MykRTstudent

I don’t know how long it has been since the last time you were in school, but your information is not accurate. Plenty of people get accepted into nursing programs after being unsuccessful in another program. Yes, there are some schools that are strict and will not accept anyone who has previously been in nursing school, but not all institutions are like this. And yes, to tell the OP that they shouldn’t continue on with nursing IS discouraging, especially when they’ve stated they still want to be a nurse. Who is to tell them what they should do with their life.

This is not true. I’ve met four people throughout my schooling who all failed out of nursing programs, got accepted into another program, and have graduated. They are now all working as nurses. What a discouraging piece of advice for the OP. Anyway OP, I was in nursing school at one time and failed a course myself. I had the opportunity to retake it, but was turned off to nursing in general. Long story short, I realized how unhappy I was in nursing school and switched gears- I went back to school for respiratory therapy, I loved it, and just graduated this summer. I think community college is the best way to go for those who were unsuccessful in previous nursing programs. I’ve found that CC’s tend to be the most accepting, and will give you a second chance- plus money is another factor, CC’s are usually the best options financially, so if you already have loans to begin with that’s a no brainer. Like others have said, if you change your mind there are other professions in allied health that pay well and you can use your nursing pre-reqs for. Some examples would be Respiratory Therapy (what I chose), Radiology Tech, Surgical Tech, Medical Lab Tech, or if you can handle a little more schooling there’s also Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. Respiratory Therapy would be the closest to nursing out of all of these. Best of luck and keep your head up!

Fair enough, the choice to go there is certainly your right. Keep in mind that “hearing good things” is purely subjective. I just wanted to let people know that the program did have a lot of problems not long ago and had very poor statistics. I hope things have changed for the better at Queens. I remember a lot of the professors there- so feel free to message me for advice on some of them if you want. Also, I’ve spoken to at least 3 of my former classmates from Queens who left and started over at other programs (Two transferred to Chamberlain and one went to CPCC) and thrived at these other schools (unlike our experience at Queens).

Former Queens student here, let me just give my two cents, and that is stay away from this program. It is a mess and has mean, incompetent, unsupportive professors. Just take a look at the extremely high attrition rate- that should say enough. There are plenty of other nursing schools in the Charlotte, NC area- take a look at them before wasting money at Queens.

I was a student in Queens traditional BSN program 4 years ago- what an absolutely horrible program!! I’m not sure if that’s changed, but I’d be surprised if it has. I have never in my life seen a group of more miserable, negative, unsupportive professors. The program is a mess- completely disorganized and incompetent teaching. The high attrition rate should tell you something. But I’m sure Queens won’t let you know about that. Anyway, the traditional program isn’t too hard to get into. They say you should have at least a 3.0 GPA, but really it should be at least 3.3 if you want your application to stand out. I believe I had around a 3.4 or 3.5 when I was accepted. The accelerated BSN program is a lot more competitive from what I’ve heard, so that’s something to keep in mind. But there are plenty of other nursing schools in the Charlotte, NC area that you should look at- ones that are much cheaper and where the faculty are actually competent! Stay away from Queens if you want to be treated like a human being and receive a god education ! I’ve heard positive reviews about Chamberlain and Cabarrus College. Also consider CPCC- there’s nothing wrong with going the ADN route first, it will save you tons of money.

Yes, exactly. This is the best place to be in my opinion. The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. However, from my own experience, those who are solely in it to make money burn out quickly and don’t last very long in the field, or even in nursing school. I’ll always remember on my very first day of school our instructor went around the room and asked every person what made them want to be a nurse. There were four people that said money. None of them made it past the first semester. Nursing is not the only job in this world that pays nicely. You’ll struggle in school if you don’t have a passion for the career.

Not trying to bash anyone at all.. but with comments as ridiculous as the OP has made, it really makes me wonder what their motive is and if nursing is really for them. Hence the mostly negative responses in this thread by many. Of course making a livable wage is always something to consider, however the OP’s tone seems to lack any sort of compassion and only be interested in money. She also states that working with children she hates changing diapers and doesn’t like being exhausted. Excuse me? You know as a nurse those two things won’t be going away.. they’ll be worse actually. She’s going to absolutely hate being a nurse then.. because there will be plenty of cleaning BM along with several other bodily fluids, many of which you won’t see working with toddlers in a preschool. Oh, and 12 hour shifts too of course. There are several jobs in healthcare that don’t have direct patient contact which pay nicely. Try to put yourself in a patients shoes.. would you really want a nurse coming into your room to care for you who is miserable and hates her job and is only interested in what her paycheck will look like? The OP’s comments/tone are absurd, and that is what has allotted my feedback.

