Wesley Said:

Nursing College/University in Ontario help please?

We Answered:

Hey,
If you feel that nursing would be right for you, then do it. It certainly isn't taking the "easy way out" (though a lot of people seem to think so). Nursing is intensive, both physically and emotionally. You will have more patient care training than a doctor, so it is important that you are comfortable working closely with others. Not just the patient, but the doctors as well. Don't feel like being a nurse is inferior!

If the motivation is not there to be a doctor, don't do it. If it's there for nursing, do it!

I went through a similar dilemma, going into a BA in Psychology thinking I wanted to be a psychologist, but quickly realizing that I didn't have the patience to go through all the schooling. About a year and a half ago I decided I wanted to do nursing, so I'm finishing my pre-reqs before applying to nursing schools next year.

If Waterloo offers a nursing program, see if you can transfer from your program. I know for my school (University of Ottawa) you can only switch programs if you are already in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Otherwise, you have to do a separate application to get in. There are lots of schools in Ontario that offer accelerated programs that you can finish in about 2 yrs.

As for the college/uni debate, the thing you should consider most is this: clinical hours, clinical hours, clinical hours. Classroom learning is obviously important but your clinicals are when you get the hands-on experience that you will require for the future. My father is a nurse and one thing he laments is that nursing programs nowadays don't offer enough clinical hours.
You can do a college/uni collaborative program (like McMaster/Mohawk), which will give you a BScN, a strictly uni program that will give you a BScN, or a strictly college program, which will usually give you a diploma (there are some colleges that grant degrees). If you get a diploma, you won't be an RN, but a Licensed Practical Nurse/Registered Practical Nurse. If you decide later that you want to be an RN, there are LPN-RN bridging programs. But you will require a BScN if you ever want to do grad studies. Also, the BScN allows you to work in other provinces or countries, while sometimes the LPN programs are only applicable for the province you live in.

I hope I helped. To give you an idea of where you could go, all these schools offer accelerated nursing degrees: University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, York U, McMaster, University of Western Ontario, Queen's, and Trent. Good luck!

Jesus Said:

Help please, with my nursing student career!!?

We Answered:

you know what,

i'll tell you this straight up... it dont matter where you graduate of what top school you are in. all that matters is if you've got an RN lisence, regardless. all nurses that have an RN with them are needed everywhere. and the pay isnt going to change for someone that graduated from a 'big-name' school than someone from a local school. there is a big nursing shortage not just in the US but in all countries.

get to a nursing program that you got in and would be more cheaper and convenient for you. it doesnt have to be the school you are happy with, oh hell, even nursing school is going to teach you to make sacrifices in your life for the betterment of others...