All Content by jfast
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Feeling extremely discouraged about getting into nursing school
I would add once again that you need to reach out to individual programs. Others have mentioned that programs they have been a part of would not look at current grades but the one I am a part of is not that way. If a student requests that their application be held until the end of the semester to have current grades considered, that will happen. So don't assume either direction (or that you will have to wait to apply until a later semester) and reach out to an advisor within the nursing program wherever you may apply.
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Nursing Program Success Rates and The Student Right To Know Act
As others have mentioned, pass rates should be able to be found but it sounds like you are asking about graduation rates specifically here. Typically, those are not required to be published and those that do publish may be coming up with their rate based on very different metrics.
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Kennesaw State University Spring 2020
Have you applied to other programs or feel stuck with Kennesaw only? I certainly hope you get into KSU if that is your first choice but there are other programs that may not have nearly the same specifications (or may not require a TEAS at all).
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Can i retake a course I did really bad on..?
Some good advice here but there are some schools out there that don't require general bio at all so you wouldn't need to worry about the grades in there at all.
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failed a&p twice ?
Carpelibrum asks an important question - are you "stuck" where you are? If not, look to retake and transfer.
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Anyone leave their home State to pursue a career in Nursing?
I would recommend looking at Chattanooga, TN area to add to your list. No income tax, right next to the border of GA if sales tax is too high for your liking, pay is in line with what you were hoping, houses are affordable, and essentially no hurricane risk.
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HELP DECIDING ON ABSN PROGRAM
I would tend to agree with cturtle here. The only major reason to shift focus might be if School 1 has a track record for not being a strong program (e.g. their NCLEX pass rates are low or inconsistent, their retention is poor, etc.). I would imagine this is something you had checked out before applying/being accepted but just in case, I figured I would mention it.
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Letters of Recommendation - how do they work these days?
First, in general, there are many ABSN programs that don't even do recommendations anymore. Many only really care about your grades (and possibly test scores). I would recommend making a list of schools that you think might be worthwhile to apply to for your ABSN and then investigate each to see how many actually require the recommendations before stressing about them too much. For how to approach professors, I would recommend catching them after class at some point as you mention. I would just let them know your intentions to do nursing and would truly appreciate their support when the time comes for your application. Let them know you will be contacting them at that time (and try to give them a window of when that will be). Then, when you actually need them to complete something, you can remind them that you had asked about it (and of course, you appreciate their willingness still). For your second question, I would again recommend checking a list of schools you could see yourself applying to and seeing just how many require recommendations. It might be less than you are expecting. Some schools use https://www.nursingcas.org/ to help "centralize" applications and that could also help you in this process (though it usually also means additional cost through that service). As for actual letters, I would imagine it is pretty rare that places seek those out. Many places have their admissions process down to a science and the variability that letters provide does not fit into their calculated efforts.
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New Grad Moving From Compact To Non Compact State
In my mind, the main aspects to consider are 1. the timeline and 2. the assurance of where you will be working initially. If you graduate in 2 weeks, that may change what I would advise versus if you graduating in August or December. If you have a bit of time to get things taken care of, then it would depend on your level of confidence in knowing you will be in Oregon to work initially (don't worry about long-term; you can always do license by endorsement later). If you are certain, or will be able to be certain before your graduation, that you will start your work as an RN in Oregon, I would just apply directly to that state. In my mind, starting with Wisconsin and then doing endorsement for another state would only be beneficial if you weren't certain of the possibility of going to Oregon or if you were under a serious time-crunch. Here is the main page for Oregon's licensure by exam. Be sure to click the third option for US, non-Oregon schools. And here is a step-by-step tutorial.
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Any Words of Wisdom?
Wow! Yes, you are certainly better off than those students. Every time they are in class taking those extra 6 credits is an opportunity for you to take advantage of not having that extra work to do. Just be sure to use those opportunities for your benefit and you will see others much more overwhelmed than you (who hopefully will still make it through). You may be the person that they turn to when stressed instead of the person needing reassurance.
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Graduated, moving to vermont, but questions about registering for NCLEX.
