So how hard is it to get into nursing school?  It all depends on the nursing school.  The pre-requisites vary, depending on whether a student chooses a two year or four year degree program.  Most two year associte degree nursing programs require at least one year of prerequisites.

These prerequisites include, Biology (two semesters), Anatomy and Physiology (two semesters), English, (two semesters), Political Science, Psychology, Child Psychology, Sociology, Basic Math, Beginning Algebra, Chemistry, and Pharmacology.  It seems that each year the list of prerequisites gets longer.  These courses could take longer than a year to complete, depending on the students home life and job commitment.  Then there are the nursing entrance tests.

There are several variations of nursing entrance tests circulating throughout the United States.  There is the HESI, the TEAS and the NET. Each nursing school requires a different score for passing.  Passing implies that the student has scored sufficiently high enough to get their name on the nursing school waiting list.  To make matters more difficult, some schools only allow the student to take the nursing entrance test three times.  If the student fails on the third try,then they are not allowed entrance into the schools nursing program.

This can be a devastating blow to someone who has just completed over one year of pre-requisites and have set their entire two year calender by one school.  There is indeed some very stiff competition for nursing school seats.  Some of the other criteria that is examined prior to students gaining admission includes, grade point average, past medical or health care experience, and nursing entrance test scores.  As unbelievable as it may seem, there are actually some schools that require students to have a 4.0 grade point average just to get placed on the nursing school wait list. It is no wonder that so many nursing school students are over stressed. The high expectations required by so many nursing schools are actually acting as a deterrent. Some students who contemplated a career in nursing change their path when faced with the daunting expectations of nursing schools. They go into other health care fields that do not require as much preparation. These fields include patient care technicians, emergency technicians, and medical assistants.

Though these careers do not pay as well as nursing, the student has a greater comfort level and can therefore perform better in class and in clinical. What’s the best advice to give someone who wants to become a nurse? To begin with, people should be selective when choosing a nursing school. Find out what are the requirements. Look into their pass rate on the NCLEX State Boards. Certainly, one would not want to put in three years of school, only to find out that their school had one person pass the State Boards out of 50. Also it is important to find out if the prerequisites change while in the program and if it is necessary to take more classes.

Most importantly find out if there is a limit to how many times the nursing entrance test can be taken, and if each failed attempt is counted as a strike against the student. Knowing the playing field ahead of time can save a lot of heartache not to mention money. Much of a students money and time is lost when they are not accepted to the nursing program. This takes a toll on the student and their family. Many nursing students are well into their thirties and forties. These are people that have had mortgages, prior schooling and have had their share of debts. When a student is fully aware of what is expected of them with regard to the school and the nursing program, there is less chance of failure. Good advice is to remember to keep the dream. Don’t give up, and plan well in advance for any road blocks that may occur.

http://www.mynursingedu.com