jellybean321

Alright so I had my meeting with the academic advisor at Neumann and I will not be going there (but this is my choice). First off, they sent me a letter that I would be starting nursing classes in Fall 2014. Couldnt wait to start. Then I go talk to my advisor and she tells me that I won't start nursing classes until Fall 2016!! I was VERY unhappy, seeing as my acceptance letter said 2014. I asked her why they sent me that letter and the answer was, well that is how they have to word the letters, because they can't go by a case by case basis. Apparently I have to take an additional 12 classes before nursing classes. Sister Jude was very nice and semi-helpful but I was upset that they just LIED to me. They want that $! As far as everything else goes, it seems to be a decent school. They have about 60 students in the part-time program and about 130 in the day BSN program. The help available (or tutoring) from staff for part-time nursing is minimal according to Sr. Jude. There is more help available to day time students but in the evening there is minimal help. They don't have any entrance exams but they do use the HESI exam. Thats all i can remember for now, I didn't ask too many questions because I knew I wasnt going to be waiting around until 2016 :) Hope this helps! Good luck to you!

during my CNA clinicals, toward the end of the shift we would start to twiddle our thumbs because there wasn't much else to do- so we would clean underneath the patients fingernails, give manicures, get them involved in activities, etc. This was at a LTC facility though..not sure what kind of facility you are in. If at a hosp setting, you could check to make sure all supplies are where they need to be, skim through your patients charts to get an idea of their history, etc.

I've been wondering the same thing. I just got accepted to the part-time program at Neumann for Fall 2014. I've been doing some research on this website about the school and I have only seen one person post a negative comment on how the staff doesn't help you, etc. I've found its hard to go by what's on this site just because there are a lot of opinions vs facts and you never know the situation that person may have been in. I have an appt next week to meet with the Academic Advisor and I have lots of questions to ask so hopefully I will get the scoop! Good luck to you in nursing school! :)

I start clinicals this Fall and am trying to mentally prepare myself now! I just found out that I have to take a nursing class during the summer, Fundamentals to Professional Nursing. So I definitely plan on taking a week vacation sometime relatively soon before that starts. Thats a good idea to review A&P, I have been reviewing my math class also. Get your free time in now ladies and gentlemen!! :)

I've been accepted to Neumann's part-time BSN program and I start this Fall also! I saw in the acceptance package that we have to take Nursing 205 this summer. I'm curious to see what times they offer this class and what this class is all about. I think registration begins on March 25th so maybe we won't know more until then.

thank you so much to all of those that have given great advice and mostly, supportive encouragement! I am just frustrated (as one posted mentioned) and am certainly NOT trying to knock anyone that got in/who have a 4.0 GPA. I'm only expressing my frustration and MY situation compared to the students I know in the nursing program. I am not saying everyone who gets into the nursing program doesnt work. I completely understand that everyone has their own life struggles. The LPN is definitely an option. A private college is out of the question as it is just way too expensive. I have also been implementing some back-up plans and back-up majors that I may be interested in. I will be completely honest; I will not re-take my B classes. For one, I would have to pay out my own pocket and that is not an option. I am 25 years old and live on my own, get 0 support from family, I come from a family who doesnt have a lot of money and we've all had to work just to get by. Not to mention I feel like re-taking classes I got a B in (which isn't a bad grade!!) is a little silly. Truthfully, I will not do that if thats what it takes to get into nursing school. I've spent years trying to get pre-reqs done and am not re-doing them all over again. Not trying to sound uppity whatsoever, I just choose not to do that. Unfortunately my biggest problem is the NLN score. I do horrible on huge standardized tests. I am certainly going to apply to the RN program next week but I will also be getting my ducks in a row to try the LPN program if I don't get into the RN program. I live in a small state so that makes it even harder to get into nursing school. Theres only 1 community college in my state with 3 different campuses. And for other allied health programs, they require different pre-reqs (except for A&P) but the rest is other classes. But...as I mentioned, I will certainly try and see where that takes me! I wish everyone luck trying to get into nursing school!! :)

Hey ya'll, so here is my dilemma. I am a pre-nursing student, all of my pre-reqs are done and I'm ready to apply to nursing school. However I talked to the advisor at my school and was told that there is a slim chance I will get in. (I actually appreciate the realism- I would rather someone tell me straight up then string me along so this isn't the problem). There are 80 seats in the nursing program and over 1,000 people applied last admission. I go to a community college in a small state (there aren't many colleges to choose from) and they require the NLN. My school uses a ranking system for admission based on your classes and NLN score. So for example, A&P if you have an A you get 4 points, if you have a B you get 3 points, etc. And they also calculate your NLN score into points for the ranking system. I get mostly high B's in all of my classes but didn't do so great on the NLN (and I can't take it again for another 6 months). SO I am just feeling EXTREMELY discouraged. All of those 80 students who get accepted will have done excellent on their NLN and have 4.0 GPA's, I'm sure, especially when they are choosing from over 1000 students. And most of them dont have to work, well I do..I have to work full-time to pay my bills. I'm not right out of high school, I live on my own and take care of myself so not working is not an option. Some girls in my current class I am taking have been waiting 2 years to get into nursing school. This is just ridiculous to me. Why do people do this? I refuse to wait 2, and what sounds like more than 2 years to get into nursing school. It may never happen and you're just sitting there waiting and applying. How is this OK?! I am incredibly frustrated and just needed to vent on this site because I know others must feel the same way or are in the same boat. I'm considering changing my major at this point because I am not going to sit around and wait forever and ever for a REMOTE chance to get in. I may never get in and then I'm sitting around waiting for nothing. What is everyones thoughts on this? Thanks for your comments ? -Frustrated Pre-Nursing Student