The other responders have done a nice job of answering your question but just to summarize/clarify since it sounds like you had a bit of confusion: You are 100% correct that it does not matter where you take your NCLEX. The exam is the same content for every state so you can test anywhere you want. The difference however is what Board of Nursing you actually submit your application to for initial licensure (i.e. "license by examination"). As the others have mentioned, if you submit to Georgia, your initial RN license will be from Georgia and you would then need to apply for "license by endorsement" for Vermont. That would be a separate application after you actually get licensed in Georgia (and thus would be additional cost and time). If you apply for "license by examination" to Vermont from the onset, you can save the additional step and get your initial RN license in Vermont itself. If you haven't already applied for licensure in either state, I would say you might as well just apply directly to Vermont to save the extra step/time/money.
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Any Words of Wisdom?
12 hours in the summer is no easy task so don't sell yourself short there. For many students, 12 hours in the summer feels like 18 or more in fall/spring. That doesn't make it any easier right now but don't panic that it will be 10 times worse when you take more credits in the fall/spring. As for what to do right now, I think it is great that you are already thinking about these things with classes starting next week. Realize that whatever you do over the next few days will put you at an advantage when you actually start classes. Though it may be expected that when the material for classes is sent out, students will start reviewing it and "getting to work" but I can pretty much guarantee there are students that won't pay attention to anything until the first day of classes. Remind yourself that if they can make it, you certainly can since you are "game-planning" in advance. For an actual strategy to approach the summer, a lot of it will come down to how you best organize and also how your classes are set up. If you have many classes that cover a variety of topics, it might be nice to have a separate "place" (whether physical or digital) for each of them. I would definitely recommend start some sort of calendar for yourself on when things are due for each course. Go through each syllabus or whatever you have been sent and start putting each thing down. For this calendar, I would keep all your classes together but maybe use different colors or something to distinguish them. It can seem somewhat overwhelming to list everything that you will have to do over the next few months but by putting it on a calendar, you will be able to not only see when you have your busiest times but also be able to eventually focus on what is right in front of you. There may be certain things that you should start focusing on weeks in advance but to keep up with reading, studying, small projects/assignments, etc. sometimes only requires one step at a time. Just think how organized and ready you can be by this weekend while everyone else is still just enjoying their "break". Lastly, you will hopefully soon become very close to those you are in the program with. You are all going to be "scared and overwhelmed" together. Commiserate together, with those on these boards, and with your nursing advisor/faculty. You can get through this. You wouldn't have been accepted if you couldn't.
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Background check? rehire eligibility
That should certainly be talking about clinical/hospital rehiring, generally. The only exception in my mind would be if there was something criminal or truly problematic (like violence) that popped up in regards to why you are not eligible for rehire, but that doesn't sound like it is the case here. As it mentions in the description, much of the background check has to do with clinical placements. If one of the clinics the school has an agreement with was a place you could not work, they would be "stuck" and thus would not allow you to be a part of their program. As long as the ineligibility for rehire is not in a setting like that nor is it because of "wrongdoing" on your part, I personally wouldn't worry. You could email a nursing advisor at the college just to be absolutely certain and truly ease your nerves but at the university that I work, that would be the rationale for having that rehire component in there.
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Alternate List
I would agree with morbidlycurious. I always advise students to keep options open as long as they can. Once you have all your options laid out, then you can truly weigh all the pros and cons to determine the best fit. Even if you end up immediately eliminating the more expensive option, no harm done. But if it turns out to be the place you get accepted and their financial aid ends up making it more manageable, it might be worth keeping it on your list for now. As you do that, you could certainly contact the other schools you are looking into and see if you can get a bit more info. You might be able to find out from a nursing advisor how many students end up being alternates, what the process would be if you moved from being an alternate to accepted, when that would be known if it were to happen, etc. And you could also check to see if/when you will hear from the other school. Obviously, you don't want to pester the department but checking in just to get an update or additional insight can't hurt.
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I NEED HELP ASAP!! Should I transfer out of Stony Brook ?
