NurseTab

Thanks for your feedback, nesher. I took all my RN pre-requisites at South and had heard similar things. I've pretty much ruled them out, even though they are the closest. I've decided on Shoreline for the RN program...so I am willing to drive at least that far! Now I just have to get in!:) Thanks again!

i need to get my nac (or cna, same thing) and i am trying to decide which program to take. i've looked into south seattle cc, renton tech. college, lake washington technical college, and nursing assistant training institute. does anyone have an opinion or suggestions? i am leaning towards the na training institute...it is only 3-days per week and only lasts 7-weeks. all seem like decent enough programs on paper, but i am curious about the experiences people have had in the courses. or, what experiences you have had working with students and/or graduates of one of these programs. thanks in advance for any input you have! tabitha :)

Westcoastgirl: I am very impressed with your insights into the challenge of finding the right nursing school. Any pre-nursing student would benefit greatly from this advice. I especially appreciate the "work in your favor" section. My #1 choice for school is one of those that give the same points for the burger-flipper as they do for my nearly 10-years in management positions (Guess who!!) If I had thought as stratigically as you have, I may have been in school by now! Tabitha

Wow. Here I was making jokes and a kid was murdered. Now I vaguely remember hearing the phrase "water intoxication." Why do kids need to be such idiots?

Everyone has given you great advice and a very well rounded look at what it is like to get into Nursing School in Western Washington. I have found that though all the schools have SOME similar requirements (Chem, A&P, Micro) each school has one or two classes that is a unique requirment (example, Bellevue requires a specific Multicultural Communications class, Shoreline just wants {just about} any Multicultural class) All the school's websites are fairly good, though some you have to contact the school to get their packet of info (Highline, for instance). Try to attend as many info sessions as possible, that is where you'll learn the most. If you don't have your questions answered by the info session, make an appointment with an advisior (Everett's info session is all about the Nursing profession and has almost zero to do with their program specifically...that was a waste of an afternoon for me). Since you are just starting out, especially since you've been "only" a mom for 5-years (GIVE ME A BREAK....YOU KNOW HOW HARD THAT IS!!!) take it slow at first. It is quite an adjustment to start school again. Take only 1-2 classes at a time, at first. Take a Math Placement test to know where you stand there (unless you've already had College Calculus or Stats). Chem 101 or Bio 101 are good places to start...you'll want those out of the way before you get into some of the more difficult science classes. If you can find the time, try to volunteer at a hospital a few hours per week. That will give you some hands on experiene (most schools strongly recommend, or require it, though Bellevue doesn't even consider volunteer work) Another suggestion is to get Nursing Assistant Certified. It is great experience and all the schools give bonus points for it. Good luck to you! I just got my first REJECTION letter (I am so bummed! :angryfire ) It was from Shoreline...I had a 3.8 GPA in my classes, but I was lacking enough voluneer hours to make an impact. Now I am working on getting my NAC. Tabitha

Another option is distance learning. I am looking into a Spanish emersion course to beef up my Nursing School application and came across this: http://www.onlinelearning.washington.edu/ol/intros/span121/default.html It is a video tape course where you watch a Spanish language soap opera called Destinos. A friend took a Spanish class several years ago with Destinos and LOVED IT! Destinos es muy bueno. It might not help with the medical part, but it should be FUNNY! :chuckle

One thing I've heard is that there is much more need for RN's in RURAL areas verses the big cities...something to think about.

I agree that one would probably puke prior to desalination. I went to www.snopes.com (my favorite urban ledgend website) and couldn't find anything about it. There was an interesting myth about drinking too much Coke, however. Think before you drink Coke or Pepsi or any another soft drink. Have you ever thought what you drink when you drink an aerated drink? You gulp down carbon dioxide, something that nobody in the world would advise you to do. Two months ago, there was a competition in Delhi University "Who can drink the most Coke?" The winner drank 8 bottles and died on the spot because too much carbon dioxide in the blood and not enough oxygen. From then on, the principal banned all soft drinks from the university canteen. This was FALSE by the way. :chuckle

Hi Elleon: Many RN programs require that you have some volunteer or practical work experience before you are even admitted to school. If you are unsure if you'll like the field I strongly recommend you take the time to volunteer in a local hospital. Try to get into a department that sounds interesting to you (I volunteer in the ER). Look at the nurses around you and see if you like the work they are doing. Listen to the conversations around you. Ask lots and lots of questions. Good luck to you!

I am almost in the same boat...except I am 33, not 25. My biological clock is a bit louder. We have been trying for a year. My original plan was to have the baby by now and start school Fall '05. I am now hoping to start the RN program in Spring '05 - and I am not knocked up yet. I am not sure what I am going to do if I do get pregnant. This thread has given me a lot to think about. Luckily, the program to which I am applying admits students 3-times per year and a student can drop out for a quarter if needed. That is what I am banking on if I am fortunate enough to get pregnant. We are at the point where we should be looking into fertility issues, but now I am thinking we'll want to wait until after school is over. This thread has been extreemely helpful. Thanks to everyone for their input!

as a law...absolutely not. i don't think having a cna should be required for an rn program. however, i believe the experience would weed out those who "think" they want to be a nurse. i made my decision to become a nurse after i was laid off from another industry. i spent time shadowing a friend who is an rn and i began volunteering. most of the rn programs in my area (both bsn & adn) either require or recommend some volunteer or practical experience as a cna, lpn, emt, ma, etc. before i could apply to school i had about a year of pre-requisites to take. i made a conscience decision to get a job in an industry where i had experience where i could make $15-$20 per hour rather than get my feet wet in medicine as a cna and only make $8-$12. i wonder sometimes, as i sit here in front of my computer, wasting time surfing the net rather than do the job i hate, if i made the right choice. i think my volunteer work has confirmed my decision to purse a nursing career, and i look forward to getting a job as a tech after my first quarter of rn school. however, i will always wonder if my time would have been better spent getting hands on experience while waiting to be accepted to school.

PB~ Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings through this post. Thank you to all who replied for your insight and experience. I am hoping to start an ADN program Spring Quarter and pt dying is one of the issues I have been most concerned with in my chosen 2nd career. I tend to be an emotional person...wearing it all out there on my sleeve. I am a big cry baby with tears springing at the drop of a hat. I am very worried about this when I get into the field. So far, my only real experience is volunteering at a Level 1 trauma center which provides a lot of intense situations, but not much time to develop an emotional connection. I worry that I'll get too attached or be too emotional when I am on the job. I worry that I'll appear unprofessional and that I'll loose the respect of my co-workers - I've seen that happen in the business world. Thanks again for your post...I am sure with time I'll find a way to keep my emotions in check. This thread has helped me think about these issues and find ways that others have dealt with them. ~Tabitha