No More Prereqs!!!

I think the enthusiasm on this thread is awesome, but are we being a little naive regarding our futures? The fact is that there are nearly twice, that is right, TWICE the number of nursing school graduates now as there were 5 years ago!!! There are private nursing schools churning out nursing graduates at an unprecedented rate. And the NCLEX pass rate is above 90%. There are thousands of nursing school grads who can't find a job. Some hospitals even have volunteer programs for nurses who can't find jobs (see here: New Graduate Registered Nurses, Clinical Experience, RN jobs, New grad RN Training, RN Residency, RN Transition, Nurse mentoring | COPE Health Solutions).

Academic success is nice, but getting a job that pays the bills is the goal, isn't it?

I think the enthusiasm on this thread is awesome, but are we being a little naive regarding our futures? The fact is that there are nearly twice, that is right, TWICE the number of nursing school graduates now as there were 5 years ago!!! There are private nursing schools churning out nursing graduates at an unprecedented rate. And the NCLEX pass rate is above 90%. There are thousands of nursing school grads who can't find a job. Some hospitals even have volunteer programs for nurses who can't find jobs (see here: New Graduate Registered Nurses, Clinical Experience, RN jobs, New grad RN Training, RN Residency, RN Transition, Nurse mentoring | COPE Health Solutions).

Academic success is nice, but getting a job that pays the bills is the goal, isn't it?

Way to burst that bubble! Haha! I don't think that anyone is blind to the current state of the job market. But sometimes finishing up those prereqs can feel endless. There is nothing wrong with celebrating the small accomplishments in life.

grats...I also started May last year after spontaneously deciding to bail on my 25 year computer geek career and call the school on the last day of summer registration (serendipitous, no?)

I have basically been in school every day since (minus school closures) plus CNA classes so I know how you feel. just think, in 2 years we might get a break!

Congrats!

I think the enthusiasm on this thread is awesome, but are we being a little naive regarding our futures? The fact is that there are nearly twice, that is right, TWICE the number of nursing school graduates now as there were 5 years ago!!! There are private nursing schools churning out nursing graduates at an unprecedented rate. And the NCLEX pass rate is above 90%. There are thousands of nursing school grads who can't find a job. Some hospitals even have volunteer programs for nurses who can't find jobs (see here: New Graduate Registered Nurses, Clinical Experience, RN jobs, New grad RN Training, RN Residency, RN Transition, Nurse mentoring | COPE Health Solutions).

Academic success is nice, but getting a job that pays the bills is the goal, isn't it?

Wow...the intent of my post was to celebrate one small milestone in my journey with those who could relate or those who will be in the same situation soon. Chill. But since you brought it up, I can't help but respond:

I am fully aware of the current job market. I made the decision to give up a steady paycheck to do this for the next couple years, and know that I am not guaranteed a job at the end of the program. However, I have chosen to trust that God will get me through the next couple years (when I hardly have any money to pay my bills), and I am choosing to trust that He will also provide me with a great job when I graduate if that is His will.

This is one of the biggest risks I've ever taken with my life. Risks aren't always fun, but sometimes they're necessary. It would be a lot easier for me to stay in my current job as an Executive Assistant...I have great health benefits, a steady salary with a quarterly bonus, and have become a valuable part of this company over the last six years. But I'm also miserable, hate what I do, and long to do something with my life that will really make a difference. I am only 28 years old, am single, and have no children. It's a scary, unpredictable move for me to make, but I decided to take a huge risk and pursue something I've always wanted to do instead of playing it safe and being miserable for the rest of my life.

Like I said, this is scary and unpredictable. There are a million things that could go wrong. I have a 4.0 GPA in my prereqs, but I could still fail all of my nursing classes. I could start taking the classes and realize I don't really like nursing. I could get hit by a car/bus/airplane that falls out of the sky tonight and never make it to nursing school...now I'm being a little dramatic, but do you see where I'm going with this? We have no guarantee of ANYTHING in this world. We like to think we have control over our lives, but we don't. So why am I going to worry over things I can't control? All we can do is live our lives the best we can and hope that we figure out what our purpose is in this world. End rant.

Congrats and much success to you in the nursing program. God Bless!!!

Glad I went to nursing school when you just had to get accepted in and took all your course at the same time. I guess they figure this is a way to weed out some people though in my class everyone went on to be nurses.

I just wanted to share my enthusiasm with the AN crowd...I am finally finished with my last prereq!!! I will officially start Nursing school in September and am both nervous and excited. I started my prereq journey in May 2011 when I decided to take a 5-week A&P I course. I've only been working at the prereqs for about 14 months, but it feels a lot longer than that! I just want to encourage anyone who is just starting out, or anyone who has been chipping away at the prereqs for a while now...just keep at it! I worked full-time while I took all these courses, so I know how burned out you can get and how sometimes it feels like it's never going to end. Keep focused on the ultimate goal of Nursing school and don't lose sight of that until you've made it!!!