Stuck in a dilemma

[CyHiiigh]

Hello fellow nurses or shall I say future nurses! I am close to finishing up my prerequisites in college and I plan on applying for ADN programs. Due to a couple of setbacks, I managed to obtain a 2.56 GPA. Before I ask for advice, I'll give you a brief summary about my academic performance. I've had many of C's and B's, few A's on non-science classes. I have gotten C's for Chemistry and Biology. Nevertheless, I took my core sciences seriously and I manged to get B's for both Anatomy and Microbiology and a C for Physiology. I honestly could have gotten way better grades if it wasn't for my lack of confidence. I was going through a lot of emotional distress during the start and it eventually extended my stay at a community college. I am 22 now and I've always wanted to be a nurse since I was in middle school. Over time, my desires of becoming a nurse has changed. A couple of years ago, I was introduced to Jesus and slowly I felt a drastic change in my heart. I feel the need to utilize nursing as an extension of His desire for my life. A selfless life to serve others. You may be asking, why nursing? Well, medicine i and health is something that intrigued me ever since I discovered I was going through medical issues. When I found out I had hyperthyroidism, I was looking for ways to combat my symptoms. There was an option of taking thyroid medications but I felt the need to take a holistic approach. I managed my sleep, diet, exercise and I even took multivitamins along with herbal supplements (Ashwagandha, RHodial). I started to feel normal again. This reason gave me the curiosity of how diseases arise and it also gave me a reason help others who are struggling with it. I also enjoy having conversations with various type of individuals (young and old). It is a skill that I've acquired over time. Anyways, without going into much about who I am, I feel that I am not close getting accepted into a program. Los Angeles nursing programs are very saturated and I am overwhelmed. I am currently applying for Channel Islands, MSMU (ADN), Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health (2.6GPA

[jess.mont, ADN, RN]

Plenty of people here have been in similar positions - feeling called to be a nurse, dealing with personal setbacks, worrying about grades, applying to competitive programs, etc.

Unfortunately, you are in an area where there are many, many qualified candidates with excellent grades and you are less competitive by your own admission. For every school that states a minimum GPA requirement, realize that there are applicants who have a perfect 4.0. Many schools rank-order their applicants by GPA and other metrics and cut off the list once all the spots are filled.

You also say that you haven't taken the TEAS yet. Are you hoping to start in the fall? If you're allying and don't have the TEAS done yet, why not? Study and do the very best you can on it.

You might also consider retaking classes that are contributing to your low GPA. Another option would be to move somewhere where the programs are less competitive, although they're competitive in most places. You could also see if an LPN course might be easier to get into and then bridge to RN.

Whatever you do, I would not to to a school that costs $160,000. That's insane.

Good luck.

[guest517]

You may be asking, why nursing? Well, medicine i and health is something that intrigued me ever since I discovered I was going through medical issues.

Everything the first person stated was pretty much the same thing I was going to say. Your best bet to try and get accepted would be to retake some of the classes to raise that GPA. However, another alternative would be to apply for an LPN program, their requirements aren't as strict as an ADN program. You can always make the LPN-RN transition as many LPNs do.

[CyHiiigh]

Thanks fam. I'll take this TEAs test and still apply for programs that may take me. If not, I'll probably look into LPN programs as well.

[ThatBigGuy]

$160,000 in tuition ends up being $297,000 after the average student loan debt payoff of 20 years. You will be a slave to your lender for decades if you choose this school (Proverbs 22:7).

Debt isn't prohibited in the Bible, but it is discouraged as debt will always require focus, energy, and resources. By default, this means you have less time, energy, and resources available to perform the work you are called to.

[ItsThatJenGirl, CNA]

To be perfectly frank, you're not a competitive applicant at this point. I'd even go so far as to suggest moving somewhere that doesn't have the competition that LA has. Take your TEAS asap so you have a better idea of where you stand. Start searching for programs that allow retakes, and start retaking classes you did poorly in.

As to your grades - those are on you. You list reasons why your GPA is low, but you'd be MUCH better off just taking ownership of your mistakes. Everyone has crap they have to deal with while in school, it's no excuse.

Good luck.

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

The history behind why you want to become a nurse is nice however you need to make sure you are a qualified candidate. Nursing is very competitive. In the beginning when I was working on my prereqs I would carefully assess if I would be able to get an A or B. If I could not I would withdraw from the class and repeat it the following semester to make sure I got the right grade. You will risk not being selected for a program if your grades are low. I don't think you should pay 160,000 for the program. Yes you will make decent money but not really because you will be paying your debt.

[ProperlySeasoned]

Is nursing really what you want? Any accredited nursing school will use Western Medicine as a doctrine, which is heavy on both interventions and medications. The interventions you described above will not be taught in any kind of meaningful fashion. In clinical, your patient's will be prescribed actual drugs, which you will need to administer and explain the rationale for. Especially with your non competitive GPA, you may find naturopathy, chiropractor, or TCM as more palatable option.