The joys of ASN programs....

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My nursing school really ****** me off sometimes.

It is a highly competitive ASN program that takes 100 students per fall semester.

Due to the influx of students coming in, they have separated the nursing courses from the pre-reqs.

So you take anatomy 1, then anatomy 2, then micro, in that order. You can not take anatomy 1 and 2 at the same time. With instructor permission, you may take anatomy 2 and micro at the same time, but it is not common.

When I had all of my pre-reqs done, I was not admitted to the program. Luckily for me, my program guarantees a seat for you next year. I asked the nursing advisor if it helped my case that I was a CNA working in a hospital, but the answer was no.

Apparently nursing schools don't look at the whole student, just the GPA.

Ironically, we're taught by these same people to look at the whole patient, not just the monitor.

The kicker to the whole story: After waiting a year, and getting my guaranteed spot, I find out this kid straight out of high school was admitted to the program. He was one of the top students in his graduating class, so they just let him in.

Despite the ''can not take anatomy concurrently'' rules, there are exceptions.

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We can't take A&P 1 and 2 concurrently either...I don't know of any programs where you can because they build upon each other. We also can't take the nursing classes concurrently with the pre-reqs, most schools don't let you.

Meh. It sucks, but that's how nursing school is. My friend, with hospital CNA experience, didn't get into a BSN program with a 3.7 GPA. But of course all the students who didn't have to work at all and were able to get 4.0s got in. They have to have some way of deciding who gets in though, and doing it strictly by GPA is a lot more objective and quick and easy for the school than looking at the whole person. Not saying it's necessarily right, but it is what it is. Then you have schools that go off a waiting list, so as long as you meet a certain GPA you'll get in eventually, and the person who took one class at a time and has been on the waiting list for 4 years with a 2.5 GPA gets in before the person who got through the pre-reqs really quick with a 4.0 GPA.

Don't sweat it, I'm a CNA in a hospital in my first semester of nursing school and although it didn't help you get into clinicals, it will DEFINITELY help you once you start clinicals.

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Specializes in ED.

Taking A&P 1 and 2 concurrently would be a little counterproductive, as each builds off of the other. I've never known any college to allow a class that has two parts to be taken in the same semester. Being a CNA doesn't really mean a lot. I've seen folks that were CNAs for years flunk out of their first year of RN school. I know it's frustrating, but you got in, so be happy.

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Advice. Get over it. NS like life is not fair. You dont know the HS kids story. Maybe he was taking classes at college at the same time. It happens. Get rid of the chip now. As that kid will go places.

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Im going to say it bluntly. Bitterness will only hold you back in life. Your program sounds very typical, nothing unusual about it. And in the workplace you're going to see people getting the job over others because of multiple factors that have nothing to do with their experience or references

Probably the most common being.... you guessed it, its who you know. We face so many challenges in our lives, and our success will depend on how we view those challenges and how we cope. Congrats on finally reaching your first goal: getting in. Celebrate the good, leave the other stuff behind. Good luck, study hard, and take a few breaks now and then to unwind :)

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It's supply and demand. Nursing schools have far too many applicants for the number of seats available in the program(s). They give everyone a point ranking based on GPA and "other" that they can make as arbitrary as they please. There are some schools that, 2-4 years ago, were still first-come-first-served, but I think all RN programs have a glut of applicants now.

Since you have all the prereqs, you could ace the pre-entrance exams for LPN programs, get your LPN in a year, work at that higher pay rate, and find a bridge program to RN. Or enroll in a BS RN.

When I was taking my pre-reqs, there were at least 2 high school students in college microbiology with me. And both had already been accepted to a local diploma school RN program that started the following August. The smart students bail out of the high school early and are taking college work in senior if not junior year of HS.

(Regarding the comments about chip and resentfulness: One of the things that astounded me about nursing is, for an occupation, just how entirely screwed-up and abusive the culture of it is. I was accepted to 5 RN schools, was proud and excited to be there, stuck out one year of schooling, and just could not hack that carpy culture. It was an eye-opener, to the Dark Ages prior to "women's lib," even. That "get used to it" stuff, as if you are never supposed to ask, let alone demand, anything nice FOR YOURSELF. So, I left. Don't want the job. Let somebody else do it.)

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Your program seems like a walk in the park compared to my program. At least you are garunteed a spot after being denied. My school is the only college within our district that provides a nursing degree. So every year, hundreds of students are applying for a 48 seat per semester program. There are no waiting lists either. If you don't get in, then you just have to keep trying. It's also required to be actively listed as a CNA on the state registry. I've heard about programs with 2-3 year waiting lists. Yikes! Be thankful that your program isn't one of them

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She's just blowing off steam guys... Remember his stressful it was? The hoops you needed to jump through? It's a tough and stressful road but you will persevere OP, like many before you. Plug forward...

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All my pre-reqs were done before admittance to nursing school. I took anatomy, then physiology, then micro (along with a few elective classes and a PE class - I was a returning student).

I was advised not to be a CNA as we learn all that info first off in nursing school so why pay for an extra class? I know some schools require it though. One poster is correct - being a CNA does not guarantee that you will be a good nurse though. It has more to do with the kind of person you are and if you want to work as a team with the CNAs.

Lots of good advice here - feel free to vent though!

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