JamieA0321

Thanks for posting this. I'm going to be in a similar situation. Although I haven't finished my pre reqs, I currently have a 4.0 in my pre reqs. I hope I can keep it. I'm happy to hear others are getting accepted into programs.

Most schools accept it, there is only one school I've found that specifically states online courses arne't accepted and when I inquired aout this, they told me they would require verification by the department (biology) from the school where you took it that the lab was taken in-class vs. online. However, I'm not sure how this works or if they really do require it. I know there are many people though, who have taken it online and done fine.

I'm taking A&P I this summer with Psy235. I wanted to take it by itself, but I couldn't get my fin aid without taking 6 credits. I am expecting it to be difficult, but I am determined to make it work, somehow. I talked to previous students who have taken both and they all said that though it was difficult, not impossible and I should be able to do it. I also talked to my General Bio professor who also teaches A&P, she also thought it would be doable. Good Luck!!

This doesn't surprise me. Metro is adding more pre reqs also. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever finish, and if I do ever finish, if I'll ever even be accepted. But, I guess all I can do is continue on and try.

Well, I shouldn't have said opposite, I'm saying that thinking in terms of corporate desk job vs. patient care/helping career. I'll be switching from legal to healthcare.

I am not the OP of this thread, but I have a question about this. This information is for Regis, correct? I believe I saw that you were on faculty there. I'm currently finishing my pre reqs right now and plan to apply to CU, Metro, Regis and UNC. Right now I don't have a huge preference, though I'd like to stay in Denver and CU or Regis are my top choices. I already have a BA in another field and am finishing my pre reqs at a CC now. My undergrad GPA isn't an overall 3,9-4.0, but my pre reqs are. Is that GPA the overall undergrad GPA requirements or is that for pre reqs? Also, if I already have a BA and apply to the traditional program, would I have to retake a bunch of gen ed classes again directly from Regis (I've never actually attended regis and got my BA in another state)? Thanks for any help you can give

Just reading these threads freak me out completely and I'm not even IN nursing school yet! I'm going to have a BOATLOAD of student loans when I graduate (second degree, career change) I'm not above working as a CNA or whatever position I could get hired into, but I need to be able to pay my bills. I won't be able to just walk back into my current career role after graduation, which would I would be willing to do until I found a job, but it's also a tough field to find jobs and I know I couldn't just walk back in after being out for 2 years for education in a completely opposite field. I hope that everyone is able to find a job at some point. It has to get better sometime, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

The market in Denver, from my understanding is really bad. I'm very, very worried about finding a job when the time comes, even though it will be a good 3 years before I even get to that point. The amount of nurses they are graduating right now compared to the non-existant job market for them, I sometimes wonder if I will ever find a job. I'm still plugging away at my pre reqs and hoping, but I'll be honest, I'm not all that optimistic I hate saying that, but it just doesn't look good at all. I almost wish that I wanted to do something else so I wasn't so stressed and worried about it.

Thanks :) Where did you go to nursing school, tlapierre? I know things will be different when I finally get into and graduate from nursing school, whether it be better or worse, it will be different (and I'm praying for better right now!) I was having a minor panic attack that day thinking about the fact that I'll have to quit my job here and not knowing if I'll even find a job once I graduated or how long it would take me to find a job was/is freaking me a out a bit. I will need a job...any job soon after graduation, even if that means waiting tables or something. I know it won't be easy to go back to my old job (not that I will want to come back here) I guess my fear is that the nurisng market is so saturated just as the legal market seems to be and finding a job as a new grad will be next to impossible. I'm finishing my pre reqs n o matter what. Right now I'm trying to concentrate on just getting accepted into nursing school!

Thanks! It does help! The hospice case manager position actually sounds like a great position! Not something I had really thought of, but one that sounds interesting to me none-the-less. Right now I think I would like a hospital job, as that is where I always pictured myself, but that doesn't mean that it's where I'll end up or where it is absolutely the right fit for me, but like you said...If I'm determined and this is definitely where I'm supposed to be, I'll find my niche. I really appreciate everyone's comments, for sure! I still have a couple years of pre-requsites before I can even apply and another year to two years of nursing school before I graduate. I hope to have more vounteer experience and contacts under my belt before then which will hopefully help lead me to the position I'm supposed to be in!

Who should I talk to? When I talked to the last person (I think it was in volunteer services b/c I was asking about volunteer opportunities as well) they said they wouldn't arrange that for me, I had to know the person I was going to shadow and arrange it with them and then with the unit, but they wouldn't find someone for me to shadow, I had to find my own person, and I don't know anyone. Is there another department I should call about that?

