Jannie92

Which one is better? I'm a little confused about the pace of traditional BSN programs for second degree students. If I already have a degree in another field, and I'm doing a traditional BSN program, would it take a full 4 years to complete, or would I be able to finish it sooner? Before, I was set on applying into ABSN programs once I graduate. However, the prices and competition of these programs are intimidating, so I might consider the traditional route instead. However, would traditional be cheaper or more expensive?

Hmm maybe I should've worded it a little different. I meant to ask, does your major matter when it comes to judging your GPA? Do they take in consideration of one's major in addition to the GPA that is correlated with it?

I'm asking this because I hear a lot of times from schools that the bachelors degree you graduated with doesn't matter, only the GPA does. But with that said, how would schools compare one candidate who has a 3.8 with a degree in a more liberal field of study, such as art, with another candidate who has a lower GPA like a 3.0 with a bachelors in neuroscience. I don't think it's fair to just judge one's GPA by face value...shouldn't the field of study matter as well?

So I've been working as a CNA for about 3 months at a LTC facility during day shift from 6:30-3pm, and I am on my feet during the entire time. I don't get a chance to have a lunch, use the bathroom, or even take a sip of water during the day. And it's not just me - its my entire floor of nurse aides! Rarely do I ever see any of them take a break for lunch. And I'm pretty tiny - 5'3" 113lbs - and so my back is constantly aching from the heavy lifting. I feel physically and emotionally drained at the end of my shift from all that lifting and not eating. I have a floor nurse who's always on my back, telling me "you gotta make sure so and so has their teeth brushed" and "you can NOT just leave this resident in the dining room all day". I feel like she just doesn't understand that every time she's talking to me, I'm juggling ten things at once. She rarely ever gives a helping hand, and she acts like she's a savior when she helps pass out water to the residents. I even overheard her saying "I can't be doing any nurse aide work around here", as if she even does anything. I understand she has her own set of duties to take care of, but when you clearly see a nurse aide running around the entire floor rushing to get things done on time, is it really the best time to pull them aside and lecture them about the importance of shaving a resident? But the thing is, it's not that I FORGET to bring a resident back to their rooms after breakfast and have them toileted - I just don't have the freaking time to because we're always so understaffed (and underpaid!). I despise not being able to provide quality care to my residents because I truly do want the best for them. I LOVE my residents and I always try to make sure they get the care that they deserve, but I realize that whenever I do that, I fall behind and I find myself rushing for the rest of the day. It's not fair that we and the residents have to suffer because of management. I don't know what to do anymore. I want to continue CNA work so that I can continue to gain experience for RN school, but the environment that I'm working is really making me consider a different path. And while the job is only part time, I go to school full-time MWF where I take a 4 hour commute each day. All this adds up and it's giving me so much stress. Are there any other options besides LTC that I can consider? How difficult is it to get into a hospital and maybe work part time there? Anything has to be better than this!

Is it a good idea? I attend college full-time (12 credits, although I wonder if I can do 15?) and I've decided to commute this year. My commute is about 1.5 hours to and 1.5 hours back by train, and my classes are scheduled on MWF. I also want to work part-time as a CNA, and by part time, I mean nothing over 20 hrs/week. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with going to college full time and working part time as a CNA, and give some advice!

Honestly, I would be surprised if you DIDN'T get into an ABSN progam!

So I attend college full-time, and normally my course load consists of 16-17 credits per semester. However, this year is going to be a little different since I plan on working part time as a CNA and I will also be commuting instead of living on campus. My commute is about 1.5 hours to AND and 1.5 hours back, so I figure that's going to take a pretty big chunk out of my day. So I decided to lessen my workload and do 12 credits (which is still considered FT). My question is would this look bad on my transcript? Would nursing schools look down upon this?

Oh wow thats great! Keep up the good work :) It's always a lot better to go into finals with a high grade in the class. And I think you're gonna do fine on your second exam! Don't stress :)

@illusion9376, haha thanks! So how are you doing in your summer chem so far?

