Please Help...You nurses are going to kill me!

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So I am sure you all remember me, so i won't go into my life story.(Remember, I am the one confused between nursing and social work). So I decided to go into nursing, registered for my CNA class which starts Oct. 7 and was all excited. So I go yesterday to talk to a college counselor, and they told me, looking at my GPA (I hold an AA degree from 1995) that I would NOT be a good candidate for their nursing program. :banghead:(The program is a 2 year program through my community college, evidently it is REALLY hard to get into). She said because I am not strong in the sciences. Which i am not. I think i barely passed the biology 101. So what do you nurses think? Are the biology, a&P, etc really hard? I am kinda glad she told me this, because it confirms what i believed all along. I am so bad at math and science. To get into the nursing program i would have to take ALL the science classes (bio, chemisty, A&P I, A&P II, etc).

I may drop my CNA class and start taking pre-reqs for the social work program. Do you know of any websites i can look at that displays some course work in biology etc?

Also, for all you veteren nurses, if you knew then what you know now about nursing, would you still have become a nurse?

I so respect each and everyone of you and would be really grateful for your advice.:bow:

Thank you

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Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

I just know about my BSN program. We took all the same pre-req science classes as all the premed, etc students did, there was no washed down nursing versions of any of it. I love science and do well with it so I enjoy these classes. "Really hard" is just a personal perspective and nothing I can answer objectively.

Good luck with your choices! Both are great careers!

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Looking at your GPA from 13 yrs ago? Things change. You can't compare from then to now. I always thought I was bad at math and science and when I (finally) started back at college after a 8yr hiatus i found out i was actually much more interested in both than I had been when I was younger. What used to confuse the heck outta me came a lot easier than when I was younger and now made sense or what I found so boring was now interesting.

Don't be scared of classes that you haven't had any experience with ever or in a long time. Something you are worried may be too difficult for you may end up being much easier and more interesting than what you are anticipating.

Good luck. :wink2:

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Believe it or not, the counselor said the college goes back TO YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPTS!! So they would go back to 1993 and look at my GPA through 1995 when I received my AA degree....CRAZY!! Even the adviser said thats nuts, they should really only go back 5 years, but that is the college's policy!! So yeah, i am screwed!

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Specializes in oncology, transplant, OB.

All throughout grade school, high school and college (I have B.S. in finance), I hated science. I think I only "hated" it so much because I thought it was impossible to understand. When I would think of science I always immediately thought of it being super hard and I shouldn't even bother because I would never get it. I got a C in Bio101 and to be honest I should have failed the course but I showed up to every class so I think that's the only reason I passed.

All my life I wanted to be a nurse, but I knew how important being strong in the sciences are, so I just crossed nursing off my list. As graduation neared I realized how bad I wanted to be a nurse so I figured I would give it a try. I enrolled in A&P1 at my community college and kept up with the studying, and it turns out I really enjoyed it! I did extremely well in A&P1 and A&P2 and although I found micro a little more difficult, I did well in that too! It's good that you realize now you're weak in the sciences/math this way you know going in that you need to devote extra time studying. Also I've never been "great" at math, but I don't think nursing math is that hard; to me it's actually fun once you get the hang of it.

I believe if you really want to do something then you can do anything, you just have to put your mind to it. Yes, you may have to take more classes for nursing than social work and to be honest they'll probably be more difficult. But if nursing is what you really want to do than I say GO FOR IT!

I know how frustrating this process is, but hang in there and good luck!:heartbeat

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The sciences certainly are not easy. There are lots of facts to consider. I am happy being a nurse and would not have been as a SW. I think if I had gone the SW route it would have had to have been to get an MSW rather than have a profession at a BSN level.

You really do use lots of the science you learn. Of course thereare lots of things you file in the back of your brain and just know you can look it up when you want.

I have found that the things I had most trouble with in school I have used more than the stuff that came easily.

Best of luck with your decision.

ps. CNA is always good background as you can spend more time on the books for science rather than having to focus on basic procedural facts.:twocents:

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Only you can decide, of course but I hope you won't let anyone discourage you if Nursing is your first choice. Just be prepared to work hard, study hard, get tutoring, do whatever it takes to master the math and science aspects.

Have you spent time with any nurses or social workers on their jobs? Why not set aside a few days and try to spend these with people actually doing social work and actually doing nursing? These 2 disciplines work in a great many different settings. Choose half a dozen different ones and explore. Have you any idea of what type of nursing or social work you'd like to do?

Social work is more weekdays, few if any night shifts, weekends, holidays, although there could be some. Nursing is 24/7, Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, kids BD's, and your anniversary will all be spent working.

Not the end of the world, just something to think about. Better job possibilities in nursing, I'd think.

Best wishes for your decision.

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Only you know how committed you are to doing whatever it takes to being a nurse. I am sure and certain there are many nurses who never thought they were good with science. Math either. Only you can really decide. It may mean a transfer to another school that is more willing to support older, wiser, nonconventional students in their nursing program. Good luck and Blessing in whatever you decide.

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Specializes in LPN, Peds, Public Health.

I was never good at sciences, maybe just not too interested in high school, but in college and nursing school held a pretty high GPA. So I don't really think you should base your decision off of that.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

My first semester of college I failed chemistry and biology because I had told myself I hated them and wasn't good at them. I lost hope, took general education classes...got all A's.

Decided to attempt it again...got the highest grade in microbiology (which sadly was still a B). A's in A & P and a B in chemistry (my most hated class). I had discovered that they were actually interesting since I now viewed them from a healthcare perspective.

Needless to say I'm 15 weeks from graduating RN.

And I went back to take biochemistry for fun and got an A.

Goes to show you things do change.

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Specializes in ICU.

You can do it if you want to. You just have to dig in and get through it. I am currently in school, and there is a lot of teamwork in the nursing program. In our library there is an old typing room in the back that is soundproof, and they let the nursing students know they can gather in there and study as a group an bring food, drinks, etc... You always see the nursing students together studying. I have a group of 10 or so and we always get together and study in the library 4-5 hours per week. It helps to work with others. By the way I am a 42 yr old male, and just about everybody else in my "group" are 19-20 yr old females. There is one 34 yr old. We are all in the same boat. Some of us are stronger in certain areas than others, so we just all help each other where needed. I don't know if every school is like this, but once we all got accepted, most of the competitveness went out the window and we all just help each other to try and get through. We all keep in touch via myspace so if we have any questions or need help on the weekends we just email each other.

Good luck whatever you choose to do.

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If you want to be a nurse, then go for it!!! I have had counselors try to discourage me too in my college career, and for a while it worked. I wasnt that strong when I started college in 1997. I failed Chemistry, had to take it twice just to pass with a C the second time around. Biology was just as bad. I actually gave up on health care altogether because I figured I wasnt smart enough. If I could barely pass Biology, I certainly wont be able to pass Anatomy. Fast forward 10yrs. I was working a job I hated in mental health, and decided to at least "try" school again. I enrolled in Anatomy, lo and behold, it clicked! I made it though and I got an "A"! I spent so much time doubting myself and I actually aced my pre-req's. Now I am applying to nursing school and feel Confident that I can do it. My mantra over the past year has been...."The greatest calamity is not to have failed, but to have failed to try." Go for it, 13 years was a long time ago and dont ever let anyone tell you that you cant do something. GOOD LUCK!:specs:

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