older students to enter the profession.
I may be wrong, but I almost get the impression that the OP is the type of person that will purposely not help out an older student classmate in a subconscious effort to thwart any potential competitive edge she perceives there to be. This is sad, because it would not be too far-fetched to believe that she could feel equally threatened and do the same in a work environment. And being what nurses do, such an attitude is not only toxic but can translate to dangerous consequences for patients. I admit I am a top student and I work extremely hard to get the credentials I have, but that does not give me a license to be selfish and keep fellow students from doing well in a class. If someone has trouble understanding a concept in class, I happily do my best to help them as much as I can, irrespective of what their age, status, condition or whatever is that makes them unique to me. It behooves me to be such a benevolent and compassionate person to my classmates, because isn't that the core essence of what a NURSE is to be?
If the OP feels threatened by others purportedly encroaching on opportunities that she feels are rightfully only hers, then there exists deep-seated issues that she needs to resolve before entering the profession. Clearly the OP needs to refocus her energies more towards cultivating the best professional and personal profile she can and stop worrying about who is potentially stealing opportunities from her. Admittedly, she is on the right track with stellar grades and related activities, but that's only a fraction of what a good nurse brings to the table. Regardless of age, employers look at the whole package and nurses lacking in any area will find a hard time securing a fulfilling career. As someone stated previously, an extremely inflated sense of entitlement over others does come across in interviews quite easily (take that from someone who currently does interview and hire people) and it's clearly a negative.
And remember OP, who knows? In 20 years you might even find yourself in the same situation as we are, and I am sure you would not appreciate younger students saying the same things about you. History has a nasty way of repeating itself.
Look, people change in many ways throughout life. As we age, what we want for ourselves and what we want to give back change as well. I did not want to be a nurse when I was your age and couldn't figure out why anyone would want to pursue that career. But 30 years of various experiences have changed who I am as a person, what is important to me and how I want to leave this planet. I am working extremely hard to get into the NS program because now is my time to do this and my heart is completely in it. Stop judging. You have no idea what opportunities, decisions and situations your fellow students have faced and what has led them to make the decision to pursue nursing. I congratulate you for choosing such a noble profession so early in life. But I would also say that if you are serious about being a nurse, your classmates reasons for being there are irrelevant for your acceptance into the program. Only your grades matter, and when the admissions people are reviewing applications, they aren't looking at who has 2 kids and a mortgage and who doesn't. THEY LOOK AT GRADES! Stay focused on what is important...you will be a better nurse for it.
When you have several hundred applicants and less than 200 spots open per year, it is going to be hard not to look at others as competition when they are. I am not saying this to be cold hearted or anything, but it would suck to be turned down because everyone else was older and had more life experience than you.
They can't put someone in before you just because of age, that's called discrimination. And life experience doesn't count. Work experience, why not? You would want it to count if you had it, just like you want your volunteer experience to count.
From what I've heard, older candidates are actually preferred due to their life experience and perceived maturity. Nursing is the ONLY particular field in which being younger is a disadvantage. There is a thread entitled "nurses eat their young!" Lots of young nurses are having a harder time even getting into school because of the large amount of older women and single mothers wanting to get into nursing, mostly for monetary gain and job stability.
Nursing eating their young refers to experienced nurses picking on new grads... of all ages.
It's all about maturity level, not being young of age. They want people with a good head on their shoulders. So if you are young and present yourself in a mature professional manner, you will not have a problem.
Intern67
357 Posts
Yeah, it's definitely me with the attitude.
Not only are these dastardly* old people performing better than you, but *GASP* they consider salary and benefits a part of a career choice? How horrible!
I don't know what program you are applying to, but if they actually are taking your apocryphal "pregnant single mothers struggling for Cs" over more qualified people, then find a real school.
*Yes, Ms. Literal, I know you didn't call anyone "dastardly" but I used the word. A newspaper columnist should be able to recognize a satirical comment.