Hello everyone! This thread is for everyone applying to the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. I believe they will be accepting applications from January 15-April 1, so the sooner the better! Their admission requirements are pretty standard:
Minimum Pre-Req Gpa: 2.75
Minimum Science Gpa: 3.0
Minimum HESI A2 score: 75% or higher on all required sections - math, reading comprehension, vocabulary/general knowledge, grammar, anatomy and physiology, critical thinking.
My info is really not that competitive, but I'm going to give it a shot anyways -
Pre-Req Gpa: 3.30
Science Gpa: 3.0 (Barely cutting it! )
Overall Gpa: 3.28
Hesi score: 93.3% overall, with my lowest score being a 90.
My gpa is not the best, but I still have 3 more classes to finish this semester, and I'm aiming for all A's! I think the best thing I have going for me is my HESI scores.
Anyone else planning on applying? What are your stats? Any questions? Lets hear them, and good luck to all who are applying!
Thanks heavykevy! It's hard to keep my chin up bc there seems to be so much going against us, but I'm hoping that I get into UTHSC first and foremost I plan on getting my graduate degree through them as well.......And it would appear that there is someone who is looking out for me, so to speak. The next info session for UTHSC is going to be held on the Community day, meaning I wont have any classes to attend since the campus will be closed Yay.... I will get to find out some information and get some of my questions answered!!!!
As we wait impatiently ... does anyone know what specialty they are going for or what they might be interested in? Personally I have always wanted to be involved in Emergency Medicine. If I could do any job in this field I would want to be a flight nurse but with a little one, 24 hour shifts are not feasible. As a close runner up I would like to be in a level one trauma center. Med-Surg is interesting to me too! The possibilities are really endless as our field is so diverse! I look forward to clinicals and getting to experience many different types of nursing. Just wanted to see what everyone was interested in! I hope everyone's classes are going well so far!
ktdidit - I'm glad that there are many people interested in the fields you are intersted in. I for one find emergency medicine to be difficult. Surgery is a good way to make a very good living. I know someone who has a masters in nursing in this fields that does very well for herself, and she doesn't work that much. I think it would be best for me to go into cardiac care since I hope to continue on to medical school to study cardiology. Are you supposed to choose a field when you start the program?
I don't think we need to know going in to nursing school. I think many of us (including myself) who have no idea where we are going to end up! I think clinicals will be where many people discover where they feel drawn. I think it's awesome you want to continue on to medical school! What kind of programs have you looked into? Are there bridge programs/incentives for nurses transferring in?
I am going to be in ICU or NICU (level 2 or higher). That is where my passion originated. I have spent some time in that unit, and to be honest I want to "Pay it Forward" by helping out those who are going through some very hard times. My end goal for my education though is for me to get my Doctorate in Anesthesia. One day at a time though.... that is still a few years down the road. I was talking with some of the students in my Organic Chemistry class and we were all talking about our "fallback" options, mind you most are not going into nursing.... But they laughed when I told them my fallback. ONLY if I am unable to get into nursing school after several attempts I will continue to finish my Bachelors in Science and then apply to medical school.... lol :rotfl: If I don't get in for the Fall semester then I will continue to take classes towards that degree. They asked why I wouldn't get my ADN, and it's not that the programs are not good, but I feel that it would be a step back from where I am now. Know what I mean?
Warning-Sign, What program have you looked into for medical school? I habe heard that some will transfer some of the nursing classes into the medical school, but that was hearsay.....
kitdidit: Emergency medicine is a great field to get into. You mentioned a level 1 trauma center, so I'm guessing you mean Memorial Hermann or Ben Taub. I'm a PCA at Memorial Hermann ER in the medical center and to be honest with you, it's one of the coolest places to work. Day in and day out, we save lives. From the second our pager goes off to the moment we get that patient stabilized, it's an adrenaline rush. You hear the helicopter landing on the roof, everyone's waiting around the stretcher with their tools in hand. A minute later, it's go time. It's a neat experience to go to work and get home that night and turn the news on and see all the story behind the majority of traumas you saw that day. As far as flight nursing, LifeFlight is a 12-hour-shift service (I believe PHI is the same way), working 4 days one week and 3 days the other. They require 3 years of ICU experience (CVICU, PICU, MICU, STICU, etc.) and a paramedic license as well. I'm not sure if you know this but once you receive your BSN, all you need to do is take a semester or so extra to receive your paramedic license. While that's a little more school than we all want, it's just an extra 3 months and you raise your qualifications.
As far as where to work, I think it's up to what kind of person we are. The ER nurses are a different breed than the NICU nurses or the Burn Unit nurses. ER is a fast paced and exciting department. You're on your feet for the full 12 hours and you never see the same thing once. A gunshot wound (GSW) isn't just a GSW. On top of that, you get a chance to work trauma as well as Medicine as well as Pediatrics. With that said, your experience level builds tremendously and you become familiar with a broader scope of medicine.
Sorry to ramble on and on, but I hope this gives a little insight!
Thanks for the heads up on LifeFlight shifts here. My brother-in-law is a flight nurse in the Dallas area and he had 24-hr shifts so I didn't look much further into Houston's schedule after I talked to him. That is super encouraging though! Their requirements were 5 years in the ER/ICU and mandatory BSN. It's crazy to me how different organizations offer the same job but all have such different qualifications!
Assuming by your screen name/present job are you wanting to be in the ER as well? I volunteer in two ERs in TMC and even though I don't get to do anything medically I have learned a great deal just by observing and listening. If anything I have long lost what I had left of the "shock factor"!
Thanks for the info! I will definitely be looking into LifeFlight again! Are you taking classes this semester? Best of luck to you!
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... does anyone know what specialty they are going for or what they might be interested in? Personally I have always wanted to be involved in Emergency Medicine. If I could do any job in this field I would want to be a flight nurse but with a little one, 24 hour shifts are not feasible. As a close runner up I would like to be in a level one trauma center. Med-Surg is interesting to me too! The possibilities are really endless as our field is so diverse! I look forward to clinicals and getting to experience many different types of nursing. Just wanted to see what everyone was interested in! I hope everyone's classes are going well so far!
Hemphia
274 Posts
Thanks heavykevy! It's hard to keep my chin up bc there seems to be so much going against us, but I'm hoping that I get into UTHSC first and foremost
I plan on getting my graduate degree through them as well.......And it would appear that there is someone who is looking out for me, so to speak. The next info session for UTHSC is going to be held on the Community day, meaning I wont have any classes to attend since the campus will be closed 
Yay.... I will get to find out some information and get some of my questions answered!!!!