reference letters for nursing sch applications

Fiona59 · Dec 10, 2004

Basically the letters should stress your work ethics, good personal skills, volunteer activities that kind of thing.

Any friends in the police or fire services are good. Letters from people you volunteer with, ministers, etc. are good.

Think about it, you do know people.

Good Luck

yeepers · Dec 11, 2004

I needed 5 letters of reference for my application. I gave names and addresses and the school sent out the forms. Each reference was asked a series of questions about me - from what I gather these were actually pretty difficult questions to answer! I didn't really ask my references after the fact. I figured they'd answer to the best of their abilities and their honest opinions would either get me in or not. From the little that I found out the questions were actually pretty complex and ran the gamut from the avg. evaluation type statements to deeper inquiries about some of the obstacles they (the references) thought I'd faced and how I handled them etc. etc. etc. I'm glad I never got to see what the questions were!

oregonrene · Dec 11, 2004

I needed 5 letters of reference for my application. Each reference was asked a series of questions about me - from what I gather these were actually pretty difficult questions to answer! From the little that I found out the questions were actually pretty complex and ran the gamut from the avg. evaluation type statements to deeper inquiries about some of the obstacles they (the references) thought I'd faced and how I handled them etc. etc. etc.

Wow, that's harsh! I had to have 3 letters of recommendation (forms to be filled out, actually) for the program I'm applying for. Two had to be from professors of biology and/or chemistry, and one from an employer or volunteer supervisor. Fortunately for me I have been volunteering for the past 6 months at a hospital. Otherwise, I haven't worked outside the home in 14 years. And it's a good thing I'm doing well in my classes, too, to get good references from my teachers. I don't think they know me particularly well, but really, how well does a teacher know his/her students when they only have them for one term? So, I got my letters and got an interview. Fingers crossed.

To MAnurseHopeful, have you done any volunteer work? Or maybe you have a friend who is in the medical field who would write one for you?

RNmaria · Dec 11, 2004

Yes, the reference letter was a difficult one for me as well. I have not worked outside the home in 7 years (staying at home with two children). We also relocated to another state and of course I was in another field. I have been with the PTA over the last year so I asked the PTA Pres and a neighbor who is an RN.

Hope this helps....pasha :)

Wow, that's harsh! I had to have 3 letters of recommendation (forms to be filled out, actually) for the program I'm applying for. Two had to be from professors of biology and/or chemistry, and one from an employer or volunteer supervisor. Fortunately for me I have been volunteering for the past 6 months at a hospital. Otherwise, I haven't worked outside the home in 14 years. And it's a good thing I'm doing well in my classes, too, to get good references from my teachers. I don't think they know me particularly well, but really, how well does a teacher know his/her students when they only have them for one term? So, I got my letters and got an interview. Fingers crossed.
To MAnurseHopeful, have you done any volunteer work? Or maybe you have a friend who is in the medical field who would write one for you?

Pachinko · Dec 11, 2004

I needed 5 letters of reference for my application.

Damn, that's harsh! My program didn't even require letters, but I submitted some anyway in the hopes of helping to tip the admissions committee in my favor.

I also had been out of school for several years when I applied, but I lucked out (kind of) because I had to go back to community college to satisfy some basic prerequisites prior to applying for my program. I wasn't thrilled about shelling out the money and time for this, but I actively worked to establish relationships with my profs and ended up with three very good letters, plus one from an employer. I'd bet that letters from employers are as highly valued as those from professors when you've been out in the professional world for awhile, perhaps even better than professor letters, since such letters speak to your real-world abilities.

If you don't have profs letters to fall back on, you could consider letters from employers, long-time friends or business associates who are in positions of responsibility professionally, and any people you know through any volunteer activities. I don't know how much time you have prior to applying, but one of the things I did to improve my chances of admittance was to take a CNA course through a local community college. These courses are typically intensive (lasting 3-4 weeks, nine-to-five) and involve clinical experience and interaction with profs, administrators and professional nurse trainers. If you can swing it financially and in terms of time off, this might be a great way to get several letters in one fell swoop. Plus, you can say that you've had real clinical experience (which you do typically get with these programs).

As for the content, I was pretty forward with those writing my letters, spelling out specifically what I wanted them to include. I think that those reviewing apps want to see that you will make both a good student and a good nurse. The skills requires for both of these areas overlap considerably. Things to consider would include:

--leadership skills

--attention to detail

--dependability and commitment to the task at hand

--ability to work successfully under tight deadlines

--ability to work with and resolve challenging situations

--analytic and critical thinking skills

--team-player and optimistic

--ability to prioritize effectively

--ability to think creatively and recommend positive, effective changes

Something that I learned from writing cover letters for jobs is that the more detailed and specific you can be (as in, using concrete, quantifiable examples), the more effective your letter will be. For instance, saying a letter saying that you "show leadership skills" with no elaboration is less effective than a letter saying that you "managed a team of six employees responsible for roughly one-third of the company's revenues," or something like that. A letter saying that you're "a good student" is less effective than saying that you "were in the top half/fifth/tenth of [your] class." I hope that makes sense--when I started using this technique in my cover letters, I got more job offers.

Good luck!

rchamp59 · Jan 16, 2006

I am applying to several nursing schools and some of them require a reference letter from someone. For those of you successfully accepted that had the same requirement I was wondering - Who did you have write the letter and in general what did they write about? (your character, work history, personality, work ethic?)
I am in a completely unrelated field now and can't really ask my supervisor for a reference letter because they don't know I've decided on going into nursing (and ultimatly leaving when I get start school). I haven't been in school in over 10 years so I'm pretty sure none of my teachers will remember me. I would like your experience with the same situation.

I provided a short bio and the reasons I want to go to nursing school to the people who I asked for references. If they do not know you well, remember they cannot read your mind. In general, people take it as a compliment that you want to use them as a reference, so if you help make their task easier you are sure to get a great reference. They cannot be expected to remember all the great things you have done, or the school projects you got an A on etc.. And with schools being so competitive, you need great references that point out specific events, personality traits, etc.. good luck!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2006

If you have to submit reference letters it would be nice to have at least one from someone in a health care related field. Perhaps, your doctor. In any case, here is a list of characteristics that nursing schools would be looking for in potential nurses. Anyone you know, including former employers, who can speak to these will be acceptable recomenders.

Initiative - Autonomy

Dynamism - Energy

Responsibility

Orientation to the client and co-workers (ability to provide customer service)

Learning capacity

Productivity

High adaptability - Flexibility

Leadership

Team work

Tolerance to pressure

Analytic ability

Professional development

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Jan 16, 2006

Our letters has to have at least 5 qualities you possess, say how you know me, for what length of time, and if you would recommend me to the program.

Achoo!, LPN · Jan 16, 2006

I had one written by my boss and one by an instructor who I also work with., he is an MD and I am working as his lab assistant for A&P II. I think they stress all of the things mentioned above. Jobs, status, work ethic, volunteer opprtunities, community acheivements thingas like that.

stpauligirl · Jan 16, 2006

I am applying to several nursing schools and some of them require a reference letter from someone. For those of you successfully accepted that had the same requirement I was wondering - Who did you have write the letter and in general what did they write about? (your character, work history, personality, work ethic?)
I am in a completely unrelated field now and can't really ask my supervisor for a reference letter because they don't know I've decided on going into nursing (and ultimatly leaving when I get start school). I haven't been in school in over 10 years so I'm pretty sure none of my teachers will remember me. I would like your experience with the same situation.

How about some of your professors? My A&P professor offered to write such letters should we ever have a need for it.