jenhev16

hey there, i am currently halfway through my 3rd semester of nursing school. (graduate december 16th!) and honestly, looking back, it's hard to believe i've made it this far. i was a cna before i started and made it onto the dean's list every semester during my prereqs. the first 3 months of nursing school sucked! it took me awhile to get used to the application/NCLEX style questions and my first clincal instructor was...not so great. i was barely passing exams and leaving clinicals feeling dumber than a box of rocks but it's totally doable!!! nursing school just takes some getting used to. i thought about quitting multiple times toward the beginning. now looking back, it seems so silly. believe people when they say time really does fly! and most of all, just enjoy yourself. there will still be days when you'll ask yourself, "why am i doing this again?" but then there will come the days when you get off of clinicals or home from a test and think "i'm starting to feel like a real nurse."

oh, for sure! millions of people have done it. i am currently doing it myself, and the lowest grade i ever got was an A-. the only thing you have to do is make sure you use your time wisely. if you have spare time between classes or a break between school and work...ANYTHING... make sure you study or use that time to your advantage. also, make sure to plan ahead because it is a lot easier to study for a test a little each day than wait til the last minute, especially if you're working. so, yes, part-time is completely do-able. =]

I will be starting an accelerated diploma program in August. I had a 3.62 when I applied and ended with a cumulative 3.70.

Honey, you should be fine! I know many people with schedules like yours (including myself) that have done it no problem. One good tip I can offer is utilize breaks between classes for some extra study time if you can. Even just a few extra minutes a day adds up. -Jen =]

I took anatomy and chem together this past fall. I did horrible with chemistry in high school. (Horrible as in D!) In college, I got an A! Chemistry can be hard or easy depending on who is teaching it so hopefully you luck out. Don't worry too much about chem though because most of your time will be going towards anatomy. The class is hard at times but I also got an A in anatomy and trust me, if I could do it, you can do it! GOOD LUCK!

Well for some reason in PA, OH, and some other places, we are now often referred to as STNA's. I really never understood either....?

I am probably going to be one of the more odd ones here... I decided my junior year in high school that I wanted to be a registered nurse. My senior year I took a class to become a CNA to gain some experience. I am a 2009 high school graduate and I just turned 19 years old. I took all of my prerequisites at Penn State during Fall/Spring. I will be attending Sharon Regional Health Systems School of Nursing starting in August 2010 and graduate in December of 2011. (I will only be 20!!!) I know that I will surely be one of the youngest students in my class but remember that is one of the great things about nursing! There's never a wrong time to get into this field. In any nursing class, you're bound to have people ranging from 18-50. If nursing is truly something that you want to do (for the right reasons, or course), there is nothing standing in your way!!! =]

A lot of people refer to "CNA's" as "STNA's" now or "state tested nurse aides because technically there is no certification involved. That may have been what you have heard.