jmkeller81

First time. However, I was originally going to apply at the 2-yr college I had been attending, which had a stack of nursing applications to the moon and back. I ended up applying at a 4-year private school and got in. I'll be graduating with a BSN for the same amount of time that it would have taken for the 2-year associates. Sometimes it's all about timing! Just for the record: 90 students - 86 females, 4 males. Call me crazy....I like the numbers.

Know this: most nursing students hate nursing school. It's a whole different story come graduation day. I am SO glad that I didn't let this nursing board stop me from going to nursing school! :wink2: I only say this, because I SEARCHED out the bad stuff. I WANTED to find a reason to quit and find something else. But I was missing all the wonderful and even heartbreaking stories of why everyone became nurses. I haven't met one person after a lifetime of nursing who regrets going into the profession. Always keep your patients in mind.....screw those who make work difficult. They are not the reason you'll become a nurse. The good days will outnumber the bad! Register for A&P! We're all here to help you out. One day at a time! :)

The pithy responses are usually the correct ones thanks

I agree.....that seems strange that your school places the bar so high. Mine is set at 74% as well, which is what most schools in MN have. All I can say is miracles happen. I had a 77% in my Med-Surg and tried different studying options; I received an A- on my last exam and brought my grade up to an 84% overnight. The second you think you're beat, you are! It really is true. Yes, study those lecture notes! The book is a great resource, but in the end, it's lecture, lecture, lecture.

I don't mean to whine (it's a guy thing!), but with a current nursing GPA of 3.14, the 700 apps for I have worked in the health care field for about a year, but only as a transfer aide and filling in for the HUC. Otherwise, I've been a night manager for my family business for the past 10 years. Oh, I'm a junior working on my BSN and am 28 yrs old. My sister and brother-in-law work as RN's for Mayo (not that it helps). Forest Lake Rotary Feed My Starving Children Volunteer AmeriCorps Promise Fellow Franciscan Brothers of Peace - distributing food to the poor Volunteer for local Youth Service Bureau - created a mentorship program Big Brothers Big Sisters - Mentor Board of Directors for local theater company Board of Directors & Co-Founder of New Life Community Center (orphanage) in Kenya, Africa Historian for my hometown Volunteer at Children's Hospital of St. Paul (Below is what I'm currently doing in nursing school) Student Clinical Representative Scholarship Committee Junior Nursing Student Mentor

Here's the skinny on Century College: very tough to get into. It's based on a pie chart, which you aren't suppose to see. 1 point for A&P, 1 point for Micro, 1 point for CNA (480 hours - 479 and it DOES NOT count), etc. etc. CNA experience weighs more than anything. Period. A counselor once told me a candidate fresh out of high school with his pre-reqs (only) got in, while another who had a few hours of CNA experience and EVERY class complete did not get in. Points also awarded based on grade, of course. Here's something most do not know: out of the 500 applicants in 2007, 200 were turned down SIMPLY because they didn't have all the information turned in. Crazy, huh? Also - speak to at least 3 counselors before applying to make sure you have everything in line. I guarantee you every one will tell you something different. It's screwed up - write down everything they say. Any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Thanks for your advice, but I would think "personal reasons" or "will discuss in interview" in regards to a 6-months-in-length job would be quite a tip-off. However, I do see the weakness in providing a summary on the application itself. It's by no means a sob-story, but my only goal is to get to the interview first, and explain further.

I hope you'll have mercy on a "baby" poster, as I'm having trouble finding the right place to ask this: Problem: Applying to a hospital as a Nursing Assistant (tomorrow - full-time, which I've seen once in a year); quit my previous job over emotional abuse issues with former supervisor Story: This lady had not worked in 20 years but gets hired by a clinic manager as a favor (they are friends). I learn soon after getting hired that the person before me quit because of this same abuse. A few weeks later, my co-worker leaves as well. HR is notified a few times regarding this manner and a formal complaint is entered. A few months go by, the abuse falls on me - day after day. Manager sees the problem and I actually overhear HER tell a co-worker of mine that she feels sorry for me! Mrs. Manager then tells me to hang in there and "we'll get through it". Well - nothing gets done. A few more months go by - same stuff continues. I call HR to file a complaint - they tell me to discuss it with my manager again. Hospital policy specifically states that when there is an issue with a manager, the complaint MUST be taken up with HR immediately. This did not happen. One morning around 5 am, I call the supervisor and tell her to get her "butt" into work, because I won't be coming in. Yes, it felt great. But during the last few weeks, the manager turned on me - told me I might be having psychological issues and should see a counselor. I was the problem. At any rate, I have summarized this on a few applications in the best way possible, without being "finger-pointing" and so forth - HR reps then tell me they want to see someone who has more job stability/less job-hopping. I've worked at my family grocery business for 15 years and just entered the medical field. I know what they really mean. I understand interpersonal communication and am not some crybaby who can't take it. How do I resolve this issue? I want to be honest on my application. Do I not list this hospital altogether? Any of my former co-workers would give me a glowing reference, including the nurses and docs! How can I properly word what happened to me? Any advice? Thanks so much! 1 year to RN and counting!

Ah, my first post! Sorry, couldn't help it. I did work at Children's Minneapolis and loved it. I was a pt. transport making $9.75/hr. In that one-year timeframe (temp position of course), I experienced quite a bit - which may sound ridiculous of me to say. My position turned into a jack-of-all-trades and I soon found myself listening to the private opinions of the director of nursing to observing an appendectomy after eating a spaghetti lunch. I shared birthday cake with many RN's provided by the charge nurse (who specializes in carrot cake). It's a tight-knit community of people, and I know many RN's who wouldn't work anywhere else. Many jobs are taken internally, and it seems to be the one hospital with the fewest external job postings, in my experience. I'm sorry I can't give you an RN perspective, but if you want Children's Mpls/St. Paul in a nutshell, there it is. With regards to Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, it's pretty much the same story. Great people, but tough to get into. After speaking with a few HR people, the magic phrase (in regards to pediatric hospitals) is "by referral"