General Q's About Nurses -- Thinking of becoming one

USMC Ret., RN · Dec 8, 2009

regarding...

>>do i have any more chances for a rebound to a nursing student, especially in such difficult economic times...

absolutely! don't sell yourself short. you'll soon discover that if your enjoy nursing (via clinical) that the passion you carry will overshadow most if not all your perceived lacking.

great nurses are not necessarily measured by their academic knowledge or skills, but by their passion for their patients and profession at large.

go for it.

- luis

stephenfnielsen · Dec 8, 2009

-It has been my experience that the organized/committed/focused/hard working/goal oriented students find success in nursing school- not necessarily the smart ones.

-Also I would say that success in nursing (at least from my vantage point as a new nurse) is based on the knowledge and acceptance that it will be 20% caring for patients 40% just plain stiff-upper-lip hard work and 50% charting (yes I know that is more than 100%... that's the point).

-If you go at it long enough you will get into nursing school, the better you do in school- the sooner you can get in and get out, and despite what a lot of people say, it is easier to find a job as a nurse right now than any other profession out there that pays a living wage.

When I started nursing school I didn't really want to "be a nurse", I just wanted a respectable job that would provide for my family and that would have enough breadth and depth that would allow me to find my niche- and I'm not disappointed.

-But bottom line- If you are trying really hard and still can't get A's and B's in the prerequisite classes- you are going to have a hard time getting into a BSN prog. and an even harder time getting out. But let's face it there are a lot of clueless nurses out there and they all found a way to make it!

NurseKitten, MSN, RN · Dec 8, 2009

If you want it bad enough, you can do it. Start taking A&P, chemistry, biology and other life sciences, and don't stop until you're done with that degree.

Go talk to the pre-nursing advisor so you know more about what's offered at your school.

marilynmom, LPN, NP · Dec 8, 2009

- But let's face it there are a lot of clueless nurses out there and they all found a way to make it!

That made me LOL because it's so true! LOL

sunnycalifRN · Dec 8, 2009

take a look around at the various posts regarding nursing jobs for new grads . . . take a look at the posts of people asking questions similar to yours. As you know, we are in a recession (if not depression) and the "experts" say we are coming out of it!!?? So, you will hear lots of negativity . . . no jobs . . . low pay . . . having to work in nursing homes . . . etc. Be ready for that. However, if you want to pursue nursing, you can do it . . . and you can hope that by the time that you're done, the economy will have rebounded and the hospitals will be hiring.

Dinith88 · Dec 8, 2009

Hi guys and girls, I have a few general questions about nurses but am not sure if this is the correct forum for it. Anyways, I'm a sophomore in college right now and am considering heavily about pursuing a bachelors degree in nursing. However, this is a very sudden change for me from my previous business major, so I'm not sure if nursing is the correct path for me... yet. However, I do love helping people and I do believe that I will enjoy this occupation more than being a businessman in the future after I have gotten past all the difficult educational courses. After reading the GPAs that most of you have on here, I feel sort of discouraged. I am in no way academically talented, my average GPA in HS is a little below 3, and so is my GPA in college right now. With such a low GPA, do I have anymore chances for a rebound to a nursing student, especially in such difficult economic times and the state (CA) having budget cut on Cal-State Universities... If there are people on here who shared the same path as me, meaning they disliked studying and was never academically talented, but have gotten past this obstacle, please share how you did it...
I do have many more questions wishing to be clarified but I don't want to overwhelm the community just yet with my first post :smokin:
Again, if my thread is in the wrong place, please advise; or if there is already 999999 questions asked about the same thing already. Thanks!

really depends on where you are geographically. Around here, there is a 'glut' of people wanting to become nurses...so schools are very selective. Meaning they typically take those with the best GPA's/records...it's unfortunately fairly common for students to get stuck on a waiting list and in a 'pre-nursing' limbo....where you work on pre-req's and electives forever...and ever (years)...and it discourages lots of people to the point of quitting. But...as someone said...if you're serious and determined...you can become a nurse...even if your path to reaching that point isnt how you envision or want it to unfold...

Becca608 · Dec 8, 2009

This may sound like a cliche, but:

FOLLOW YOUR HEART!!!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

nursemike, ASN, RN · Dec 8, 2009

Generally, it's going to be difficult to get into a nursing program with less than a 3.0 GPA. Not impossible--in fact, I did--but difficult. The school I attended weighted various factors and assigned points to them. If you had enough points, you got in. So I was able to overcome my GPA (residual from a first attempt at college 27 years earlier) by making As in courses that were required for the program. Brought my GPA up from 0.9 to 2.5.

Getting in is the first hurdle, but getting through is no picnic. Despite remarks about clueless nurses, most nursing students are driven, and need to be. It's a lot of work. In the program I attended, C was a failing grade.

The work of nursing is also pretty demanding. It's not a career I would recommend lightly, but it does have its rewards. The pay sounds pretty good, compared to flipping burgers, but I'm sure a lot of us have thought there must be easier ways to make a living wage, and not many of us are shopping for a Benz. Still, I'm driving my first new car, a Ford, and I'm able to pay my bills. And there are a lot of directions in which to grow.

"Helping people," can be the best and also the worst part of nursing. Some of the people you'll help aren't all that nice, and some who really need help won't want it, or won't want to work for it. You get all the grief of food service or retail sales, and all while you're having to make life-or-death decisions. At times, the stress can be unreal. Personally, I think it's worth it. But I may not be entirely sane.