Seeking Guidance For My Daughter

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First of all, this appears to be a really neat and lively website for everything nursing. I appreciate the opportunity to ask this question:

My 21 year old daughter is a junior on an academic scholarship at the University of Central Arkansas, and is trying to get into their nursing program:

http://www.uca.edu/divisions/academic/chas/nurse2ab.asp

They only accept applications once a year, in the Spring, with those being accepted starting the following fall. She applied last year. She had a 3.2 GPA at the time she applied, and she scored a 92 on their entrance exam. But it wasn't enough. She was put on a list with about 30 people ahead of her, from which the program would draw if any of the students accepted into the program declined the acceptance. She was never called.

Now she is applying again. This semester she is taking some health-related courses that can go toward a general health sciences degree because she has finished all of ger gen-ed requirements.

Nobody in my family is in any health-related profession, so decided to try here to get some guidance/opinions as to what she should do.

There are RN diploma programs in Little Rock, about 30 miles away, but her scholarship wouldn't transfer.

If she is not accepted this time, should she simply continue there at UCA in some other degree track, get her BS in something, and then go somewhere else to nursing school? If so, is there a good degree to get that would benefit her later as a nurse.

I currently live in Buffalo, NY, and I think the University at Buffalo (UB) has a good nursing program. Of course her scholarship wouldn't transfer here, and she would have to pay out-of-state tuition rates. (Money is definitely a problem. Do lots of people go into debt with student loans for nursing school?) If she is not accepted this time at UCA, should she get the heck out of there and try to find a nursing program elsewhere.

Are there hospitals that will pay tuition in exchange for work committments?

One other, somewhat unrelated question: We've heard that the staff at the UCA nursing program is downright brutal to their students -- almost as if they try to run them off. Is that the norm? Is that something to do with weeding out those who may not be able to handle the pressure of nursing?

Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I'll sit back and read your responses.

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Specializes in pedi, pedi psych,dd, school ,home health.

Not sure i can be of much help, i am in Mass, however, if you live in Buffalo, couldnt she live with you when not in school and qualify for in state rates? Many nursing programs are very tough to get into and even tougher to stay in..kinda the nature of the beast,if you will. There are also many scholarships . loans and grants out there for nursing. She should look into them as well. best of luck!

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this is my opinion. if she is a junior, i think she should finish her BS in the course she is persuing. at a lot of colleges, it is really difficult undergo an intercollege transfer into a nursing program. the general degree will give her more flexibility if she decides that nursing is not the right career for her. then go for a the RN diploma. nursing is a hardcore program. tell her to ask the other nursing students about their experiences at in the nursing program. i also reccommend "shadowing" a nurse in a hospital if that is possible. she should make an appointment with an academic advisor from the college of nursing and see if they can offer any advice on a plan of action.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Nursing Education.
First of all, this appears to be a really neat and lively website for everything nursing. I appreciate the opportunity to ask this question:

My 21 year old daughter is a junior on an academic scholarship at the University of Central Arkansas, and is trying to get into their nursing program:

http://www.uca.edu/divisions/academic/chas/nurse2ab.asp

They only accept applications once a year, in the Spring, with those being accepted starting the following fall. She applied last year. She had a 3.2 GPA at the time she applied, and she scored a 92 on their entrance exam. But it wasn't enough. She was put on a list with about 30 people ahead of her, from which the program would draw if any of the students accepted into the program declined the acceptance. She was never called.

Now she is applying again. This semester she is taking some health-related courses that can go toward a general health sciences degree because she has finished all of ger gen-ed requirements.

Nobody in my family is in any health-related profession, so decided to try here to get some guidance/opinions as to what she should do.

There are RN diploma programs in Little Rock, about 30 miles away, but her scholarship wouldn't transfer.

If she is not accepted this time, should she simply continue there at UCA in some other degree track, get her BS in something, and then go somewhere else to nursing school? If so, is there a good degree to get that would benefit her later as a nurse.

I currently live in Buffalo, NY, and I think the University at Buffalo (UB) has a good nursing program. Of course her scholarship wouldn't transfer here, and she would have to pay out-of-state tuition rates. (Money is definitely a problem. Do lots of people go into debt with student loans for nursing school?) If she is not accepted this time at UCA, should she get the heck out of there and try to find a nursing program elsewhere.

Are there hospitals that will pay tuition in exchange for work committments?

One other, somewhat unrelated question: We've heard that the staff at the UCA nursing program is downright brutal to their students -- almost as if they try to run them off. Is that the norm? Is that something to do with weeding out those who may not be able to handle the pressure of nursing?

Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I'll sit back and read your responses.

Look at buffalo's residency requirements. if is a dependant on you, and the parent lives in that state, then she SHOULD qualify for in state tuition. Also, if she is independant but is moving there either for a full time job (which, she could start working while she is applying then go down!) OR if she is married and her spouse is working full time in the state, then she should be able to claim residency there also.

and yes, that is the norm for teachers to be very hard on their students. most programs are really do or die!

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Did she have all the pre-requisities done prior to applying the first time? Sometimes this is a major factor, I applied to some schools in Texas when I didn't have any of the science pre-reqs done and got into one out of 3 programs and I had a 3.9 GPA and a master's in public health!

I finished all the pre-reqs and reapplied this year with much better success.

If her hard science GPA is not very good this can also be a major problem, nursing schools like to seperate the GPA out. If some of her grades are bad she may consider retaking those courses.

If she really wants to be a nurse I would recommend applying elsewhere as well before deciding to get a bachelor's in something else. There are lots of nursing scholarships out there and work repayment programs (although you have to be careful with these, hospitals that offer big signing bonuses or money for school often don't treat their nurses well).

It's really a shame that schools make it so hard for nurses to get in when the US has such a shortage!

Good luck to your daughter!

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Hi there! My husband is an active duty Air Force nurse. The military (Army, Navy, and Air Force) offer full-boat scholarships to nursing students in exchange for time in service (usually four years). The Veterans Administration hospitals and the Indian Health Service also offer scholarships in exchange for time. I worked as an RN at the VA and the benefits cannot be beat. Of course, the military benefits are the best by far. My husband loves military nursing...very professional and his masters will be paid for in full courtesy of Uncle Sam.

I am not a recruiter or government employer pusher by any means, but we have had a good experience going that route.

Hope this info helps some! Good luck to your daughter.

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If all else fails she could take a year off, go to the community college in Morrilton (they had a practical nursing program when they were Petit Jean Vo-Tech, I would assume they still do) and then use that to get into UCA's LPN to RN program.

I know it's like going around the Mulberry bush but a lot of people go that route to avoid the big waiting lists. In the long run, I think she might be better off.

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Specializes in Neurology NP.

woops i didnt realize this was in 2005! hahahaha

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