Discrimination or reality?

Published

Specializes in Medical Assisting.

One of my fellow pre-nursing students was told by the nursing career counselor at our community college that even with a 4.0 gpa, and excellent TEAS scores, she didn't stand a chance at getting into the program because she was , " a white female in her mid-thirties". Has anyone else encountered such advisement from a counselor or nursing program? What this woman said had nothing to do with how they "say" they rate applicants. Nothing on the requirements states that you had to be a certain age, ethnicity, or gender to get into the program. :confused:

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I would say that this would be a case of discrimination.....but how do you prove it? She could apply and get turned down, but the school will claim there were "better qualified" candidates as their reason for denying her admission. Unless it is in writing or she has it recorded, I don't believe that she could prove that the counselor even said this.

Honestly, I wouldn't even apply. If this school is willing to discriminate against her to keep her out....I could only imagine how she would be treated if she became a student.

I am 48, white and obviously female....and I am a term 3 NS.

I would find a different school.

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That is weird. Is this a community college? The nursing classes at my school are certainly not filled with women in their early 20's. Plenty of variety and more people in their 30's applying from what I have seen. Im so glad that I go to a school that does not base approval on interviews , papers and playing favorites. In some ways its more fair when all they look at is your GPA because it gives you a shot at least.

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That does sound like discrimination...but it's probably hard to prove. There is a popular nursing school in my area and everyone wants to go there for the diploma program and my boss was telling me he knws of an older woman that they tried to discriminate against because she was in her late 40's. They really made her jump through a lot of hoops wanting to know her high school grades, and just wanting all of this crazy stuf they normally don't ask for...and she was a perfect college student. Makes no sense!

I would tell your friend don't bother. Or if she really wants to go there and is worried about not getting in, go above and beyond the requirements...get letters of recommendation, etc. to help with a better chance of getting in.

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Specializes in Medical Assisting.

Thanks for the input guys...I just had to get someone else's point of view on this. I don't even intend on applying there anymore. I'm just taking what pre-req's I can and am applying to at least 3 or 4 other schools. My friend is looking elsewhere also. :)

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I'm very surprised they said it in so many words but not at all surprised that it happens. They have to be pretty careful to not descriminate.... which means being very careful to include a high enough percentage of each catagory rather than being blind to the various catagories. She isn't old enough to be protected by the age discrimination catagory.

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That's horrible. Not at my community college! There are people from 18-60 in my A&P classes pursuing nursing.

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Maybe he was hitting on her?

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