Community College? You must be stupid.

Nursing Students General Students

Published

So, tonight I was talking about the classes I'll be taking this fall at my local community college (one of which is chemistry which I'm a little nervous about since I've never had a chemistry class before) with my wonderful bachelor's degree holding partner who, in an attempt to ease my anxiety makes the comment "Well, it's just at a community college so the class should be pretty easy." :madface: Wrong thing to say honey...

It did however get me to thinking about the general attitudes that people have towards not only community colleges but also to vocational/trade schools. That those of us who go to such institutions are intellectually inadequate and wouldn't be able to handle the academic rigors of a 4 year college or university. This attitude is completely inaccurate, after all if my classes were so EASY then the 4 year colleges and universities in my area wouldn't have an articulation agreement which honors the credits I take at the community college. It is a different atmosphere in a community college of course, but that doesn't mean I don't have to learn the material and learn it well in order to pass.

I remember in high school when I decided to enter the Practical Nursing program at the vocational school how I received criticism, statements such as "Well, you need to go to a 4 year college, anything less is for people who are stupid." and even now when I tell people I'm an LPN and that I've been at a community college taking classes I'm greeted with a concerned expression, a half smile, and a polite nod. A voice bubble might as well pop up above their head saying, "Well, since you're a failure at life and this is all you have, I'll be happy for you." after all since I'm going to a community college it means I can't handle REAL academics.

It may sound as though I'm jealous of those who get to receive a university education and have a bachelor's degree or above and are the same age as myself. And, yes, at times I am jealous because I would have loved to have had the same experience. But that simply just wasn't my path, one day I will "pull my time" in a four year college, my path will take me there, just not yet.

I believe no matter your credentials, whether you're doctorate degree holding FNP or a certificate holding CNA that you should be incredibly proud. Whether you're bachelor's prepared RN or a diploma holding LPN you should be proud. Because all levels of education should be revered and respected and valued. I don't feel ashamed of not already being a Registered Nurse or a college graduate nor do I have any regret at first becoming a CNA and then becoming an LPN because I still am helping people and I am still living my dream and that dream was to be independent. If you're a BSN or an ADN be PROUD of it no matter what your credentials are because you earned them.

College graduates face really discouraging odds. Many are unemployed, many more are employed in something other than their field of study, and many still are up to their eyeballs in debt. My partner for instance has a bachelor's degree yet works in job making a little over minimum wage. That is why I chose the path I did. When I was 17 and I enrolled in the LPN program, I knew due to my personal and financial circumstances that I couldn't afford to go to college just yet, I needed to be self sufficient and going to a trade school and later to a community college would allow me to do that. It wasn't the right choice for everyone but it was for me, and because of that I can pay for my school one semester at a time while minimizing and most semesters avoiding student loans, not to mention a few years head start on 401k versus my peers and that feels really good.

A dear friend of mine always wanted to be a mechanic, her family, peers, etc were not supportive "only stupid people do something like that" so instead she got 2 bachelor's degrees, is jobless, and owes thousands of dollars in student loans. All this because her dream was too "stupid" in the eyes of her parents and everyone else. Side not, I know many mechanics who make more money than I do and they're all pretty happy. I think the attitude that you go to college to "make a better life for yourself" isn't always accurate. We shouldn't be telling our children that they have to go to college in order to be considered intelligent or successful. We should be telling them that in this world success isn't defined by your credentials or where you went to school or how much money you make, it's defined by getting out of life what you make of it and what you want from it. Do what you love people, whether you're a CNA or a Medical Doctor, do what you love and love what you do and be proud but above all else never assume that someone is stupid simply because their education is different from yours.

Whew... feels good to get that out.

Oh and my partner quickly apologized for what he said. Probably had something to do with the fact I spouted off this little speech in the course of sixty seconds after his comment. :smokin:

Geez! what a can of worms this has opened! I think that anyone going for Nursing should choose whether to go for an ADN at a CC or a BSN at a University BASED ON THE CREDENTIALS OF THE COLLEGE, THE PERCENTAGE OF PASSING NCLEX OF EITHER COLLEGE, AND THE OPINIONS OF LOCAL HR REPS WHO WILL BE HIRING!

