Please help! Im new at this. I want to be an rn!

greeniebean · Mar 4, 2009

OK first- I live in Kentucky so this info might not apply where you are so you'll need to ask your college advisor but here goes-

I got my CNA through a facility in 3 months. You could also take a one semester class. At the end of the class you take a 75 question written test, along with a skills test(5 skills). Skills are handwashing, blood pressure respirations and pulse, and 3 other "suprise"skills that can range from peri care to making an occupied bed. If you pass both parts of the test you are added to the nurse aide registery.

Most colleges don't make you do the LVN to get your RN but whether you should or not is up to you. I know some people say it's better because you can work while takeing a LVN-RN bridge program, but I personally am going for RN instead of LVN or LPN.

My program doen't require a certain amount of expirence but you do have to have the following to apply

-CNA license

-22 or higher on your ACT

-current CPR license

-at least a 2.0 GPA

-a "c" or better in all math and science courses

The PRE-reqs are

-college algebra

-human anatomy and phisiology 1

-general psychology

-computer literacy

The GEN EDS are

-developmental psychology

-Human anatomy and Physiology 2

-Medical microbiology

-a humanites course

-writing 1

-writing 2

* these requirments differ from school to school. I am only telling you about my school so please don't base your classes on this(although a few like anatomy are consistent for all health programs)

I would say your first step should be to get into a college and speak to a nursing advisor. They could probably recommend a CNA program, and give you information about any tests you might need to take. Also, the pre-nursing student forum on this site is an excellent resource for anyone thinking about nursing school.

from your post I don't know if you're already in a college or not, but if not might i recommend doing pre-reqs ata community college as the tuition is usually cheaper.

I hope this might have helped you and I wish you luck in your pursuit of a Nursing degree.

LiSA MARiE 456 · Mar 4, 2009

Thank you so much for the information. I appreciate anything I can get! I have tried contacting many places here in San Diego and it seems no one will give me the time of day! I will try to contact some of the schools I'm interested in again and hopefully I will get the information needed. I will consider doing the CNA program. I have not done the pre-requsites for nursing but I have done all my general education requirements at the community college I was in (sociology, psychology, math, english, speech, etc..)

greeniebean · Mar 4, 2009

I know how that feels. I had my choice narrowed down to 2 community colleges and when i called one for information they blew me off! I'm at the other school now and things are so much better! Just remember- if you have a hard time communicating with a school now, it probably won't get better when you're a student there.

Also have you been to the pre-nursing forum? i could have sworn there was a thread about schools in San diego. Also if there isn't one you could start one and maybe connect with someone in your area.

greeniebean · Mar 4, 2009

THere is one for the university for san diego but i'm sure if you asked someone from that thread they'd be happy to help you get info for san diego colleges.

OnMyWay2MSN · Mar 5, 2009

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hey lisa marie,

i'm in san diego, (from usd thread)...i put a lot of work in deciding where i wanted to go, like you i was totally lost at first. so here is my spin on it...one thing you have going for you is you are young, so that opens your options for you. now i am all about people getting their bsn (bachelors of science in nursing), it gives you the options later in your career to go back to school and get a msn. so for that your options are san diego state univ, usd, point loma nazarene, csu san marcos, i might be missing one…amazingly ucsd doesn’t have a nursing program, who knows why! so for those just go their websites, see what is needed to apply to the school, get information sent to you and see if they have any information seminars. the disadvantages of these schools are usd and point loma are very expensive. the others are very competitive and the waiting time just to get in might be 2-3 years. since it is so competitive you will want your grades to be very good. most people i talk to who have applied to those have gpa's in the 3.8 or higher range.

the remaining schools here are those where you can get a adn (associates degree in nursing)..for these you won’t have a bsn, but you can still sit for the nclex ( nursing exam to be licensed, anyone who is an rn must take, including adn's, lvn, bsn and msn)...some of these schools are city college, grossmont, southwestern...but again all have long wait lists, 2-3 years. the disadvantage of being an adn (no offense to anyone who is) is there are a ton of adn's graduating now from a lot of schools, some jobs only prefer bsn's and in order to get a masters, you would have to take course to go from adn, to bsn. in saying this though, these people are great nurses and even with a msn you still have a ton to learn from their experiences.

