And you thought YOU were frustrated...

I am going to do an angry rant. Maybe it will be therapeutic in a way. I am beyond ticked and frustrated at how incredibly difficult the nursing school application game is. It is a game truly rigged against even the most qualified of candidates. Take me for instance. I was pre-med, then pre-nursing, then a Biology major years ago when I began college (yeah...I changed majors a lot!). Due to this though, I have taken a boat-load of science courses, always doing very well. I also hold a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Family Studies, a Master's of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, and an Oregon State Teaching License for grades 3-8 self-contained as well as Highly Qualified for Middle School Science. I also hold ACSI (Christian School...) certification for teaching middle and high school science, health and math, and was the department head of my former employer's science department. Maybe I should have left well enough alone. I knew that when I decided to leave teaching that all these fancy degrees and certifications would mean nothing, or at least close to...but I thought that having a Bachelor's degree at least would help with any general ed. requirements. 

Let's just look at the state of nursing schools in this state (haha). In Oregon the requirements can and do vary by each different community college, university and private school. You literally have to tailor your pre-requisites to one, maybe two schools that have similar requirements. That, or take everything for everywhere. Lane Community College has a "diversity" requirement that I apparently did not meet in my previous degrees (even though I took a Diversity and Ethics in Education course)-hence the reason I have to pay over $300 to take my Sociology of Gender course currently. Oh, and none of my psychology, sociology or religion courses (of which I have plenty!) counted for the social science elective points at Lane either. Why? Well, you see they were 300-500 level courses, and I need a 100-200 level course. In other words, I was penalized for taking an upper-class course! I am also currently re-taking Sociology of Marriage and the Family (though I took a course with this exact name at Corban University), because it wouldn't transfer. The other college I was/am hoping to apply to, Chemeketa Community College, required a computer course (Lane does not), but no diversity course, and is currently "looking into" whether or not I meet the Intro to Psychology course requirement because my transcripts do not show this class. I had to take a deep breath on the phone with the transcript evaluator, and then say very sweetly, "Surely I meet this requirement...I have a DEGREE in Psychology."  I am awaiting a phone call back. REALLY??! If they do not accept it, I will not have a "complete" application  and have to wait another YEAR before applying again, after taking a 100-level psych class!

We are told that there is still much need in the Health Care industry (see Nurses Still Needed), but at least in this state, nothing is standardized. Another local community college? Has a 5 year science expiration. My Microbiology class, which I got a high A in, is 6 1/2 years old. The other two schools have a 7 year expiration, so if I don't get in the first time, I look at re-taking that. I excelled in that course. Surely microbio has not changed that much in the past 7 years! Lane just did away with the giving of extra points to students with a previous degree (Gee...thanks!), and as they revise their program each few years, they also do not release the changes made until a month before the application period! This gives you NO time to take any needed "new" requirements unless you wait another year. Like the fact that advisers say they may give points now for CNA certification. Yay, I thought. I'll have that by the end of January. Well, guess what? The certification process can take up to 6 weeks, during which time the Lane application period will close, and  I won't be able to earn those points on my application...until next year. Can you simply submit the certification a few weeks later? No, I was told they accept no supplemental material. 

What is a girl to do? I am impatient because I have already spent 7+ years in college (heck I could've been well on my way to being a doctor by now), and while I realize the career change was my decision-this game is ridiculous. I review the applications over and over, and while I am in the top 5% for both schools as far as application points...it may not be good enough. Every class has to be paid for out-of-pocket because the government will not give me federal student loans to get a "lesser" degree, as in I already have a M. Ed, so why would I get an Associate's? The only other option that I have given some thought to in the last few days is a newish school in Portland through ITT Tech, called Breckenridge. They are private, up for OSBN (Oregon State Board of Nursing) accreditation, and they don't use point systems. They use a test called the HESI Entrance Exam and take the top 30 scores. I have a friend from OSU that just got in. They are private and spendy, and new, so there is some negative and some positive reports about them. They do classes 2 days a week at first and then 3, meaning you could still potentially work part-time as a CNA or something. Their graduates sit for the NCLEX-RN which is the licensing test, just like all other nursing programs...but they are expensive. About $36,000-40,000 (compared to about $15,000 for a community college) depending on what all I was able to transfer in, and driving almost 2 hours 2-3 days a week one way would be grueling to say the least...but at least it seems somewhat flexible. I worry that it isn't a "top" school. One nursing forum said "they take those who couldn't get in elsewhere", but another said "they are an option for those that will pay more to have their lives on hold less." 

Finally, another huge part of my frustrations is that I know I am a good student, a hard worker, and a fast learner. I know that my chances of applying to an academic type program and getting in like a doctorate in psychology or education would be great. I know of good programs locally for counseling, for example, or school administration, or becoming a professor. I could get federal loans for "advancing" my education. 

But...I just spent over $3,000 taking the anatomy sequence at OSU, and I did well. I quit a good job, and Barrett is providing nicely for us...but it is temporary. What is a girl to do who is over-educated yet under-qualified?