Nursing - A Mid-Life Career Change

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

I've never heard medical school referred to as ANY degree of pleasant!

I can't believe the abuse your sister got from her professors. How strange that of all fields, nursing - which is all about caregiving - would have the nasty professors.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by HotDamnImAPhiMu

I've never heard medical school referred to as ANY degree of pleasant!

I can't believe the abuse your sister got from her professors. How strange that of all fields, nursing - which is all about caregiving - would have the nasty professors.

Actually, med school was pretty dry the first two years, but 3rd and 4th years were downright fun! I loved being on the wards, interacting with physicians, caring for patients and figuring out the puzzles that are patients! My sister came home crying on more than one occasion. I can't say that I or any of my fellow female med students ever went home in tears! It is strange that nursing schools are so malignant. I've known many a nurse who had the same experiences.

[ZetaGirl22]

Originally Posted by HotDamnImAPhiMu

I've never heard medical school referred to as ANY degree of pleasant!

I can't believe the abuse your sister got from her professors. How strange that of all fields, nursing - which is all about caregiving - would have the nasty professors.

There is a saying out there in the nursing community that nurses "eat their young" Take from that what you will, but I definitely have heard of some quite ridiculous stories about nursing faculty from various schools from many different students.

Don't take this as me trying to deter you because I am basically doing exactly what you are right now LOL! I'm 28, have a BA in Political Science and am doing the last of my prerequisites right now at my local community college. I will be doing the CC route for my clinical program based on cost and convenience. I don't know what your first degree was in, but if you stayed away from the sciences the first time, you will have a few prereqs to complete before you enter a program and they are DEFINITELY not easy. I have done very well in my prereqs so far-I have a 4.0, but it took a lot of work, especially in Anatomy and Physiology. I am in part 2 of that right now. Another thing to keep in mind is most nursing programs, regardless of whether its an ADN or BSN are VERY competitive. At my CC the cutoff GPA for accepted applicants into last semesters clinical class was a 3.3, and the school recommends that you maintain at least a 3.5 to maximize your chances.

And I see you are in the DC area! If you are interested in an accelerate BSN option, Georgetown has an accelerated BSN that takes 16 months. From what I hear it is VERY rigorous and VERY expensive, but they have a scholarship program with Washington Hospital Center where if you are chosen, WHC will cover your tuition in exchange for a 2 year work commitment (I believe its 2 years). There are lots and lots of options out there. University of MD also has an accelerated program where instead of a BSN, you become eligible to take the NCLEX (the licensing exam-which actually gets you the RN credential) and you also earn a masters degree.

[Buttonz]

I have my BS already and I'm looking to make the switch to get my BSN. I'm looking at Stonybrook which offers a 12 month program and Pace, which offers a 12 month program or a 24 month program, depending if you need your pre-reqs (the only one I have for them is stats) or not.

I'm nervous but excited at the same time. I really think that this will be good for me. My hope is to get into school and camp nursing.