Tell me the truth...

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I hate having to say this, but I finished Fundamentals this past Spring and I did very well. I am pretty sure I finished 2nd or 3rd in the class with a 91/B--that is while working full time as well. The highest grade was a 92/B. I had As in all my pre-reqs and my gpa is 3.65.

Well over the summer I found out I was pregnant and my jerk for a husband convinced me to withdraw I agreed only because working full time, being pregnant, attending school full time is a lot on my plate and I was concerned I might get in over my head. His reasons were purely selfish might I add. I informed the faculty I was leaving because I was pregnant and had to work full-time. Now I regret it.

What's done is done and now I plan on taking a couple years off to get myself in a financial situation where I don't have to work and can devote myself entirely to school and enjoy my young children in the meantime. I also would like to apply to an accelerated MSN program (I was enrolled in an ADN), and yes I already have a bachelors in an unrelated field.

Is my withdrawal going to make me look bad? Have I totally shot myself in the foot? I might have to apply to PA school or something if so....

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Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

Not having personally been in your situation before, I can't say for sure. But my gut instinct tells me you should be OK, provided you return to the same school. Clearly you're leaving with a good record so you should be eligible to return and pick up where you left off (unless your school requires you to finish your degree within a certain time of beginning it). Best bet is to talk with your school and see what they say. I know one nurse who was sidelined during nursing school due to a car accident. Had to leave for a year or so and went back to finish. She's actually now a NP so clearly she overcame that obstacle.

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If withdrawing to take care of your family makes you look bad to them and undesirable for thier program, you shouldn't go there anyway.

I think you'll be fine. Sorry for all of the circumstances. :(

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no i dont think it will look bad but you still need to be an RN to apply to a msn program. you dont have the foundation to be an advanced practicing nurse if you are not a nurse yet. even if you have a bachelors in something else. i have that too. thats why im doing an adn program to become an rn than do my msn. plus how can you know what to specialize in if you have zero nursing experience. its good to get your feet wet

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I think you will be okay. There is always an opportunity to say somewhere on a future application that you withdrew to support your family. Nobody is going to question that! Especially if you left in good standing.

no i dont think it will look bad but you still need to be an RN to apply to a msn program. you dont have the foundation to be an advanced practicing nurse if you are not a nurse yet. even if you have a bachelors in something else. i have that too. thats why im doing an adn program to become an rn than do my msn. plus how can you know what to specialize in if you have zero nursing experience. its good to get your feet wet

I feel like a broken record. THIS ISN'T TRUE. If you have a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field, you can go straight into a direct-entry MSN program. It sounds like you already know this but I just thought I'd reinforce it :).

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I think if your application is otherwise strong, you'll have an opportunity to explain why you left this program.

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As long as you officially withdrew in good standing, you should not have any insurmountable problems. But you need to rethink your husband's role in this now that you are regretting your hasty decision. Even people in good standing can be rejected the second time around. I know this because I was in that boat. From now on, consult with your husband and take his opinions into consideration, but insure that your decisions are your own. Good luck with your pregnancy.

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no i dont think it will look bad but you still need to be an RN to apply to a msn program. you dont have the foundation to be an advanced practicing nurse if you are not a nurse yet. even if you have a bachelors in something else. i have that too. thats why im doing an adn program to become an rn than do my msn. plus how can you know what to specialize in if you have zero nursing experience. its good to get your feet wet

There are programs called accelerated MSNs for people who are not RNs. In fact, you can not enter the program if you are an RN. You can check out www.ecu.edu --college of nursing--graduate programs---MSN alternate entry. Like the other poster said, you must have a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field to enter plus nursing pre-requisites (Micro, A&P, etc). You do have to choose your specialty during the accelerated portion (where you become an RN), and then afterwards you begin taking courses for your actual MSN within your specialty.

You did, however, point out the drawback with that. In my fundamentals course I did clinicals in Med Surg and Nephro, and of course, it was all basic, rudimentary stuff. I am fairly confident that I am geared to the direction of Neonatal NP, Pediatric NP, or CNM-but I can't say that for sure until I actually work these units. Even though, I am sure that if I wanted to change to Nursing Education they would let me, but at the expense of time lost changing specialties.

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Did you take a leave of absence or actually withdraw?

I think you will be fine, people have done a lot worse than get pregnant in nursing school and still gone on to be successful, fabulous nurses :) My favorite example is my friend who pretty much failed out of a BSN program for some not so graceful reasons when she was in her early 20s. She got her act together and was accepted back into the program, she graduated, practiced as a nurse for a while and then went back to the same program for her MSN. She was still well-respected by the faculty even though she failed out the first time around and was probably our best TA for the BSN program.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Being pregnant, working, nursing school, pesky hubby... that is a LOT to have on your plate. I don't think you've shot yourself in the foot (though your hubby did a good job of it).. really, you'll do fine. Try not to have any regrets.. everything happens for a reason.

I think a direct entry MSN may be perfect for you since NP is your goal.. Good luck to you..

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Did you take a leave of absence or actually withdraw?

I think you will be fine, people have done a lot worse than get pregnant in nursing school and still gone on to be successful, fabulous nurses :) My favorite example is my friend who pretty much failed out of a BSN program for some not so graceful reasons when she was in her early 20s. She got her act together and was accepted back into the program, she graduated, practiced as a nurse for a while and then went back to the same program for her MSN. She was still well-respected by the faculty even though she failed out the first time around and was probably our best TA for the BSN program.

I withdrew since you can only be out one semester and be re-entered in the program.

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