This thread is not to deter anyone who is already in their specified nursing school, but to broaden the horizons for the anybody who is thinking of pursuing a nursing degree. I have just graduated with my ASN and as most know the competition for a Bachelor degree isn't too "stiff" anymore, considering most just get their BSN through an online program or even continue on at the same school as their ASN. This thread is to allow the people who are pursuing their nursing dream to relax, and take some advice from someone who has gone through the program.
If you were anything like me, you probably ended up pulling your hair out, just from the application process alone. Let me give you a little background about myself, I had attended private school my whole life, and graduated with my associates degree before pursuing a nursing degree. I had decided to go back to school a year or two after finishing my first degree (Yes, I know i am crazy) When I had realized that the nursing application was different than the other applications, i knew then, the competition was going to be extremely difficult. It isn't a secret that nursing degrees are in popular demand, but are they? Or is school just too difficult to get into. I was completely appalled by the nursing application process to just GET INTO the program. For those who are reading this, who are thinking about getting into or applying to nursing school, if you don't take anything from this article, take this... Get REAL good with taking difficult tests. In order to even be looked at or considered into the nursing program, you need to pass your TEAS v or some are required to take the HESI. I highly recommend getting the specific study guides for these exams, because they are not cheap tests to take, and the competition to get into school is becoming more difficult by the day.
After taking this exam if you pass, you then apply to the nursing program, and send out your transcripts from high school and any classes in college that you have taken that could be possibly be transferred into your intended major. But, just be aware that this too, is a "money grab" because college credits are only good for a number of years. I work alongside RN's now who have been nurses longer then I have been alive and in order for them to go on to get their bachelors degree (Before 2020) they have to retake science courses for their ASN! These women, whose experience should speak great volumes does not speak at all! Even the Community College system requires ASN nurses to retake classes from their first degree. I find this very sad and degrading to any RN because they too, have earned their title. Now, getting back on topic, once you send out your transcripts colleges review them, which they do very specifically. Most colleges have a college grading requirement, which will tell you what you need for a letter grade to get into nursing school, for my school it was an 85 or better for science classes and a 75 or better in all non science courses. Most colleges and Universities, tend to stay around this given area.
As for recommendation letters, I was required to have two, and it had to be from a superior of yours, whether work or school related, no family is allowed. I worked at a hospital for years before applying to nursing school, so getting recommendation letters was not to difficult. But, working at a hospital didn't do me much good anyway, so if you think working in a hospital will make or break their decision, think again. Most schools don't even take that into consideration, or at least ones on the East Coast didn't. Even though I had met all the requirements with flying colors, I still did not get in my first year applying. I only had one prerequisite class left to take, which I was going to take over the summer but this was not acceptable, because they required all my prerequisites to be done before applying. (Notice how I said they wanted their prerequisites done before the first nursing semester, but yet, this still did not matter because at the time i had applied, It looked like my application was incomplete over one prerequisite that I was in the process of completing over the summer.) Make sure you specify to your college when you are taking your last couple of classes so they can take this into consideration. most colleges want you to complete all of them before going into your first semester of nursing school, but like I said COMMUNICATE. The college wont communicate with you it is your responsible to communicate with them. You are just their money maker, and if you keep this in the back of your mind, you will be less apt to be played by the college system.
The good news is, once you are in, you're in. No one can take that from you but, the application process, is less than easy. Like I stated before, this thread is not to deter anyone or change anyone's mind. It is to shed light on this situation, we need to empower each other, and stick together. I wanted to write this kind of thread because I wish I had someone telling me what I am telling you, now. Nursing is not intended to be an easy major, but the nursing shortage gimmick, is a joke! It is the application process that should be reconsidered because that is what deters anyone before they actually get into school. More colleges need to be aware of their application process, and then maybe we wouldn't have such a nursing shortage!
I can't stand the need for letter of recommendations ha...I don't really work too long at job's before moving on to know people. College was five year's ago no professor is going to remember me.
