Memphis area Nursing Schools - Seeking Information

kijuanxpablo · Dec 28, 2012

Hey! It sucks that nobody has replied until now! But im a pre nursing student at southwest right now and it's actually pretty good!ive decided to stay at southwest and go through their nursing program, but before them I went to sit in on a few nursing foundations classes at baptist, southwest, and the U of M. I also currently volunteer at the med and the VAMC emergency departments and theese schools often come to us for their clinical rotations. Ive seen firsthand many different aspects of theese schools and I would personally say Baptist is the best! (Not to mention their payment program!) I'm only at southwest because I do not think I would like to be tied down to baptist for 4 years after graduation. However, if youre looking for cheap schooling, southwest is the place!

DadStudentPerhaps · Dec 28, 2012

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I have requested an information packet from Baptist, but am not ruling out Southwest either. They seem to be the only two colleges with a nights and weekend program. I am leaning towards Baptist right now but I still want to go to Southwest and talk to them face to face about their program. The thought of getting my RN license in two years as opposed to four is appealing, then I could always work on the Bachelors afterwards.

I notice you work as a volunteer, just curious what it is you do? Do you get to follow the RNs on rounds and participate in patient care? If so, that should give you an advantage in school.

Thanks

Shanrnbsn · Jan 20, 2013

Hey, I just graduated from Southwest 12/13/12. Everyone from any school will tell you what they disliked about their program. There is NO perfect school. I will tell you my opinion regarding STCC. I worked full time the first semester it was hard but I did it. The nights weekends program was nice because classes were only two nights a week and we could almost always get Saturday or Sunday clinicals. The second semester I still worked full time but almost did not pass. I switched to part time work In January of last year and completed my nursing program while only working part time. There were over half of the class still working full time. Out of the 60 of us that started together in January 2011 there were only half of us graduating together ontime in December 2012. The program is hard, I loved some teachers and dreaded others. Let me know if you have any more questions. *

Mickey28 · Feb 14, 2013

Hi everyone, I have been reading the info on the boards and am trying to learn more about the local schools and the personal experiences of people who are currently or were previously enrolled. I would especially love to hear from people who are enrolled in the evening / weekend classes at either Southwest or Baptist Schools. How are those schools? Instructors? Do any of you work full time hours during the day? I know that would add a degree of difficulty and is frowned upon by the schools, but how doable is it? Is it a determining factor in the selection process? Im married to a Nurse (27 yrs) and have always respected her occupation. My interest in changing careers after 25 years is strictly because of my admiration of the profession and the stability that comes with it. I already have an Associates of Applied Science Degree and am still in college part time taking pre-req classes. My GPA is currently a 3.04 but will improve when last semesters grades are included in the computation. I have 99 college credit hours completed but still need to take A&P I & II. As far as all the other classes, English Comp I & II, History, Psychology, Speech, Algebra, Biology, BIO Lab, ect... I'm done with those classes. I am 46 years old, so I know I need to make a move soon if I am going to pursue this goal. I would also love to hear from anyone around my age currently in school. I will admit I am extremely nervous over the prospect of getting over loaded with school and working full time.

Hi DadRNperhaps: We are about the same age and same situation. I've finished my pre-reqs and plan on applying for Spring 2014 at Southwest. Since the graduation rate is roughly 50% it is hard for me to imagine leaving my full-time job to focus entirely on nursing school. I have a friend who did it several years ago, but I'm sure its work and school and very little else. Since nursing is so different than what I currently do, I volunteer at both Methodist and Le Bonheur to a better understanding of what it is like to work in a hospital.

DadStudentPerhaps · May 14, 2013

Thanks for the reply everyone. I was looking into Baptist until the dropped their nights/weekends course. It appears Southwest may be the only college still offering those classes, so it makes my choice much easier :)