Hello all! I need your expertise please!!

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Hello I'm new to this website but am very happy to have found it! :) So I will have finished my associates in pre nursing this summer which means I intended to go for my bsn. However, I missed the deadlines for all the 2010 fall quarters so I have to wait a whole year to apply again!? My overall gpa should be around 3.5 hopefully! I'm worried about the competition here I live in Washington state. I already have 100+ hours of community service at a clinic but it wasn't hands on at all. My questions is: For this year, what would be most beneficial to me, to succeed and attain my BSN? Here are some options I've been thinking so tell me what you think!? Thanks so much!

1) Get my CNA gain some real hands on experience, work for that year and reapply.

2) Get a certificate in something as kind of a back up like dental assistant, or vet assistant ( I :redbeathe animals, but not as much as people of course!)

3) Apply for ADN programs around my town just so I'm not leaving that one year behind, I would then apply for a RN-BSN program too.

4) Go overseas for volunteering. I found this program which allows you to live with a host family and volunteer in South America or Asia for about 2 months. (this may look good on applications or whatever)

5) Just work for a year and save up because I am far from rich.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated thank you again and best of luck to all!

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Specializes in CRITIAL CARE TRANSPORT AIR AND GROUND.

Man If I were you I would Look at Excelsior RN program... REAL HARD.. you could be all done in a year .. and be sporting a RN..behind your name.. there is a lot of info on the board about that program. I just started the program .. and it is working well for me.. as always your mileage may vary

R.

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

Frankly, I would either go for a CNA to tide you over for that year, to get some practical, hands on experience in health care and to make yourself a bit more competitive for a BSN program. (Some programs, LPN, ADN, and BSN alike are requiring that their students be CNAs as part of the criteria for admission.)

You could also take training to become an EMT or paramedic.

Or volunteer abroad. My son spent some time in Asia and it was a life-changing experience for him. It helped him to focus on his goals and be a more competitive candidate for further education.

BTW, does the school to which you are applying admit only once a year or twice? If it's twice, try to get into the January or spring semester cohort.

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

I think a CNA would be a good idea. It will make you more comfortable with your clinicals.

Good luck with your career and maybe I'll run into you at a local hospital. (I'm from WA too.:D)

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Specializes in ER.

There may be some classes that you can take that are pre-requisites to the BSN program that you don't actually have to be in the program to take...ie...English, humanities, math etc... I would start there. Good luck in your studies!! :nurse:

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Specializes in critical care, home health.

One thing I wish I'd done when I was in nursing school was to spend more time working as a CNA. I only did two months of it, and only part-time, so I wasn't even a competent CNA. Then, when I was a graduate nurse, I was "over" these CNAs who knew what they were doing way more than I did. There is no better way to learn the ropes of nursing than to be a CNA. The pay is awful and the work is hard, but if you keep your eyes open you will learn a thousand times more than you'll learn in a classroom.

I love teaching CNA nursing students what the heck is going on. THIS is why we do THIS, and so on. Oftentimes, I'll have the CNA assist me and I just explain to her as I go along the what's and the why's.

A caveat: if you choose to go the CNA route, don't get in the nurse's face and ask TOO many questions. She's there to be a nurse, and you're there to be a CNA. I work with one CNA who cares more about grilling me than she does about getting her own work done; that's a no-no. The other CNAs I work with are a joy and I go out of my way to teach them and help them in their own duties.

Don't impede her work, but when you find a nurse who enjoys teaching- many of us do- and your own work isn't neglected, you can learn more than you could imagine. And if you're paying attention, you'll be a huge bonus for that nurse. You'll have all the stuff ready for a foley insertion, for example, or you'll be able to recognize an IV that's infiltrated. A good nurse appreciates that second set of eyes.

Also, by working as a CNA, you'll really come to respect what they do once you become a nurse. And when you respect the work they do, they'll respect you, and you'll end up with a super-awesome team. That's what makes for great patient care.

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

Another vote for going the CNA route. I think every nurse should have at least some experience as a CNA, if nothing so they know what CNAs do. And I think it really helps to "try on" the role of nursing(even though CNAs have a different role.) I just shake my head when i hear BSNs who got thru 4 intensive years of nursing school only to find out in their first year that they really don't like *being* a nurse. That's one thing I got from being a CNA first--after two summers of cleaning butts, giving enemas, and wiping up vomit I can tell you I *knew* I wanted to be a nurse. I went through an ASN program which required a LOT more clinical time than most BSNs, too. By our last semester we were taking 4-5 patients and running part of the floor. When we graduated we were ready to take a full load with 4 weeks of orientation. I may not remember much nursing theory, but frankly, my patients never cared. They were much more interested in whether I knew my job.

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