I think the HESI is better than the TEAS though.
Sadly 68% of the hospitals in our state, 5 don't, require a Bachelor's of Nursing. Additionally, nursing job's outside of the hospital are a challenge to find. Some people travel up to 2 hours a day just to work and work full time. Pay is about $30 to $40 an hour, but most ASKs start out around $28 to $30 an hour. Taxes at .3 percent in our state most mill rate is not lower then 40% plus property tax is about 5K. Every year have to recert your license here. With the CEUs mostly cost you about $1200. So on average nurse in CT makes about $30,000 after taxes and expenses taken out.
I can't stand the need for letter of recommendations ha...I don't really work too long at job's before moving on to know people. College was five year's ago no professor is going to remember me.
I think the HESI is better than the TEAS though.
Sadly 68% of the hospitals in our state, 5 don't, require a Bachelor's of Nursing. Additionally, nursing job's outside of the hospital are a challenge to find. Some people travel up to 2 hours a day just to work and work full time. Pay is about $30 to $40 an hour, but most ASKs start out around $28 to $30 an hour. Taxes at .3 percent in our state most mill rate is not lower then 40% plus property tax is about 5K. Every year have to recert your license here. With the CEUs mostly cost you about $1200. So on average nurse in CT makes about $30,000 after taxes and expenses taken out.
This is just a weird post. I took the TEAS and I believe it was ~$65? I did very well on it and I did very well on my pre-reqs. The ADN application process and the BSN application process was not difficult. I actually had to retake A&P I and II even though I had As in them, and my infectious diseases course did not count for my BSN even though I had a 97% in that class. They wanted me to take microbiology. They would not waive it. I did it with a smile on my face because I wanted it. Anything pertaining to applications can be very cumbersome but it has to be. I do agree with a previous poster who said that it should be rigorous in order to weed people out and see who really wants it. There is a common misconception that nursing school grads make big money out of school and it draws people in. In actuality, you won't cut it as a nurse if you don't love it because you simply will never get paid enough to handle the things you'll have to do and see.
Now, wanna talk about a rigorous application process? I had to have three letters of recommendation from colleagues, a 500 word letter of intent, submit the application fee, a NursingCAS fee, submit my active license and transcripts to the university and submit them all over again to NursingCAS, manually enter in all of the classes I have ever taken and enter in the grades I received for each with the appropriate institution, semester, and year. All of that required requesting a third set of transcripts from prior colleges to be sent to me for personal review. I had to revise and submit my resume with listed organizations of which I am a member. I had to study for, and take the GRE with a minimum score of 150V, 150Q, and 4W. I also had to interview in front of a panel. All of this is for NP school. The fees for all of that were $450-500. I then had to submit another $500 to the school for a matriculation fee when I was accepted.
My point in saying all of that is that it SHOULD be a demanding process to apply. You are trying to be in a professional role taking care of human lives. If you can't get past the application process then you don't need to be in that role. It sounds like you expected to get preferential treatment because you work at a hospital and you did not communicate effectively with the school to ensure that not having all pre-reqs finished by a certain date wouldn't impede the application process. I would reconsider how you view the application process. And if this application process bothers you, don't apply to NP school.
WCSU1987
944 Posts
I can't stand the need for letter of recommendations ha...I don't really work too long at job's before moving on to know people. College was five year's ago no professor is going to remember me.
I think the HESI is better than the TEAS though.
Sadly 68% of the hospitals in our state, 5 don't, require a Bachelor's of Nursing. Additionally, nursing job's outside of the hospital are a challenge to find. Some people travel up to 2 hours a day just to work and work full time. Pay is about $30 to $40 an hour, but most ASKs start out around $28 to $30 an hour. Taxes at .3 percent in our state most mill rate is not lower then 40% plus property tax is about 5K. Every year have to recert your license here. With the CEUs mostly cost you about $1200. So on average nurse in CT makes about $30,000 after taxes and expenses taken out.