Just caught this added info. Wow. Please don’t go into health care. You clearly are in it for a paycheck. I’ve seen a big difference in those who are in it for money vs. those who actually want to make a difference and help people. The way you write and post on here just gives me the image that you are immature. How about you look into careers within the business side of healthcare rather than direct patient contact.

Ok, so usually I try my hardest not to judge people based on these posts and/or tell them what to do in life, but are you really sure nursing is for you? You state that you’re tired of changing diapers and being exhausted. Bad news- you’re not going to escape that in nursing, and in fact, it’ll be worse.

Ugh.. really? “respiratory tech”? Come on, as a nurse you should know that’s not the proper title. It’s respiratory therapist. That’s like referring to an RN as a “nursing assistant”. ??‍♂️

It's true that many hospitals now prefer nurses with a BSN. After you get your ADN and take the NCLEX, you are still a registered nurse. My advice would be to enroll in an RN-BSN program as soon as you get your ADN, many of those programs are online, so it makes balancing work and school a little easier. This way when you apply for jobs employers will see that you are enrolled in an RN-BSN program and it will help.

I'm in school to be a respiratory therapist. This semester I did very well! Got an A in cardiopulmonary Pathophysiology, and an A in Advanced Respiratory care procedures (learning about ABGs, PFTS) . Both classes were tough. I'm almost done, graduation is in June! Feels great to be on break right now

I say go the community college route. At this point you've probably already spent a lot of money on school and a CC associates degree program will be much cheaper than most BSN programs. Also, I've found that community college programs tend to be more accepting towards students who were not successful in other programs, since community colleges are meant to be open to anybody, and for second chances, etc. There are 3 community college programs in my area that all have a great reputation and high NCLEX pass rates, so there is absolutely nothing wrong with going this route. I personally don't think your pre-req grades are that bad, and since you've retaken a couple courses that should look good on your applications as it shows you are committed. Surprised at some of the rude comments you're getting, cut it out people, you don't know this girl personally and all she's asking for is help. If you don't have anything nice or helpful to say, don't respond at all. Best of luck to you, and feel free to contact me with any advice as I've been through something kind of similar to your situation.

My suggestion would be to look for a community college associates degree program in your area and go from there. This makes the most sense financially, and I've found that CC programs are usually more accepting toward/willing to take students that were unsuccessful in other programs.

No judgment here at all, I was in your position actually! I was in nursing school for two semesters (one year), realized I hated it, and left myself. Good for you that you were able to realize what you don't want- why waste all that time and money only to remain unhappy? I'm now in school for respiratory therapy. I love it! I'm starting the second year of the program tomorrow, actually- nine more months to go and I'll be done! Have you thought about respiratory? It's similar to nursing in some ways, but you are only responsible for one area of the patient's care rather than the patient as a whole. I find this to be less stressful and easier to manage. RT's have a pretty wide scope of practice and the pay is pretty good in most parts of the country. Another thing that I like about respiratory is that you will travel around various floors/areas of the hospital and see a lot of patients throughout your shift. This differs from nursing as usually nurses will remain in one floor/department for the entire shift and be stuck with the same handful of patients all day. Respiratory is so underrated and is a great field always in demand! It's also continuing to grow, and that's very exciting to be a part of !

Of course not. Most nursing programs are two years long. Doctors have to do four years of undergrad, then another four years of medical school (which is waaaay more competitive/cut throat than nursing school), and then usually 3-7 years of residency. Just the differences in the amount of schooling shows they are far from equal. Technically, nurses are subordinates of doctors, yes, but this isn't a knock/insult to them. Doctors are the ones who write all the orders and really have the final say over everything that happens. Everybody is really a subordinate of the doctor- PA's, NP's, pharmacists, physical therapists, nurses, respiratory therapists, dietary, etc.

