Career Change Pleaseee!

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Greetings,

Can anyone advise me how to get into a low cost Nursing School in the US? I have been a teacher for over a decade and i need to make this transition if i am ever going to be happy. I am a Jamaican living in The Bahamas and i am currently doing two science subjects at the ordinary level. Chemistry is beating me up though. Any advice is appreciated.

Specializes in Trying to get in.

This is good info Libby; thanks. If anything else comes to mind about the southern states, please let me know.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Welcome!

HAve you looked at the The College of The Bahamas School of Nursing and Allied Health Profession

Berochure: http://www.cob.edu.bs/DOCS/BROCHURE_SNAHP.pdf

WOW The College of The Bahamas :: Tuition & Fees are extremely low compared to most US Nursing programs, looks very reasonable.

Brochure mentions Baahamas Government Grant that has work committment.

Students meeting the requirements for entry into the nursing degree programme are eligible for Bahamas Government sponsored grants. These grants cover tuition expenses and a monthly stipend for books and other college expenses. Upon graduation, grant recipients are "bonded" to public service employment for a specified period

Most US nursing programs have wait list or lotteryto getin. I would carefully look at this program to get your BSN nursing degree then later seek US employment.

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Specializes in Trying to get in.

Thanks but all those benefits you mentioned are reserved for Bahamians and those married to Bahamians; i am neither, but is merely here on a teachers work permit. For international students, they pay twice to two and a half times what nationals pay as in the case of the US. Some of their courses aren't recognised, hence, Bahamians leaving to study abroad. If i am going to pay so much here then having to be retrained when i decide to work in another country then i might as well be trained in the US. I have been here many years and have done my research. Thanks

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

First, get your diploma and all other courses you took evaluated here:

http://www.ece.org

It will give you an idea what your education "costs" in terms of US college credits, and let your prospective school consider your coursework as pre-recs for their program.

Second, start your immigration research. You will need a visa allowing you to stay in the US for several years and, preferably, work here because working as an aide during school will give you a foot in the door and additional income. On F1, your work options will be close to 0 and it is difficult to "convert" it, so you may want to think about other options and a good immigration lawyer.

Third, even if you establish residence in a particular state, you still will be counted as "international" student because of your visa status and pay for your education accordingly.

Fourth, you need to find a school which has experience with international students and can assist you in you adaptation and immigration needs. I am an immigrant myself and can honestly tell you that nursing programs where immigrants are not frown upon are few and far between. Your best bet is to search in places where there are communities of immigrants from your own region and preferably from your own country.

Counting what you said, your first problem should be either to get nursing education at home with subsequent convertion and H1 visa, or get a plan how to get into US and stay here.

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It totally depends on where you are. California and NY for example do NOT have a nursing shortage. However I moved to North East Pennsylvania and All the hospitals around here are hiring, would definitely say there is opportunity here. My community college does not offer housing (although a recent survey they sent out to students seems like they are considering a off campus housing) but there are plenty of affordable places to rent near school.

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Specializes in ICU.

I understand that you have a predicament but you really need to research the United States and what area you would like to live. This is a very large country and each region of the country has their own quirks as I am sure you have found out with the other countries you have lived in. This sounds like a very spontaneous decision to me and you have a child to consider in all of this.

This is my advice to you and you can take it or leave it. Please research what area of this country you would like to live in and if nurses are even being hired. There is California out on the west coast, you have New York on the east coast, there is the Carolinas and Florida in the south. You have the plains like Kansas and Nebraska, the great state of Texas, and Arizona in the southwest. Then there are places in the north like say North Dakota and Montana, and the northwest states of Oregon and Washington. I would hate to see you uproot your child and move to a place you are miserable. All areas have their own types of people, weather is a big thing here with each region having their own, and pay rates and cost of living differ. You can't just think, Oh I'm going to move to Illinois with out having researched and seen if you would even be happy there. There are lots of cows and cornfields in the midwest which is where I am right now. I like the country but it's not for everyone.

The grass is always greener on the other side until you experience it. California is a heavily impacted area right now for nursing schools and jobs. It's very difficult to get into a school there, much less a job. The schools in my area pretty much require all A's to get into them. They are very competitive. You will be starting over on school and learning a whole new country and so will you child. I understand you need to make more money but completely uprooting and starting over is going to be more difficult than you think.

You cannot live on campus at a community college. Not possible. What are your plans for money? How will you get into this country and stay here? How will your child? There is a lot that goes into this and I don't think people on the internet can answer for you. You need to do your research and look at the big picture. That is essentially what nursing is about anyway. Learning how to look at the big picture.

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I'm not sure why everyone is mentioning California and New York. You should absolutely avoid them as they are two of the most expensive areas in the US. You are better off looking around the south and the Midwest where it is less populated and lower cost of living. The nursing schools in these areas are likely to be less competitive. Perhaps check around the Augusta, Ga area (GRU) or north carolina. I know the requirements for GRU are like a 2.0 min whereas around DC schools will require at least a 3.5 and this will not even be a competitive GPA.

Also once you find out what area you want to move to, research the school you want to attend and I would recommend doing the prerequisites online before you ever move here. Most pre-nursing students spend 1-2 years working on prerequisite classes and then are waiting 1-2 years to start a nursing program. (For ADN which will last 2 years or the last two years of a BSN also two years). Some classes you could start taking are English, general chemistry, anatomy and physiology 1 and 2, general bio, microbiology, and basic general ed classes like algebra and history.

Community colleges do not have live on housing like state schools do and if you want to attend a community college nursing program it may be more difficult for you because most (I think probably ALL) have residency requirements and won't even consider applicants that are not residents of that county/district. I myself had to move to a new county just to establish residency for the school I am trying to attend.

You should also research child care or what you will do with your son because nursing school is very time consuming. I have a 2 year old and we cannot afford full time daycare so I have been struggling with working schedules and trying to find the best timing for myself to attend school. It is just not possible unless you can commit the time. I know most programs have clinicals 2-3 times a week for 8-12 hours a day on top of the 8-15 hours of labs and the lecture classes (also 12 -15 hours a week). This doesnt even take into account the studying so keep that in mind when choosing your location and making your plans.

I hope you can figure everything out and fulfill your dream of becoming a nurse. It isn't an easy road at all but it will be so worth it if its what you truly want :)

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