What to do while I wait 2 years to get into the Nursing program?

Jules A, MSN · Sep 3, 2009

Take all the pre-reqs for your BSN if you are starting an ADN program. Good luck!

CECE,RN · Sep 3, 2009

Enjoy your time and peace because once your in, you're gonna pray that you had time to take a rest...(if you wanna stay in). So you can probably work on some stress relief techniques that you're gonna use while you're in the nursing program..:chuckle JK....Good luck...and work on BSN pre-reqs as the previous poster said if you wanna go further and CPR certification. (make sure your immunizations are up-to-date)

greenfiremajick · Sep 3, 2009

Hi! I'm doing a complete career change and going back to school to become an RN. I'm stuck on a 2-year waitlist though . Soooo, this gives me 2 years to prepare for the program and the Nursing profession in general. I'm going to keep my current full-time job and will be doing an Emergency Medical Responder course in the evenings and plan on working as an entry-level Paramedic on the weekends starting this winter. That'll get my feet wet in the medical field and get me experience with patient care. I'll also try to volunteer at a hospital - if I have the time!
Any other ideas of things to do that will help prepare me for the Nursing Program? I've already got the prerequisits and electives done (the ones that are able to be done before the program anyways). So now it's just a waiting game. Anything that I could study till then? I bought an anatomy/physiology book to look through. I have Anatomy flash cards too. Any good Nursing books that would be helpful? Any other activities that would help me prepare for Nursing that you can think of?
Thanks!!!

Ummmm....you could make a list of all the nursing students ahead of you on the waiting list....Then plan for their accidental demise....:thnkg:

SERIOUSLY, this is only a joke just in case some freak of nature takes me seriously and we all end up on the news!!!!! :omy:

CharlieT · Sep 3, 2009

I suggest that you apply to different schools. Perhaps another school will have an opening sooner, just take the first one that takes you in. The paramedic route is good training and a lot of fun, but I nearly starved to death, just not enough money for the responsibility. Good luck on becoming a nurse.

RN_waitlister · Sep 3, 2009

Yes "CECE,RN", maybe I should just not worry too much about it and take advantage of the no homework situation. I do have all the Pre-reqs done already, so that's why it's such a dumb waiting game.

LOL! "greenfiremajick", maybe I should take the waitlist into my own hands and make it a little shorter! Bwahaha! Well, maybe some of them will change thier minds and I won't have too.

rickelli · Sep 3, 2009

Like some of the others have posted I would take classes toward your bachelors. I just applied to the nursing program recently in July after finally passing the nurse entrance exam (4X I took it) and I am #2020-2024 on the waiting list. I also applied to the local hospital program that is in alliance with my college and they pay for it. I had my interview on Monday with the hospital and they emailed me on Tues. I was accepted :). So I am placed ahead of all those other people in the wait list and I start next month. So if I was you I would ask about other programs around your area that maybe you could get in earlier than 2 years. Good Luck!---Kelli

griffly · Sep 3, 2009

I would apply to other schools like someone else said. I was told by one school i had a 2 year waiting list, so i applied else were and got in right away. I would also look into getting your CNA, i know that doesn't sound like fun, but part of being a RN is doing the dirty work....get used to poop. Once you have your CNA get a job in a hospital. THen once your in school you can work as a nurse tech, and you will already have your foot in the door. I worked my butt off on a med/surg floor as a nurse tech/CNA and it helped me land a job in the ICU once i graduated. Another suggestion would be to get your EMT-B along with your CNA....with this you could get a job in an ER. I know the paramedic programs are usually at least 2 years long. You could get both EMT-B and CNA in one semester. Good luck

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 3, 2009

If you have a lot of spare time, I recommend working a little more and building a "war chest" of cash to cover your expenses while you go to nursing school. You won't have much time to work while you are in school and the cash will come in handy.

If you are really wanting to stay in the mentality of being a student -- take whatever you can that will contribute to your BSN, which you will need to get in order to have a good chance for career advancement as a nurse (and for the most competitive jobs).

If neither of those options appeals to you, but you still want to go to school ... you might consider picking up a degree in another field that does interest you. That "extra" degree might come in useful someday if you decide to change careers -- or better yet, you can combine it with nursing to be qualified for a nursing role that matches well with your combination of degrees. (For example, sometimes I wish I had studied history so that I could study nursing history ... or a degree in philsophy to be a nurse philosopher ... or a business/management degree to be nurse manager ... or writing to help my publishing efforts etc.) The field that would work best for you would be the one that most interests you because that is where your heart will lead you in the long run of your nursing career.

I envy your spare time. I work full time and one job and teach part time at a local universtiy. I would love to have the spare time to take some courses "just for fun" to augment my skills -- not to leave nursing, but to enhance my nursing career.

Fiona59 · Sep 3, 2009

Take all the pre-reqs for your BSN if you are starting an ADN program. Good luck!

The OP is CANADIAN. We don't have ADN courses, all RNs are required to be BScNs. So the poster has done all the academic courses required for the degree.

I would suggest looking into some of the classes that can be done without acceptance. I know locally you can pick up about three of the nursing courses at night school. But you would have to be very careful as you can wind up without enough credits each semester to meet the full time student status required for Canada student loans and tax credits. And to add insult to injury, you wind up with a class schedule that's full of holes.

vicki429 · Sep 3, 2009

In Cleveland, I applied 3 months before the program started and they still had MANY seats open. It's a Diploma program. I already have a degree in something else, so I'm pretty much just taking nursing classes. Another school I looked into here also had a 2 year wait!! I would DEFINITELY call around because every school is different.

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · Sep 4, 2009

Learn a second language!

Become a CNA and work at getting a CNA postition in an area that interest you so you have a foot in the door.

enjoy the study free nights!