Your Guide to Getting In: Nursing Programs

Webinar Transcription

2026-08-05_Your Guide to Getting In Nursing Programs

Anesha: [00:00:00] Hi, everyone, and welcome to tonight’s webinar. My name is Anesha Grant. I am a senior advisor here at CollegeAdvisor, and I will be your moderator today. Today’s webinar is focusing on “Your Guide to Getting In: for Nursing Programs.” Before we get started, just to orient everyone with the webinar timing, we’re gonna take a quick poll to see who’s in the room with us, and then I’ll let our presenter get started on sharing today’s presentation.

Afterwards, we will open up the floor for a live Q&A. Um, on the sidebar, you can download the slides under the, um, handouts tab, and you can start sending your questions whenever you get ready under the Q&A tab. But first, let’s meet our presenter, Jose Villa. Hi, Jose. How are you doing?

Jose: I’m excellent. How are you?

Anesha: I’m good. Thank you for asking. Um, before we let you get started, just tell us a little bit about your background, um, in this topic.

Jose: Yeah, so nursing specifically, I have about 20 years of experience. Started more in undergrad, in kind of pre-health side when I was at LIU, and then transitioned to, to Columbia, where I kind of had 17 years of experience working kind of every [00:01:00] aspect of nursing and kind of going through all the different opportunities and ways to get into the nursing program.

So this for me was a really exciting opportunity, ’cause I think whenever I meet a nurse, I always light up, and I, I think it’s, it’s one of the best professions to get into. And I think if, if I… I do have kids, and this is one of the things that I talk to them, if they’re interested in health professions and those kind of fields, nursing is really a blank page where you can kinda get in, end up anywhere you want just depending on kind of where you wanna go.

So super cool and super excited to be here today. Thank you.

Anesha: No, excited to hear from you. We often hear a lot from doctors and from that perspective, and we often have a lot of students asking questions about nursing, so we’re excited to be able to offer that perspective today. Uh, before we let you get started, like I said, we’re gonna do a quick little poll.

So for those out there, please let us know what grade level you are in. If you are a parent or a teacher, you can go ahead and select other. And for students, this is the grade, if you have not started school again, the grade that you will be starting in the, um, fall or in the upcoming academic year. Um, so are you in New York right now?

Jose: I am. I’m an [00:02:00] hour north of the city presently.

Anesha: Okay. How- do you prefer being in the city or out of the city, I guess is my question. I’m from New York, and I now live in California, so I have abandoned it. But, uh, so I’m just curious of your, your feelings about location.

Jose: So I prefer to be where I live now just because I have the space and wherewithal to kind of do all the things that I wanna do, but an hour is actually a very quick commute.

So whenever I wanna get into the city to do any last-minute things in the city or sports or concerts and those kinds of things, everything is here. I think the best part about not pushing New York too much is there’s three different major airports here. I mean, where I’m at, there’s currently five airports, so there’s a lot of ways in and out.

I’m, I’m a, a huge traveler, so that’s always a great thing for me.

Anesha: And I mean, this is totally separate, but I have a lot of, um, friends of friends who are nurses who do traveling nurse programs, and so they’re often traveling as well. Um, and so I think that’s an interesting, unique and, um, part of, of nursing profession in the long run.

But-

Jose: Absolutely …

Anesha: um, okay, I’ll go ahead and close our poll. We have a small group, but we have a, a pretty good spread. So we have 20% 10th graders, [00:03:00] 20%… 30% 11th graders, 30% 12th graders, and then 20% parents and teachers. So I think we have upperclassmen, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders mostly for the focus of today.

Awesome. I’ll stop talking, hand it over to you, and I’ll be back for our Q&A.

Jose: Perfect. So why is nursing so competitive? And I think one of the bigger pieces is, as you’re going into healthcare specifically, nursing is gonna give you really direct patient access from the door, you know. So I think that’s one of the, the key reasons why people wanna get into it.

I think that especially as people get older in life, and we all have kind of family members, unfortunately and, and also fortunately, we all fall into positions where we see someone who needs care, and there’s a lot of people that kind of run to that opportunity. So nursing, because it is direct patient access, it’s really the, the first kind of lever where a lot of people will access that, that type of care.

Um, but secondly you can see there’s a high demand. So there’s, because of that interest, there’s a lot of people that wanna get into nursing programs. But unfortunately because of the way that the nursing [00:04:00] program is structured, there aren’t as many opportunities. And I think now there’s a lot more than there were 17 years ago.

So when I first started at Columbia, I li- literally started, day one walked into my office in New York. By 10:00 o’clock in the morning, I was on a plane going to California, and was in California for a week recruiting students from California to come back to New York. Um, that still happens, but not to the same extent that it used to just because there are so many schools and so many opportunities now.

So I would definitely say over the last decade there’ve been a lot of emerging programs that kind of offer different opportunities within nursing. So it is still limited in terms of how you get into some of these programs, but there are a greater variety of different things. And later in the presentation, we’ll definitely have a conversation on a broader level in terms of all the different entry points into what actually makes someone a nurse.

