Paging all nurses....

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hellooo nurse. :smiley:

My daughter, currently a high school junior, is considering applying to a nursing program in college.

Would you mind sharing some thoughts, ideas, do’s and don’ts, with respect to your application to a nursing program? Also the kinds of things she should be preparing herself for with respect to getting through a nursing program and the kinds of real work experiences she can expect out of school?

Really, I’m looking for any practical advice you can share as far as your college selection, studies and professional experience, good/bad/otherwise.

Thanks!

2

Just to bump the thread: I have a daughter who just started her second year (senior year) of a BSN program in eastern Pennsylvania. It is VERY challenging. I gather they have lost probably 35% of the starting class so far. I believe she came into the program as a Junior, without an A.S. degree but she did have to take a couple of prerequisite courses before starting.

On Fridays they spend all day at one of the local hospitals, and that is far and away her favorite experience; she’s loved doing everything they do, so it seems she has made a good career choice.

She is one of the “older” students in the program at 30ish; she regularly reports that some of the younger students just don’t have the focus and drive needed to succeed in a program where a C-average gets you canned. She was told at the beginning to expect to receive a letter grade lower than what she was used to in regular academic courses, and this seems to be the case. She has a high B/low A average, but is one of the top 5 students.

All that to say that if your daughter has cruised through high school, it will likely be a much more challenging environment. Not just academically, but she has to perform to expectations; some mistakes will get you dropped. As an RN candidate, you aren’t watching, you are doing, with real patients.

3

How is she with pressure?

I know a lot of nurses. Some do a great job of it, but others really have trouble with the pressure. It can be emotionally and physically demanding, and can lead to burnout. She may want to keep a potential parallel career path open (maybe with a potentially productive hobby?) just in case she needs a break.

4

My mom is an RN, and she’s taught in a BSN program, so I grew up with nursing as background music.

Quality BSN programs are in high demand, and there are waiting lists to get in. As far as I know, they don’t demand that you speak five languages or build an orphanage in Somalia. She won’t have to do the ridiculous amount of resume fluffing you hear for other programs. But your daughter absolutely must have a command of science and the ability to work her butt off without complaint. If money for school is a problem, she should look at signing up with the military. Nurses, especially RNs, are in high demand.

Under no circumstance should she go to one of the for-profit private schools that offer a nursing degree. Their programs are shoddy, many aren’t accredited, their credits don’t transfer, their pass rate for the boards are shockingly low, and the tuition is obscene.

There is nothing fuzzy-wuzzy or softheaded about nursing. Mistakes don’t just get people dropped from a program or fired, they can cost your license. State nursing boards are infamous for being populated by old battle axes, and they take their jobs very seriously. See if you can get your daughter to a hearing so she can see what it’s like.

Like Raza said, she needs to be ready to ramp up. Easy As are unknown. GPAs are a half to a full point lower than what she’s most likely used to. Attendance is vital, especially for labs. If she misses any time, she needs to make arrangements to make up the hours and do it pronto. More than anything, she needs to take full responsibility for herself - no excuses, no handouts, no exceptions.

It’s said that nursing eats its young. It’s not as bad as it was, but young, new nurses can have a hard time acclimating to the job. Salary is not based on your experience, but on your specialty and your length of time with the employer.

All that being said, it’s my impression that nursing is one of the most rewarding careers out there.

5

15 years in, I love being a nurse, never looked back. If I’d had my epiphany at 23 instead of 33, I might’ve gone med school instead, but that’s not a complaint, just an observation. I actually have better hours than the docs I work with. I love being an ER nurse because Tuesday is always different than Monday, I make a decent buck, and every once in awhile I get to reach down into an open grave and pluck a kid up out of it.
I do lose sleep and have to clean vomit off my shoes from time to time, but that’s not really a compliant either.

If she has the option to take a CNA course prior to nursing school I recommend it. Even if she doesn’t take a job at it, it’s brings some experience that you won’t have to worry about latter while you’re doing meds and invasive procedures later.

6

Someone I know well wants to do nursing but is concerned about getting into a BSN program. He is thinking about doing the Associates in Nursing instead. I think that they are slightly easier to get into. He plans to apply at a community college here. I know it limits career possibilities to not get the BS, but he should still be able to get a job, right, as long as he passes the boards, etc.? It’s not a waste of a degree? I hope this isn’t a true hijack since the OP might want the answers to these questions too… :slight_smile:

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I got an AAS in nursing at a local community college. They are just as hard to get into in my area as BSN programs and are much cheaper and faster. I had to pass the same licensing exam as the BSN students and am a fully licensed RN. If I wanted to teach in an RN program I would have to get my BSN and Master’s.To take a Nurse Practioner license I would have to have my BSN, but it could be done online since I am already licensed. To work as an RN, an AAS degree is fine.

Everybody in my nursing shool class came in with at least a 3.75 GPA, it was a shock to many of them to pull a low B on the exams at first. By the end of the semester, most of us were calculating exactly how many points we had to make on the final to pass. Our class mantra was C=RN :slight_smile: It is VERY challenging.

8

That’s not true in every market. None of the major Boston hospitals will hire at less than a BSN now. I work with nurses who have been RNs for 30 years and are going back to get their BSNs because if they get laid off, they’re screwed.

9

Same in Philadelphia. BSN is a requirement for most places. The one hospital system that does hire them has 8 posted openings for LPN/RN level nurses but 124 for BSN level nurses.

10

Thank you all for your responses. A lot to think about and talk about with my daughter. I think she has a calling to help people and nursing might just be a great career choice for her. She’s tough enough and can handle stress. However, she has been skating through high school a bit. Reality is starting to sink in this year and I think she sees that her B’s and C’s may not cut it if she is serious about this career choice. I hope she can pull up her marks in time to apply and get in to a good state school.

I’m going to take her to a couple of the colleges that she’s considering applying for to see if she can talk to the nursing dept admin staff to get an idea of what she can expect as far as entry requirements. Perhaps a trip to the local hospital to see if she can speak to someone in nursing admin for some guidance and perspective as well.

Thanks again.

11

I talked to a cousin of mine who is a nurse, as is his wife. He says go for the full BSN, and if you can hack it you’ll never, ever, have to worry about finding a job if you’re a guy.

Sounds hardboiled. But “Cousin R” is also one of the most competent and compassionale people around.

I also have other female RN’s in the family, some active, some retired. My mother and her sister were RN’s when you just went to a nursing school. They had college classes but no degree. Mom still regrets it.

12

A lot of hospitals do require a BSN; but, that doesn’t mean an ASN will leave you jobless. It just depends on the needs in that area. One could always return for the BSN later.
However, if resources are available to go for a BSN (time and money), why not knock it out?
Be supportive as you can while your son or daughter is in nursing school. It will be stressful and time consuming.
I agree with a comment about joining the military with a caveat. I’m a Guardsmen and I can’t stand soldiers (enlisted or officers) who just join for the benefits (or the salutes, if they are officers). They are lazy, feel entitled, have a huge chip on their shoulder, and don’t take the job seriously. Only join if you will commit yourself to the uniform and to the soldiers next to you. The military is not a welfare program.
Yes, there may be a dip in grades. My ex was an A student until she got into her nursing program at a community college. Her grades weren’t as high, she lost a lot of sleep, and gained weight. She also found that the job was not what she expected it to be; but, I think that probably has to do with her specialty.
If anyone has questions about license, renewal, or continuing competency in the US, check out this site: www.rnmobility.com. You’ll find a breakdown of the information as well as links to the state sites.

13

Reported.