There are many facets here and no easy answer. As rnhopeful mentions, if they do not have the courses you are seeking, it does not seem like the best option to stay for three more years pursuing something you don't truly want to do. That being said, if I was your advisor, I would look to dig a little deeper into that reason for looking to transfer. You first mention that you are looking to transfer because of your GPA. To me, that is very different than transferring because they don't have the program you are looking for. The former reason seems like a "rash" decision ("I'm leaving because I'm not doing as well as I would like"), while the latter would seem very well-reasoned ("I'm leaving because my career goals do not align with this university"). I would recommend using this summer to explore (and potentially apply to) transfer universities where you could take your sophomore year finishing up prerequisites for their BSN program. That way, you could really "establish" yourself at that university during the sophomore year, then dive into nursing school in junior year, and still finish in about 4 years (with a degree you actually want to use). There are many possible paths to take from your current position but that is what I would look to explore in the immediacy.
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Failed AP + Lab.
I agree with cturtle. That would be a very specific school policy. If that quote you listed is all they have, it sounds more like they are referring to specific nursing courses, not prerequisites (which would be pretty typical - two failures in nursing generally = you're out). From that one policy alone, I would guess it is not talking about the A&P and its lab but you should definitely reach out to them and find out. While talking to them, you might as well ask how they view retakes to see if they allow them, if they "replace" the failure, etc. Where I work, prereqs and actual nursing classes are viewed separately but there are various policies for both. And to answer your final question, yes, you still have a chance of getting into nursing school. Some nursing schools are extremely harsh on retakes but others will certainly allow for "redemption" from an early struggle and with continued strong grades, hopefully the school you choose will see your capabilities despite that one grade.
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Help. Possible C in Anatomy
First, I certainly would not recommend failing the class to retake. Unless there is a rule where you are that C's cannot be retaken (which would be a bizarre rule in my mind), getting a C the first time and then an A the second time would be better than an F the first time and an A the second time. I don't see any reason to "just fail" unless there is some strange rule in place. With a C in Anatomy, there are a couple things I would think about in regards to retaking. First, what is the policy of the school you are applying to in regards to retakes? Some schools don't accept retakes at all, some may average both the old and new grade together, and some may only consider the new grade. As long as they accept retakes in some way, I certainly would consider doing so at some point. The main question then would be when. I generally would recommend to go ahead and get the retake earlier rather than later. You will have the information fresh in your mind and hopefully will really excel the second time around. The main exception to that would be if you don't know that you could do that much better the second time through. If you thought it would still take you a ton of time/effort to potentially get a B this time, it may not be worth it but if you think an A could be achieved the next time, it very well could be. Retaking would also hopefully set you up well to do better in physiology whenever you do take it and maybe it won't be as much of a struggle with a very solid foundation in anatomy. The main reason to just continue through the prereqs now would just be to push through, apply for whatever cycle you hope to start, and see what happens. Then, if you happen to not be accepted, you could always go back and catch the Anatomy again (but obviously, at that point, it may be harder to retrieve all the information from your memory banks the second time around). Again, before anything, I would reach out to the school you hope to go to for nursing and find out how they view retakes. If they only take the most recent grade (or in some other way it seems "worth it" to retake), I would probably look to do so sooner rather than later if you feel you could jump from the C up to an A.
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Need advice
I completely agree with KCMnurse here. Sounds like something behind the scenes may have forced the need to reinstate. It may have only been one of the three that had something like that happen but if they let one back in, they may have had to explain why the other two were not and didn't want to have to get into that. That is certainly an unfortunate situation and I understand you feeling it is unfair. I can almost guarantee that your faculty/clinical supervisors are more upset than you though because they are the ones tasked with somehow managing those students. Just be glad you aren't in their shoes - you don't have to worry about being held liable for their actions so as KCMnurse said, just do you and let them take care of themselves - maybe your school learned from this situation and will be able to enforce things better in the future.
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How many years of experience do you need to enter Rutgers School DNP program?
It looks like it depends on the specific track you are applying to. Here is a link to where some of the information can be found. At the bottom is "Special Requirements". For example, the Anesthesia track requires "A minimum of one complete year of full time, recent experience as a Registered Professional Nurse in a critical care setting with..." but the Adult Acute Care requires "Evidence of two years of acute care experience with direct patient care". Hope that helps!
