You're in my shoes, what would you do to become an RN?

Nursing Students General Students

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First, let me extend my gratitude to all of you working in these scary and trying times!

So, I'm a 24 year old guy, and stupid, immature thoughts about me being a male nurse back in high school kept me from pursing my passion. There is nothing more gratifying than helping people who need it the most. My current career trajectory does not afford such opportunities, so I want to become an RN like I should have from the start.

After some research, becoming and RN is so much more complicated than I thought! I have a BA in humanities with no prerequisites, and I'm extremely nervous about the science courses. I passed my GE sciences for my BA with no problem, but I've never taken anything like microbio, chem, anatomy, or physiology. The lab components especially worry me. Anyways, I was hoping someone could be so kind so as to answer some questions I have.

1.) Are there any online resources or classes that can give me good idea of my aptitude for the prereqs, preferably with assessments to know how much I understand the material?

2.) I got a 3.0 GPA from my BA at Berkeley with little studying. I'm also in hyper-competitive California. Be brutally honest, please. Even if I do well in my science courses, is there a realistic chance of getting into any affordable ABSN, or even ADN, nursing program here? If I don't get in, I wouldn't mind paying up to go elsewhere in the country. I want this that badly!

3.) What is considered a good GPA to have in the prerequisites? I've heard just one B (a frikin' 3.9!) can ruin someone's chances.

4.) Because of life circumstances, I'll start this process in about 10-12 months. Now, if you were in my shoes, what would you do to become an RN? I'm in the Inland Empire in California if that helps in anyway.

ABSN or DEMSN, graduate in 12-18 months, pay $$$, but start working faster. Less competitive entrance. DEMSN lets you take graduate loans. Highly preferable. It’s the path I’m shooting for.

I went back to school at 35, also male. My overall GPA is horrible by nursing standards, luckily my school prioritized prereq GPA over overall GPA. I came from a business background and I did fine in all my science based classes, A&P 1&2 was the toughest, but that was the teacher more than the content. I am finding Patho much easier than A&P and it is WAY more involved and has a harder grading scale. I would have an A if it was on the regular grading scale, but being on the nursing grading scale it is a B. I am suppose to start clinicals this fall, hopefully things start on time.

1 Votes

Hi,

I just wanted to offer some encouragement. I am also in California and understand the pressure to have as high a GPA as possible. One thing you should probably consider is looking into community college ADN programs. Some have lotteries that level the playing field for those with less-than-perfect GPAs. The downside is, the waitlists can be very long for these programs. On the other hand, it's better than not getting in at all. Plus, you are young, you have time on your side.

Another avenue to explore would be programs that incorporate a high TEAS score with your prereq GPA. An additional pro you have on your side is that you live in an area with a lot of options. You may have to drive or even relocate, but if you really want this, and it sounds like you do, you will do the leg work to make it happen. With everyone at a standstill right now, it's the perfect time to sift through your options.

Good luck to you! I know you can do this!

Carrie

Most people who already have a degree do not find the nursing pre-reqs to be that challenging. You went to Berkeley. You'll be fine ? In all seriousness, do well in your pre-reqs, get a little experience doing direct patient care, and most importantly, know why you want to be a nurse.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great!

1 Votes

Honestly apply and just see how it goes. You never know and being a guy might help your chances of getting in. I just got in and my cgpa was 3.3 and prereqs were probably 3.5 . I was accepted to 2/3 of the ABSN programs I applied to, and I consider myself a pretty average applicant. I've had C's and one C- on my transcript. Not that many C's, but my transcript isn't perfect and I was still able to get in.

On 4/18/2020 at 8:23 PM, wknd said:

2.) I got a 3.0 GPA from my BA at Berkeley with little studying. I'm also in hyper-competitive California. Be brutally honest, please. Even if I do well in my science courses, is there a realistic chance of getting into any affordable ABSN, or even ADN, nursing program here? If I don't get in, I wouldn't mind paying up to go elsewhere in the country. I want this that badly!

3.) What is considered a good GPA to have in the prerequisites? I've heard just one B (a frikin' 3.9!) can ruin someone's chances.

4.) Because of life circumstances, I'll start this process in about 10-12 months. Now, if you were in my shoes, what would you do to become an RN? I'm in the Inland Empire in California if that helps in anyway.

Here's the reality of California. Unless the school flat out told them "We didn't accept you because you only had a 3.7 GPA and not a 3.8," it's only a guess that their GPA is why they weren't accepted. No school is going to give themselves the extra work by requiring a 2.0 GPA getting hundreds of applications, but turning down everyone below a 3.5. They would just make the minimum 3.5.

Your best resource when you're thinking about getting into nursing school, especially in a competitive state like california where students outnumber available spots by a lot, is the nursing school itself. Talk to the people who make the decisions. Explain your situation. Get their input on how to get accepted. Meet with them through the process with your prereqs. Show them your commitment to this. If there's any essay for your school's application, be honest (because it's very easy to pick out bs), and actually take the time to do it right. Your essay isn't just explaining how bad you want to be a nurse, it's explaining why you're the right person to be a nurse. Stand out from everyone else. A good example is half the people who apply to these schools are CNAs. You're nothing special. So explain what you've done with that job to be the kind of person that should get into that school.

Typically, schools aren't looking for the best grades, they're looking for the best students. The best student isn't always the one with the 4.0 GPA. Anyone can study and get As in every class. Not everyone has the common sense to know "cause the opposite of the symptom."

1 Votes
Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.

I’d try for pa or med school if you already have a bachelors. Take the prereqs and study for mcat. Unless you really only want to do nursing. Have you looked into all healthcare related fields?

1 Votes

Hello!! I graduated with a 2.97 GPA - I got really burnt out towards the end. I had most of my pre-reqs built into my degree but because I took them so long ago, I had to retake them anyway and ended up with a 4.0 for pre-reqs. I wouldn't let labs intimidate you! Sometimes they're more of a hassle than anything but I promise they're not as scary as people make them out to be. IDK about California schools but I just got accepted into an ABSN in Philadelphia even with my low undergrad GPA, so there are definitely options out there if you really want this!

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