What do nursing schools want to see?

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · May 6, 2005

my nursing school was done my lottery....all you needed was the pre-reqs. Of course, with a degree in BioChem, that pretty much covers them all.

A friend of mine was trying to get into the accelerated program here, and he has had no luck. He has 2 masters degrees and years of hospital/military experience. Who knows what they want???

nikonos · May 6, 2005

My school looked at two things: a) GPA in only those classes listed as pre-reqs for the nursing program and b)the score on either the NLN or ACT. We had several EMT's and even more LPN's in the applicant pool that were not accepted due to their low GPA's in pre-nursing science courses. You may be able to boost your GPA before you get accepted. I have a biology degree and the human A/P and medical microbiology required for the nursing program I did not take for my BS so taking those boosted my overall average enough to be competitive in the admisions process. Good luck.

lady_jezebel · May 6, 2005

Hey Everyone,
I am currently considering going into the nursing field. I would like to enter one of the accelerated BSN programs. I am about to graduate with a biochemistry degree but a not so hot GPA. If I was to get volunteer hours, EMT or CNA certification would nursing schools take this into consideration during the application process? Any advice on the application process would be helpful! Thanks!

My opinion. For a BSN program, they want to see:

1) Medical experience of any kind -- EMT, CNA, paramedic, CMA, OR tech, etc...

2) Good recommendations from people within the nursing field, preferably BSNs/MSNs. Make sure at least one letter is from a nurse. The other letters should be from professors or a boss, if you did research while in school.

3) An essay that shows maturity & a well thought out reason why you want to be a nurse & how you feel you would contribute to the profession. Don't just say "it's my calling" without giving good reasons why you believe so. Also, make the essay seem logical & professional. You want to show them that you can write papers for research, and that you know how to think & communicate. Another good thing to do is to flip through some nursing books at Barnes & Noble, and choose some of the nursing terminology to use in your essay -- show that you know what this field is all about. For example, how does is the nursing process similar to the scientific method (something in which you are already well-versed)? How does your background in biochem work as an asset for you (ex. it would be especially beneficial if you plan to do nursing research)? But since nursing is both an "art & a science", make sure you include ideas about compassion/caring, ethics, confidentiality, whatever... Also, describe exactly what you plan to do with your nursing degree (show that you have a vision). Don't be too idealistic -- balance lofty goals with a clear understanding of the realities of nursing.

4) If not a great previous GPA, then pull out your strengths in terms of the classes in which you excelled. Did you perform well for the nursing prereq's? Also, did you work full or part-time while in school? Did you have significant personal issues (ex.marriage, death, baby)? Emphasize what you are capable of, your new-found maturity & focus, and how you plan to exceed in nursing school (ex. not working).

njh0325 · May 8, 2005

hi,

i graduated with a bsba in business administration and got accepted into an accelerated bsn program at the university of maryland(well, they changed it to an msn program, but that's another story). anyway, my undergraduate grades at bucknell werent that great--3.2. i had a ton of relevant community service, however, and my grades in my prerequisite classes were a 3.7 (i took my prereqs at a community college following graduation). from my understanding, prerequisite science class grades are the most important, followed by your undergraduate gpa, and then they look at the rest of your application--extracurriculars, essay, experience, etc. i do not think that it matters if you have worked in the medical field before. they want people that are intelligent and motivated, and are not whimsically deciding to enter the field. i think that recommendations are extremely important as well. as far as the essay is concerned, i believe that the best focus on why you are a good fit with nursing; what can you offer to the profession? let me know if you have any specific questions--i definately remember being overwhelmed with the application processes. good luck! ~natalie