Raymond CA

Hi Lucia, I'm no longer a nursing student and left Rush before I finished the program. Long story. They don't have an ABSN program any more, as posters below have said. I work in medicine now. Good luck.

Bravo, man. Well said. I think your point is that "nice guy" and "bad boy" are too limiting and simplistic ways to look at being a man. "Real men" act like the unique individuals they are, continually growing and adapting to circumstances and women as they see fit. And if a certain woman doesn't appreciate the value of such a genuine man, tough. I'm sensitive or insensitive to a woman because that's what I choose to be at the time, not because I read it in a self-help book.

I have problems with the image of nurses and the assumptions people make about them. I've met plenty of driven, multitalented, ambitious people who want to help patients in different and more comprehensive ways than a doctor could. But I don't care about negative images. I will achieve my goals, despite how many comments from ignorant people I get to the contrary. Posters like this help kick those stereotypes in the ***. Descriptions of the above guys, from left to right: Sang Kim RN Cardiac Telemetry Nurse Snowboarder Terry Misener RN, PhD Dean, School of Nursing Retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Yuri Chavez RN, CRNA Nurse Anesthetist 2:54 LA Marathon Roland Jomerson RN Post Anesthesia Recovery Nurse Decorated Vietnam Combat Medic and Retired Major, U.S. Army Don Mucciprosso RN Poison Specialist Nurse Harley Rider Walter Moore, Jr. RN Intensive Care Unit Nurse U.S. Navy Seal Team One Bill Maddalena SN Student Nurse 3rd Degree Black Belt Kenpo L. Rey Ariola RN Cardiology Nurse Rugby Right Prop Jason Scott Carrick SN Student Nurse Basketball Power Forward

I feel for ya, lady! I work as a private tutor now, for high school students in math, science, the SAT, etc. Most of my students are nice and have good attitudes (usually the Asian ones), but I do have some rotten apples that help ruin my good mood. Most of my students are rich and some are very spoiled. One of my friends is a junior high teacher who keeps having to discipline and control disruptive behavior in her class, and she's very frustrated. She's thinking of leaving the country for Hong Kong to teach there, where teachers are treated with great respect as part of Asian culture. I will start nursing school next year in an accelerated BSN program, and I was an engineer for several years before. I think the hardest part of nursing for me will be the mean and nasty patients and families I will inevitably meet. I just hope the ratio of nice to nasty patients will be worth it. Good luck, and I truly empathize.

Congrats for getting into one of the top nursing programs in the nation! I'll be starting at Rush next year, right next to UIC. We get to join the UIC gym and I'll probably be swimming there often! :)

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Hi Lee! It's ABSOLUTELY possible to overcome a poor GPA in the past. I got low grades in a very competitive school a decade ago, but after 2.5 years of incredible sweat, I just got accepted to one of the top nursing schools in the nation last month. :) For details: https://allnurses.com/forums/f198/got-into-rush-universitys-absn-program-chicago-148631.html Don't worry about what the counselors say. You can and should retake any relevant classes in which you got low grades. Just take them at community colleges. Admissions committees want to see proof that you are a new, more mature, improved person who is damned committed to succeeding in nursing. They want a consistent record of growth and achievement. Also, in your application and interview, you can and should explain any academic deficiencies. For example, organic chemistry was my nemesis for several years. I took it three times when I was getting my first BS degree. D the first time, C the second, and a "not pass" the third time at a local community college. Last year I faced it again in preparation in nursing school, and my study habits, maturity, and drive had shifted big time by then. I got an A. Just make sure your new record clearly shows a new you, and you will make it! :)

Awesome, Andrea! Thank you for offering to help. I'm in contact with some Rush students now and people have been fantastically nice to me. :) I'm trying to study patho and pharm in advance now, for next January. Which textbooks did you use for them, and will they use the same books next year? Also, I know that their syllabi are on the WebCT site. May I see a copy of your syllabi for patho and pharm? It would help me know what to study. Just curious---what did you study at UCLA, and what's your background before joining nursing? Good luck! I know Rush is super tough and am looking forward to working like hell. :)

Thanks for your excellent dating posts, man! (I've added you as a buddy.) I looked through some of what you wrote on other forums too, and it's exciting to see what I envisioned coming true for someone like you. I also am planning to go the ICU/CRNA path. Hmm...that's sad. Did you personally observe a bunch of your classmates breaking up? Sounds like the difficulties couples have when someone is in med school, too. Any suggestions on avoiding wrecking our relationships while in nursing school? How about when we are working as a nurse---does life get more manageable for relationships? Why would you NOT want to date a nurse again?

I couldn't have said it better, man! I got a CNA license in January, and not only did it help me get into a top nursing school, it taught me time management with patients, respect for CNAs and the importance of their job, insight into how patient care may go wrong in a nursing home, conscientiousness, and most important of all---HUMILITY. Guess what most student nurses do in the hospital? CNA work! The better and more familiar one is with it BEFORE nursing school, the happier and more effective one will be IN nursing school. Don't ever look down on CNA work, guys. It's the bread and butter of nursing itself. The arrogant folks who think they are too good to change a diaper or make sure a patient is fed correctly will have hell to pay when they get their nose out of their books and meet real patients.

I always say that nursing is a great field to meet those 80-year-old hottie patients! Hehe...

Thanks for that excellent and refreshing poster, Ken! I have seen but never read it carefully before. I will spread it to my nursing friends. :) It's definitely possible and preferable for a guy to be both confident, goal-oriented, and take-charge PLUS sensitive, empathetic, caring, and considerate. Women love that. Not only that---these qualities are what nursing teaches and requires of ALL nurses, male or female! Look at how women idolize what they call the "gamma male" in romance novels or films---a Highlander or Mel Gibson type who conquers the world, protects his woman, overcomes great odds, and holds a baby's hand, listens well, and shows great compassion for the downtrodden and unhappy. Just don't get stuck in the stereotypical "nice guy" category---a doormat, a pushover, a guy who tries too hard to please, or a guy with no idea of whom he is. It's all about balance and showing the appropriate side of ourselves at the right times. Also, I view a negative reaction by women to a man in nursing as a quick way to filter out those women who are too backward, narrowminded, conformist, or too much of a social climber to be worth more than a few moments of my time.

Congratulations! Excellent! One of my proctors got into the ABSN too and will start in May. Where is the SF campus? Back in January, the admissions people still didn't know where it was. May I ask what your background and stats are? I'm just curious about what it takes to get in.

Ok, let's broaden the discussion. My original questions were: Has dating been easier for you, now that you are a minority in a field of women? Have you learned and grown from your more frequent contact with women? What pros and cons have you seen as a man dating in nursing school or nursing?

Wow, thank you for such a fantastically detailed and thorough answer! I had no clue about how greed helps reduce the pleasure out of your husband's life. (DH means "dear husband," I assume?) As someone changing careers from engineering to nursing, who is also interested in business, I will always remember your comments---both about greedy management and about the decreasing quality of life in nursing. If I ever get into a position to make decisions that affect employees, I will keep your stories in mind.