Indiana Nursing Programs

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I am currently a high school health and pe teacher trying to see if I have a chance of getting into any nursing program in Indiana. I hold a previous BS in health promotions and did a program for teaching. My GPA for my BS was a 3.05 (Very low was young took hard classes and just wanted to graduate) Teaching degree program GPA 3.35. I've looked at Ivy Tech (been told just as difficult to get into in my area) but I really want my BSN because I may end up getting my masters as well. am wanting to do an accelerated program but hear the IUPUI's program is impossible to get into. Anyone done these programs in indiana and have any idea of what gpa and teas scores look like? I feel every time I take 1 step forward in deciding to go back for nursing I take 3 steps back due to my old grades. Any advice from people who know of these programs or currently in them? ADN or ABSN?

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Specializes in LTC.

I am just finishing ADN program at Ivy Tech.

Admission is based on a scoring system using your grades from quantitative reasoning (math), English, Psychology, and A&P 101, plus TEAS score. Your GPA will not be a factor.

Feel free to ask me anything here, or send me a PM. I'm happy to help! :)

P.S. -- lots of people plan to go on and get their BSN or Masters. WGU is an option in Indiana, where you pay one fee for 6 months and complete as many classes as you can in that time. One of my clinical instructors went from ADN to BSN in 6 months, going that route.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

WGU also has a pre-licensure BSN program in Indiana.

You can find more info here: Online Nursing Program (RN) | Online Nursing Bachelor's Degree | WGU

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My only issue has been that I know our Ivy Tech is very competitive and like I said with my GPA unless I take a few more semesters to retake my prerequisites (which will push my time frame back even further). I looked into WGU but I learn best in a classroom setting and with it being completely online I feel as though I will fall behind in something as in depth as nursing. I may just have to bite the bullet and retake my classes and put getting into actual nursing school on hold. Did you like the ADN program and do you feel prepared?

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

Is Muncie doable for you? What about Ball State?

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I didn't look at ball state but that definitely could be something I could look into. I was told their program was just as difficult to get into but at this point I'm looking at anything that could potentially move me forward. I tried Marian University; I know their program is closer to a "direct entry" due to the program cost but I have too many C's from my undergrad to be considered until Fall of 2019. Financial aid isn't really an issue because I only took out 2000 dollars in loans for my undergrad so I should have enough room for loans.

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Specializes in LTC.
My only issue has been that I know our Ivy Tech is very competitive and like I said with my GPA unless I take a few more semesters to retake my prerequisites (which will push my time frame back even further). I looked into WGU but I learn best in a classroom setting and with it being completely online I feel as though I will fall behind in something as in depth as nursing. I may just have to bite the bullet and retake my classes and put getting into actual nursing school on hold. Did you like the ADN program and do you feel prepared?

Like I said, your overall GPA is not going to matter at Ivy Tech. You want top grades in the classes I listed, and the best TEAS score you can get.

I highly recommend getting all of your non-nursing classes done before starting the program. That is not required to get in, but I can guarantee you will have a better experience overall if you do it that way. I had one semester where I took 17 credit hours -- made it through with all A's and B's -- but I do not recommend it. ;) There is zero flexibility with scheduling, you do what they tell you to do, when they tell you to do it ... so trying to work in the sciences I still needed was interesting, to say the least.

Did I like nursing school? Now, that is a funny question I haven't thought about until now. Yes, I liked it. And at times, I probably hated it. But those moments were fleeting, and overall ~ I'd say, regardless of what happens from this point on, I'm glad I did it. Nursing school changes you. It really shows you what you're made of ~ as will nursing.

I feel as prepared as a new grad can be expected to feel at this point. You will realize very early on that, while your instructors are there to make sure you are completing the basic requirements, it is ultimately up to each of us as an individual to dig deeper and prepare ourselves as much as possible for the world of nursing. It's a huge task, and I am nowhere near the level of the nurses I've worked with. But that's exactly where I am supposed to be ~ and that's okay. I think what matters most is to have a love of learning, a drive for self-improvement, and the confidence and belief in yourself that you CAN and WILL be a good nurse someday.

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Look at the prerequisites you need to take and like another post said try to do them before admittance to Ivy Tech. GPA is not a factor just the classes they require before you apply. I have a BS in Biology and I re-took my A&P class to get a better score to get in. I did okay on the TEAS test (I didn't study) and got into the LPN program on my first try for Spring. Spring is apparently the least competitive time to get into the program. I did apply for both LPN and RN at the Indianapolis, Columbus and Anderson. I got in the LPN program in Columbus and Indianapolis.

Some say go for the RN only. I finished my LPN in a year (3 semesters). I applied and got into the LPN to ASN, so one semester off. I am working as a LPN, working on my RN currently. Going my routine, I have to take an additional semester compared to the traditional IVY tech RN program, but it is worth it. Plus, I didn't want to chance waiting and not getting into either program. Plus, I think it is little easier to work now because I am only taking one class and a clinical each semester for LPN to RN vs. the 2 classes plus clinicals every semester because nursing school is HARD!

I am just trying to get this done as I have been thinking about nursing for 9 years (after I got my BS). My 2 cents.

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Specializes in NICU.

Look into Indiana State. It isn't advertised very much so there was a low application submission when I did their ABSN 4 yrs ago. It was a very good program with a near 100% NCLEX pass rate for their ABSN program. My cohort had 100% NCLEX pass rate with half of the cohort passing at 75 questions.

There is one application cycle annually for our Accelerated 2nd Degree Track for students who have earned a Bachelor's in another field.

Applicants are ranked using three criteria:

Cumulative pre-requisite course GPA

Science GPA (anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology and their accompanying labs)

Admission exam scores

Nursing: Accelerated Second Degree (B.S.N.) | Indiana State University

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Thank you, I will look into their program. It looks like it's quite far for me but at this point I am willing to move for 14 months to be able to do a program. Thank you very much!

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