Do you guys see a lot of people saying they are nursing students....

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or go to nursing school and than find out they are still in the Pre Req phase? I swear I have seen a good number of people do this, and than when I say, "Oh what semester are you in, I am in this semester" they are like, Oh well I am not actually in yet but I start pre reqs soon, or I just started pre reqs. I wonder why that is. Before I started the actual program I would say if asked that I was doing Pre Reqs to get into the nursing program. Or I am on the waitlist for the nursing program.

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.
If I were taking pre reqs for law school I wouldn't go around saying I am a law student or in law school, I would say I was pre law.

If you were taking prereqs for law school, I would think you were weird because there aren't any :D ... just sayin' ... and don't bash me, because I know you were just illustrating your point.

Sure, they have pre-law tracks and stuff like that, but they are not required courses for law school. I went to law school without having taken one poli sci class, ever. And I am pretty sure I was not at a disadvantage because of it. Anyway, what does that matter now because I am going to be a NURSE!

:mnnnrsngrk:

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
If you were taking prereqs for law school, I would think you were weird because there aren't any :D ... just sayin' ... and don't bash me, because I know you were just illustrating your point.

Sure, they have pre-law tracks and stuff like that, but they are not required courses for law school. I went to law school without having taken one poli sci class, ever. And I am pretty sure I was not at a disadvantage because of it. Anyway, what does that matter now because I am going to be a NURSE!

:mnnnrsngrk:

I wasn't aware of that because I have heard people say pre law before, so I just assumed it was stuff you had to take before law school. But good to know.

I still have to laugh at it being too time consuming to say pre nursing. I mean I think my 8 year old grasps what Pre means and Nursing so would come to the conclusion that pre nursing meant the process before nursing. Different strokes.

Both my schools I went to, the pre reqs are not a part of the program, you can't even get apply to the program until you are done with the pre reqs.

With my luck if I went around telling everyone I was a nursing student before I even got into the program, something would happen and I wouldn't get in and than I would have to explain to everyone that I wasn't actually in a program yet when they are wondering why I am not a nurse.

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

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I was accepted onto my nursing degree two years ago (deferred for a year, 'pre-nursing' for a year) and since then I've called myself a nursing student. Here in the UK we don't really have a pre-nursing stage, and as far as I know, mine is the only one. So I find it much simpler to say I'm a student nurse, rather than the whole complicated process that even qualified nurses here haven't heard of, let alone the average person.

Having said that, I don't know how I'll feel in a fortnight when I'll be a 'proper' student nurse!

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Specializes in LTC.

When I was in my prereq stage I always answered: I'm in school for nursing. When I became a student always said : I'm a nursing student. Now I don't know what to say. I'm a LPN. I'm currently finishing prereqs for RN program and start RN program ( hopefully) in Jan. 2011. So I just say I'm LPN and in school for RN.

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Specializes in LTC.
My poor husband, hes so proud of me that he brags to everyone he knows and sees..He was telling me about how one of his customers (sales homes), She was an RN and so he bgan bragging about how his wife is in Nursing School to become a....wait for it.....

"Licensed Registered Nurse"

LOL I about died when I heard that...laughed so hard. Im going for LVN...:rotfl:

So cute ! :p

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My cousin in another state (bless her heart, I really do love her) started taking pre-reqs this semester. She's in English 101, psych 101, and pre-algebra. I posted a status update on Facebook that said something like "So happy I'll be graduating from nursing school and taking my test to become an RN in 9 months." She responded with something like "Yay! Hopefully I'll be sitting for my boards too in less than a year!" I was like...what? You're not even accepted yet, you just started school for pete's sake. I didn't say anything but I wondered to myself is she is in CNA school because even LPN wouldn't be finished that fast. Or maybe she just has no clue what nursing school even is because her advisor never told her the acceptance process. I tend to think it's the latter. :eek:

I have noticed that many people say they're in nursing school when they aren't. I never did it; I know how hard people work to earn the GPAs needed to be accepted. I would just say "I'm taking pre-reqs for nursing school and will apply for acceptance next fall," etc.

