I want to be a nurse~~~!!!

[rainbow0630]

I wish to be a nurse however, I am looking for an advise since I am totally lost what to do with my situation and what decision to make.

Before I go on, I sincerely appreciate anyone who dedicate their time reading my entry.

It took me about 10yrs to obtain college degree and finally graduated from local private school with BS-Biology in 2011. My final GPA was 2.6. Also, I've been through two different schools before the school I graduated from. The first school was where I made big dent in my school record failing most of the classes and my last semester's GPA in that school was below 2.0. After that I transferred to local community college for about 2.5 yrs w/GPA of 2.8 before I transferred to the college where I finally got my BS.

I didn't know that I would be going back to school and wanted to graduate ASAP and just wanted to have stable job w/decent pay after I graduate. I know it's all my fault for decisions I've made and can't blame anyone for whatever happened.

My plan was to work as laboratory technician or research field after I graduate but I wasn't able to get a job in that field.

I've always had interest in science/healthcare field and being that I've been working in doctor's office for about 8yrs now, I thought nurse would be an ideal choice for me to pursue for second degree. However, as I've mentioned above, my school records is disaster and I've applied four private colleges now and got rejected from all those schools.

I know that nursing is very competitive and ppl might think that I'm a fool thinking that I'll even have chance getting into any school but I really want to know what you guys think I should do.

WILL I HAVE ANY CHANG GETTING INTO ANY SCHOOL????WILLTHERE BE ANY SCHOOL THAT MIGHT ACCEPT ME????? (I live in NYC but willing to go anywhere that will accept me)

Should I go for another bachelors and try to boost up my GPA again? but then my science/nursing pre-req will be too old and I'll have to take those classes all over again which will at least take 1.5 yrs.

OR

would it be better to apply for ASN then BSN rather than going for another BS or MS????

OR

should I just forget about going into nursing??? take a diffrent path....?if so, what are some career options that I can consider? I really enjoy working in the medical field

[A&Ox6, MSN, RN]

I honestly think that you should speak to a professional. There are many healthcare related jobs, and you want to find the best fit.

Nurses don't do what most people rhunk they do. Try to find a career counselor or an event where you can explore all of the options

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

My advice is to look into ABSN programs since you have a BS already. Find out what pre-reqs they require. If you are missing some then take those and see how much it boosts your GPA. If there are any classes that you can re-take for a better grade to boost your GPA then do that. My GPA wasn't much better than yours, I was fortunate that the program I am in just started 3 yrs ago and hasn't had much advertising. First 2 classes (only one cohort per yr.) had less than the max of 30 (12 and 16) and my cohort had 35 apply and took top 30. You need a minimum GPA of 2.75, but if you want to move to Indiana for 15 months you might have a good chance (application deadline is 3/15/14 for the May 2014 program start).

[ScientistSalarian]

To be totally honest, your chances of being accepted into a nursing program (RN, BSN, ABSN, Direct Entry MSN) are very slim. Private schools are generally much more forgiving of low GPA's than public programs and you state that you've already been rejected by four. Many people have trouble being accepted in the 3.0-3.5 GPA range; anything below that is simply going to be unacceptable to many schools.

Should I go for another bachelors and try to boost up my GPA again?

To be blunt, this is a horrible plan unless throwing vast amounts of cash at another degree is not an issue.

If nursing is really where you think you need to be then I would consider looking into LPN/LVN programs with less-stringent GPA requirements. If you do well and graduate you may then be able to bridge to an ADN/ASN program (and then, hypothetically, to a BSN). However, I would strongly suggest you first spend some time reading on the student boards here - nursing programs tend to be academically rigorous and many students who go into their programs with 4.0 GPA's struggle just to pass. The reason RN programs give so much weight to GPA in admissions is that it's a strong indication of your ability to handle nursing coursework. Your sub-3.0 record does not bode well in this respect and I think it would behoove you to think long and hard about what changes need to be made to your study habits should you decide to go ahead and pursue nursing.

[IEDave, ASN, CNA, LVN]

While I'm not usually one to question anyone's desire, in your case I'd be looking very hard at other options. The reason for this is, nowhere in your post have you said anything about why you want to be a nurse - other than as a route to a stable job with decent pay. The nurses I've spoken to (former & current) tend to fall into 2 broad categories: those that had a reason why they went into nursing (besides the paycheck) and those that didn't. The ones that didn't typically didn't last too long; the others usually (but not always) succeeded.

The first thing I'd do is go back over your transcript & see which classes you did well in, and which ones you did poorly in. Base your decision on that info - for example, if you're strong in writing, emphasize that by looking for programs/positions that make use of your skills. If you're strong in life sciences, again, look towards areas that use skills you're strong in. If you're still having problems, in addition to speaking with a professional counselor you may want to pick up a copy of the book "What Color Is Your Parachute" by Richard Bolles. He has a method for formalizing the self-assessment process that tends to be well recommended, and is very effective (worked for me!).

Best of luck to you wherever you go...

----- Dave

[swansonplace]

Nursing school is very challenging. To succeed, you need to be able to teach yourself large amounts of information, and be able to apply it quickly. Some qualities that also help are consistent study skills, and persistence.

The school in Indiana may be just the option you were looking for(someone posted earlier).

There are many service oriented health careers: I have listed some off the top of my head: Chiropractor, Respiratory Therapist, Medical Lab Technician, Dental Assistant, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, LPN, Assistant Physical Therapist, Health Management, Physicians Assistant, Eye Examiner, & Biomedical Engineering.

I am not suggesting that you not pursue nursing, just be aware of the challenges that you may face.