GUYS! So I thought I'd give you a little update :) Grades came back a few days ago, and I miraculously passed the class with a B+!!!!!!! Thats right...B PLUS!! The amount of exclamation marks could not possibly describe how excited I was when I found out hehe. I studied my butt off for the final exam, which I'll admit, I didn't do terrific on..BUT I still a lot better than compared to my classmates lol. That really helped...plus the curve my professor applied also helped LOTS. I was really surprised at my grade. I was seriously anticipating a C+ or a B- at best. I remember I began this class thinking I could pull off an A, but now I'm so grateful for my B+ haha. Especially in a time span of 6 weeks! And so I just wanna thank you everyone who offered words of encouragement! It was really helpful and uplifting :) I'm just glad I'm done with this class now and can move onto focusing on my other prereqs that are left!

Thanks guys, its nice to know that I'm not the only one in this situation! I found out that I got a 75 on my third midterm last week, which believe it or not, is actually better than I expected The average was a 76, so I know I'm not the only one in the class having trouble with this class. But of course, I'm still disappointed that I didn't score higher. The final is in one week, and I'm going to studying my tail off for that. Hopefully with the curve and my grades from the homework and quizzes, I'll get atleast a B- in the course! Fingers crossed!

Nope, you're not alone! How long is your class? And at least you got a B! But I understand...the thing is, I was NOT expecting to get a C on my first exam because I actually studied and thought I had it in the bag. I actually walked out thinking I did fairly well on it. But nope, I know it's better now to have lower expectations haha. So yeah, I definitely beat myself up over that, and told myself to study harder for the next two midterms, which I did, but unfortunately I still got a C in the second one and I'm not sure how I did on the last one And I really don't want to just pass this class with a C. I came into in with the ambition to earn an A, but now that that's out of reach, I'm just hoping for a B. Sigh.

See, my professor doesn't prepare us for the exams at all. He'll go over SO much material in class, but only focus on a few of the concepts on the exams. He doesn't tell us what to really expect or focus on, so I'll try to cram and retain all the material, but then I completely blank out when I'm taking the exams. It's horrible, and I really shouldn't have chosen chemistry as a class to take over the summer! Oh, and in addition, he penalized me for one of the homework problems even though I KNEW my answer was correct. It was like asking for the mass of something, and my answer came out to be 27.17 g. It was supposed to be in 2 significant figures, so I rounded to 27. But the online lab kept saying I was "very close" but wrong. So I emailed the professor and he told me it should be rounded to 30g. HOW DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE? How on earth do you round from 27 to 30? So I wrote back to him explaining my answer and asking him to reevaluate my score. He never replied back to my email since. But anyway, thank you for your encouraging words you guys lol.

I'm currently an undergrad healthcare risk management major who's in the process of taking prereqs for nursing after graduation. I'm taking chemistry right now in a 6 week summer course and it's literally making me re-evaluate my goal to become a nurse. So far, I got C's on both exams and I am pretty sure I did worse on my 3rd midterm this morning. The only redeeming grade I have left is the final that's next week, and the professor said the average on the final is about 58% every year. THATS AN F. If I somehow miraculously pass with a C in this class, I still won't have a chance to get into nursing. Let's face it, the chances of being accepted into an ABSN program with a C in your prereqs is pretty low. I feel so discouraged reading through some of these threads and seeing SO many people with 3.9s and 4.0s in their prereq GPA. I keep thinking to myself, how on earth do you manage to do that?! And the thing that makes it more frustratiing is that I study MY BUTT OFF. I've pulled so many all nighters studying for these exams and preparing myself and going over the material. And all that studying for what? Nothing. The bright side is that I'm doing well in the labs, but other than that, I feel hopeless..

Those are some really nice tips! Thanks! :) Sigh, the next midterm is in 6 days. It's crazy how fast things go! I'll hopefully do well on that so I can bring up my grade for the class.