I am due to Graduate this year in May 2016 with a BA in History and Social Science with a double major in Asian Studies and Public Health From Eastern Connecticut State University. My GPA 2.50 and I am projected to graduate in the 2.70 to 2.90 range. I am looking for Nursing schools on the East Coast and preferably out of Connecticut and in the Mid-Atlantic to the South. Also No further than Texas and along the Amtrak line. I'm also looking for Nursing schools that don't require TEAS's testing because i'm not a fan of TEAS test. I am looking to just get my BSN and work with the BOP before getting my NP. I'm looking for a Nursing school that has a minimum GPA of 2.70 to Enter.
I have finished most of my prerequisite such as Gen Psych, Social, Lifespan dev, Nutrition and stats. I am planning to take my science classes over the summer and looking to start in the Fall of 2016.
I am wondering, do Nursing schools allow you to apply even though they are waiting for science prereqs over the summer. I am also wondering can you clep classes to apply to Nursing schools.
Career goal wise is that I want to be a Nurse and work for the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps with the US Federal Bureau of Prisons.
PHS is VERY difficult to get into. You very well may not get into any nursing school with a GPA "2.70-2.90" range. Also when in nursing school PHS looks at your GPA. You need to buckle down and pull at least a 3.5 in nursing school.
You have a lot of wants..I would slow the roll and focus on the task at hand. Basically straight As in your prereqs. Bs and Cs are not going to cut it. Step by step then worry about the PHS.
Specializes in Neuro/NSGY, critical care, med/stroke/tele.
Then you wonder why Nurses say their is a Nursing shortage in the profession but Nursing schools put up so much barriers that they often times hinder the shortage and exacerbate the shortage.
There is no shortage. Where I live, new graduate nurses have an AWFUL time getting jobs in any kind of acute care setting.
So if Nurse's says their is a shortage, why make it harder to get into nursing school and into the Nursing profession. It seems like putting barriers such as making people get higher GPA or take a TEAS test is reinforcing the Nursing school Shortage.
We do not say there is a shortage. Just look above at how many people are saying there is NOT a shortage. Also, nursing is the ONLY discipline within healthcare with multiple and ambiguous tracks to entry to practice (ADN vs BSN; LVN vs RN). We are the only discipline with an educational preparation expectation of less than a masters degree... and yet we are the bottom line/last line of defense for our patients. There is HUGE dissonance there. For the discipline to be taken seriously, we MUST have barriers. For patient safety. For the safety of the discipline. Not everyone can do what we do, and not everyone should try.
Even as an EMT, you don't see a shortage of people wanting to be EMT's or work their way into Paramedic school. If people say you need a GPA of 3.0 or above into Nursing school, how come they are not pushed Physician Assistant school or even medical school.
It happens ALL THE TIME. It's happened to me multiple times. My answer is that nursing as a discipline appeals to be because of how we see patients and their care: as a whole person rather than a disease process. You would be well served to understand this fundamental difference before going any further.
It seems like to me, GPA or test scores are not a predictor of who makes a great Nurse and as an EMT, I have seen my fair share of good and bad Nurses. I have seen Nurses who would crack if I roll in hot with a Trauma patient or drag a Nurse along on a run to a multi car MVA.
Nobody is saying they are. But not being strong in acute care or trauma is NOT the same as being a "bad" nurse. We NEED people with a passion for long term care and rehabilitation. They have just as important a role and are no less of a nurse because they are strong in an environment/specialty with a different pace. There is good and bad within every field.
If you come to a site called AllNurses to get advice from nurses on how to get into nursing school and become a nurse because you are not a nurse yet but want to be a nurse someday - and those nurses tell you what they know about nursing school and the (non-existent) nursing shortage - LISTEN TO THEM.
Also, the program that meets your exacting standards of mediocre preparation does not exist. YOU will need to make some serious changes in both your preparation and your expectations. That's not being mean, that's the honest truth someone should have told you a long, long time ago.