Where are you exactly, what state? You will likely have to start from scratch in another program, as most of the time nursing courses do not transfer to other institutions. I know this really sucks, but if nursing is something that you truly want to do and are passionate about, then it's something that will be worth doing. Believe me, I think it's terrible that students have to face this problem when one nursing program doesn't work out for them. There is so much money, time, stress, and emotions spent into school it's really unfair in my opinion. No two nursing programs are exactly the same as far as curriculum and course sequences go. There should be a way to make it easier for displaced students to earn some credit for prior courses taken, but schools are probably too lazy to want to deal with all that. I'm in PA, and there actually is a community college (associates program) near me that is willing to give students some credit for previous nursing courses, though it's a difficult process from what I hear- You have to have a certain GPA, you have to meet with the dean and discuss your situation, they also want to see all of your syllabi from the nursing classes you've taken, and you MIGHT get some transfer credit- it's not even guaranteed. Lastly, does your school not offer any chances to retake a course? Most programs do, look into that as an option as well. Best of luck to you. I've been in a similar plight- I was not successful in a BSN program, I had the option to retake the course I failed but chose not to as I was turned off to nursing and switched majors completely- now in school for respiratory therapy, got nine more months to go and I'll be done! There is light at the end of the tunnel, don't give up and keep going my friend !

True, good points you're making, thanks for that. I love the field of respiratory care so far, the lack of respect/recognition is something I hope changes in the future. Many nursing schools fail to educate students on the role of the respiratory therapist and their job as members of the healthcare team. I know this is true because I was in nursing school for a year. Right away in fundamentals of nursing class, there was a unit in which we were taught about the various members of the healthcare team- they mentioned doctors, pharmacists, CNA's, even nutritionists. They completely failed to mention respiratory therpists at all even went we spent a brief time studying simple O2 devices! I had no idea what a RT was until I got into my peds clinical rotation, where I watched one for the first time and became very interested. Also very, very few people outside of health care know what a RT is. Whenever I tell someone that I'm in school to be a respiratory therapist, I'll have to then explain to them what that is 90% of the time. And I hear you about degree requirements, I've had one person assume that I'm studying in a certificate program! Pretty disrespectful IMO. As you know RT's have an associates degree at minimum, and the expected requirement is changing to a bachelors degree very soon probably within the next decade. Anyway, your scope of practice sounds incredibly hands on and amazing ! What state are you in? I'm hoping that intubation by RT's becomes the norm soon. I know that this is still a growing field which is very exciting to be a part of.

Yes, unfortunately RT is an underrated and under appreciated field. Even as a student I can see it. Also in clinical I am sometimes mistaken for a nurse by patients, that part really bothers me lol. I have nothing against nurses, but there really needs to be more respect for RRT's, all this "nurse appreciation", "thank a nurse", etc. nurses are indeed hard working and most of them are great at what they do but I wish people stopped acting like they're the only ones involved in a patients care. I'm sure you know about Respiratory Care appreciation week every October, but it really gets little recognition. When you say you want to go into nursing to further your education, does that mean you have plans to eventually go to grad school? Just trying to figure out your end goal to help is all. If just want to become a FNP for example, you should just go the PA route, it's less time, money and stress than first becoming a nurse (nursing school is brutal I've been in it), getting a second bachelors degree and then getting a masters. But if you want to be a more specialized NP, or CRNA then yeah, you'd have to go to nursing school of course.

Just wondering, are you unhappy with being a RRT? Or do you just really want to be a nurse? I only ask because I'm currently in school for respiratory and I love it so far. It seems to be a great field with a pretty wide scope of practice. I think respiratory is such an underrated field that doesn't get enough credit. Anyway, I think it would be best if you contacted somebody in the nursing department of the schools you're applying to, and asked to meet with them in person. Either the director of admissions, or program director perhaps? That way you can explain to them your situation of having been in nursing school before and ask them what you can do to enhance your application. I have a friend who failed out of nursing school, and then several years later she got accepted into another program. I believe she met with the program director and submitted a letter of why she was unsuccessful her first time in nursing school and what she intended to do the second time around to improve. Sorry to hear that you've been getting rejected from schools only for submitting your previous nursing transcripts, I think that's terrible and unfair. You're only being honest with them, that would make a good applicant in my book. In fact many schools dislike when you DON'T submit all previous transcripts as they see it as falsifying your application. I would make an appointment to speak with the director of the program to discuss your situation and go from there. Best of luck to you!

Yes, having been in school for both, I can say that RT is easier than nursing. But still it is not easy by any means. Like nursing, it requires lots of studying/practice outside of class. The big difference comes with testing. Nursing tests are very difficult and require a lot more "critical thinking". The tests in my RT program are not like that. For the most part it is knowledge/fact based, and involves a bit more math/chemistry than nursing tests do.