But that's only a small part of the picture. Consideration should also be given to where they want to end up, what it's going to take to get there, how quickly they need to accomplish it, what the options are for their area, and whether or not they can afford it. When everything is weighed, NCLEX passing rates may be at the bottom of the criteria list.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Developmental and Peds with disabilities.
But that's only a small part of the picture. Consideration should also be given to where they want to end up, what it's going to take to get there, how quickly they need to accomplish it, what the options are for their area, and whether or not they can afford it. When everything is weighed, NCLEX passing rates may be at the bottom of the criteria list.

yeah, sorry, accidentally pressed send before I was done. I agree though. Please see my revised answer above :o

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Renal.
I think that anyone going for Nursing should choose whether to go for an ADN at a CC or a BSN at a University BASED ON THE CREDENTIALS OF THE COLLEGE, THE PERCENTAGE OF THOSE PASSING THE NCLEX OF EITHER COLLEGE, AND THE OPINIONS OF LOCAL HR REPS WHO WILL BE HIRING YOU!

I agree with this. In my area, it's the opposite. Portland hospitals job listings are starting to spread the message that by 2013, they won't be hiring ADNs without previous RN experience, and they flat out say that at this point in time, BSNs are preferred. So for me, it makes a hundred times more sense to get my BSN (especially because the school here is great and provides excellent financial aid). I can see that's different in other parts of the country, and I totally agree that each situation is different.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I feel like some BSN nurses, not all, feel that they are better than ASN and diploma nurses. ASN and diploma nurses who have a run-in with these type of BSN nurses, or BSN nursing students, aren't likely to forget it, and it puts them on the defensive. This leads to a lot of nurses being really defensive about where they got their degree, why it was better than anywhere else, and how stupid other people are for not taking that specific route. In my opinion, it doesn't matter. I don't care if you're a BSN, MSN, ASN, or diploma nurse, the place you went to school does not affect how good of a nurse you are. A good nurse is compassionate, hard-working, technically skillful, able to respond well to emergencies, intelligent, quick to notice changes in patient condition, and a lot of other things. No program can teach you all of those things. Some of the characteristics of a good nurse are either present in a person or they aren't, and no amount of education can change that. I don't have a problem with where anyone went to school, or what degree they hold. I only have a problem when someone tries to act like they are better than other people. No one nurse is better than any other, and nursing is very much a team sport. Instead of bickering over who went to the better program, who was financially smarter in college, who had better clinical experience, and who knows more, we should be focusing on how we can work as a team and use each of our strong suits in nursing to give our patients the best experience they can have.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think that it is great that we have been given the oppurtonity to further our education. I think that it is up to the person, where and how long they choose to go. Congrates to everyone.

Have a great day everyone!:yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Saying it is smart to go to community college implies that it's not smart to go to a university. Smart is choosing the path that gets you to where you want to be, and if that's a university and you can afford it, then that's smart.

I didn't imply anything, this is just my opinion. We all take the same NCLEX at the end :nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I didn't imply anything, this is just my opinion. We all take the same NCLEX at the end :nurse:

lol you did imply that it is "SMART" to go to a community college over a university "in this economy".

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but for my situation and for a lot of people, choosing the university over a CC in this economy was the smarter decision. This is why generalized statements never work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
lol you did imply that it is "SMART" to go to a community college over a university "in this economy".

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but for my situation and for a lot of people, choosing the university over a CC in this economy was the smarter decision. This is why generalized statements never work.

Guess we will have to agree to disagree then....

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Community colleges are great and I'm grateful I have one I can take pre-reqs at. The school I go to has a highly competitive ADN program which I think is great even though I will be going for my BSN. Anyone that gets into their ADN and finishes will be a great nurse, I'm sure.

Having said that, I'm struggling with my own perceptions as I am in my 3rd and 4th pre-req class at the CC. Both of the classes have pre-reqs of other classes so I'd expect those in the classes to have experience in other classes. I'll say that my classes so far have been fairly easy. Some busy work but I really don't feel the classes are academically challenging. The two classes I'm in now have lots of chances for extra credit and the tests have been way too easy. Despite that, in one of my classes, a lot of the students are struggling with the basics. It makes me wonder if the professors have to make their classes easy in order to not fail their entire class. I have a previous BS and I my professors in that school had no issue failing most of their class if they didn't do well.

