Navy wife: suggestions on nursing school in Hawaii

nutella, MSN, RN · Sep 5, 2016

Hi, I have no idea about nursing programs in Hawaii. I think usually people look at a couple of parameters when they try to decide which nursing school they want to apply to. Very important is that it is accredited and what their NXCLEX passing rate is - you can google that.

Another factor for you will be time and money. If your spouse is going to be in the military for a while, which usually means packing up so and so often, it could be better for you to look for a 2 year ADN program first. It may also be the more affordable route - perhaps there is a community college (but there could be years of waiting time...).

What I want to put out though is that your youngest kids are only 16 months old and nursing school is very competitive and you will have to go through clinicals. The problem is that you have to dedicate considerable amount of time and effort in nursing school and clinicals, which can be a struggle with young kids especially as a military spouse since you may be "single parent" for stretches. If your kids get sick you may struggle.

If you are very set on nursing and the ADN route is not the best for you at this time due to military life and age of children you could also look into a LPN program which would not end up with RN but with LPN. It is probably going to be faster and you could work in nursing and once your kids are older or you are at a location with more options, you could go back to school for LPN - RN program.

Whatever you decide - good luck!

nutella, MSN, RN · Sep 5, 2016

Why? I mean is it wrong or weird to actually know that being a nurse is your calling/dream? I Already work in the healthcare field so imno stranger. I'm not looking for be judged or place judgment I just want some answers or input on the colleges out there.

When people write about their "dream" and "calling" it is not necessarily received with optimism and encouragement as the reality of nursing often does not match the "dream" or the "calling".

It appears that many people go to nursing school with a romantic idea of "Florence Nightingale" or see themselves in a caring role that will give them fulfillment and respect.

Reality is often not like that - especially not in the first years.

Nursing is very hard work, a lot of responsibility, draining, patients and relatives are not necessarily grateful or pleasant unless you work in an area with limited contact or perhaps in critical care when they are glad that the patient is still alive. Nowadays there is literally no time and tasks pile up for nurses while demanding "excellent high quality of nursing care" and "excellent customer service". Administration driven by finances and management that worships that approach de-humanized nurses and CNA who are often just seen as a body and a number to achieve a goal. They do not really care about your health, your motivation, or your concerns about the care you provide.

That is the reason why nurses are discouraged and pessimistic a lot of times - because their dream turned into a nightmare.

dishes, BSN, RN · Sep 5, 2016

Look on the Board Of Nursing for the list of nursing programs that are Board recognized schools of nursing in Hawaii. Compare the addresses of the schools to the location that you will be living in, once you have found a school close to your home in Hawaii, look at the school's website for admission requirements and registration information.

Meeshie · Sep 5, 2016

Remember that timing is going to matter here. Generally speaking, nursing classes don't transfer. That means that where ever you start is where you need to graduate from. So if there's a possibility that his orders will change before you graduate? That's a problem. It means you'll either need to start from scratch or stay while he leaves so you can finish school. The quicker the program the better, most likely. That means that an RN program might not be the best bet for you depending on your husband's life.

Wrench Party · Sep 5, 2016

Ask Aholahawk (sp?), isn't he a nurse in Hawaii??

Also ask in the HI state forum.

I'd be mainly concerned about being able to finish while still stationed there. I'm sure you can figure out childcare and logistics.

Trauma Columnist · Sep 6, 2016

I was a military wife when I did nursing school - our sons were 5 and 10. It was not easy as we moved every 2-3 years. I would figure out what nursing schools are available to you near where you husband will be stationed. Then, I would email the nursing dept and find out how they deal with military spouses. Many times due to wait lists at public schools, you might want to consider private schools which while expensive, often have a quicker admission process. I did the LPN, then ADN to avoid the constant moving and multiple times repeating courses.

Its not easy but it is doable. Best wishes.

Sue Demonas, BSN, MSN, PhD, RN · Sep 6, 2016

Decide on your nursing entry pathway: ADN or BSN. Read about these options online, and determine what fits your current life situation. If BSN is your choice, you can do your 1st two years of prereqs/core courses and those courses usually transfer quite well (english, math, history, science, etc...). Then , look at where you are and your husband's duty plans for the next 2-3 years. That will be the time to decide what school to go to for nursing school (junior and senior years of nursing and clinical experiences.) The first two years of prereqs can usually be transferred to other schools, provided the coruses are the same number of credit hours and content focus.

If ADN is your option, get you prereqs, if any, completed. Then look to see where you will be living. The ADN programs are usually 2 years after completion of prereqs, and some program allow completion of some prereqs while enrolled in nursing courses, but that can vary from school to school, so read the guidelines of the programs you are considering very carefully.

Yes, check the Hawaii Board of Nursing's website for NCLEX (aka board) pass rates for first time takers. This will give you an indicator of how well graduates are prepared to pass the licensing exam. Talk with current students and graduates to her their thoughts about the program. Follow nursing programs on FB or Twitter to get an idea of what's going on there.

Best wishes to you!

avotoasted · Sep 7, 2016

I'm assuming he'll be stationed at either JBPHH or MCBH on Oahu. Luckily most of the state's RN programs are on the same island! Oahu's only ADN program is at Kapiolani Community College. The other options are your BSN programs at Chaminade, Hawaii Pacific University, or UH Manoa - but the first two are private, so they'll be a little more expensive.

I graduated from UHM, so I can share a little about that. Program itself is 6 semesters, and you have to take a few nursing electives, but your academic advisors are really good about breaking down each semester and when it would be easiest to take those electives. Each semester you choose or are placed in one clinical site for the entire 16 wks - not like some other schools where you can rotate every 8 wks or so. Senior preceptorship placements tend to be a bit limited - lots of med surg, lots of rehab/snf/LTC, lots of outpatient, but not a whole lot of critical care areas. I think only 2 or 3 of the people in my cohort (of 60+ students) got into ICU for their final semester, while maybe another 4 got into ED, as the placement depends on grades, tech/aide experience, volunteer, and unit/facility preference.

Overall it was a good experience and we had some great faculty, but the lack of critical care rotations really hurt some of us in the job search, I think - even when we branched out and searched for jobs on the mainland.

Like the posters above noted, I think your biggest problem might be the potential of PCSing in the middle of your program. I knew a few military spouses who had to stay in Hawaii to finish school and then meet back up with their family after graduation.

Buyer beware, BSN · Sep 12, 2016

NCLEX pass rates are only relevant when you first know a schhol year's original cohort garaduation and retention rate.

So in other words if you start with a cohort of 100 students and after 2 or 4 years you have only 30 students who graduate and then 25 pass the NCLEX, that's respectable 83% pass rate. But the real question of importance is: "What happened to the the 70% of the original cohort that didn't even graduate to take the NCLEX.

A real sign of a poor school is one that can't graduate or retain students for whatever reason. Quality schools produce quality results. Case and point for-profit schools are ultra expensive and have bad grad and retention rates.they are in most cases the last resorts of

Students who have done poorly academically in the past or have been sold a bill of goods by slick recruitment marketeers.

Moral of the story, stay away from the for-profits at all cost. Research potential schools at (collegescorecard.ed.gov). Most of all do your own research abd be cofident of this very expensive investement in your time, money and future for you and your family.

And by the way, thank you for what you and your husband do to keep the rest of us safe.

You deserve all good things. Best of luck always.

Ne27 · Feb 10, 2017

Hello,

I am going to apply to the BSN program at UHM in Jan 2018. I would love to hear from you about time management when it came to class schedule and clinicals if you don't mind. How long did you have class each day? As I have two kids in school I would love to know ahead if I will be needing care for them.

Thank you in advance!