Seeking Guidance For My Daughter

[Drackman]

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.

[CHATSDALE]

check with the little rock program there may be programs which she would qualify for.

yes many people would not make it through nursing school if it were not for loans...grants and scholarships are preferable of course, but not enough to go around to everyone

many nursing schools are 'brutal' in an effort to weed out the uncommitted...sometimes they throw some mighty good babies with the bath water i am not familiar with the college you speak of...i have many friends and relatives who have gone to school at various places in arkansas a couple in the health field

apply everywhere and hope for the best

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Yes, most of us nowadays go into debt to get through school. It is just too expensive nowadays.

The question is, does she really want to be a nurse, and how bad does she want it. I would say if she really wants to be a nurse, to not get another degree but seek out other options like the diploma or ADN. She can always bridge to a BSN. That's what I did, I'm an RN, I'm working and now in a RN to BSN program. My employer pays $2250.00 per year tuition reimbursement (but since I'm going to a private school, that won't cover it, so I'm getting loans.)

The courses she is taking now will apply to her BSN later. RN to BSN schools are very easy to get into.

However, if she's ambilalent about nursing, or unsure, then a degree in an area of interest in the school she's in might be appropriate. I'm not sure if there's another degree that would help her later in nursing. I did know of an ER manager that had a business bachelor's degree, then many years later got an ADN. Now he's a big time director at a large teaching hospital. So those two degrees helped to advance him.

Good luck. It's good to hear you taking an interest in your daugher's education.

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

If she hasn't done so, recently, a sit-down talk with the nursing advisor might be really helpful. It sounds like she has what it takes, intellectually, to be successful, but she may need to tailor her curriculum toward getting in--sometimes which classes you take are as important as how well you do.

I agree that an ADN or Diploma program could be a good place to start, if the BSN isn't going somewhere, soon. In fact, I think a Diploma program might well be the best place to start, regardless, if there's one available. There are tons of ways to get from RN to BSN, and you can make a decent living at the same time.