I have a Nurse Practitioner who is also a clinical instructor for Yale Univ school of Nursing. She told me because of my Rare genetic Medical condition, being and EMT and have been a Patient at the National Institutes of health. That I stand a good chance of getting an Interview for Nursing school because the fact that I have a rare genetic medical condition, being a practicing EMT, I go to NIH in Bethesda, MD alot .
I think you are getting some bad information. Having a rare disease, a Basic EMT, and been to NIH does not give you an advantage to get into nursing school.
I think you are getting some bad information. Having a rare disease, a Basic EMT, and been to NIH does not give you an advantage to get into nursing school.
I agree. I've participated in the selections process in two different nursing programs in the past, and have lots of friends who are faculty in other nursing programs, and have never heard of a situation in which having a chronic health problem and being treated at a well-known organization like the NIH would be considered an advantage in the admissions process. Being an EMT might give someone an advantage.
f I had any kind of significant health issue, I would not disclose it in the admissions process unless I had no alternative, for fear that it might work against me (much more likely than it being considered an advantage) -- I would certainly not highlight that information as a reason why I should be accepted.
I know you don't want to hear this...but I was in an academic situation similar to yours when I decided to become a nurse. I screwed around in college and graduated with a 2.75 GPA in my non-nursing Bachelor's. I chose a community college ADN program that worked on a points system for admission and only considered pre-reqs as far as GPA. I was accepted on my first try and became a Registered Nurse within 18 months. I had several job offers within a month of passing boards. I completed my BSN online a year later (a breeze since my previous Bachelor's satisfied many of the requirements) and now I never lack for work. Maybe I'm a unicorn but if you really want to be a nurse you should consider all your options realistically.
Your GPA will be a problem. You may want to attempt to get into either an associates' program with a guaranteed transition track or a newer bachelors' program that doesn't yet have a competitive reputation. My original bachelor's was in European History and it did not prevent schools from considering me but I was lucky to have a very competitive GPA. Think of ways to demonstrate your unique strong qualities that will replace having a strong GPA. If you did better in your math and science cores, break out that GPA separately to show it is an area of relative strength, as nursing school does emphasize this.
I can honestly say that on this post, the people here are giving you good constructive criticism, and this is good because a lot of times people can be outright mean.
I too have a previous BS degree (Chemistry) and an MBA. I'm not a nurse yet, but I'm starting an LPN program in August (12 months). Then I'm going to bridge in an LPN to BSN since I already have all of the non nursing course done. Then I want to go on to an NP track. I chose the LPN route ($8,000 out of state) because I don't want to be without income for more than a year, I have an opportunity to get it for free, and I will not pay $40-$70 grand for an ABSN. I made good choices in life in terms of savings over the past 16 years as a chemist, so I can afford to stay out of work for a year. As a chemist I was making $35/hour which is not a lot, but with OT and bonuses, it was great. Money is not my only motivation, I really like caring for the sick. I've wanted to be in healthcare for a long time, and now is my chance...so I'm taking it. Sure, an LPN will not make what I can make as a chemist, but it will be temporary (~1.5 years with low pay) and like I said earlier, the money is not my only motivation (I have savings). I don't have kids or husband so I can study and get up and go when I need to.
I'd advise you to look at the other options seriously because they may work out better for you. If you have a disability that may hinder you, I would try to do some shadowing or volunteer work at a hospital to see if you will be able to do the work. At least as a volunteer, you will get to see the nurses in action and maybe gain true insight from them through discussion and observation.
I just want to see people succeed, and have realistic expectations for their situations. I wish you all the best blessings and happiness.
windsurfer8, BSN, RN
1,389 Posts
PHS is VERY difficult to get into. You very well may not get into any nursing school with a GPA "2.70-2.90" range. Also when in nursing school PHS looks at your GPA. You need to buckle down and pull at least a 3.5 in nursing school.
You have a lot of wants..I would slow the roll and focus on the task at hand. Basically straight As in your prereqs. Bs and Cs are not going to cut it. Step by step then worry about the PHS.