This article is about the time I spent on a waitlist for a nursing program. It was a life changing event for me. It introduced me to this site and I have since then learned a lot from all the wonderful nurses and nurses to be here. I have found that it is even more interesting spending time on here than watching tv and I have definitely learned a lot
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I had been thinking about it for a very long time now. I needed to apply to a nursing school and get on with my career. I had been postponing this for years and promising myself I'd do it next year, and then next and then next. Now was the perfect time because I had made up my mind. I wanted it NOW! Now was my chance. No more time to waste. Oh hurry! Hurry! I was getting old.
Then I set myself to it, doing all the homework. Researching various schools and trying to decide where to go. What was I looking for in a school? Oh I could answer that question even without having to think. I wanted a good school. Then came the harder question - what to me was a good school? After a lot of pondering and searching I decided that a good school should be one which was affordable and still had good NCLEX pass rates. Do not blame me - that was all I could come up with at the time. I had found the answers so why was I not getting ahead with my search for a 'good school?'. Wait... one more thing should I go for an ADN or an ABSN program? Ok, it was definitely going to be an ABSN program so I could put my first bachelor degree to good use. I knew it would be a lot of stress, but what good thing isn't? So it was settled, I was going to send in an application.
I sent in my application packet to one school. Yes, only one. I had never realized how difficult it was to get into nursing school. I had always nursed the mistaken idea that I would just be admitted once I decided to make the first move and apply. How na�ve!
Now that I look back, I cannot help but chuckle at such a mistaken assumption. Imagine taking for granted the fact that they would let just let anybody into nursing school because of the so called shortage of nurses. Anyway, I dropped my application to my chosen school - my first and only choice- and did not give much thought to it, probably because I was busy finishing up with my prerequisite courses (or busy being too confident).
Then came the end of March. I was not even waiting for it, but the decision letter was here. I searched in vain and found no "congratulations, you have been admitted to our ABSN program". Instead it was more of a "you have been placed in the eligibility pool". So I called the school and had them explain to me what that meant. I was told it is a wait list and I was told what number I was on that list. What would you guess I did next? Well, I went straight to my computer and searched the phrase "What are my chances of getting into an ABSN program from a waitlist?" I would never have guessed when I made this search, that I was about to enter into a whole new universe of real nurses and nursing students. Never had I thought that I would be exposed to a world of people who were already living my dream - my dream to be a nurse! As a result of that search, I stumbled upon an 'allnurses' forum. Boy! Was that a turning point in my life? Yes it was and it changed everything for me. It made easier the time I served on the waitlist.
At first I would stalk different threads, and read everything the site had on waitlists. I would read about students in schools far away, waiting to be accepted. I would see my feelings mirrored through other students both past and present. I came to realize that other students wanted this dream as much as I did, and for the first time I regretted my arrogance in assuming that an opportunity for a nursing education would just be handed to me. I read threads on this forum every minute of my spare time, on the bus, after my night time prayer and especially when I needed comfort in my wait. I made friends with people who did not even know I existed. I got comfort from people who did not even know what their words meant to me, an insignificant and nameless soul that stalked their forums by day and by night. I learned the power of networking. I reaped the fruits of the internet. I even ended up congratulating myself for even getting on the wait list.
Then I got that call! The one that said "congratulations". I know I got that call because of the tips I got from 'my friends who did not know I existed' I got that call because I learned my lesson in humility, and I know I will make a better nurse for it. However, I miss the time I spent on the wait list. I miss the time I spent following the different threads. Yes being admitted is a blessing. Being admitted is a chance to finally live my dream of being a nurse. But oh, nothing can compare to the time I served on the waitlist. When I could wallow in my misery and read about people just like me. Yes, that time held its own magic, and I will never forget the time I served on the waitlist.
