Pre Reqs for nursing

[adruiz01]

Im extremly interested in the nursing program and have been for a long time now. I have currently moved to Texas around the Dallas area and have been doing research on a few schools PJC and TVCC, I also came across Dallas Nursing Institute. Well my problem right now is I still have to do my pre reqs which Im wanting to do online. I just cant figure out how to go about getting started, do I apply online for general studies? I was just going to go to PJC and apply for the fall courses but they only offer their nursing program in Paris TX which is way to far of a drive for me but they do offer the pre preqs there. But if I do my pre reqs there then try to transfer them to another collage does that just make things more complicated? Should I just start my pre reqs at the collage Im going to attend the nursing program? Also I know it says I need to get my immunization records,if we dont have that how do we get it? along with the MMR, Hep B, and tetnus shots (correct me if Im wrong) And how do we get our high school transcripts? We also have the TSI that we have to complete.... There just seems to be way to much to do....

How did you all go about starting the nursing program when you had all this stuff to complete before you can apply to the program?

Any advice would be great

Thanx

PS sorry for any spelling errors

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

If you're trying to get into a for-profit nursing program (like a tech school) taking the pre-reqs somewhere else may not be a good idea. A lot of these schools will make you take them there just to make the extra money.

If you're going to school in the Texas community college system and plan on going to a state university or community college for nursing school.. the pre-reqs should be interchangeable. (assuming you're taking them at another state school).

Texas community colleges work close to the neighboring universities as well as other community colleges to make sure the transfer of credits is smooth.

The for-profit tech school credits don't usually transfer to state colleges and universities.

You may not be able to take all the prereqs online. The are heavy in science courses that require labs. You may have trouble transferring those credits anywhere.

[dinah77, ADN]

I agree that you need to find out specifically what the schools you are interested in want- sometimes, taking the pre-reqs at the school is better as it may guarantee you a spot in the nursing school ( like at my school) or they may have hard standards making it hard to transfer in pre-reqs from other place

DO NOT just start pre-reqs online without finding these things out first.

[adruiz01]

I guess my best bet is to just go to the collage I want to attend and talk to the counsler...Thanks!

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

i guess my best bet is to just go to the collage i want to attend and talk to the counsler...thanks!

before you go, please make sure you spell those two red words correctly:

college (collage is a group of pictures artistically arranged)

counselor

sorry, but i am a notorious grammar cop.

[JackieBRCC]

I can only tell you that at my school, taking your prereqs there, hold a LOT of weight during the application process. It makes a lot of people mad, but that is how they do it. They accept their own students first.

[racquetmom]

To answer some of your questions:

Is your mom or dad still alive to ask if you had immunizations as a child as well as what illnesses you had such as chicken pox.

I had to have titers drawn to show that I still had the antibody from when I had chicken pox as a child. If you don't have records of childhood immunizations then you will have to either get them or have titers drawn to show you are immuned.

You physician should have a medical history or background on you. I didn't need shots until you actually start the nursing program and you are on pre-reqs so this may be a bit premature on your part.

Next, do you know the name of your high school? You can go on their website and request an official copy or you can call them, but it needs to be official transcript not copy. Some colleges require it be sent directly to them so you need to find that out once you decide on a college.

Lastly, if you are thinking this is way too much and overwhelming, you may want to talk to a nursing advisor as I wonder how you will handle a class load.

You just need to take one step at a time and the first step is picking your college. Second step is getting your transcript to them and taking any entry tests required to even start taking classes. Third step would be to meet with the nurse advisor to see what classes you should start with.

Take one step at a time and before you know it, you will be in classes. Good luck.

[JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN]

Yes, one step at a time. It took me 2 years to get my pre-reqs done. I didn't get my immunizations updated until I was getting my CNA application in order (the CNA was also a pre-req to get into nursing school). The hep B shots have to be done as a series of 3 with the first 2 done in a month or 2 of each other and the last one 6 months after the first - I believe.

My high school closed and was torn down about 27 years ago but I called the district office to get my transcripts.

[KBC123]

Yes, it can seem overwhelming, but don't worry about all the specifics needed to apply to NURSING school. First you need to do your pre-reqs. So don't worry about your immunization records, etc. I had to have several shots administered because I didn't have documentation that I'd had it done before. Shots aren't that expensive so if you can't find any records, you might just need to have them done again.

Definitely talk to a counselor at the school you want to attend nursing school. Ask if classes from community college will transfer. I am currently finishing my last couple classes at a community college and transferring to a university where I can start nursing school after taking 3 pre-reqs there. Take as much as you can at community college. It's a lot cheaper and will get you the same result.