grace8808

Thanks a lot Kyle! All of that is really helpful. It's just nice to know how people are doing it and what has helped them. I'll check out that Test for Success book-sounds like a good thing! Good luck in your nursing program!

Someone else said that too, so I'll definitely be checking that out! Thanks!

The nursing school here will let you be enrolled in PSYC25 and Pharmacology and not be done yet when you apply. But all your Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, and all the other classes have to be done already...ugh!

That is really good advice! Thank you. I didn't think about that too much. There is so much to think about for nursing! Eeeek.

Thank you so much for that info. I'm in central CA, so in the same system as you. I'm at a community college with a very limited # of spots in the nursing school (50) so it's really hard to get in. I'm nervous! I'm working hard though and am going to try to get A's in all my pre-reqs...I'm also thinking about working as a CNA soon and before that as a home companion type of thing. Thanks for the advice! Feel free to give me more if you think of anything. I really appreciate it.

I'm really nervous that it's going to take me forever to get through nursing school here because the program I want/need to get into won't even let you apply until you complete all your pre-reqs and then you have to wait (2 or 3 years sometimes)! Anyone with the same situation? What are you going to do while you're on the wait list? ARG. This is frustrating.

I do the same thing (pause in the middle of a show or remember something that I just HAVE to know what it means)! I love House too. They're all good shows...soooo addicting! Glad I'm not the only one!

Haha, glad I'm not the only one! I suppose if you realize it's not supposed to be completely accurate and just enjoy the storyline it's not so bad right? Haha.

Congrats on passing and I'll be keeping your classmates in my prayers tomorrow! Hope they all pass with flying colors!

Thank you so much for the response Catherine! Good luck in your ADN course, kudos to you for going back to school with kids, I'm sure it's hard! And as for the bolded part-I actually did have this originally in the general discussion board but a mod moved it here for me... It's great to hear people's opinions and experiences. Thanks!

Thank you Emery for sharing that! I know that the majority of nursing students do have to work, I think it must take a lot of dedication! Kudos to you for doing it! And good luck with finals :) I sure know how those are...coming up soon here too (actually have an English final tonight, should be studying-haha)!

Same exact situation! I'm pre-nursing, community college, want to work NICU! We should talk. It was helpful to read these responses too :)

Thank you SO much Nikki! That was very helpful to hear. Unfortunately, the local nursing program/school doesn't allow people to get on the waiting list until they get all their pre-reqs done! :angryfire So I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to wait around for 1-3 years waiting to get in, although it is a great school, and only 50 students allowed in the program at a time. So it's competitive, and hard to get into for sure...it's just all so overwhelming! But hearing from other RNs how they did it and survived and what to know about it all is quite helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I really appreciate it. And I'll definitely be asking more questions as they come up, so thanks for offering to help answer! Have a good night, and TTYS probably :) -Sierra

Thank you! I thought I probably had it right, but wanted to make sure. Hey, can you really blame me? Those shows are addicting :) (Although so unrealistic, I'm sure--they have kept me quite interested in nursing and given me a nice example of things I've been learning in A&P!)

NOTE: Sorry if the topic is kind of "over" - I didn't read through all the pages of the topic as I'm trying to rush and study for an English final :) As a 19 year old girl researching different schools and options for becoming a nurse, I just have to say that while I so appreciate when my parents and others let me make my own decisions, I don't think that at 19, either me or this girl that jls talking about, have 1/2 the experience that the older adults around us do. I think that helping kids to see what options are out there for them is important, is sure has been for me! I also happen to be opposed to the Iraq war, but I fully 100% support the troops and everyone that is putting their life on the line to help others. It's not the troops' fault where they are sent and what they're told to do. My own brother has been serving in the US Navy for almost 6 years, so I obviously support him and everything he's given up! I don't think that jls has a "disdain for the military," and I don't appreciate when pro-war people say that about anti-war people (that they don't support the troops and are anti-American and all that). I think that everyone should be allowed their own opinion, we thankfully live in a country that lets us speak our mind and believe whatever we want! Thank God for that. Just because jls happens to be against the war doesn't mean that she is trying to "steer" this mentoree down the anti-war path. I have wonderful mentors in my life and lots of resources (not financially, but the ability to find information and research things), and wonderful parents that accept and support me no matter what. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that I think that support from other adults (like jls is giving this girl she is mentoring) is priceless. It has helped me through hard times and will continue to. I am so thankful for the adults and friends in my life who share their opinions and experience with me and then help me and/or let me decide on my own what it is that's best for me or what I want. Hopefully this is making sense! Sorry to ramble, I just feel like this doesn't have to be a matter of opinions on a certain government or war, but rather that jls should be applauded for having such genuine concern for this girl. I'm sure so many kids would avoid stupid decisions and non-informed choices if they had someone as caring as the OP! I'm so thankful that I don't have to go off to war, and at the same time, I'm so thankful for my brother and everyone else who does it to serve. That's all I've got. I feel like I totally rambled here, but hopefully I made my point? Sorry if not.

