BlessedMom4

Greetings. I have been accepted into my Middle TN area nursing program for Spring '09. I am a little concerned about my drug screen because I knew it would be positive b/c of my prescription for Adult ADD (adderall). I've been on gradually increased doses since March 2008 and have been at my current dosage for about 5 months now. Earlier in the year, I discussed this with my doctor b/c I knew there could be a potential issue down the road. He assured me that as long as I had a prescription and his letter/statement to that effect I would have no problems. I am having my drug screen performed by a MRO tommorrow and am just a little worried that after all my hard work, I'll be kicked out of my nursing program. Anyone here in Nashville area with the same issue and care to share their experience? Thank you for your input. =)

Greetings. I am wanting to find out how the nursing shortage is affecting Nashville area hospitals (specifically Vanderbilt Children's, Baptist, and St. Thomas). I just got accepted into a nursing program (associates) for Spring 2009. I am thinking about contacting these facilities regarding loan forgiveness/tuition reimbursement in exchange for working for them for a few years, but I did not know how perceptive they would be in negotiating. The problem: Ideally, I do not want to work (full-time or part-time if possible) while in nursing school. (It's my understanding that most hospitals require you work for them full-time or part-time while in school and they'll pay a little towards your tuition as well as requiring you work for them for 1-3 years after graduating.) I might be in a better position once I completed one or two semesters and then approach them (career fairs, etc.). But part of me thinks, that if they are in big enough of a bind, they would be very open to negotiations now. Does anyone have any experience with this and would like to share? Thank you and have a bless day. :)

Greetings. Okay, it is now official. I have been accepted into two associate degree nursing programs for spring: a community college and a private college. What do you do when you've been accepted into more than one program? What's the tie-breaker? I need help! My Dilemma: I have a stronger preference towards one school but I am heavily weighing my options nonetheless. My husband (and family) are strongly encouraging the more inexpensive route (community college). Counting my outside scholarship and pell grant(s), I should not have to pay out of pocket for my tuition and most of my textbooks for the community college nursing program. (Plus, my sister just graduated from this cc and still has all of her notes and some of her books which would be a tremendous help.) However, if I choose to attend the prestigious private college, I'll just have enough to cover my first semester (tuition and books). I'd still likely get some smaller scholarship(s) in addition to pell grant(s) but nothing is set in stone. I'd still have to come up with lots of $ ($15k max). My husband is dead set against taking out a loan. Ever heard Dave Ramsey say, "The borrower is slave to the lender?" Well, that's more or less what my husband says. At one point, he agreed to take out a small loan ($2-3K) but has since retracted since our finances are tight and the economy is in such turmoil. I hope this doesn't sound too absurd. If you listen to Dave Ramsey (99.7fm M-F 1-4pm) you know where I'm coming from. It's so hard to live off of one income with four children, not to mention the children will have to all be in daycare (1 FT/3 part-time). I cannot express how badly I want this to work out for me and my family! I really want to go to the private college but how can I go without going into tremendous debt? I've heard of loan forgiveness/tuition reimbursement but most hospitals want you to work there full-time (30-36hrs) for at least 3 months to be eligible. I feel pretty sure that's not going to happen in my particular situation (not feasible for many reasons which I won't go into). It could be manageable if I could just maybe work 1 or 2 shifts a month or just agree to work for the hospital for a few years. (I'm going to try and make some more calls.) I just don't know how willing hospitals are to negotiate and what the current market demand is, etc. here in mid-TN. My husband suggested going to cc and then try to transfer later into the private college after we save some more money, economy stable, etc. Does anyone know how hard it would be to transfer during the middle of a nursing program into another nursing program? Am I simply being a fool for even thinking about passing on the well-respected, highly regarded (yet expensive) private school in favor of the inexpensive community college? How difficult is it to get into middle TN's private and community college nursing programs? (Aquinas, TSU, Columbia State, Vol. State, NSCC, Regents, etc.) I've heard lots of hearsay about both of these schools. I've heard that it does not matter where you go to nursing school to your future employer as long as you are an licensed RN. I've also heard that it doesn't matter which college you go to (cc vs. private) but it's the effort you put into it yourself. Basically you're learning the same skills/materials with the same goal in sight; the main difference is the cost. I feel ignorant (okay...stupid) for even writing this post, but I really believe that if anyone could understand where I am coming from that they'd be found here. I really needed to let all of this out and really appreciate any words of wisdom or insight. Thank you and have a bless day.

Good afternoon, everyone. I hope all is well. I'm so glad that we are finally getting some much needed rain. TNMommy: I did not take my ACT in high school, so I took my ACT for the first time over the summer. My ACT composite score was 22. I have taken most of my general ed. courses (41 hours) and at the time of my application I had a GPA of 3.85. Have a great day. = )

Good afternoon, everyone. I hope all is well. I'm so glad that we are finally getting some much needed rain. TNMommy: I

:yeah:Congrats! I got my letter from COSCC this afternoon, too. I have been accepted for Spring 2009 at the Franklin campus. Now I am just waiting to hear from Aquinas. Have a blessed day. = )

Greetings. I am a pre-nursing student in middle TN. While speaking with a close friend in the medical field, I was told that TSU recently lost its accreditation for their nursing program(s). Has anyone else heard likewise or can confirm? Thank you and have a bless day. :)