Is this the total cost, between housing, food, books, supplies, etc? I still think thats a lot of money and you could get just as good of an education elsewhere for a LOT less money. Why burden yourself with that amount of debt after graduation, if you dont have to?

My thoughts exactly! I would just make it all about the patient. As long as you're professional, I don't foresee any issues. For example, when I am in the doctors office, I am thinking about my health/what I'm there for and what the doctor/nurse are saying to me and their professional attitude. I think the more comfortable you are, the more comfortable your patients will be =)

Just you sharing this story tells me how GREAT of a nurse you would be. I work in a nursing home and there are too many nurses who just don't genuinely care. I'm not sure why they chose nursing as a profession but you clearly have a lot of compassion and a very caring heart. Don't ever give up on your dream. The nursing field NEEDS people like you to help these patients realize that someone does care for them and wants to help them. It's never easy losing a patient, especially when it's not common in your area of nursing. There have been times where I cried and thought how am I going to do this day in and day out? But its that moment when you realize you haven't chose nursing, but nursing chose you. Stay strong and keep on! Sounds like you'd be an amazing nurse =)

A lot of my instructors do powerpoints and I, too, like other posters suggested, print them in the "handout" form (3 slides per page) so that I can make my own notes on the right hand side of the paper. I just recently took Applied Clinical Math and this is what helped me tremendously. When I was in A&P, I was also having a difficult time remembering all of the info and a member on this site suggested for me to google "active learning". I'm very glad I did because I now have a different and more efficient approach to studying. Teaching the materials to others also helps me to remember and retain information learned in class. You could teach it to your parents, boyfriend/husband, or even your cat. And of course, the almighty index card. I can't tell you how many flash cards I've used. I keep them in my purse so if I'm waiting somewhere, I can just whip them out and study. I also had my boyfriend quiz me with the flashcards. Good luck in A&P and in your future nursing classes! =)

Although I'm not a nurse yet, I work in a nursing home, so I get to see first hand the life of a LTC nurse everyday and they are definitely not just doing ADLs. I think thats a huge misconception by a lot of people. Obviously they arent doing what a hospital nurse would do but they certainly have their hands full. To stay entirely open minded, I would suggest going through clinical rotations first and see what you like the best because then you have more of an understanding of each area in Nursing and can figure out the best fit for you. Of course, LTC is not for some people and thats ok because there are plenty other areas in the healthcare field. Your views/mindset has the capability of changing when you go through certain experiences. For example, I always thought about the idea of being a nurse when I was a teen but then thought that I probably could not do it and wasnt cut out for it and was originally majored in Elementary Education. Then I got a job in LTC and knew I wanted/had to be a nurse. Even after my initial speculation and doubt, I was exposed to a different view of the world of nursing and now I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Like I said earlier, I'm not a nurse yet so I can't speak for how a nurse perceives the LTC setting but this is just my opinion as general healthcare worker in LTC. And years ago, I would tell people the same thing-that I wouldn't be able to handle working in a nursing home. And now I love working in LTC. Things can certainly change =)

I did anticipate some of this but some if it I did not because my companys rules for the tuition assistance have been changing as well as other aspects of my job/school. Luckily, I have pretty understanding bosses that are trying to help me figure out a plan for work once I start clinicals. This is a dream of mine, so even though I did anticipate some of this, I am not letting it stop me from accomplishing my goal of being a nurse someday. To me, its just a matter of figuring my best option and since many people on this website have gone through nursing school and know whats it like, I figured this would be a good place to come for advice.

in response to the shifts at my work: i work in rehab at a skilled nursing facility, I used to do transport but now am doing all of the therapy scheduling so its a lot of office work. I am required to work normal business hours but am a wee bit flexible in my hours (no earlier than 5am, no later than 6pm and prob have to work at least 6 hours/day). However, if i were to work in the healthcare division of the company as a CNA (no unit clerk positions), their shifts are 7-3, 3-11, and 11-7. Theres also another catch: If i move over to the healthcare side, I wont get tuition assistance anymore. They are much more strict on their policy for the tuition assistance program and am not taking any applications at this time.

Thank you so much for the words of encouragement!!! It truly means SO much to me to hear from others that have gone through/are going through the same thing as me! I would definitely choose nursing, no doubt in my mind whatsoever! You've given me some hope with your story =) Thanks again!