Ok, I'll admit it: I watch too much ER and Grey's Anatomy :) But I was watching an episode of ER last night and they kept saying they were 'sending a patient up to the SICU' and I was curious...I know what PICU and NICU stand for, and obviously ICU, but is SICU an acronym for "Surgical Intensive Care Unit"? I'm guessing here...correct me please!

Hi, I'm Sierra, I'm 19, from CA, I love long walks on the beach... Okay, not to sound like a personal ad here :) I'm currently working on my pre-requisites at a community college and I have probably 45% of them done (I'm technically a college freshman but took classes at this college when I was in high school as a "homeschooler"). I took a kind of overview of A&P this semester, I'm almost done with that, and I'm so glad I took it! It was genuinely interesting to me, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do it-and here I am, almost done! :balloons: Anyways, sorry to babble. My questions are mainly about how everyone did their nursing school...if you have a second to answer these, I'm just curious how everyone goes about it! Thanks. Do you have an associate's degree in nursing? If so, how long did it take to complete your pre-reqs and your nursing program? If you have a BSN, how did you go about it? Did you do your pre-reqs, then get an ADN, and then go back later for your BSN? Or did you just go straight through a BSN program? (Can you do that? I'm clueless right now.) Did you graduate from a private college, a public college, or a community college? Any other tips on nursing school in general? (i.e. how to get through it, study tips, financial advice?) I know this is personal, so don't feel compelled to answer, but for those that don't mind sharing: did you take out loans to get through nursing school? And did you work during nursing school? As you can see, I'm full of questions. I just want to make sure I'm doing this the right way. It seems like everyone has a different opinion on how you should do it-get your RN liscense and then work and then go back for your BSN? Anything will help. I would love tons of advice and been there done that tips from everyone! Thank you so much! I really appreciate it :) -Sierra

I also wanted to say thank you for being honest and for asking this question, because it helped me be more secure in what I want too! So thanks!

We're somewhat alike in that I also have worried that since I'm not great at math and science, I won't be able to handle nursing and everything it requires in those areas. However, after going through my ANAT5 class, I can see that it IS possible, it just takes a lot of work! A LOT of work for sure! I know I didn't commit enough hours to studying and I'm surprised at how well I'm doing and that I'm going to make it through the semester. I didn't think I would. As for the CNA thing, I'm planning on doing the same (taking a CNA course over the summer then working part-time through school to make sure I like it), but I am becoming more and more convinced that I will be able to become a wonderful RN. I have my moments of doubt, trust me, but I think that you really have to examine yourself and see if it's something that sticks with you above all other professions, see if it's really what you want to do, and then go for it with confidence! Easier said than done, I'm sure, but best wishes!

I'm brand new to the nursing world and am not an RN yet (I'm currently taking care of my pre-reqs), but I originally didn't know what good money nurses make when I was first considering it as a career. I plan to work either in peds or the NICU because of my love of infants and children, and so that does come before my love of the good money I'll be making. However, it certainly doesn't hurt that I (according to the nursing school I'm planning on going to for my ADN) will be making more than $72,000 a year within 6 months of graduation! I think that, same as with any other job, you shouldn't be doing it simply for the money, although tons of people either have to or do it anyways for other reasons. Also, I don't think that someone would last long in the medical profession if they didn't love it and were only in it for the money. At least it seems that way to me, I'm sure there are exceptions...