Waiting list advice and help

AZMOMO2 · Mar 30, 2008

i may be wrong but i don't think you can take any CR credits, or at least they aren't considered CE credits until after you have a licence. Board of Nursing required so many " in-service" hours to maintain your licence and keep updated on things while you work. IE continuing education.

But while you are waiting it makes sense to take as many classes as you can of the co-required and prerequired courses for advance degrees that you can while you are waiting I have seen that thats what a lot of people are doing

mamaof6 · Mar 31, 2008

Thank You

I have already taken all the prerequisites and the co-requisites for the nursing program and I only need 3 classes for the RN to BSN degree other than the NUR classes that I cannot take right now. I found some web sites that would allow me to take CE classes without a license but I am not sure if that will help. I was hoping that it would show that I have more knowledge in different area. I was not sure if it would work that way or not.

Thanks

Cursed Irishman · Mar 31, 2008

Why waste the time/money on courses that:

a. will probably be over your head (not making any implication)

b. won't really be a factor in whether you get a job (at this juncture)

c. will probably be expired by the time you graduate nursing school

d. your hospital will pay for you to take when you get there

I'd be a little leery of a place that allows you to take CE classes w/o a license.

Definately look into volunteering, its a doorway to working in a hospital and potentially cutting down your wait.

Honestly, your time would be best spent reviewing the information covered in your a&p and micro classes, ensuring retention. Mastering the basics and fundamentals is the key to doing well in nursing school.

Calzonan RN · Mar 31, 2008

:yeah: :yeahthat:

I completely agree with what Cursed Irishman said. Those classes would be a waste of your time/money right now. What you really should be doing is nailing patho and A&P, knowing those inside and out will be the key to surviving nursing school, and also in passing the NCLEX. If you've already taken your co-req's, definitely take what classes you need for your BSN while you're waiting. I'd also look into getting hired on by one of the bigger hospitals (meaning those with nursing school slots). Even if you can only work 1-2 shifts a week, that could mean the difference in waiting 18 months or 6 months for placement. A friend of mine was hired on as a transporter. It didn't take any experience and she was able to become very familiar with the hospital and the people in it. Once she did that she was able to narrow down where she wanted to work, and with what people she wanted to work with and as soon as there was a CNA position available in that department she was at the head of the list because she already worked in that hospital. She's managed to work her way up from a transporter-CNA-PCT/HUC-Extern-New grad and is now an RN in a similar department. The key is to get your foot in the door any way possible. Once you're an employee a world of opportunities opens up for you. Most hospitals have tuition reimbursement, so even if you go the traditional route and wait for a spot, you're still getting your education paid for. Or if you're really lucky you'll be able to get placed in one of the spots that they hold for hospital employees and get finished that much faster.

Good luck in whatever you do. It's a great field and definitely worth all the trouble it takes to get that RN behind your name.