Nursing School Selection Process???

leslie :-D · Mar 23, 2011

People on this board are so unsympathetic. He said he almost cried, what is it that you gain from being so harsh to him? The nursing application process can be crushing. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

i take it you're not a nurse yet?

allow me to give you a bit of advice, if you don't mind.

nursing is NOT about only being compassionate.

sometimes it is necessary, but it certainly is not the most pertinent quality in being a good nurse...i promise you that.

rather, you need a thick, thick skin, because you will be heavily criticized by frustrated pts, families, other employees, dr's.

you need to be able to take it, AND sling it back...with professionalism, assertiveness, and grace.

it's understandable to be profoundly disappointed...

but as my mom used to tell me (all the time!)..."be careful what you ask for...you might get it."

and the op indeed, did ask for feedback.

which leads me to, say what you mean and mean what you say.

some of the harshest words i've heard as a nurse, ended up being the most helpful.

i didn't read anyone being mean-spirited...only forthright and truthful.

dang, if you can't take truth, even when not sugar-coated...you won't survive as a nurse.

op, try and try again.

hoping it works out for you.

leslie

coast2coast · Mar 23, 2011

Being that most of the nurses who commented probably helped deliver Jesus, I can understand that the nursing field probably wasn't as competitive as today. Thank You.

The selection process appears to be working just fine. :cool:

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2011

The selection process appears to be working just fine.

That's pretty funny. After having read more clarification from the OP;), I would have to say I agree.

I Run 4 Fun · Mar 25, 2011

Not getting selected for a slot that you feel like you are well suited for can be very disappointing. Many apply, few are chosen. When there are only 25 slots available, you need scores that are better than the hundreds that apply. Now that you know the school you applied to cares mostly about your test sores, find a way to improve yours. Go back to the school and see if they will tell you how many students applied, what were the cutoff scores, and what you need to do to improve your chances. I know some of the schools in my area will tell you that kind of information. If there are other schools in your area, maybe you could apply for one that has a larger class size so you can increase your chances. Many people don't get selected the first time, or the second, or the third... if nursing is your dream - keep pursing it. I wish you luck on getting in.

Otessa, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2011

I appreciate you speaking up for. I posted this because I truly was very hurt, emotional, and discouraged and I just needed some reassurance. Being that most of the nurses who commented probably helped deliver Jesus, I can understand that the nursing field probably wasn't as competitive as today. Thank You.

Graduated almost 20 years ago. 400 plus applicants to my BSN program-only 40 of us gained entrance. That means only 10% of those who applied gained entrance. Sounds competitive to me.

Otessa, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2011

The selection process appears to be working just fine.

That is what I was thinking:eek:

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · Mar 25, 2011

Not getting selected for a slot that you feel like you are well suited for can be very disappointing. Many apply, few are chosen. When there are only 25 slots available, you need scores that are better than the hundreds that apply. Now that you know the school you applied to cares mostly about your test sores, find a way to improve yours. Go back to the school and see if they will tell you how many students applied, what were the cutoff scores, and what you need to do to improve your chances. I know some of the schools in my area will tell you that kind of information. If there are other schools in your area, maybe you could apply for one that has a larger class size so you can increase your chances. Many people don't get selected the first time, or the second, or the third... if nursing is your dream - keep pursing it. I wish you luck on getting in.

Good adivse here OP.

As a I said before cast a wider net and apply to more than one school. Three years ago when I was applying to nursing schools there were around 1000 applicants per school. The one that I got into took 100 students, but most school in the area only took 40.

If you think getting into nursing school is hard, just wait untill you are applying for new grad internships, even worse.

The one hospital system in my area that even has an internship the first go around they interviewed 540 people for 40 jobs, the next go around they raised their GPA requirments interviewed 350 people and hired 30. So far for every job I have interviewed for there have been at least 100 people or more applying for the same spot.

Nursing is competieve, get used to dissapointment, and learn from it:idea: so you can improve your chances next time around

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Mar 25, 2011

Agree the selection process is working. OP, I suggest you apply to a different school, b/c if you came off to the people at that school the way you have here, I'd say you have somewhere between zero and nill chance of ever getting in there.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2011

Adam, don't give up. I know that you are crushed right now. It is always a difficult experience to be passed over, no matter the circumstance. It is a terrible blow to your self esteem and it takes some time to get over that emotionally.

You now have a challenge dropped squarely in your lap. I can tell from your posts that you are passionate about nursing, and it is refreshing that you are so excited about this profession. The fact that you are so emotional about wanting to get into nursing school tells me that you will take this challenge and face it with a stronger suit of armor. I also know that you WILL try again and that you won't give up.

Take this experience as a lesson learned. You now know how competitive nursing programs are and you will no doubt do everything in your power to increase your test scores. Honey, this is one of MANY pitfalls in the road to get to your destination. You will encounter many challenges, and you will grow stronger with each encounter. You must learn to be very focused on the things that you CAN control, and less emotional about things that you can't. I know this is a difficult task, because I tend to be overly emotional myself. The trick is to not let disappointments rob your enthusiasm or your drive to accomplish what you want.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 26, 2011

Soooo its taken me forever to pass the entrance test to nursing school. Most of you know that to be even considered for nursing school you have to pass a entrance test, so I did. The test is 3 parts: Reading/Writing and Math. You have to make a 80 on Reading/Writing....I made a 82. You have to make a 50 on Math...I made a 72. So you would think I did pretty good. Well I submitted the application which included an essay question. And I think that my essay was very good. Plus I've been a CNA for 4years so there goes experience. So I've been waiting on my acceptance or non-acceptance letter for about 2 months, so about a week ago I got my letter.....DENIED!!!! Due to "limited space" per what the letter said. I was so upset to the point of tears. So immediately I jumped into my car a sped to the school to speak personally to the coordinator of the program, to discuss with her the "selection process" and to see where I fell short. She explained to me that they had to cut down at least 7 students, 32 to 25 students because of clinical issues that occured that previous year. Anywho so I asked her how she chose those 25 students....she simply stated "test scores" She said that the 25 highest test scores were choosen, which led me to my next question. I asked her if the only thing they went by were scores then why had I stressed myself out with the extensive application. Why had I stressed myself over the essay. They claimed they read essays, took into consideration experience and volunteer work, passion, and heart for this field...But she simply stated "test scores". I mean most serial killers have excellent IQs. I thought the tests were supposed to make sure you are academically capable of entering the program, I proved that I was, but it still wasn't good enough. I really want to be a nurse. I bet most of the people that got accepted dont want to be nurses or even care about nursing....it just doesn't seem fair, but then again life isnt far. Does this seem right to you all or am I just being overdramatic.

Yikes. For some reason, those two statements rubbed me the wrong way, especially the second one. If those people who were accepted "didn't want to be nurses or even care about nursing", why the hell would they apply and work their asses off in the first place, hmmm? Don't knock others down when you have failed to reach your goals. It makes you look ugly.