Thanks! I've done a lot of soul searching and I'm sure this is what I want to do. Sitting behind a desk and hating it made me start thinking about what I wanted out of life. I've done some volunteering (though I realize is a far cry from the actual job) and I loved being there. I'm trying to find a nurse in CO to do a job shadow, but the only nurse I really know personally here is on a traveling job in NV right now. Once I get back into volunteering I'm hoping to do another job shadow while I'm finishing up my pre reqs. Thanks for the insight of what's going on with the job situation right now. I hope in a few years it evens itself out. Right now I'm trying to focus on getting excellent grades in my pre reqs and getting into school to begin with (and doing well there) Though admitedly I was starting to worry that even if I got accepted, did well, graduated, that I wouldn't be able to find a job, and I was panicking a bit b/c I'll be quiting my job in the legal field to pursue this career.

Thanks! That's so nice of you! I did register for the inclass one. Since this is my first semester back and I've been out of college for 10 years, I figured since it was available and I could do it, I should. I'm sure it will help to be there in person (or I'm hoping) I've heard that is a great text and that lots of people use it to supplement with the text I'm required to use. I was going to buy it, but since it was $100, I couldn't justify an extra $100 when I was already paying $175 for the text I had to have

An earlier Bio lab spot opened up so I registered for it. There is currently 3 spots available in the Saturday Stats class (as of the last time I checked). Should I drop my online class and get in the Sat. class? This will mean I'll be on campus on Sat. from 9am until 4pm. I'm a little worried about child care on a Saturday. But, I need to do well, and I'm a little worried about this stats class online as well. Thoughts?

Oh gosh, the story about your friend has me freaked out completely! It's not that I'm not organized (I'm completely anal about being organized) but I am working FT plus some, I am a single Mom to a 2 yr old and taking these classes, I feel overwhelmed already and I haven't even started yet. I hate to admit this, but what is rubrics? I feel sooooooo behind!!! I HAVE to do REALLY well in these last classes I'm taking and I'm feeling the pressure!!! I have a previous degree, with a guestimated GPA of around a 3.5 (3 different colleges) and then I'll have these classes. I got an A in Bio and a B Stats the first time around, but although I tried, I wasn't crazy anal about it, the B in stats was the only B I got that year, I remember that.

WOW! You are super prepared! That is awesome! Can I come study with you? Lol. I have never, in my life prepared that much for a class, even when I was in school FT the first time and also working FT...I should have though, it probably would have made it easier. I am taking my class through CCD, not actually CCOnline, though there is plenty of room in the CCOnline course, I just thought it might be easier to get help if I had a specific instructor who I could go to for help if needed! I don't even have my book yet, I need to get it, still. I was having a hard time deciding what classes I was going to definitely take so I haven't bought any books yet. I really need to get on that!!! I am definitely going to take your some of your suggestions for preparing for class! I NEED to do VERY well in these last pre reqs I have, so any help I can give myself will be well worth it! Since it's been quite awhile since I was in college, in your experience, what are the assignments, quizes and exams like? How many did you generally have regularly. I don't remember ever really having assignments in college the first time, we'd have an occasional quiz, like 3 a semester, but our grade was primarily the midterm, the final and a project. Can I expect regular assignments in Stats (how regular?) and Bio? Is there a big project that I'll likely be expected to do in either? How are the tests? Do you have to go into a testing center or are they online? Open book? Timed? I really have NO idea what to expect here!

Who has taken Statistics online? I'm getting ready to start my pre reqs thsi spring and I'm taking statistics. I'm taking it online as the evening classes available didn't work with my schedule, and I'd prefer to take as much online as possible as I have to work FT and daycare in the evening/weekends can be an issue for me. I'm starting to worry a little about this class. I had stats before, but that was 10 years ago and I can't remember much of anything about the class other than I spent a lot of time doing workbook problems for homework. Has anyone taken this? Is the class doable online if it's been a long while since you had a math class? I know a lot of it will depend on the instructor. I'm taking it online through CCD. Are there any resources that would maybe be helpful for additional help?

Ah, OK. Thanks. I'll admit I don't know much about the job market in nursing and how it works. I know for years it seemed like I was constantly hearing there was a nursing shortage and you could get a sign on bonus and work as much as you wanted. Now, I read on here people can't find jobs and I know my cousin in FL has her shifts cancelled regularly. I am hoping it is just simply the job market cycling and it will get better with time, and people picking up extra job/s shifts to compensate for non-working spouses sounds very likely and possible! But, yes the job market in the legal field (especially in some areas of the country) is really, really bad. The firm where I'm at now hasn't done any layoffs, but we are slow, really slow right now. I'm having a hard time meeting my billable hour requirements, as is everyone from what I gather. The firm I left 2 years ago laid off 3 attorneys right before I left, last I heard only one of them had found a job. Maybe I'm being more freaked out b/c of where I'm coming from? I do know that reading all the threads about new grads who can't find jobs isn't helping, lol. I must stop that! Thank you so much, everyone, for your replies!