i strongly urge you stay away from programs like maric, kaplan...anything that is out of the state school or private school system. i am sure these programs work well for some, but i hear tons of complaints about these programs and people throw a ton of cash at them. this is just what i heard from people who have gone there...but you'll want to investigate those on your own, maybe hit up a thread where they talk about the program. these school offer adn's, but for example maric...you won’t be able to transfer any of their credits to a state school, your only option is university of phoenix’s adn to bsn program..who i think owns them.

if i had done it differently, i would have looked at a rotc program at one of the state schools. if you get into one of those, not only will they pay for your school, but you can receive a paycheck from them. once you serve your time in the military you will get excellent nursing experience, and you'll be an officer as well. you just want to make sure the military way of life is for you.

so if you decide to go for another degree, you still have nursing options down the road...for me i went in the navy after high school for 4 years, they paid for my undergraduate degree (bs in management) when i got out. i worked as a marketing coordinator for 8 years and always looked at nursing as a career, so here i am. so if you have your degree you can apply for a lot of accelerated programs. i'm going to usd starting august to get my msn. other schools have programs for people who have degrees, university of oklahoma which is online etc etc

good things to do in the mean time, is if you can get your cna and work while doing your schooling is great, also steady volunteering also looks good. the va in la jolla is a great volunteering experience and easy to get into.

just as a last note...i have zero nursing experience, so everything on these schools is just from my research. also everyone situation is different, usd mepn program was my only choice, it was the perfect fit for me and their faculty is outstanding, but that doesn’t mean the other schools are better or worse for someone's situation. so even though i say i recommend a bsn, doesn’t mean it’s better. (before i get blasted from adn nurses :)

also for the military you can look at doing the reserves too. i am on a navy gi bill that doesn’t pay as much as my original gi bill, but it still pays $4000-$5000 a year, plus what you make on your one weekend a month. i've been in the reserves for 8 years and it is great.

any questions for me let me know and definitely the more feedback from others they better....best of luck!!!

patrick

LiSA MARiE 456 · Mar 5, 2009

Thank you so much for this information! I really appreciate it. I am planning on taking a CNA program here in San Diego to get started and gain more experience. It's roughly $2,000 and is a 24 day program (8 hours M-F). Do you think it's worth spending that much on a CNA program? I'm in no rush but I do that community colleges offer the program but I would have to wait until summer to start and the program is a couple months long. I know there is a long wait list for the nursing programs at most schools here in San Diego so I want to get this program done asap! Just not sure if it's worth the money.

OnMyWay2MSN · Mar 5, 2009

Check this thread out

https://allnurses.com/california-nurses/paid-cna-training-261649.html

$2000 seems pricey to me...really depends on your situation, if you are living at home and dont have to worry about rent things like that then maybe...but summer is not that far away and would be a lot cheaper. Also you may want to check around and see if their are CNA jobs available here in San Diego. Since a lot of places have hiring freezes, you may want to double check. Retirement homes places like that may have decent job opportunities. With the economy the way it is, just search online to just to get an idea of the job opportunities.

Keep us posted!

LiSA MARiE 456 · Mar 5, 2009

I HAVE LOTS OF BILLS! LOL! But no I don't live at home, although I wish I still did. $2,000 does seem like a lot of money. I will try other places. I will def keep you posted! Thanks Pat!

Irene joy · Mar 5, 2009

If your school requires that you have your cna, often the school will hold a cna class through their adult continuing education. It will not be through the nursing program. Then you take a state test and get the cna license. I chose to do this because they also had cpr classes as part of the program which I needed anyway before starting the program. The cost was about 550 and it lasted as long as a regular quarter.

LiSA MARiE 456 · Mar 5, 2009

I need to take a cpr class as well and the program I'm applying for offers that =) Thanks for the info!

prettyNpurple · Mar 5, 2009

$2000 for a CNA program that is ridiculously pricey! mine was only $369.00 I didn't even pay outta my own pocket, for I had a grant given to me by the community college...this is in Austin, Tx. Austin Community College.