Want to be a nurse

[momofnurse2b]

I'm not a helicopter mom. I am just trying to help a significantly frustrated daughter navigate the frustrations of Nursing School denials based on circumstances she can't control and need help from voices of reason or experience if someone else has gone through this.

My daughter is currently 26 years old and has a passion to get into Nursing. We've had several things happen during our lifetime that has made this a thing for her. Her grandmother got necrotizing fasciitis from a bug bite and bacteria ridden well water. She almost died and was actually life lighted from a really small hospital with inadequate supplies and nursing care to a major hospital in Houston. My mother in law was in the hospital in Houston from May to September and almost lost her leg. I spent every 3rd week at the hospital helping her and my daughter went with me. She also had her own struggle and had cancer as college freshman and her sister died early in her life. We are desperately trying to figure out a way to get into an accredited nursing program however have been met with significant challenges. She actually graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology with a Minor in Psychology from a Texas University in 2015. In 2013 she had was accepted into Nursing School however was involved in a car accident that totaled her car the first week of the semester she started Nursing school. Both she and her friend were taken to the local emergency room, deemed healthy and released. Her friend had pain in her neck and back and after going to see her own Dr., they determined she had fractured her C2 and was lucky to be alive. Just before midterms my daughter started having her professors pull her aside concerned about her as she was not the student she previously was and she noticed she was forgetting things along with driving her roommate crazy repeating things. At that point she came home and went to our family Dr. During a CT scan they determined that she actually had a concussion and brain bruising affecting her short term memory. It was too late in the semester to drop her classes so her professors encouraged her to power through and try to pass. She failed her midterms and classes by less than 5 points. She was removed from the program and forced to change her major which she did, to Kinesiology. Long story short, she was put on medication that reduced her stress level and to aid in the healing process. During her last semester she did a double internship, worked pt and carried a full load and still ended up graduating with her last 4 semesters on the Deans List.

I tell you all of this because now we come to the meat of the problem! Now she is trying to get into Nursing school again... what a challenge this had been! Because of those 2 classes failed, no one will take her, my belief at this point is that she'll be paying for this for the rest of her life. Her current GPA is 3.3/3.4 and she passed her Hesi with a cumulative score a 90.2 and did well with a good score on the Teas (sp) test. She's been working in the medical field since graduation as a Physical Therapy Tech which she loves but it doesn't pay great and she wants to get into Nursing. She is passionate about this and at this point she's wasting application fees with no success. She's sharing this info and actually made a video with pictures to help with the app process. She has drive, determination and guts but cannot get anyone to see this. Will she still pay for this car accident until she my age (55) or is there a point and time when it shouldn't matter?

I'm asking for help and suggestions of any school that you believe may offer this opportunity to someone who had something like this happen which was not her fault and out of her control. Do you have ideas on how we can accomplish this? Any suggestions or ideas on how she can accomplish this dream are greatly appreciated! We're applying everywhere at this point! Thank you in advance!

[Sour Lemon]

Her GPA alone could be a factor ....never mind the other complications. There are "for profit" schools that seem to take anyone breathing, but they're certainly not inexpensive. I've also heard that some schools are more lenient with admission if a previous program was left on "good terms". Perhaps if she provided the previous program with documentation of her injuries, they might grant her that status?

[Shai1010]

Can she retake those two classes?

[paisling]

Has she looked at doing an ADN at a community college, or only BSN programs?

I noticed you said she's been "wasting application fees" - how much time has your daughter spent speaking to an admissions advisor at the schools before applying? If the school doesn't accept students who have previously failed nursing classes, she shouldn't be applying at all.

[ThatBigGuy]

Your daughter has a major negative counting against her: a failed nursing program.

She also has a major positive counting for her: a completed bachelor degree.

She needs to look for programs that offer a second degree BSN program. This is specifically for applicants who have a previous bachelors. Schools keep these spots open because they know that if you've been successful once, you're more likely to be successful a second time.

Also, your daughter has had incredible success despite all that life has thrown at her. Have her develop an application essay describing the events leading up to her failure in the nursing program, and then focus on the fact that she was able to persevere and graduate with a degree. Nursing schools love second degree students who have been through the ringer in life, and come out on top. This means your daughter might be more likely to be successful in the program.

Make phone calls and send emails to all the schools in your area and find out who offers a second degree program. Apply to those with your spruced up application essay. You might find more success that way.