Anyway, part of me feels like my community college could do better in terms of making their classes challenging. I know they don't want students to feel as if they aren't going anywhere but i think it'd help if they had a required study skills course, 2-3 writing courses, a basic science class and a basic math class prior to taking other classes. I think if they better prepared students for the classes, the classes could be challenging. I feel I'm doing ok because I do a lot of self study and as long as I have someone to ask questions, I'll learn regardless.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Postdocs at the Salk doing research (such as my MD/PhD mentor from Switzerland with a salary of $55k/yr) will make less than a Nurse in a hospital with ~5 years experience. Does that mean that the nurse, who first went to community college and then possibly took an RN->BSN bridge, is "smarter" than the postdoc with a PhD?

Community college turned out fine graduates. My ex gf is now in her third year of Pharmacy school, and she transferred from a CC into UCSD. My parents both graduated as RN's from a CC, with Associates's. They have a combined income of >$180k per year.

At first I didn't believe about how community colleges are easy, but then I actually went to one during my gap year applying to medical school to pad my GPA a bit. I took an online Body & Mechanics A/P course for allied health, completely online, and obtained an A doing one hour of studying. I took a Psychology class, meets 3 times per week, and obtained an A with 0 hour of studying. I finally decided to take the Human Dissection class, taught by a great Chiropractor, and obtained an A doing 5 hours of dissection per week learning things that I have never known before. I put in about 5 hours outside the class each week. THAT was learning.

So, community college depends on the professor and the student to make learning their priority. The professor needs to be good at teaching and provide challenging course materials. The student needs to be determined and learn all that they can, not just the minimum. If you wanted just the minimum, you'd have taken a psychology degree and become a social worker :rolleyes:

The problem with work ethics in community college is that the classes are cheap: students aren't putting in the work because they are only paying $50 or less per credit (resident). Compare this to me paying $5000 to attend a single class during UCSD's summer Intersession (I later went and worked as a TA, getting paid about $1300 per term). My high school friends who went to community college told me that the first few years felt like high school 2.0.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The nursing program at my CC is not catered to students with other life obligations, so being a nursing student there is practically a full-time job. However, general education courses at my community college (CC) are typically catered to people with a full-time job, family, and school. Therefore, the work load may be smaller compared to some BSN programs. This does not mean that the CC student will not be as educated as the BSN student. The BSN student may study 2-4 hours a day, while some CC students will do the same. The real difference is how well the student comprehends the information. That's right, it all comes down to personal skill, not the degree.

Just my two cents

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am going to a local technical college for my LPN. When I first got out of highschool, I got accepted into a large 4 year state university. I stayed for 3 semesters before flunking out, because I was young and on the stupid side. After years of working dead-end jobs and struggling to pay bills, I decided to go back to school.

I applied for the local community college, however their nursing program is extremely hard to get into, with only 40-50 applicants accepted out of a pool of around 250. The waiting list was already nearly 2 years long, and I didn't want to wait.

So I applied to the local technical college, and was accepted fully into the LPN program for this fall semester, in which I'm only about 7 weeks away from comleting. So far, I love it.

4 students in my class came to this technical college after sitting on a waiting list for over 2 years at a state university for their nursing program, and never getting accepted. So they chose to come to this technical college, and were accepted right into the program with their grades.

I, personally, chose the technical route for many reasons. First, the entire program is 18 months, and final tuition upon completion of the entire program is only $3500. When I went to the state university, I was paying $7,000 per SEMESTER.

The NCLEX percentage pass rate for this school is consistently in the upper 90's, and last graduating semester, was 100%. The teachers are either retired, or long-term working nurses, many hold a masters degree. From what I've seen so far, they're very well educated, and I can tell that it is their goal to get students truly prepared for life as a nurse.

At the end, there is also job placement. The last 3 months of school are spent working at a local facility, either hospital or nursing home, that they choose for you, and you are granted course credit based on work evaluations. You are sent to facilities that are already in need of new nurses, and they say that around 97% of students in the program, are hired-on permanently once they pass their NCLEX.

So really, I chose a technical school for a number of reasons that suit me. Low tuition costs that I can easily afford, small class sizes so that I'm not lost in the crowd, I was accepted fully into the LPN program without sitting on a waiting list for a year or two, high NCLEX pass rate at this school, and job placement and assistance after graduation.

One thing about this school is that the program is still very rigorous, and not something that students just breeze through. They start out with around 70 students, and by graduation, there's only around 10 left.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment