kayak133

Runforfun is exactly right, and is the basis for my decision. Yes, there was a larger issue behind the post...it had to do with the transfer of a non-nursing course....which I was advised about at the very last minute. I would not have made such a fuss if there had not been any extenuating circumstances or reasonable explanation from the college I was applying to or from the college the course in question was being transferred from. Anyone who thinks that signing the receipt of a handbook is not a contract or an acceptance is naive. It should always indicate the typed name with a signature of the Dean and a date that the handbook reviewed and updated. Better yet, it is available for viewing by the general public. This handbook did not meet that criteria. Yes, always keep a very detailed record of the people you speak to via phone and email. I kind of wished I got away sooner than I did. There was a lot of dishonesty here. There came a point where I would have accepted them saying to me that the reason we cannot release the information you are requesting due to our privacy policy. I was very enthusiatic to go. At any rate, I will not sign a receipt for a handbook that states that my questions have been fully answered to my satisfaction when it has been made fully clear that they have not, and when the maker of this agreement/contract cannot sign to it.

If there was only a way to "like" this post .). Can someone show me where the chastity belts are kept?

I am literally 'on' and now 'off' my third nursing school, and I am contemplating not returning to get my RN at all. I didn't flunk out. I left my previous school with a 3.14 GPA with 4 nursing classes underneath my belt: B+, B, B+, and B-. I left my first nursing school on amicable terms. I work full time, and I had other options as far as colleges to go to. I have withdrawn from my most recent attempt to go to school due to the fact that the Student Guide Book does not contain the signature of the Dean, is not dated, and the students are in turn required to sign that they have read the book, agreeing to the statement that: The student has read the handbook and all of the student's questions have been satisfactorily answered. I have an incredible amount of unanswered questions regarding the transfer of a course I took at a local college to this institution and I was trying to obtain the grievance procedure from this college as I complained to the NLNAC. The Guide Book was delivered approximately 48 hours out from the start of class to the students for review unannounced...meaning that there was no email from the professor to give us a 'head's up' to let us know that we had to review and then sign the guide book. The instructor told us on Saturday and we were to sign and return the form on Sunday. I did not return the form on Sunday and withdrew this Monday. This handbook also indicated that I could petition to have higher placement although I was told by the Admissions department that I could not. The other college I applied to, well, they just decided at one point that it was not okay to release information to them. Is everyone dealing with this? I do not want to go back to the school I started at. As of this semester my science courses will begin to expire. I am not going to list the school that I was dealing with here. Both schools were in Pennsylvania.

I attempted to apply there for Spring 2012. I was not pleased with the lack of professionalism from La Salle. In fact, it was way to the extent that I will never consider applying there again. For anything. I carried a 3.14 GPA, and while I was well above the requirement on the verbal score on the NLN exam, I was just a few points shy on the math. I am a national honor society member. Everytime I asked them my status as to whether I was accepted or not they would blow smoke in my face. I will not share the nature of their responses on this board. I could not afford the risk of paying for the physical exam and criminal history checks without clearly knowing as to whether I was going to be accepted or not. I thought it was wrong for them to imply to a group of students who were not accepted to start working on obtaining the health physical and criminal background checks without knowing their status. To top it off, I was told that it was never implied that students who had not received official communication of their acceptance were to start working on their criminal background checks when it was. There is no logic in inviting students to a meeting to discuss the importance of obtaining criminal background checks prior to clinical if they have not received official word of acceptance. Yes this was discussed candidly with the Dean and the President's Office. I have been accepted to Gwynedd Mercy College, and I am very pleased with their follow through. There has been one small glitch with the transfer of one of the courses. These people have gone well above out of their way to find financial aid for me, and to assist me in getting enrolled during the summer for the course I need to continue with nursing in the Fall. They have student volunteers contacting you to remind you of what you need to do. I hope you were able to enter for the Spring of 2012 to the school of your choice. Good luck and best wishes.

My cousin has been with them for awhile. She is a clinical nursing manager at this time. My coz is a diploma nurse who recently recd her BSN. Has a lot of positive things to say...but then again, as a former sub teacher in Trenton, all I could say was...it depends greatly upon which school you are in as a sub in the district...you can have a great time or well, a lousy day where you wished you turned down the offer to substitute. She doesn't bean count. Her job takes her out on the road a lot. She doesn't have too many bad things to say.

Keep on going...we are all pulling for you. It is the same for everything. Just to let you know, I used to be a teacher....back in the day of the so-called teacher shortage...sent about 100 or so odd applications for teaching jobs in NJ...I understand the feeling. Keep going strong!

Caitlin, I just sent you an email.

Please contact me privately.

Retail; Teacher: licensed and taught in: PA, NJ, and NC; currently an insurance agent. Volunteered with: Monmouth County Park System, Hamilton Hospital...this is going way back...and also volunteered a CentraState Medical Center. Working on RN at 42 years old...don't worry, Julibyrd...have friend who is 52 years old and has been working on her RN since 2005....she takes some time to enjoy the road of life while getting where she wants to be :-).

I would have graduated from nursing school this semester if I hadn't voluntarily left last spring. My reasons for doing so were twofold. First, it was becoming difficult for me to maintain a decent GPA while working full time....the schedule for the school was four nights/week. I also have to maintain my current occupation as I need to make mortgage, etc. Second, it was becoming painfully obvious not just to myself but to other students that the skills taught in lab were not adequate. There were times when the lab instructor read to us out of a book. We did not have open lab time. A friend of mine reported that this school is no longer teaching students and asking for a return demonstration on catherization. It is just watch the video. It is hit or miss, depending on the clinical instructor, as to whether or not you performed this skill in clinical. In my first semester, my clinical instructor made everyone complete a PEG tube feeding. On the other hand, the syllabus states that senior students have to practice full assessment, medication delivery, etc. on a mannequin. I am wondering what the experience is out there. Is there anyone else who is having the experience that schools are more concerned about passing the NCLEX exam and getting a 95-100% pass rate than actually teach students skills? I wonder what would happen if the NCLEX was modified to include skills performance. For example, aviation students must demonstrate aeronautical and navigational knowledge on a written exam, and then, fly with a Federal Aviation Administration flight examiner to demonstrate practical knowledge.

I am not a nurse. I am a sitting on the fence sometimes student nurse. Had several occasions in regards to physicians and my healthcare and in regards to nursing schools this past spring, summer and early fall to make me question my own sanity about continuing to do this...and, not just 'do this' but to excel at it..because if you are just going to do it...it is going to turn out mediocre...and, that is not what I want it to be. The kudos go out in more ways than one to those nurses who take an active approach to their own healthcare...that second opinions do matter...which needs to be communicated more or less down the line to the patient...also from Imintrouble...saying what you want to say, and that, nothing less than the truth is vital. Nursing school has made me realize that life and nursing is a journey...not a destination. Things take time.

Putting it to you this way: don't get involved if you can. Usually a person can pick up the vibe and know they are going to get fired.

I have taught in PA, NJ, and NC....grades 1-3. It wasn't the kids, it wasn't the work, it wasn't the parents, but the administration that made me leave education. My last position as a teacher was in an urban charter school. This school eventually wound up on probation with the Department of Education and had its charter pulled. The job market can be really tough for a teacher as much as it is for a nurse at this time. As far as pay for a teacher, it is greatly dependent upon what district you are in. For example, my first year salary as a teacher in Philadelphia was 28k..if I was hired in Upper Merion, which is right across the street (Bala Cynwyd Ave) I would start out at 35k. Please be aware that these are 1998 salaries. I am sure nursing salaries are different from hospital to hospital. I was looking at becoming a school nurse in Philly at one time...they start at around 60k...but you need 2 years experience and a BSN. I will tell you that there was only one school nurse on staff at a K-12 school in Philadelphia County when I was a teacher there. That's a lot of kids. Even as teacher, I was sometimes the school nurse, when the nurse was not available...yep, started early in delivering those meds. I think that nursing and teaching offer the flexibility of moving around. Teaching a first grader is not the same as teaching a third, and granted, care of a child is not the same as care of an elder.

To add to the above....any field you are in or if you are considering entering when you leave college requires a lot of savvy...heed the advice of Jenni811 and Loque.

New Jersey. Last winter a nursing student friend of mine went for a patient tech position interview at Princeton and was declined. The response from the nurse manager who interviewed her was that she (the nurse manager) would rather hire her as an RN after she graduated. I haven't heard any responses from the friends that I started nursing school with concerning the job market, although a lot of my friends either dropped out or flunked out. I do check the ads in the newspaper. There are not a lot of jobs in the central Jersey/SE PA nursing market. I dropped nursing school to transfer to another school. Kind of had a choice: quit my job and lose my home or pass nursing school and face the uncertainty of the job market. I also had the same rationale as Goodmed. Found better nursing school with schedule that is not so tight....not currently employed in job where I can shut the door and study, you know.