Me and my story,

lc3 · Jun 5, 2006

Well I decided to embark on the adventure that is called college at 28yrs old. Medicine has always been my calling; so I decided to start in nursing (not ever guessing that the Community Colleges in my area or random selection. I have carried a min. of 12 units (including summers) to get all my pre-reqs done for my community colleges. Took me about 2yrs. I have a 3.6 overall GPA. I have applied 2 times at American River College and turned down twice, not even given an alternate status. I applied at Sacramento City College for this up-coming term and didn't get in but am in the top 1/3rd of eligible alternates, whatever that means. My family and I have decided that this "random" selection process at the C.C. level is a royal pain so I have decided to step up to California State College - Sacramento, which is a point based system and busted my but for my transfer courses this past semester and have gotten in as a Junior. So in prep for me to enter their nursing I am now taking the following steps, I must take this fall semester organic chem. (not a a pre-req for community), I am now a volunteer for Mercy hospitals' E.R. department, and I am taking my Teas test on the 28th of this month. I have scene the stats on their nursing admittance and they look pretty steep. Who knows but I have questioned my major several times due to the year and a half now of waiting to get in and am looking at Psychology if this persists. And to think my first college couselor said it would be easy for me to get in as a nurse as they are depserate for males...lol. So this is me and my story. Hi to all in the same boat.

HI! Well it sounds like its been a real pain in the butt. I would however suggest not to get into Psych. I have a BA in Psych and Sociology and now I'm switching gears to Nursing. I've never had a hard time finding a job with a Psych degree in research that is. If you want to do clinical, you have to have grad degree Psych. If Nursing is really what you want, then just stick with it. Good Luck!

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 6, 2006

If you choose the Psych route you will be able to get a Clinical Psych job easily. However, there are other things you will not get so easily.

The pay is not great and so if you have student loans that might hurt you. You will also need to put in a few years of work before you can do clinical assessments or sit for a counseling exam in some states. In other states you cannot sit for the exam without a graduate degree.

If you choose and are eligible to sit for the counseling exam in your state, note that you will need supervision by a Masters level Clinician to actually practice Counseling. Also note, not many want to do this because they prefer you to return to school and earn a graduate degree.

I can see a few good things about going this route... you may actually like working in the field (I didn't). Or if you wish to go through an Accelerated program, you may have a better chance then going the ADN route in Cali (I'm not sure). Good luck.

TallGirlAni · Jun 6, 2006

I do not know your relationship status (family, married, kids, etc), but you may look into relocating for the remainder of your college career. I would suggest looking into other schools that you can get into, obviously within CA (since your tuition will still be in-state). Nursing is a great field to go into (for so many reasons that I am sure you already know). In the long run, you may find that you are glad that you did. I returned back to school when I was 29, and completed my bachelors for RN in 3 1/2 years. I have never had any regrets and I have so many more options now for my present..and my future. When I was deciding on a major, Psychology was also a choice that I had considered, but then I realized...."Then What?"

I was able to get my first job within a a couple of weeks (my first choice and 2 interviews). The pay is great (55 thousand without overtime), 5 weeks off vacation per year, 10 holidays, etc. Now that my student loans are due, I am able to tolerate the payments without stress, and I am evaluating where and what I would like to do after my first year is under my belt. Some employers even have tuition reimbursement to help you pay back some of those student loans.

If you like feel like you enjoy nursing, then please be diligent in pursuing every avenue to completing your education. Otherwise, you may end up going back to pursue the degree after you find the other degree you obtained is not what you needed to pay the bills, etc.

It can be frustrating right now, but keep trying. Apply to as many schools as you can (even if you are on a waiting list, you may find that you may be selected). Increase your odds as much as you can and keep asking around for any kind of solutions. You will be surprised at what other people may be able to suggest.

Good Luck and keep us posted!

Travellpro · Jun 6, 2006

I would agree with the previous poster. If you want to do nursing there are so many schools out there that you can get into. There may be wait lists but you can get in. I finished my prereques in August 2005 and was accepted in September 2005 to begin the nursing program in August 2006. I believe it is worth the wait

jda1977 · Jun 6, 2006

I am most certain nursing is for me and that has been my goal all along. I am going to Sac State to open that 3rd (point based) option for nursing as I am basically done and am just waiting. I have most classes done for my GE in both BA/BS and only need P.E. to gain my general AA. I just dont know how much longer I could potentially wait. I do have a daughter, I am 28, and my wife is the sole wage earner while I am in school. Another mitigating factor came from reading these boards so heres an addition to the story:

6/5/2000 I was arrested for petty theft. My friend I was with stole a cd and I was there and was aware. My ignorance involved me in the situation and I paid the price. I was only taken in because I rode with him and didnt bring my wallet or else they may have let me go and just taken him in. However I was processed, I did what they call a deferral of charges program and the DA dropped all charges. Nothing shows up at the court house or on any background check, but if you do run my fingerprints it has come up. I was working at a bank and my prints came back with a hit and I had to explain this to them (The report only said theft and gave no other info, which the bank said was weird as theres usually a lengthy bit of info on the arrest). I have emailed the board and will call today to see if they will give me any advice outside of the standard case by case. I also paid to have my Dept of Justice fingerprint pulled so I can see what they will see. Many have said that I should not worry and that it was so small and my one and only offence, and it was six yrs old.(8yrs by the time the board sees it.) as well as my volunteer and letters of reccomnedation that I will have. But I am still extremely worried about getting declined and wasting the two years in nursing work but what can you do, nothing....I will try and get in where i can I am just looking at psyc as a backup for my BA if I get in two nursing at the AA level.

