If there is such a shortage of nurses,why do they make it so hard to get into nursing?

Question

For example, in order to get into the BSN at my school, you need a 3.0. That's like medical school! I thought nursing was supposed to be easy, but I guess I was wrong. Does anyone have any theories behind this mess?

Answer 1

There isn't just a shortage of nurses, but of Nursing Instructors as well. Because of a lack of instructors colleges have to be very selective about the students they let into the program. They need to be sure that the student is serious about becoming a nurse. This way they are not training people who will not go on. Up here nursing school is so competitive you have to have a 3.7GPA to get into an RN program. And just so you know there is nothing easy about being a nurse. It is a very demanding job.

Answer 2

If you only need a 3.0 to get in to your nursing school, you should consider yourself lucky. You certainly wouldn't get in to med school with only a 3.0 either. Most schools have so few openings that you do not have any hope of getting in without at least a 3.7. Nursing school is not supposed to be easy, who told you that? If you don't get in, you can always switch majors, change to a less competitive school, or bring up your grades and apply next year. Some schools give extra points for working in healthcare, so you could always do that.

Nursing schools are competitive because there is not much funding for public nursing schools (I can't explain this one), and not many people willing to be instructors. To be a nursing instructor, a person must have a masters. With that type of education, a nurse can make significantly more money in areas other than nursing education.

Answer 3

Nursing schools pride themselves on their pass rate for the NCLEX state examinations. They want students who are ready and willing to work hard to reach a positive goal.
Nursing school not only includes theory and book work, but clinical work in actual health care settings. These responsibilities need to be taken very seriously and require a student to be organized, motivated, have good study habits, and the ability to maintain adequate grades. Most nursing programs require a high C or B to pass. A 3.0 (not impressive, really) helps the nursing programs weed out students without the positive attributes listed above. Why waste time on those who aren't going to try?

Plus, nurses do all of the hard work! :-)
Doctors write the orders, but nurses are still ultimately responsible for treatments and medications provided for their patients, so they need to have a basic knowledge of everything involved.

Answer 4

Well, 3.0 isn't exactly like getting into med school....

But nursing schools have very limited places available, and try to choose the students with the best chance of success. Much of the reason places are so limited is that a large part of nursing training is actual work in various types of medical facilities, and those opportunities are limited.

Answer 5

Uh, nurses perform a medical duty and are likely to spend more time with an ill patient than the medical doctor. The nurses take most of their directions from a medical doctor. Would you want someone sticking a needle in you who couldn't read, write or think on a higher scale than 6th grade?

Answer 6

1. Nursing is NOT easy.
2. There is a shortage of class capacity, instructors and especially clinical training slots.

Answer 7

Easy?? Damn, if I'm sick, I want a nurse taking care of me who earned her degree by working for it, , not just took up the vocation because she thought it would be easy.

Answer 8

cause if they make it any easier than a 3.0 (which is already pretty low and not even CLOSE 2 med skool) they mite not be able 2 pass nursing skool and no nusing skool wants 2 have a ton of dropouts cause it just looks bad