School Entry Requirements Vs. Desperate Need

[lancerRN2b]

I am not sure if this topic has ever been addressed, although I am sure it has. I am a recent college grad and I am now interested pursing a nursing career- which means more schooling. Researching this field, I found it is well-known that finding a job is definitely not a problem due to the strong NEED of nurses. I have even read articles in magazines that discuss why students are NOT entering the nursing field. Seems strange to me...Secure career-always have a job, great pay, very rewarding, makes a difference, great benefits. Talking to nursing schools and reading on this forum I learn that acceptance into a Nursing program requires at least a 3.5+ GPA, some even expect a 4.0 to even be considered. My question is WHY? A profession that is in dire need of people, but at the same time people cannot enter the field due to the struggle to even make it in a program. Obviously its not that people dont want to go into nursing, its that they don't have the 4.0 to get in nursing school! Any ideas where the problem lies? How can it be solved? Just curious what everones' opinion is on the matter.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

True, many schools don't require a 3.5 or above to apply. But, we all know the secret and are struggling to stay way above the minimum requirement, which means anyway you look at it.............it is almost a must to have a good GPA along with all the other requirements.

My school has always required a 2.5 or above. No one with anything less than a 3.2 has ever made it into the nursing program.

[lancerRN2b]

"It's not easy being a nurse, so what sense would it make for it to be easy (easier) to get into school to become a nurse??"

Once again I didnt say it should be "easier" to get into a program. I just do not think that the GPA should play such a strong factor. What about life experience? Volunteering? Work history? In my area that is how most of the programs rate their applicants, using GPA.

Plus, like Future RN Jess says, it is not the School's GPA "requirement" that is the problem. Its the fact that there are so many applicants that you have to have 3.2 or better GPA it be competitive enough to get in.

Also I didnt bring this topic up only to discuss the pains of not getting into a nursing program. I was a little dumbfounded by the fact that "people must not be interested in nursing b/c there are so many jobs out there." Which is obviously NOT true. So why waste the money doing surveys about why people are not going into nursing and why don't we focus on a more objective solution to all the others who are "waiting" to get in???

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

Truly, the current situation stinks. My heart aches, when I see ppl here posting that they have a 4.0 and still got placed on a waiting list because it so happened that everyone who got accepted were 4.0's and the spill over (not to mention the 3.9's and below) got placed in a waiting list.

I am not paying more than triple the amount it would cost me at a community college because I want to. It was a necessity. I did not want to deal with years of a waiting list so I did the next best thing. Go private and take out loans.

What I am getting to is that nope people shouldn't have to resort to things like these.

Anyhow, best wishes to all of us. We will make it sooner or later. Meanwhile, we can only hope and pray that something (whatever it takes) is done to remedy the situation and ease the process.