Dr. Kate

Over 30 years ago, I had a BA in biology, was in a MA program in History of Religion and needed a salable skill. A nursing program took a chance on me. And, I found that nursing suits me. Is nursing my passion? No, but I am passionate about nursing. The notion that one must be passionate about one's job is a bit misguided. Better you should think about what suits you as a person, what suits your personality, your needs, your plans for the future. If you are thinking that you will work days, Monday through Friday, with every holiday at home with your loved ones, go find something other than nursing. There are already plenty of nurses who have that as their goal. But, if you find that working with all kinds of people, people who behave in ways you can't even imagine, people who most of the time you will see at their worst, and many of whom will not thank you for what you have done for them--come on down, it's not a bad place to build a life.

So you know, within the state of California the public junior colleges are mandated by law to use some form of lottery system. It sounds unfair now but was a response to the perceived unfairness of individual programs setting their own standards. The pre-reqs are pretty much the same, so doing well on those will make the nursing program more understandable if not easier. I usually suggest that students apply to 3 to 5 programs. Be aware that you will be going to clinicals which are usually in the general area of the college you attend. General area is a nebulous thing, I've had students who drove over 30 mile to get to clinical. Not so bad at 0530 but a bear in the afternoon. The distance you have to drive to school and clinical can negatively impact your experience and time management plans. Selecting a school is more than just finding the one you can get into easiest or quickest. Be sure to investigate NCLEX pass rates, ask questions about the program itself, ask about how many students from the last year have gotten jobs, and where did they get those jobs. Good luck!