JD810

Roy and Pat, Thanks very much, those are just the answers that I was looking for, I appreciate the time you guys took to answer all my questions!

Pat, thanks a lot! Those are just the type of answers I was looking for As far as this question Are nurses looked down upon, or are they generally treated well? I keep reading various places that nurses get yelled at a lot in what seems to be a condescending way, I didn't know if there was truth in that or what, it might of just been people complaining. Out of curiosity did you like ICU better or do you like Med/Surg better, or do you not care? Thanks again!!!!

I am 25 years old and have been thinking about nursing for quite a while. Already have my BS in Psychology and have been accepted to a school to start knocking out the pre-reqs for nursing. I love to help people, and don't mind doing hard or dirty work if it is what is required of me and is what will help. That being said, I want the cold hard truth about the job. We all know the pay is good as are the employment opportunities but I want to make an informed decision on if this is really the right path for me. I have read so many different things about nursing that my head is about to spin off. Some of my particular questions: How hard is it to get into a field you want to...(I would like to work in ICU or ER or Surgery...although I know this might change after nursing school and being exposed to different areas)? What is the worst thing about the job? What is the best thing about the job? Are nurses looked down upon, or are they generally treated well? Are male nurses treated differently than female nurses? How many hours a week do you work on average, with and without overtime? If you could do it over again would you choose nursing again? Anything else I should know...? I'm sure I'll have more questions later lol Thanks guys!

Thanks for the additional info! I don't really mind the waiting as I could use the extra time working and making money to help pay for school...I am sure that I am smart enough to keep my grades above 76% I just didn't apply myself as hard as I should of at the beginning of my education career (was young and dumb) until later on. I'll have to give Banner another look! Thanks again for the great advice!

lol...it did come off a bit mean. But thanks for the info! Don't get me wrong...I never get stellar grades (am a B and C student) and this type of system is likely the only type that I will have a chance getting into as others in my area are more competitive GPA wise in that they are all based soley on GPA :icon_roll and the things I mentioned in the other post. I'm just not used to this other system in AZ (which I prefer) Also I have a really bad transcript from one of my previous universities. I was hoping that it was only based on time because I never get great grades, but all the programs in my current state including community colleges are grades based that I have found. I put in that I was male because I was wondering if that had any influence either? I guess I should have specified why I put that in there. Again...don't get me wrong, I don't think that it should have a difference, but I've read there is an increasing demand for male nurses (whether true or not I don't know) so I didn't know if that was something that would help or hurt chances of getting into nursing school or getting into a program with say Banner Hospitals. Again thanks for the info, it helps out a lot in some of my decision making!

I am a little confused about Maricopa county nursing (surprise). I've tried researching this but I can't find out exactly how everything works...so is this how it works? You complete your core requirements for your Associates Nursing Degree and as long as you have met the minimum course grades then you get put on a waitlist (which can last anywhere from 1-3 or more semesters wait...normally 3) in order to start your RN coursework. The waitlist is not based on grades or anything else, but rather just who is on the list first? So if someone got all C's and another person got all A's in their pre-reqs it doesn't matter, the person who was on the list first gets the call first? If this is wrong please let me know. I would think that people's rank on the waitlist would be influenced by course work, grades and job or experience working in a hospital as well as time on the list. And I wanted to know if there were any private schools in the Phoenix area that have their own RN programs so you don't have to wait. I know this is probably a lot more expensive, but I'm looking at all options. I have also checked out the Banner thing but don't know if I would want to commit for 3 years. P.S. I have a B.S. in Psychology already and am a male. Thanks a ton!

Thank you all for the replies! Interesting how ASU cut back on their program...all the colleges in my area are increasing their programs. You guys gave me some great things to consider, thanks a lot!

My college career started off very rocky. I suffered through severe depression while at my first 4 year university and got absolutely horrible grades (like 2.3 GPA). I was able to move in with my parents, transfer to another 4 year university nearby, work my way out of the depression and ended up graduating with a BS in Psychology and a GPA of 3.04. I know that is not great, but it was very good for me under the circumstances. Right now I am still living at home (I'm a 25 year old man) trying to decide which schools to apply to. I want to be a RN more than anything in the world and have wanted this for quite a while. I am in Washington State but am considering a move to Arizona (Phoenix area) where I have friends. Right now I am torn between staying at home and applying to a local school (which just happens to be just across the state lines and will cost a lot of money to attend, school is in Idaho) or moving to Arizona and working on my degree there where the school will be equally expensive but I will also have to pay for room and board somewhere. I really need a change of pace, I guess that what I am asking of everyone here is for some reassurance that I am doing the right thing by moving and if you think even with my past poor experience in school if there are any good BSN or ADN programs in Arizona that would accept me into their programs after taking the pre-reqs and doing well in those (have been looking at ASU and Scottsdale Community College...any other recommendations would be appreciated). Wow, that was a long run-on sentence I know I am smart enough to do this and can apply myself to get through the school and would make a great Nurse. Thanks for reading and commenting, sorry it was long!

Hi all, I need some advice. I graduated in May with a BS in Psychology from Washington State University and although I really like Psychology, there is not a career that I want to pursue there and I do not want to pursue a Master's or PHD in Psych. I have always been motivated by helping and making people feel better and have had nursing in the back of my mind for quite some time. Now that I have graduated and have been thinking of a career, nursing has come back to the forefront and I have decided (after lots of research) that it is what I want. Right now I am looking up my options for becoming a RN. There is Spokane Community College which offers a RN Certificate but they are not accredited yet. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do? Should I try for certification through a CC program and if so does anyone have any to recommend in the Pacific NW? Thanks in advance for the advice, Jon