New Male Pre-Nursing Student

friendlysmile · Apr 3, 2010

I think if you have the passion to be a nurse then don't listen to what other people tell you. I had a male nurse when i was giving birth to my son. I don't see the what gender has to do with ability. Just make the best grades for your pre-req's and you should be able to get into any college/university you want.

Anoetos, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2010

I think if you have the passion to be a nurse then don't listen to what other people tell you. I had a male nurse when i was giving birth to my son. I don't see the what gender has to do with ability. Just make the best grades for your pre-req's and you should be able to get into any college/university you want.

Agreed. Control what you can control. In school, that's your grades.

Bob_N_VA · Apr 6, 2010

I got the bug to try this just about a year ago after a very long time of being frustrated with my current work situation. I already had a BA so the only courses I needed were the A&P 1 and 2 and Micro. I did those last summer and fall and started an evening/weekends program this January. For me, it was a chance to move into a profession where I thought I could come home from work with a sense that my being there made a difference for somebody.

You say you are being ridiculed for your choice. You dont mention your age, but if you are younger that may be part of it. I'm definately not on the younger side, but if anybody was to question my choice, I would probably tell them to KMA. I think how that affects you depends on your sense of self, how comfortable you are in your own skin. Honestly, you have to be pretty comfortable with yourself in order to be a good nurse. You cant escape emotions in this job.

As for the choice of school to go to, I'll agree that CC's are pretty popular right now, especially taking into account the cheaper tuition rates. But they do seem to have a longer wait period to get in and are being more selective. That may not matter if you are going to have to cover some pre-reqs, but if you are on a time line, it might set you back. I am in a hospital based diploma program. Tuition is about the same per credit as some of the local 4 year schools. As a matter of fact, most of the hospital programs are moving to a BSN program, we are the lone holdout here. They make you come in with 1.5 years of pre-reqs and you go 2.5 years to complete. We will probably transition to that in a couple of years, but that is only speculation.

Keep in mind that one of the hospital based schools best selling points is the amount and quality of the clinical time you can get. After all, its their hospital so their students get the priority and they tend to get much more clinical time too. That means you will come out of the program with a good amount of hands on practical knowledge and exposure to units that may want to hire you once you graduate.

Good luck, keep pushing ahead.

PatMac10,RN, RN · Apr 6, 2010

Congratulations on getting in, I am still waiting for my letter.

Thank you Anoetos I hope you receive your letter soon!

marshpit23 · Apr 6, 2010

Hey Pat,

I finally decided to go back to school for nursing about 1 1/2 years ago. I all but finished my pre req's and I'm waiting to recieve my acceptance letter. I'm extremely proud to tell people that I have decided to become a nurse. Being a nurse and an important cog in the medical field machinery has been a dream of mine for years! I was stuck in a sales job for years. When the economy started to take a serious downward spiral, I was subsqently laid off! Instead of going back to a JOB I hated, I decided to take the necessary steps in beginning my career as a RN...I'm super pumped to actually make a difference in people's lifes.