That is true, and I'm hoping ti gets better, I'm just wondering if there will continue to be an influx of graduates in comparison to available jobs. Especially if people aren't finding jobs now, they'll be taking the jobs when they do open up. Is the field just getting flooded in certain areas and there are more available workers than jobs or just general cyclical job availability? I guess I'm asking as I'll be changing careers from the legal field. I graduated in 2002 and the market was flooded in Denver (this is not the case in every city, but it was/is in Denver) It's just gotten worse and worse. Sicne moving isn't an option for me, I'm just tryint to prepare myself for what I may be up against when I graduate.

Thank you! I appreciate your comment! You're right, that probably isn't the best terminology I could use. I have went back and forth on what specific field I wanted to go into for quite awhile, but am feeling more and more that nursing is probably the best fit for me.

Which school required it? I haven't found one that requires it yet, but I may not have looked at that school, I've only really looked at 4 schools in depth

Thanks, everyone. It's not mandatory for any school I'm applying to, but didn't know if it helped the process along. Though from what I've heard from others and read and was told by the schools it didn't really matter at all as to whether I was accepted, but may help when it comes to getting a job out of nursing school. I am looking into an evening/weekend program at a local CC right now. I am applying to be put on their wait list, though I'm not sure how long it will take before I can actually attend. There are lots of programs around here, but most of the ones I've found are during the day, and I can't take day classes due to work. So, we'll see what happens with this evening program and go from there. One thing I'm worried about though, even if I do get the certification, I won't be able to work FT, so I'm not sure what my likely hood of finding a job would be with my limited schedule.

Thank you for posting this!!! I have spent way too much time the past few days reading all these threads about not having jobs available for new grads, and it's been wearing on me! I'm a single Mom, working FT, trying to make ends meet and save what I can so I can afford to be off work when/if I ever get accepted to nursing school (which will be my first hurdle!) I have a previous bachelors degree and am in a decent career and make decent money now, I just really don't like my job. I was actually considering holding off on school for awhile b/c the "what ifs" are starting to take over. But, reading this was giving me some encouragement. I am just hoping and praying that in a few years when I am done with school the market is better! Things can change so much in a matter of a couple of years! Hopefully they turn for the better for this industry!

I'm new to the forum and have been reading up a storm on various threads and now I'm starting to freak out a bit. I have been considering a career change to the medical field for 5 years now. I WISH I would have done it 5 years ago, but I guess at this point it is neither here nor there. I am finishing up my pre reqs now. The earliest I'll be able to apply would be for spring, 2011 admission, but probably not until spring/summer 2012 admission as I will need to take a few extra classes which I've already taken, but they are too old. I'm doing that this spring and summer. I keep reading in multiple threads how new grads are having a HARD time finding work. I'll be leaving the legal field to pursue this career. I hate my job right now, but my job is currently (I think) stable and I make decent money. I'm changing b/c I can't stand to sit behind a desk all day pushing paper with absolutely no room for advancement. I'm also a single Mom and it is going to be really rough for me to quit my job to go to nursing school when (hopefully) I'm accepted. The thought of being out of work for a year or more as a new grad looking for a job is starting to REALLY freak me out. I could possibly go back to what I do now, but I know this field is even pretty rough and if you don't already have a job, I know lots of paralegals looking for work, so I'm not sure I could easily jump back into it, especially if they knew that I had just graduated from nursing school and was wanting to go in a different career path. I don't have previous clinical experience, though I have volunteered in hopsitals and worked in an assisted living center over the summer while in college (but that was 10 years ago!) I am trying to get back into the ED volunteering, but there is currently a wait list for volunteers, even! Leaving Denver isn't an option for me right now. I'm not going to be super picky about where I work. I have goals of working somewhere specific in a specific department, but I am not going to be picky when it comes to getting my foot in the door and getting some experience. I would very much prefer to work in a hospital and really don't want a LTC Facility, but I wouldn't turn it away, just from previous experience, I don't think I'd like a LTC position on a permanent basis. I woudl really like to know what it is really like for new grads right now in the Denver area and what I can expect my starting hourly rate to be. I'm expecting to have to take a paycut, but I'm not sure how much I should anticipate. I was looking at Denver Health's website. There are lots of RN listings that say no experience required and starting around $24 per hour, but on their main page it says they aren't hiring new grads right now (it looks like it was updated in September)

It's good to hear that all 3 programs are well respected in the field! I'm hoping I get accepted *somewhere* I'm super nervous about it!