Published Nov 15, 2008
LoveNursing44
2 Posts
I currently live in NJ and I graduated with a bachelors degree in psych about 2 years ago. My GPA was not good. It is 2.6 because I had a lot of issues going on when I began college but i am fine now. I want to become a nurse so bad but I dont know how to go about it. I am sure my gpa is too low to get into any second degree nursing programs so i am thinking about going for lpn then do an lpn to rn program. What do you think?
PinkPeony7
24 Posts
It wouldn't hurt to at least talk to the admissions people at schools you're interested in and ask them what your chances are. You could also consider getting your RN through a community college. However, I've heard from a lot of people that community colleges can be pretty competitive too and have long wait lists. You could give that a shot too. If those options don't work then an LPN program sounds like a good idea.
Good luck from a fellow second degree student!:nuke:
Babs0512
846 Posts
The title of your post is "I want to Change Careers to Nursing nut"Was that a Freudian slip? There are so many careers out there except nursing. All the stories you hear of "nurses eating their young..." are true. If you were to be an RN Psyc evaluator, that wouldn't be too bad.
Nurse have a whole lotta responsibility, with little autonomy. It is you keeping the patient from death, not the doctor. He's at home eating dinner or sleeping. YOU MUST recognize there is something wrong with the patient, then intervene with what you can do within your scope of practice - if you have PRN orders, use them. Do a compete assessment on the patient including VS, and have labs availabe from earlier in the day to review with the doctor when you call him.
It's backbreaking work with little thanks. Administration won't remember the last six times you came in on your day off to help them out, but BOY does the once time you say "no" stick to you like tar!
Look, if this is what you REALLY want, then go for it. When the others start slamming me, you can assume they are newbies. Any seasoned nurse knows where I am coming from.
God Bless You
shimere
5 Posts
HI Babs0512, I am a mammography technologist and live in FL I cannot find work,so I am currently enrolling in the nursing program.Can so tell me if this a good idea or what? I also heard the new nurse get the same pay as a new mammo tech, is that true.Help!!!!. From you prospective it seems like a bad plan.
Valerie Salva, BSN, RN
1,793 Posts
There have been several threads here on allnurses lately from Nurses in NJ saying they cannot find work, and that there are too many nurses in NJ. I would check out the employment situation before you start school.
The title of your post is "I want to Change Careers to Nursing nut"Was that a Freudian slip? There are so many careers out there except nursing. All the stories you hear of "nurses eating their young..." are true. If you were to be an RN Psyc evaluator, that wouldn't be too bad. Nurse have a whole lotta responsibility, with little autonomy. It is you keeping the patient from death, not the doctor. He's at home eating dinner or sleeping. YOU MUST recognize there is something wrong with the patient, then intervene with what you can do within your scope of practice - if you have PRN orders, use them. Do a compete assessment on the patient including VS, and have labs availabe from earlier in the day to review with the doctor when you call him.It's backbreaking work with little thanks. Administration won't remember the last six times you came in on your day off to help them out, but BOY does the once time you say "no" stick to you like tar!Look, if this is what you REALLY want, then go for it. When the others start slamming me, you can assume they are newbies. Any seasoned nurse knows where I am coming from.God Bless You
I have to say I agree 100%.
To Shimier: A radiology tech in NY does get the same rate of pay as an RN, why, I don't know, but it has always irked me.
I can't speak for your state - but if your in the position to relocate, there are a lot of places looking for RN's. There are just as many making due with fewer RN's - as RN's aren't very good at sticking together and saying to administration "I'm sick of this nurse/patient ratio, start hiring some nurses to replace those we've lost". Nurses, as a whole, me included, tend to be martyrs, we're always willing, at least on the outside, to work shorter and shorter staffed -- which gives administration ZERO incentive to hire more staff. We ***** and moan to each other and our loved ones, but we are afraid to stand up against admin. Administration always makes it clear that each of us is replaceable, which creates fear and insecurity - and thus, we keep our mouths shut and just work harder.
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best
Blessings
I don't if my frist respond was send having computer issues. Again thank you babs0512, all the things you stated are the things that kept me from the nursing field.I really don't want to go back to school for another 2 years,and end up getting the same pay,I have a RTM (registar radiology tech and mammography technologist in which I had to take 2 state board. I was thinking about doing MRI which is only 3 month, I am still on the frence on nursing. I think I going to post a thread to see if anyone is in the same position.Thanks again
j621d
223 Posts
I would like to share my experience with you. I graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Administration in 1980, but what I really wanted to do was be a nurse. My GPA was low (lots of "C's"), but knew nursing was where my heart was. I started taking the pre-requisites and my grades were much improved as this was then field I should have been in. I applied to a university and a community college for nursing and was accepted into both. I think the key is making sure your pre-requisite grades are high. I think having a Bachelors, even in a different field, will not hinder you, but may help set you apart from others in a positive way. I graduated with a BSN in 1985, and will start on my Masters in January 09. Nothing is impossible!