Feeling Wronged

[ScrubMan0416]

i have been attending a small community college for the past 4 years going for their adn program. i have been applying for this program for the past 2 years, and i am still waiting to get on the waiting list, which holds a 3 semester wait once i get on.

until 2 days ago i thought the reason i have been having trouble getting onto their waiting list is because of the overwhelming number of applicants. that was only part of the problem.

with the economy the way it has been over the last couple years, a major software company in a city 150 miles away has since laid off quite a few people, most with advanced college degrees in hand. most of these people are now looking for new jobs, and they seem to have found one that is "recession proof" as i have heard them say on more than one occasion. what is this "recession proof" profession you ask.....nursing!!!

now, i have no problem whatsoever with these people going back to school to get their rn, though it does scare me why they are choosing this profession, but that is beside the point.

my problem with this is that these people are getting into the nursing program ahead of other students, like myself, that have been working their butts off with all of our pre-requisite classes. they seen to have a "get-into-the-program-free" card just because they have a degree on their wall. and it's a computer degree to boot!

tell me, is this good practice?

i have been going to school part-time so i can work full-time at our local hospital as a cna so i can get as much experience under my belt before diving into the program, and i just don't feel that this is fair. please tell me if you think i am wrong. thank you!

[caliotter3]

You can't blame them for wanting to get work. It isn't their fault that their company got rid of them. Most likely they push to the head of the line because the school is accommodating a government program to put them back to work. Many people who enter the unemployed ranks get to benefit from government programs. Make certain that you've checked to see if there are any such programs that you qualify for. And start looking around for other nursing programs in the area so that you increase your chances of starting before you are retirement-age. The more schools you apply to, the faster you will get accepted. It only takes one program to accept you.

[dannyc12]

please tell me if you think i am wrong. thank you!

i think you are wrong. nursing school is competitive; if the people running the programs look at the success rate of returning students holding other bachelor's degrees and find that it is high then they will accept them.

[dannyc12]

Now Fair is Fair....if that community college accepts taxpayer dollars in any form, it seems the attorney general and the local and state press might be interested in your point of view. Good luck with your future plans, sounds like you are a hard (taxpaying) worker.

What is the attorney general going to do, prosecute the community college for accepting people with documented levels of academic achievement into a challenging program?

[caliotter3]

What is the attorney general going to do, prosecute the community college for accepting people with documented levels of academic achievement into a challenging program?

Excellent point.

[dannyc12]

That does seem really unfair, but maybe they're getting "pushed" in because they're unemployed?

It doesn't work that way. What incentive does a community college nursing program have to preferentially accept unemployed people who qualify for tuition reimbursement?

[caliotter3]

It doesn't work that way. What incentive does a community college nursing program have to preferentially accept unemployed people who qualify for tuition reimbursement?

I'm unemployed. That fact gets me nowhere at my local community college.

[dannyc12]

Unfortunately for me, the nursing program at the community college where I'd been doing all my prereq's uses a LOTTERY system to decide who gets into their nursing program. Talk about UNFAIR. With a 4.0 I had no better chance of entering the program than someone with barely a 3.0!

That sucks. I would think that school's graduation and NCLEX rates would suffer from that policy. What are the statistics for sitting and passing rates for that institution?

I chose a school that ranks applicants on merit, crushed in my prerequisites and walked in on my first try.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

That sucks. I would think that school's graduation and NCLEX rates would suffer from that policy. What are the statistics for sitting and passing rates for that institution?

I chose a school that ranks applicants on merit, crushed in my prerequisites and walked in on my first try.

Me too! And this with fewer functioning brain cells as an older and second career student. The young ones should have danced circles around me really. Many of us older students do this with full time jobs and kids or elderly ill parents to deal with as well.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

That sucks. I would think that school's graduation and NCLEX rates would suffer from that policy. What are the statistics for sitting and passing rates for that institution?

I chose a school that ranks applicants on merit, crushed in my prerequisites and walked in on my first try.

oh yeah, the innocences of youth....lol....they just flunk'em.

[kcochrane]

What is the attorney general going to do, prosecute the community college for accepting people with documented levels of academic achievement into a challenging program?

I think the OP mentioned that they are getting accepted into the program prior to finishing their prereqs (A&P, Micro, etc.) and are allowed to finish them while in the program. There is also a 3 semester waiting list which I assume these students are not having to "wait" on. If the school is violating the rules they set up, then yes it is wrong. And who knows how many of the students like the OP also are unemployed and struggling to get a nursing degree but don't have the advantage of a prior 4 year degree. The rules should apply to all. And yes I have been unemployed before - that's how I got into nursing. :)

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

If the school is violating the rules they set up, then yes it is wrong. And who knows how many of the students like the OP also are unemployed and struggling to get a nursing degree but don't have the advantage of a prior 4 year degree. The rules should apply to all. And yes I have been unemployed before - that's how I got into nursing. :)

I think the difference may be that the program has different tracks. I have a previous degree and I was accepted into a different track of nursing classes than the traditional students who do not have bachelors degree behind them. The rules are similar but not the same.

I had to do all the pre-reqs first but I can tell you that there are more applicants in the pool for second degree students in my area making the application process more competitive. Also, I had friends who would have preferred the traditional track because they had jobs and wished to take the courses more slowly but that track was not open to us because we have previous degrees.

I guess if I look at my situation from the OP's point of view than they are being "unfair" to me too! The truth is that they are looking to push out grads. They see the bigger picture and you can't critique them for trying to meet a supposed shortage of nurses (let's not go here. i am not a believer.) as quickly as they can.

BTW, OP, you don't know me or those candidates. They may have gotten laid off but it may be the opportunity they needed to go the way they wanted to go in life! I started nursing school in a fabulous economy!

[nuberianne_RN]

How does OP know that all of these people are getting pushed to the head of the line without having to wait or going through the same process as everyone else? Sounds like a alot of assuming on the part of OP.

Just a suggestion....Meet with the dean/department head and find out if there is anything that can be done to strengthen your application instead of worrying about everyone else's.