LPN or RN + rant

[Zaneman]

just some back ground on me. i’m a 23 year old male with a 3.3gpa. i had always thought a 3.3 to be good; b's have been bringing my gpa down for the last few terms for crying out loud. even though i realize my gpa is pretty crummy when applying for nursing schools. so here is my dilemma. do i apply to rn schools in the next couple months and most likely get turned down. or do i shoot for lpn school and then rn? is it a lot easier to get into a lpn to rn program?

i have a few people i know that are going paramedic to rn. paramedic is only a year long program like lpn would this be a easier route?

*skip this bottom paragraph unless you want to hear me complain* this is my first post i figure i might as well rant on everything nursing.

i've worked in a well known top 100 us hospital for the last 5 years. however, during school i see all these girls and guys who work at papa murphys or a salon and they want to be nurses. when i ask them why they want to be nurses it seems to always be about money or having a job. what happened to patient care? i see patients every week and these people have never even stepped foot into the provider role at a hospital. am i missing some nursing program that gives a decent amount of credit to healthcare workers instead of a point or two on applications? also why the hell all of a sudden a couple years ago did it become a good idea to force nursing students to get their cna just to apply to schools? none of the nurses i work with had to get their cna's first and always seem to get a good laugh in when i tell them i have to get my cna to become a nurse. this to me says i should be a dental assistant before being allowed into dentistry school, a pa before i can get into medical school, or a vet tech before a veterinarian.

anyways some ideas on my first question about lpn to rn would be great. also i'm single and willing to move anywhere in america to go to school. can someone give me advice on schools that might accept me. i havn't taken a stupid teas or net or whatever becuase the state i live in doesnt require a test to get into nursing school. i found out all the rest of the country expects me to take some stupid standardized test. of course no where around me is one of those tests offered, so i'm expected to go out of state or something to take one.

[frnzy]

I don't see why not go for the Paramedic first. After you start working, you could knock out all the nursing prereqs during the year after you graduate. Then apply to an "advanced standing" Paramedic->ADN program.

Have you looked at BSN programs? I'd imagine that programs where they have an essay or more ambiguous entrance standards can weigh work experience a lot more heavily than ones that rely on test scores to week through applicants.

What are your grades in Anatomy and Microbiology? Is the 3.3 just in the nursing prereqs? or is that your overall GPA?

[itsmejuli]

Are you working as a PCT or CNA now at a hospital? If so, does your employer offer any kind of program to get you to RN?

There a quite a few hospitals that have this type of program. What about finding a patient care position in a hospital that will pay for your RN.

[Zaneman]

i don't see why not go for the paramedic first. after you start working, you could knock out all the nursing prereqs during the year after you graduate. then apply to an "advanced standing" paramedic->adn program.

have you looked at bsn programs? i'd imagine that programs where they have an essay or more ambiguous entrance standards can weigh work experience a lot more heavily than ones that rely on test scores to week through applicants.

what are your grades in anatomy and microbiology? is the 3.3 just in the nursing prereqs? or is that your overall gpa?

**itsmejuli** are you working as a pct or cna now at a hospital? if so, does your employer offer any kind of program to get you to rn?

my gpa is altogether a 3.3. overall my nursing prereqs are at like 3.45 so seemingly a bit better. i would go paramedic first but that mean another year of school. i have 82 credits right now and next term will finish my associates of science/transfer degree. i'm just wondering if i must wait another year of my life would a lpn or paramedic school be better for trying to get my rn? my grades in a&p are basically the only thing dropping my grades so low. i have b/c/b. i'd like to bring them up but i want to finish my associates before i being to retake classes.

i'm working at a hospital now as an ekg technician. i'm complaining about getting my cna because its just a waste of my time and money and i would be making considerably less if i was to work as one. i may not wipe nearly as many butts or give showers, i however still have considerable patient contact. i also get the chance to enter operating rooms, delivery rooms, and trauma rooms in the er; something a cna does not do. yet my job isn't a cna or emt so i can't use it as medical experience for many nursing applications. i was wondering if anyone can point me to school that require no stupid cna certification to apply to, or uses a teas or net test to judge applicants. i've noted some colleges will accept you and during the summer before hand allow you to get your cna license i'm okay with that, just not forcing me to get one just to apply.