It's really up to you. What do you want to do? I can relate to you somewhat as I was first in nursing school, hated it, and then switched to respiratory. I love respiratory and am sure it's a better fit for me, but that may not be the case for everybody. What can you see yourself doing more? Nursing is very generalized, while respiratory is very specialized. Do you prefer to know a little bit about every body system (nursing), or a lot about one body system (respiratory)? Nurses are truly the first line of defense. They are usually stuck with the same handful of patients for their entire shift and remain on the same floor/department of the hospital. Respiratory therapists will usually travel around various parts of the hospital, and see numerous patients throughout their shift. Basically nurses are responsible for the entire care of patients head to toe, while respiratory therapists are only responsible for one particular aspect of the patients care (lungs and also heart to some extent). Does cleaning patients below the waist gross you out? If so, then nursing may not be for you. Respiratory therapists deal with a lot of sputum, which in my opinion is nowhere near as gross as urine/BM. Nurses are responsible for a lot more regarding to their patients, so naturally, they make a bit more in pay than RT's (though in my area it's only around $5 more an hour I believe). Currently nurses have a lot more opportunity in regards to advancement, this is due to nursing being a much older career and also much more generalized. There are various areas in which they can specialize in and advance to. Respiratory therapy does have some advancement opportunities, but at the moment they are limited. They include management, teaching, and business (RT equipment companies, DME) though this can change in the future. Respiratory is still a growing field, which is very exciting to be a part of in my opinion! As far as schooling goes, they are different. I've been in both nursing school and RT program. They are similar in some ways, but mostly different. Nursing school is harder hands down. It requires much more critical thinking, "thinking outside the box" as they say. The tests are odd. Like all the answers to a question sound good, and you have to choose the best one. RT school is not really like that. It's a lot more knowledge/fact based, and it does involve more math equations and a bit more chemistry than nursing from my experience. Both careers are awesome fields, you can't really go wrong either way, best of luck in your decision and schooling! Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding respiratory.

Didn't mean to "antagonize" anybody, apologies if I did, that certainly wasn't my intention. And of course I know that nurses's scope of practice is well beyond the cleaning below the waist stuff, but let's be honest, it's a rather large part of their daily responsibilities, is it not? I was just giving my honest two cents of why I hated nursing school and the OP was asking for differences between nursing and respiratory. I have nothing against nurses they are responsible for so much and are by far the busiest people in the hospital setting. In my experience so far I have met *SOME* nurses that are highly ignorant of RT's scope of practice and have a condescending attitude toward us (thinking they know it all, how to do RT's job) but like I said, I've only run into 2 nurses like this and I know not all of them think this way. And about the nurse I taught, she was a fairly new nurse asking me questions about ventilator modes, so I was just explaining them to her. If I had a question for her about something nursing related I'd be more than happy to ask her.

If you truly don't feel called to nursing then don't go to nursing school. It's not worth the money, stress, and time. I went to nursing school for a year and realized it wasn't for me after the fact. I am still in the medical field, but I'm now going toward something that I truly enjoy and I'm still using all of my science pre-reqs that I had initially took for nursing (Respiratory). Now to be honest with you, degrees in the arts typically don't have a lot of value when it comes to the job market. It's great that you have an idea of what you want to do in the long run, but to score a decent paying job in the arts usually takes some years of dedication and also some luck. Since you took pre-reqs for medical schoo, have you thought of alternatives in the medical field? There are plenty of other options out there where you can still apply most of those classes toward something as a meaningful back up plan. If you don't feel like doing anything in the medical field period, then there are odd jobs out there that will hire people just for having a bachelors degree in anything. Just trying to give you some suggestions as some backup income while you pursue your dream. Best of luck

True, everyone's experience is very different actually. You're lucky that you had supportive instructors, I wish I could say the same. I went to a terrible disorganized nursing program and the professors were the most negative, unsupportive people that I've ever met. If you were struggling just a little bit most of them would flat out tell you to change your major. Completely rude and discouraging. I didn't feel like I was really learning anything either. Also I hated my clinical instructor. She was bossy and rude. I am a naturally shy person with anxiety so when I was 21 years old starting nursing school, walking into a patients room and engaging in conversation with them was awkward for me at first (it's not a problem for me anymore I'm so used to it now). And the slightest mistake I would make my instructor would get so agitated and yell and criticize/berate me in front of patients. This really embarrassed me and hurt my confidence. I wasn't very good at the nursing test questions either.. I found them to be ridiculous most of the time and my lectures didn't prepare me for them. My program was so horrible we started out with 48 students in the class and 22 were gone after just the first semester (either by failing or dropping out). Now I'm in school for respiratory therapy and half way through the program. I love it. Do I wish I had gone straight to this instead of nursing? Yes, but hindsight is 20/20 and a couple semesters of nursing school actually gave me a head start in this respiratory program as far as medical terminology and clinicals experience.