fitzelliott

I'm currently working towards completing my prerequisites. I attempted Portage Learning finding info here about it being good but from what I saw it was straight memorization and regurgitation and I was struggling. Maybe because I'm a career changer working full time but I just could not get my brain to focus and then memorize and all the short answers. I've read about people saying nursing school classes are hard but I see people saying it's application and multiple choice and best case scenarios and how you would apply them in a situation. I'm a teacher and really this sounds exactly like our certification exams. I don't know if the classes are hard theoretically or if it's just the structuring of it. I completed a masters degree but that was the typical 10-15 page APA papers every week and discussion boards and case studies. I would much rather than memorization. I'm looking into prenursing programs because I cannot do Portage again still working full time.

I know it’s months later but I’m about to register for this class. How is it harder?

I somewhat understand the point thing. I asked for a write up about it and they said there isn’t one so it seems whatever they want it to be. I have a bachelors and a masters so I don’t know concretely since they don’t have that what points that is but one of the advisors said having the masters is a good leg up for me.

Thank you SO much for responding. I’ve spoken to 3 people in admissions and 2 basically said “the nursing committee won’t even look at your application without those 3 classes completed” How do they look at those outside of UTA? They can have a kidney and continually blood donating and alllll my money once I get in but I know I can take path and pharm through community colleges and Portage Learning. I’m so unsettled about taking any classes through a university I’m wanting to apply to outside of an acceptance. If I were a teen/20 something undergrad and already enrolled getting a bachelors the first time around I’d be willing to roll the dice. Career change 30s not so much

Hi, can someone who’s a current student or who applied explain to be how these prenursing classes work? My brain and anxiety is wracked trying to figure UTA out..cost and program set up, it’s my top school. BUT those 3 nursing classes that ONLY UTA requires without an acceptance is making me sad and pump the brakes on it being my top. So I need to take path, pharm AND intro to nursing all at UTA and could get denied? Now if they were a pre start type….acceptance in hand and take these classes before you start I’m 100000% for it. This is my interpretation of how those three work….take em but you could be a denial and there goes time and money that is ONLY for this one school. Micro is everyone…Chemistry is everyone…nutrition is everyone. I’m just not sure how I feel about the logistics of this. I’m a career and teacher so UTA and most are already having me going to drop/abandon a classroom full of kindergartners mid year with these fall acceptances vs Summer and I’m still working towards accepting that that is what I will most likely have to do

Really? That’s so amazing to hear! Do you know how that works for them? I ask because I’ve seen the posts on 8-5 classes. So that’s 6am something out the door to drive then classes all day the. 6-7ish driving back home. Do they feel like the actually have “study” time to digest the material taught in classes? I’m thinking like undergrad. Or is it study/lecture based in a day? Verses lecture, lecture, lecture, lecture or however many classes are in a day and 8-12am actually “studying” what was taught that day, sleep, wake up and drive again? My drive would be similar to that Baytown commute coming from the north.

Current folks, what is your living situation? I live in North Houston and this program is on my list BUT I could really save money moving in with my parents thankfully and not relocate to the Sugar Land area. But I really don’t want to live on 59 and the Beltway. Does everyone just eat rent and move down there even locals?

Hi! If you’re in Texas, what school did you attend or what schools are you applying to and why? I’m looking for online ABSN programs. I’m looking at ABSNs as I already have my bachelors in psychology. Of course, I’m going to cast my net wide but I want to be strategic and wise about it. - I’m ineligible at Baylor due to having taken general Chemistry twice so according to them I can’t even apply for the two retake max. - I REALLY like UTA. My only negative or con for it is that their 3 prenursing classes aren’t needed anywhere else. That time and money without an acceptance is a struggle for me. I DON’T want to waste time taking those then get waitlisted. And no other program needs those. Any advice?

So I already have a bachelors in psychology. I’m researching ABSN programs as a second degree career change, however I have general Chemistry I failed twice. Once straight up failed and the other I left for the entire semester unexpectedly due to a death and didn’t withdraw from the class so no show/failed. I just wasn’t thinking of school at all. Many programs have a twice retake limit so I’m ineligible to even apply. I was thinking of adding traditional programs to my search list but is that even possible? Has anyone done that? They accept your prerequisites but you take the nursing courses over the last 2 years traditionally vs an accelerated track

Hi, as the title says I’m seriously contemplating a career change into nursing. I went to school for premed and after two unexpected and devastating deaths in my family junior year, I took a leave and then couldn’t bring myself to go into the medical field anymore. I just really fell into teaching and have been an elementary teacher for 8 years. For the past 5 years I’ve been thinking and off thinking I could do it…but as I approached my 30s I felt my “time” had passed me by. Now, I’m SERIOUSLY thinking about it and have been in contact with local ABSN programs. I know what I’m getting into because I know an accelerated program is ridiculously intense. Covid teaching has accelerated it and as the media says teachers ARE leaving and it is just as dire as they say. I’m over children and the lack of accountability for behavior while I’m expected to do magic 5 days a week. I just want to hear from people who were teaching and the whys and how you left and how transitioning into nurses was. In a way I may be jumping from the frying pan into the skillet because I know everything that is/has made me lose my somewhat joy of teaching is in spades in nursing - hella toxic administration, toxic direct coworkers, the petty, the gossip, understaffed, overworked, underpaid, too many students, ungrateful patients/parents, no breaks, no time to eat, sit down, go to the bathroom, verbal abuse, physical abuse, etc. I know all the negatives are the same as teaching. I know there are many joys as well. I’m not naive into it…though please correct me if I am or wrong about the flexibility. As a teacher I’ve ALWAYS wanted to move grade levels because I enjoy the variety and seeing the development and being well rounded. Well, admin in education is toxic AF and if they think of you as XYZ you can NOT leave that. Or you have a good uphill battle to. I doubt in nursing you’re stuck on the psychiatric floor because those nurses are hard to find and “you’re so good taking the punches and building relationships with the families” what I heard as a special education teacher and in interviews over the years trying to reel me back into those positions. I’m open to speciality moving forward sure and look forward to it. But overall, as a still single woman, teaching really is a career for someone with a well paid spouse. I don’t want to move into admin…I haven’t played the politics to do that and that is the only way to leave the classroom despite having the degrees or certifications. Medicine was my first love and not want I simply fell into. I prefer having more frequent time off vs a straight 5 days and barely a weekend. My sleep habits are out of whack due to 8 year of chronic stress so I’ve been living on 2-6 hrs for years so all of that doesn’t bother me. My stress tolerance is acute stress and physical stress. I’ve been in chronic mental stress and exhaustion and those two for my own well being are the worse. The school year is about to start and I’m about to work through the science prerequisites I dropped in college and never went back to and am giving myself time with August 2023 or January 2024 my goal to finish this year and then either as an ABSN start date. Fellow nurse teachers…how did you do it? If you did it recently 2015 to present please chime in!