Career and School Info for RNs (Registered Nurses) in Ohio

I would recommend that prospective students evaluate what clinical sites will be available to them in the nursing program they are considering. Our program does have a variety of sites: nursing homes, small regional hospitals, larger low-level trauma centers and even a pediatric facility. These sites will offer a myriad of opportunities for varied experiences and networking.

Students should be prepared to face an incredible bureaucracy in nursing school. I suspect it may be one of the biggest downfalls of actual nursing practice, so perhaps facing red tape in school is just on-the-job training. The nursing program at my institution was recently massively overhauled, and a new director was hired. Those changes led to all sorts of political jockeying and unrest in the ranks. I ignorantly chose the program because it was inexpensive and conveniently located. I should have investigated my institution more thoroughly before matriculating. Students should visit any college they are interested in attending and talk to students and instructors in the program. They can give prospective students the “view from the trenches” of the program's strengths and of its weaknesses, problems the admissions office will rarely admit even exist.

Know that when the chips are down, the school, even though students are paying them for their education, is not their ally. When a clinical site mandated influenza vaccines for all nursing students, my physician examined me and determined they were contraindicated due to an allergy. The clinical site refused to accept any excuse. The school refused to act as my advocate because they were afraid to anger the clinical site. When I contacted the clinical site directly to attempt to work out a solution, I received a formal written reprimand for “unprofessional behavior” because I dared to go around the school's bureaucracy to protect my health.

I figure a large part of my job as a nurse will be to advocate for my patients’ health. If I cannot even be an activist for my own health, then I do not belong in the nursing field. That is the most important point. Before entering any nursing school, a student must honestly search their heart to determine their motive for going into the nursing profession. A true nurse must care passionately about others and be willing to face potential consequences to insure that patients get the very best care available. They deserve no less.

The school was not very well advertised, so I had not even heard of the program until I came upon it while doing some research on the internet. I had asked other people who were unaware of the school as well. When I asked some nurses from a couple local hospitals if they had heard of the school, they acknowledged that they accepted students for their clinicals and ultimately hired them quite frequently. I wished I had heard about the school earlier, although they are now expanding and working on revising their marketing. I think that will be helpful to others looking to get into their nursing program.

I would also suggest that every possible resource be investigated for possible funding, as my particular school is very expensive, and I was unaware of the cost of nursing programs, books, etc. I didn't know how little financial aid and a Pell grant would cover in a program such as this. I did not know how much I was going to have to come up with, in addition to the student loans, on my own, for the program until I was enrolled, and it was very difficult to obtain the funds. It's challenging to train your mind to focus on the big picture and not let finances block the view.

When I was searching for the right nursing program for me, I had visited over 10 different college campuses before I found one that I remotely liked. I decided to keep searching just in case there might be one I liked better, and there was. When I visited Mount Vernon Nazarene University and talked with the Dean of Nursing not only was I impressed by her and her professionalism, but I was very impressed and intrigued with what she had to say about the brand new nursing program. After she gave me a ton of paperwork telling me about the nursing program and how the students progress through it, I sat down a read and reread what it said. Everything she gave me included everything a prospective nursing student would need to know about a nursing program, everything except for the fact that the new nursing program at Mount Vernon Nazarene University was still so new that it hadn’t been accredited yet.

As I scheduled to talk to the dean again and get a tour around the nursing building, I had a feeling that my time spent with her would end well. She was not hesitant about answering my questions on why the program hadn’t been accredited yet, and she made me feel confident that I would not have to worry about the program not getting the accreditation because of the outstanding progress and compliments the program had been receiving from hospitals and the site teams from the accreditation organization. I do wish that I would’ve have known that up front when I was choosing my program, but I am glad that it did not affect my choice because now I am in one of the best nursing schools in Ohio, with no waiting list to boot!

My advice for prospective nursing students who are looking for a great nursing program that fits them is to make sure to read over the material the program has offered and given them. Also take the time to get in contact with the dean, and don’t be hesitant to ask questions. It tickles them to death when students ask questions, especially when they concern the program, because they want the students to feel comfortable and confident with the program they are looking at. It is a tough decision, and one that requires scrutiny, but it is one that shouldn’t make them feel anxious. If it is the program that fits them, they will definitely be able to tell, waiting list or not.

I wish I had known more about the professors and class structures prior to starting at UC. Sometimes I feel as though our nursing program is scrambling around trying to figure out how to run the program, even though it’s been around for many years. Professors will be assigned to a course at the last minute, having never taught it before, and will spend the next ten weeks trying to figure out what they’re doing. I feel like our nursing program is somewhat of an experiment that is constantly testing what works and what doesn’t. This is a major annoyance.