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South College Reviews
As you allude to, the perfect school for one student may be a nightmare for another but there are some key things to look at more objectively. I would highly recommend checking out the NCLEX pass rates for each that you mention. Here is a link to GA's info. If I was you, I would be very wary of Herzing's 60% average over the last 4 years. Again, that still means more than half of students did pass but when compared to programs that have 90% or higher over 4 years, that should definitely be considered heavily. South is new to your area but they have been in TN for a while and though it will be a unique situation at that campus, their structure may be set up similarly at each campus. Here are TN's rates. You can see that last year was a low year for them but still higher than Herzing. Chamberlain has gotten stronger over the last few years so when looking at NCLEX rates alone, that would be your best bet between the three it seems. That is certainly not everything though and you would definitely want your choice to truly be the right fit for you. Just be sure to question their admissions people (especially at Herzing) what they are doing to bring that rate up and be certain there is substance to their answers, not just a sales-pitch.
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I Need Help Picking My Classes!
As always, it will depend on the college you are taking them through so I would highly recommend getting in touch with those who have taken each of them in summer/fall and get some insight. In general though, I would expect pharmacology to be tougher than drug dosage calculations (unless you struggle greatly in math but do extremely well with memorization). With that being said, if you are hoping to take the "harder" in the summer with psych, I would go with pharm. I do believe you are wise to split the micro and pharm up but pharmacology will probably be a ton of information to try to fit into a summer so be ready to hit the ground running in there.
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What should I take over summer?
A lot of this just comes down to how you learn best and the school you are taking them through. In general, I would agree with the others that summer science classes are very fast-paced and can be difficult but I also caution that taking two of those sciences together might be very tough as well. With only 3 fall/spring semesters before you are hoping to apply and 4 sciences left to do in that span, you will either have to take one in the summer or double-up sciences one semester. This is where I believe it goes back to your learning. Would you be better with an extremely fast-paced course but be able to focus on it exclusively or would you learn better at a slower pace but two heavy/difficult things at the same time? If you do take a science during the summer, do some research into the courses at the college you will be taking them through. Some schools have Micro as their "impossible" course while others it is Chem or A&P. I know for my university, the Micro is typically viewed as easier in the summer and the Chem was actually so difficult that they stopped offering it in that session. Other schools, it may be the opposite. To me, the key is either science in the summer or doubling up on science and then figuring out where things fall from there.
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Do nursing schools look at your entire unofficial transcripts?
As per usual, the answer of "it depends on the school" is correct here. Reach out to schools you are interested in. If you speak to an advisor or someone over enrollment at a nursing program, ask them candidly about your concerns. As others have mentioned, some only look at prereqs which would be to your advantage. Others will look at not only overall GPA but also may have concerns that "upper" classes were where struggles occurred. I certainly agree with llg to just be smart about where you apply.
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Questions upon questions! High Schooler!
Many of these questions could be answered with the same response: "It depends". Depends on your strength in these areas, depends on the college you go to, etc. etc. etc. Here are some quick answers though from my perspective. 1. Yes. Nursing school is very rigorous. If it isn't a difficult program, it probably isn't a good program. Some extremely strong students make it look easy but even they will struggle at times (or at the very least will feel exhausted and overwhelmed at times). Like most things in life, just because it is hard doesn't mean it isn't worth it. 2. This one really does depend on the university but Statistics is many times a major math requirement. Where I work, that is the only college-level math required. 3. In my mind, this is the last thing to be worrying about right now. If you put the work in and choose a good program to attend, you will pass. Good nursing programs should help ensure that happens (again, as long as you do your part). 4. I work as an advisor in nursing and I would recommend knowing what you are getting into. That means preparing mentally for the difficulty but it also means doing some serious research on schools and picking one that fits you perfectly. You will be investing the next ___ years of your life into the place and that college should shape you into the kind of nurse (and person) you want to be. That is not a decision to be taken lightly. 5. My advice is start off working as little as you can and then increase hours incrementally if you feel you can handle it. The worst thing you can do is overload yourself from the beginning and find yourself with bad grades in your very first semester.
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School Advice
As ImLovingIt alluded to, many times the requirement of being 18 is simply for clinicals. If you join a direct-entry program that does not start clinicals for a year or two, you should be fine. You also could do what you mentioned and work on prereqs for a while first. If you go that route, be sure to have a couple schools in mind and shoot for their prereqs - no point in wasting your time on classes that won't be beneficial.