What a terrible way to start off the new year

[Ms. Nurse Assistant]

I wasn't accepted into the nursing program. I left my community college to pursue another nursing program hoping that it would get me closer to being a nurse. It was a bad decision and set me back some. Right now, I am not even sure if I want to be a nurse anymore. I am getting older, and I just don't see myself still living at home in the next few years. And when I do move out to support myself it will be incredibly challenging to pursue nursing school at the same time. The long waiting lists, being told to possibly wait to get accepted in 2010, 2011 is just not promising to me. I'll be too old. And the older I get the less motivated I am. I don't want to be like some women who are in their late 30s, 40s chasing after nursing school their whole life. I have ran across a lot of them

I made a thread about going into health administration, maybe that will be a bit more realisitc for me. I won't be tied down every single day for 8 hours, and I can go to class, work, and be able to finnacially support myself until I get a degree. I don't know, I am just confusd. I dont know what direction I need to go in with my life

[sashamay]

I was on the Portland,OR/Vancouver, wa border so i applied to schools in that area. The community colleges had done away with their LPN programs entirely except last yr one of them finally opened one back up. You had to get accepted for the full RN program and some of them you wern't even eligible for your LPN halfway through... I did start looking into the LPN vocational programs (like "Apollo college" which had just opened an LPN deal up) but opted against that due to the credit transfer potiental problems and the sheer cost. 20k+ for 1 yr of school itself and i don't even get college credit for it?! mygosh..

I know the stats for my main community college, which last i heard had over 1500 applicants and they had to choose 30 of them. so unless you had a 4.0...you wern't getting in. They were all based soley on GPA b/c oregon had this special deal with the schools in the area.. all of them had the exact same application critera. Experience means nothing, no letters of rec etc..Except the universities, which i only qualitied for 2 of them.. and i didn't try very hard for those b/c of the cost and from what i had heard, they only actually accepted gpa's in excess of 3.6.

Cost did play into my decisions b/c having to support myself alone, i needed money above and beyond what the school certifies to live... since i dont have kids so no gov. help and no one to help me financially...just attending a community college im looking at a lot of ******* loans. (tho i am crossing my fingers for some scholarships =)

but yea. it'll be worth it in the end.

I knew a few people who up and moved to Arizona cuz they tried for a yr or two and couldn't get in.. (and thats paying $50 each and every school every year...) and i knew someone who got in to a private university about 2hrs away.. after waiting and trying for 3 years. I seriously looked into the AZ options but decided i'd rather be closer to home..

I'm presently in northern washington, first school i applied to outside of my hometown, i got accepted. 4 hrs from home but its not too bad.. =)

[cornpoohRN]

I don't want to be like some women who are in their late 30s, 40s chasing after nursing school their whole life. I have ran across a lot of them

I am proud to say that I am FABULOUS and 40 and I will graduate this May! Like many others I wanted to always be a nurse and actually tried when I was 24 with a 2 and 3 year old. I was in the program and then BAM their father up and leaves. Unfortunately, I had to abandon my dream-temporarily. My children are grown and after going back 14 years and starting over-at the same school, I had to apply many times and was accepted on the third attempt. It might have taken a little longer but you have many advantages.......no children, mortgages or heavy loans (that you have mentioned) so keep applying, hand in your application personally-put a name with a face!

Because if you don't do it now you will be one of the women you claim you don't want to be.......................

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

I am also "one" of those older people who started an LPN program at 40. The teas test is not an easy thing--but after all, so is the pre-Q classes one has to take for an RN. There's no LPN programs the next city over from you or anything? A vocational/technical high school that offers an LPN program (most do). If you missed a TEAS test category (I say that because one has to pass each section of the test--it is not an overall score) you could get a tutor to help you in that subject (I had to---I hadn't taken a math class in over 20 years!!) or virtual high school to help to pass this general education test.

It is difficult to get into an RN program, however, once one gets an LPN, there's many accredited online programs that one can get an RN----

If this is truly what you want for yourself, research all of the options------by the way, not only did I go to LPN school at 40, work full time, have three children--but I live on an Island 30 miles off of where my clinicals were--that meant weekly travelling to complete them. So I will say that if I can do it, anyone can. Best of luck!!