(no subject)

[ocelot]

Dear people trying to get into Nursing because of the supposed nursing shortage and the money:

Please FOAD and let those of us who actually want to do this stuff get into the classes we need.

Love,
Jessica

I'm currently first on the waiting list for my class, and quickly falling behind because I can't do the labs unless I'm enrolled. Tomorrow is the last day he'll accept new people. There's another evening class I may try to get into.

The really screwed up part is that 2 weeks from now, a good portion of the class will have dropped. Pisses me off because I'd stay in

I'm having one of my regular crisises about whether this all is really a good idea or if I should just go apply at a temp agency or something. Not give it up entirely but slow down and do one class a semester or something and not screw us up quite so badly financially.

But I probably shouldn't think about it right now because my screwed up sleep schedule and probably hormonalness are making me really fuzzyheaded and depressed.

Comments

[murphymom.livejournal.com]

Have you considered trying to "backdoor" the process? IOW, check out LVN and LPN programs near you, to see if they're less impacted, and then do a "bridge" program to your RN. It would take longer, but probably no longer than taking one course a semester. Just a thought.

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

I've considered it, and may end up going that way if it doesn't look like I can get into this class by fall at the latest. I had issues with the idea before because it means retaking several prerequisites I've already taken (due to different prerequisites between the two programs and different recency requirements for LVN), but it's beginning to look more appealing.

koyote doesn't think it's a good idea.

My intuition is that the "nursing crisis" is at a peak right now, and that within a few years there will be less job market, but getting into the program will be easier. Which might make LVN a better option and might not. I don't know.

[murphymom.livejournal.com]

My own instinct is that the nursing crisis, like the teacher crisis, is just beginning to ramp up, with so many of us aging "baby boomers" not only reaching retirement age but also reaching the age at which health issues become more prevalent. (California is expected to have a 30,000-teacher shortfall within the next five years, frex.)

I'm curious as to why koyote doesn't like the backdoor idea - is he afraid you'll get stuck in the LVN track and not get back to finish the R.N.?

RN programs have been impacted for at least the last 10 years - that and the need to redo several prereqs, plus take my chances on a lottery to get into nursing school is one big reason I'm teaching instead. (Fortunately, I love teaching.)

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

There's impacted and then there's impacted. The Sac City nursing program got 650 applications this year for 35 slots. That's like 500 applicants more than in past years.

I've also heard from a recently graduated nursing student that the job market isn't that great, though that could be a local thing or because everyone wants to go into L&D and all the jobs are working with older populations.

In any case, I don't see the number of people interested in nursing staying at the level it is now.

I also wonder if the nursing-teacher shortage won't be at least partially alleviated by boomer nurses who can't handle the physical demands of nursing.

I think getting stuck is a large part of koyote's worry. It's also a lot of backtracking or extra years if I want to go for a BSN or higher, as there don't seem to be many LVN to BSN programs.