reality check #786

I got my first nursing school rejection letter today. It was a form letter that some 500 other applicants also got. Even the signature on the bottom of the page from the admissions coordinator was photocopied. This one was from OHSU, a program that costs way too much, and is way to hard to get into. I am not surprised at this rejection, but it still hurts just a little bit, knowing that I've potentially got 3 more letters like that coming. One down, three to go.

The next one I'll hear from is PCC, Portland Community College, who will hold a lottery for admission in mid-April. They too have several hundred applicants, with only 30 or so spaces. Then Mount Hood Community College, then Linfield. All are pretty much the same. Everyone in the world wants to be a nursing student, and most want to do it here in Portland. I am beginning to feel that twinge of doubt, again...the one that I just got rid of after seeing my A in statistics, and meeting some of my competition. I am picturing my summer making $11.50 an hour as an unlicensed caregiver, wondering what the heck to do next. Will I run out of steam and just end up here forever? It's not that hard to imagine. There's only so much rejection someone can take. Right?

Then again, there are plenty of stories of people who have it much harder than I do, who are still plugging away. I have a close friend who is still at least a year behind me with her prerequisite courses. Maybe I'll end up at some midwestern college for a year after all.

Comments

Tim O said…
Not that I know anything about healthcare, but how can there be a "nursing shortage" when 100s of people are beating down the doors to get into nursing school? Yet they limit the openings to just a fraction of those who want to get in? Sounds like an artificial shortage. What about supply and demand? Wouldn't a nursing school add some temporary classrooms and get more students? (And make more money?) Or does some nursing association dictate how many people a school can graduate? I guess the upside is, you make a lot of money if you're one of the few who gets accepted.
6:00 PM
Cassady said…
Totally. It's backwards. The story I got is that schools don't have the funding for the programs. Why would anyone want to be a teacher when you could be a nurse and get more money?
10:50 AM
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