I don't know what to do (literally!)...

Yes you are a lost cause.

If you say you don't like nursing, except of OB/GYN, your grades were not that good in college and you are bad at taking the standardized tests... Then I believe you should not go back to the school for RN BSN. Try to get a job with whatever education you have now.

Yes you are a lost cause.

You are definitely not a lost cause, I'm sorry someone said that! I'm a firm believer that if God put a dream in your heart there is a way to make it happen - no matter how long it takes, so don't be discouraged!!! :)

I'm not sure about requirements for Ohio, or even Texas for that matter, sorry. I think if I were you.....I'd start looking at listings for jobs you do want to see what education/training they require....OR...call the HR dept at an organization/company you'd like to work for and talk with them about what you want to do & how exactly to get there.

If you need to go to Nursing school....your GPA is probably a little low to be competitive, but is clearly within the required range. Just apply, and retake a few classes if needed. You may also find that your "overall" GPA is not as low as you think once the non-nursing pre-req's are taken out. Woohoo! :)

Another option since you'd like to become involved in childbirth or diabetes education is to get some certified training in those areas. Maybe even become a doula. Please no flames people.....but becoming a doula, though requiring time & work, is not as hard as Nursing school. I haven't done it personally, but know people who have. That along with certifications in Lamaze training, breastfeeding, etc. should prepare you to teach childbirth classes.

I hope something I've suggested was helpful - even if it just spurred another thought.

Good Luck & God Bless!:heartbeat

txpixiedust

The reason you'd have to go through "clinicals" is; What if you were teaching a new mom to breast feed and she suddenly collapses? Or what if the baby suddenly turns blue? Or what if as you teach a new diabetic they say they feel light-headed and are diaphoretic? There are endless possibilities of what if's.Are you a lost cause, NO! But I'd recommend some serious soul searching. If you are not willing to go through the clinicals and put forth the time and effort nursing takes, then try another healthcare field like registered dietician. There are many other great careers in healthcare besides RN that include your intrests, just be proactive and look for them. I suggest a guidance counselor at your local college as a good start.:wink2:

okay.

i do not want to be a nurse per say, but rather a child-birth educator or a diabetes educator. i can't really see myself doing hands on things that involve touching people, but i would love to be a childbirth educator

no! you are not a lost cause!

since you don't like blood and don't like things that involve touching people...i don't think you could be an effective childbirth educator or a diabetes educator. i am being totally honest. also, i agree that a nursing educator should always be a nurse first.

perhaps you could teach health in a high school? or something along those lines. you are not a lost cause but being a childbirth instructor/diabetes instructor is not in your future.

No offense Melinurse, but the OP can take a CPR class and know what to do if the mom collapses or the baby turns blue! I teach CPR, and I've had a lot of non-medical people actually pay more attention & retain what they've learned than SEASONED NURSES!!! You'd be suprised at how much Nurses don't seem to remember when they renew their BLS certification every 2 years.

Nursing school & Clinicals would be good for understanding the pathophysiology of course, especially with diabetic patients.

Anyhow...not trying to attack...I see your point....Just wanted to add my .

txpixiedust:heartbeat

Visit this website for information about Diabetes Educators

http://www.ncbde.org/eligibility.cfm

I looked at it briefly, and it looks like you'll need a Master's Degree in public health or another discipline (since you don't have other credentials) but it really looks like it could be a good fit for your situation.

Also, I think Diabetes NEEDS attention! It's absolutely epidemic...

Anyway, good luck

May

No offense taken:) Just offering other options and yes I was aware of what you are saying also. Just giving an explaination ( generalized ) of why.

Mayisontheway, excellent point!:bowingpur We need more diabetes educators in hospitals and elsewhere.

A childbirth educator does NOT require a nursing degree. If you are teaching in a hospital, maybe. You can teach your own classes, though, or through other organizations. I worked for many years at a birth center, and our childbirth educator was not a nurse, but she was certified through an organization, and she was very good.

Look at www.dona.org or www.icea.org for more information. However, unless you are teaching classes all day every day, this isn't a job at which you can make a living. Even hospital classes are often just two hours a day, one day a week. No one makes a living teaching childbirth classes.

But I don't think, given your present grades, inclinations, and situations that you should go to nursing school. You'd just be wasting your money.

Mayisontheway, excellent point!:bowingpur We need more diabetes educators in hospitals and elsewhere.

Isn't the main reason there aren't more diabetes educators because of budgetary reasons as opposed to not enough qualified educators? I also wonder about pay scale as well. Some very interesting and important preventative health/health educator type positions tend to pay very little. I've seen pretty low wage offerings for master's prepared public health educators.

To the OP, it does sound like you are at cross purposes with your current goals. I agree that the type of educating you're interested in IS valuable and satisfying, but it doesn't seem like it's a stable, clear career path. That doesn't mean you can't make it work somehow, but it does mean that you can't just take these certain classes, get that certain degree/certification and - boom! - find a good job. Check out current job listings, qualifications, etc. Call and talk to people doing the type of work you're interested in. Visit their work place if you can. You might want to look into public health nursing which is often more focused on education than physical nursing assistance.

It can be VERY difficult to get a realistic picture of the work world before one has to choose a course of education. You just do the best you can and figure it out as you go sometimes. You might want to consider just finding a job and working awhile before investing in more education at this point. You might learn something about yourself and the work world that would make your next step more clear. Good luck to you!!