[frnzy]

What area(s) of the country do you want to go to school in?

[Zaneman]

What area(s) of the country do you want to go to school in?

That's the thing. I'm single have $30k+ in the bank from work and willing to go where ever I need to go to get my degree whether it be a Associates or Bachelors. I still would like a decently affordable school though. I have seen Oklahoma city college that wants 45k+ just for your degree. I want something under 1000$ dollars per credit for crying out loud. My community colege credits are literally $70 bucks per credit. I'd really really rather get my associates then move back to my home town, get a job and finish my BSN there.

[Guest 360983]

or a vet tech before a veterinarian.

actually, most vet programs require lots (sometimes hundreds) of hours of experience working with animals in order to be a competitive applicant. just saying.

i'm confused--does your school require you to work as a cna or just complete the class? i've heard of lots of schools requiring a cna; when schools are as competitive as they are, they have to cut down the applicant pool somehow. it'd be a bit weird to require cna experience, though.

you'll probably have better luck applying to a bsn program than an adn program. in my area, i've noticed that the adn programs admit based only on points (for gpa, credits completed and test scores), while some of the bsn programs have interviews to help offset your grades.

if you become a paramedic, it may not be a wasted year. it'll probably take a year to become a paramedic, but if there's a paramedic-rn bridge program, you may be able to skip a year of school, so you still end up taking two years of school. ems can be crazy--it's a good fit if you like working in a fast paced situation under pressure without people hanging over you. well, you'll have families acting crazy, but you won't have a supervisor watching every move (i loved that!).

[Zaneman]

Actually, most vet programs require lots (sometimes hundreds) of hours of experience working with animals in order to be a competitive applicant. Just saying.

I'm confused--does your school require you to work as a CNA or just complete the class? I've heard of lots of schools requiring a CNA; when schools are as competitive as they are, they have to cut down the applicant pool somehow. It'd be a bit weird to require CNA experience, though.

You'll probably have better luck applying to a BSN program than an ADN program. In my area, I've noticed that the ADN programs admit based only on points (for GPA, credits completed and test scores), while some of the BSN programs have interviews to help offset your grades.

If you become a paramedic, it may not be a wasted year. It'll probably take a year to become a paramedic, but if there's a paramedic-rn bridge program, you may be able to skip a year of school, so you still end up taking two years of school. EMS can be crazy--it's a good fit if you like working in a fast paced situation under pressure without people hanging over you. Well, you'll have families acting crazy, but you won't have a supervisor watching every move (I loved that!).

Well most schools I've noticed only require you to have your CNA not specific CNA experience. However, some do give extra points in accordance with CNA hours. Yeah I'm might just look into paramedic school or LPN becuase my grades arnt perfect like the rest of you guys. Its just such a frustraiting system to expect kids to get straight A's just to be nurses. That and require students to spend over 1000 dollars just to get their CNA. I read on this site people saying how they would hate a nurse without CNA experiance taking care of them. Umm...... hello most nurse with 10+ years of working never got their CNA and when I mention to older nurses I have to get my CNA to apply to nursing school they allways laugh.

[frnzy]

To keep your cost down, you'll want either a community college ADN or a Bachelor's program in your home state. None of the BSN programs I've looked into require a CNA. However, since they are BSN programs, they do take years to complete if you don't already have a Bachelor's.

My local CC is points based. You don't ~need~ stellar GPA. But you do need lots of "points." You can get points by taking all the optional prereqs, working, volunteering, getting good GPA, having a certificate license (like a CNA or EKG, for example). But it is competitive and if you don't have a certificate in something, then you need grades+job or job+all prereqs complete.

[Guest 360983]

You shouldn't be paying $1000+ for a CNA class (unless you live in a really high cost of living area). Have you checked the continuing ed department at your community college? I'm getting mine (long story why, not for nursing school) and it's costing me $450 plus uniform and book. If you're interested in actually working as a CNA, call some local nursing homes and see if they will train you for free. They'll expect you to work for them for a period of time after training you, but it could work out for you.