Gawd Help!

[Young Nurse Student]

PLEASE GIVE ME ADVICE I am so frustrated because I want to be a nurse but I am unsure what I need to do to get in, each nursing school has differnet requirments it would take me 3 years just to get enough prerqs for all of them , and that for an entry level RN, so I decided to focus on 2 schools a BSN OHSU and a ADN (Portland COmmunity College) but, honestly what are my chances as a 3.3 18 yr male to get in based on your experience. SHould I take some art classes to boost my GPA? Teh uncertainty is killing me, I think I would be so depressed if I got rejected. I spoke to the admissions staff and they said that the average age is around 24 for admitted students. SO am I supposed to be broke for six years. Call me imature but I wanna scream!!! I mean, right now I'm in CNA training, does that even matter??

The whole reason I want to be a nurse is the patient contact, flexibility, and $$$, but that last one isn't THAT important to me.

PLEASE GIVE ME ADvICE ON WHAT TO DO TO GET IN!

[ICRN2008, BSN, RN]

Just because the average age is 24 doesn't mean you won't get in. Since it's an average, that means that there are plenty of younger people as well. Working as a CNA may or may not help you, depending on the schools to which you apply.

Keep your chin up and work on earning good grades in your pre-requisites. It would be more helpful to retake a prereq for a higher grade than to take an art class, in my opinion.

Good luck!

[rogramjet]

Many schools require you to go through CNA classes before you can start the program anyway. It will give you the patient contact and experience. Just start taking the pre-reqs. Get all of the other requirements out of the way so all you have to do at the end is concentrate on nursing. In the meantime work pt as a CNA, it will get you some experience. Whether you go ADN or BSN it will still take you about 4 years to get through.

[Micci]

Average age just means that is the age for the average person entering the program. That doesn't mean you have to wait until 24.

As for getting into the programs. You won't get "rejected" unless you do not meet the minimum grade requirement or pre-req's for getting into the program. There is alot of competition, so you may get wait-listed or have to apply the next year if there are alot of applicants ahead of you.

General ed and Pre-Req's are not the same thing. In my community college, our pre-req's, the classes that need to be completed before submitting an application, are Biology and Chemistry. The rest of the classes are gen ed courses. The more completed, the more favorably the application is treated. I have also heard it is hard, but not impossible, to complete gen ed classes while in the nursing program.

There are more gen ed for the Bachelors programs than Assoc. IF you want to go to work sooner, try for the Assoc program, as you can get your bachelors later. If you know you will want your bachelors or you might change your mind and apply to a bach program instead, make sure that the gen ed classes you take for the assoc degree are transferable to the bachelor program at your chosen university. This is important because for instance, we have two chem classes to chose from- contemporary and organic. Contemporary does not transfer to a bach program but is easier. The math is the same, the bach program requires algebra and other higher math, the assoc will take math for the healthcare worker. Healthcare worker math class does not transfer. Sit down with a good guidance counselor at the community college and find out what gen ed you need for that assoc program and what options will transfer to teh bach. Then if you decide to go bach, you can just transfer all your classes and lose no time.

Good luck!

[oregonrene]

Hi there! I also live in Portland. None of these schools have waiting lists, so the average age means only that the average student's age is 24. It has nothing to do with how long it took to get in.

PCC uses a lottery system, so your chances are as good as anybody's. Unfortunately, there's only about a 10% chance of being selected, so do apply there but don't pin all your hopes on it.

Other programs to consider are Clackamas Community College, Mt. Hood Community College, Clark College in Vancouver. If you can travel a little farther, there is Chemeketa Community College in Salem.

BSN programs are Linfield College (in NW Portland), Walla Walla, University of Portland, and Concordia, in addition to OHSU.

If I were you, I would find out exactly what prereqs are required at each school (it's all on their websites) and make a spreadsheet or on paper figure out at least 3 or 4 schools to apply to. Apply to as many programs as you can since the competition is so tight.

In all honesty, I do think you need to boost your GPA. I heard that the average GPA of students accepted at OHSU is around 3.7. I personally was accepted at U of P and my GPA is 3.83, and I know of people with lower grades who were not accepted there. Grades are not all they look at, but they do count for quite a bit. So increasing your GPA by getting some A's (particularly in the sciences!!!) will definitely help you, and it sounds like you have plenty of time since you have a lot of prereqs yet to take.

Good luck and try not to worry. Just keep plugging away!