What's worse are when CNAs call themselves nurses. My husband, who is an RN, gets very upset when he meets someone who says they're a nurse and when he asks them what department, etc., he learns they're a CNA. There is nothing wrong with being a CNA but it's very disrespectful to represent yourself as an RN when you aren't. That's like an RN saying they're an MD.

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It doesnt bother me at all. I mean, unless they really try and say they're in the program and say they're doing clinicals and starting pedi's next semester.. or something to the liking- then that's just plain DELUSIONAL. I think it's just easier saying you're a nursing student instead of "Oh well I applied/am going to apply so I'm taking my pre-reqs and co-reqs right "..that's a mouth full compared to "I'm a nursing student". Na mean?

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I have to say that I probably have said some things in between before.

I took classes part time and basically finished not only the pre-reqs, but all of the co-reqs prior to even applying for nursing school. I spent a lot of time telling people that I was taking my science courses for nursing school and would apply to the program in April. Or, I'd say - I'm in school working towards my ADN.

Most people don't realize what a process nursing school can be.

I would never have claimed to be a nursing student when talking with anyone remotely related to school or the medical field. However, when my son's principal asks what I'm going to school for, it was a lot easier to say that I'm taking my science courses working towards my nursing degree. And, if she asks further to explain that I'm going part time and once I complete xyz courses, then I apply for the clinical portion of the program.

It wasn't me trying to boost my ego or make it sound like I was in a place different than I was in, but truly I put it the way I did in order not to confuse people.

When talking to people at school or in the medical field, I was very clear that I was a prenursing major and would be applying in April.

Now I say that I am a Nursing Student. When people ask what's changed, I explain that I am now taking all of the nursing specific courses and clinicals and I'm all done with my sciences.

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

Before I was accepted, I would always just say that I was "getting ready for nursing school" and hoped to start in Aug 2009.

Now that I'm halfway through school and work as a tech in the hospital, I walk in and introduce myself and say that I'll be the tech helping them that night. And if they ask if I'm a nurse, I always say "Not yet, but I will be next year!" and sometimes I'll respond with the number of days until graduation too lol :) That usually gets a laugh out of my patients :)

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It's so funny that you should mention this:

The other day in Fundamentals, our instructor told us that when CNAs and others introduce themselves as "Hi, I'm So-n-so, and I'll be your nurse" she always asks them where they went to school, what level degree they have etc. Her point is that it takes fairly extensive, expensive and harrowing education to be a nurse. It's not just a series of classes in procedures and so on and that having RN or LPN/LVN after your name means something and that if you don't have RN or LPN/LVN after your name, you have no business calling yourself a nurse even if the provider you are working for expects you to "because it puts the patient at ease".

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My mom was a pediatric nurse in educated in England in a royal infirmary, worked as a nurse in CA when she came to the States, but where we ended up living they did not have reciprocity and she worked for a time as a nurse aide. I don't know how she introduced herself but it is interesting that we don't always know as much about someone as we think we do from where we see them today. I have worked with many immigrants in low paying/low skilled positions who were highly educated in their native countries but had to leave for political reasons or as refugees.

So now I am in pre-nursing. . . something that never would have occurred to me before and I have a heck of a time explaining that to people. Especially because I am applying to an entry level masters program, they say but isn't an RN the highest kind of nurse you can be? Well, kind of. . .um yes and no. I just let people think what they will I can't spend too much correcting people they probably aren't that interested any way.;)

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It is incredibly frustrating to see people list nursing as their major when they are only taking prereqs. I have just started my first semester of nursing school and feel honored to say that i'm in nursing school! When people who are clearly not in the program say that they are, it's like taking away a piece of the pride we as REAL nursing students feel.

YAY to all REAL nursing students! :yeah:

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