cdelacruz71 · Jun 6, 2006

I will be starting my 3rd semester of the ADN program at American River in August. It took me 2 years of part-time schooling to get my pre-reqs done and I only applied to Sac City and AR for the programs. I was turned down at Sac City but won the lotto on the first try at AR. I know a few classmates that have applied 3 or 4 times before getting in, and quite a few that got in on their first application. Even if you don't get in you should keep re-applying because the more times you apply the more chances you have of getting in. Plus you can always turn down the school if you get accepted to another program. American River accepted 50 students for this Fall term. They have uped their admittance from 30 to 50-60 students the last few terms. My class had 80 in it. I suggest you go for the Sac State program but apply to all other school's as well. Have you thought about applying to Sierra College in Roseville and Delta College in Stockton? A classmate of mine got in at Delta and will be starting his 4th semester there. Good luck, and don't get discouraged. Believe me, the wait and hard work is worth it.

TallGirlAni · Jun 7, 2006

Can you get the arrest record expunged? When it is expunged, the prints are usually pulled out. Look into it. First, find out if it is expungeable. You research this on the internet, even. Have all of this info available. Arrest date, city and county you were arrested, courthouse, jail, etc. There is a process that you have to go to, and you can do this without an attorney. It is a process, may take a few months, but worth it. You will have to find out where you will file this. Was it through a county sheriff's dept, city police?

Once you file, you will get a date that you will appear. Sometimes it says you don't have to appear in court, but make sure that you do, because they might deny you. The prosecutor will not want to expunge it, and fight it. But, if you appear, state your case, say you are going to nursing school, have not been in trouble since, etc, you have a very good chance of it happening. Just plod through the process. It is well worth it. Go to your internet search engine type in expungement and your city or county you may find exact directions on how to do this, so gather up your documents and plod through. i helped out a friend in a similar situation and we got it expunged. Fingerprints on a negative and the original police documents were sent to her and she destroyed them. I feel like I could be a lawyer, too, after that experience. Any questions, email me directly at [email protected]

jda1977 · Jun 7, 2006

I appreciate your response. I am in the process of doing something like that now. It's an order to seal and destroy. I had to file a form with the arresting department first, they can then approve it or decline it. From there it goes to court, before a judge and I try my case there. I did actually speak to a individual directly that handles the convictions area for incoming nurses and she was very approachable and basically told me that it would not affect me other than to extend my processing time. So I am happy and hopeful to either deal with my past with the board or to have it removed. I thank everyone for their input and advice.

jda1977 · Jun 7, 2006

I will be starting my 3rd semester of the ADN program at American River in August. It took me 2 years of part-time schooling to get my pre-reqs done and I only applied to Sac City and AR for the programs. I was turned down at Sac City but won the lotto on the first try at AR. I know a few classmates that have applied 3 or 4 times before getting in, and quite a few that got in on their first application. Even if you don't get in you should keep re-applying because the more times you apply the more chances you have of getting in. Plus you can always turn down the school if you get accepted to another program. American River accepted 50 students for this Fall term. They have uped their admittance from 30 to 50-60 students the last few terms. My class had 80 in it. I suggest you go for the Sac State program but apply to all other school's as well. Have you thought about applying to Sierra College in Roseville and Delta College in Stockton? A classmate of mine got in at Delta and will be starting his 4th semester there. Good luck, and don't get discouraged. Believe me, the wait and hard work is worth it.

Yes, that is a plus, that with each re-application your name is placed in the amount of times you have applied (up to 3). So for my Spring applications I will have 3 slots at ARC and 2 at SCC. I have a friend who got in through working at Mercy at ARC. He said that the state funding for hospitals to place applicants in the program is ending and the money is now going to the general pool at the schools to allow for more students to enter. How is the program? He was telling me it was the most intense course work he has done. I will be applying to Sierra at the next go around as I was unaware of their program. And my counselor at SCC said that it was hard for Sacramento area students to get into Delta, due to the fact that they award a good portion of points to those that live in that county. Thanks for your kind words...

futureRN17 · May 14, 2008

I appled 6 times at American River College SAC. and finally I 'm In! for fall 2008.I will be taking TEAS exam in 2 weeks.

Kimberley.RN · May 14, 2008

Another college to look into is Yuba College. They're a wait list program, and I believe it's 2 to 2-1/2 yr wait list, but at least you know if you didn't get into the lottery programs you'd be accepted somewhere. I'm not sure about your financial situation, but if you're interested in private schools, check out Samuel Merritt. You can get your BSN through them also. Another program you can look into if you haven't already is the Sac City Extended Campus. It's not a lottery program. And if you get accepted they cover part/most of your tuition. You can go to Sac City's website and find the link for the program there. It's so hard to get in programs in this area. Good luck!