Um, the next part as you can see is faculty shortages. So- A lot of people when they’re doing nursing now, one of the greater things is they wanna do direct care. So from a faculty perspective, PhD side, um, [00:05:00] DNP side, there’s a l- there’s not as much interest in terms of doing kind of more macro nursing, different pieces, informatics, those kinds of things.

And I think coupling with public health, uh, at, at a, at a high level for some of the, the more PhD level nurses is huge because all of that information is really what helps us to find out kind of where the care really should be taking place. So because that la- that faculty shortage is there, that’s also another thing that kind of limits how many seats can really be available, because all of the programs really wanna ensure that they have high quality professors that are able to teach students.

And as you can see kind of here, the last piece is a clinical placement. So, um, fortunately there are limited hospitals, so there aren’t random hospitals everywhere. And I think that even within those hospitals, it’s gonna make a very big difference in terms of the type of experience that you can have at one of those hospitals.

So even in New York with, a- as big as New York is, there are only a certain number of hospitals, and all the schools that are in those areas have to share some of those hospitals. [00:06:00] So I think the hospitals are also splitting their time for clinical placements for nurses, for DOs, for MDs, also for PAs, and, and kind of other programs as well.

So I think hospitals also wanna make sure as al- although, although they’re training different professions and different individuals, they wanna make sure that they have a fair balance in terms of all the different entry points into healthcare

So I mentioned the different levels of nursing. So typically if you ask someone are they a nurse, I think from my perspective, again because I have a lot of experience with higher level nurses, it’s almost understood when I ask someone are they a nurse, my question is more are they RN, a registered nurse, or are they advanced practice nurse.

And we’ll get to those two points later. But from a very basic standpoint, these are kind of the entry points, um, into nursing. So a certified nursing assistant is a CNA. So this is a, a job that actually I had a lot of friends with in high school that they trained to get their CNA certification and [00:07:00] they thought they wanted to get into nursing, and that’s kind of where they started.

So for the high school students that are, that are present here, that’s really a great place to start because this is where you’re really gonna start looking at kind of what nursing is like, the scope of nursing, the different kind of jobs. You’ll start to see some of the access points that different individuals will have when they’re working in different settings.

So as a CNA, you may be working in, let’s say a, a, a hospital center, you may be working in a hospital, you may be working at a clinic. So there’s a wide variety of different places that you can start as a CNA, um, working with different individuals. Um, the next phase is an LPN. So typically in terms of a, of an LPN, in most instances you would’ve already graduated, uh, high school, and this is a program that a number of certificates exist that are out there.

Some hospitals have LPN programs. Uh, also some community colleges also have LPN programs. So this is kind of the next step up from the CNA program where you’re doing a little bit more than kind of just the, the basic aspects of nursing. You’re really getting into [00:08:00] kind of the bedside care and working with individuals.

You will have some rotations and you will have kind of more of a clinical knowledge from that perspective. But even at the LPN level, you’re not really working with, um, you’re not working with medication at all. So you’re not handling medication, not distributing medication in either aspect of the LPN or the CNA.

Again, it really is more about just the care aspect for both of those pieces. Um, as you transition into ADN, which is associate degree in nursing, typically it’s a two-year program, some are 18-year programs. These historically are based out of community colleges. Again, there are some hospitals that have ADN programs, but it’s mostly out of community colleges.

And here’s really kind of the first step into becoming a registered nurse. So as a registered nurse you are able to work, um, in different hospital and clinic setting. You are also administering medication. So that’s one of the biggest difference in terms of the ADN having a registered nurse license versus the previous to the CNA and the LPN, because the distribution of medication and kind of, um, the knowledge base that you have to have [00:09:00] with, uh, the pharmaceuticals for the, the ADN portion and being a registered nurse is kind of really the main divider between kind of, uh, the, the two, the LPN and CNA and then being a registered nurse.

Secondly, I would say the, the RN piece, uh, as an ADN is something that typically you can either do After you graduate high school, which is what some students do, and then other some students go on and get a degree, and then after they have a degree, they’ll kind of circle back and get an ADN. So different pathways into the associate degree for nursing.

As I mentioned before, the, the, the typical aspect and the main road into becoming a nurse is by s- attaining a BSN, so that’s your, that’s a bachelor’s degree in nursing. So from that perspective, you’re going typically through a four-year school where you’re either one of two things. You’re either mixing up your nursing and your kind of pre, uh, your pre-health core and then kind of all of your humanities, they’re kind of all mixed up together.

Or there’s some programs where [00:10:00] you will do all of your pre-reqs first, and then you apply separately into the nursing program second. So there’s really two admission points or two different ways of handling admissions at the BSN level. Um, so as you can see, similarly, uh, the main difference I would say the BSN to the ADN is, one, the time.

So obviously it’s a four-year commitment versus a two-year commitment. The other BSN difference is kind of where you’re working. So for individuals that really wanna be kind of in high-paced magnet-type settings of hospitals, they’re gonna favor a BSN over an RN, um, excuse me, over an ADN. So a lot of times what may happen is individuals may kind of go through a program, attain their ADN, and then there are a lot of different bridge programs where you can do a RN to BSN program and kind of just complete the, the necessary, uh, so, excuse me, the necessary paperwork, and also the coursework to attain a BSN.

So you kind of transition from one to the other. And then the MSN is kind of the, the higher end piece of the [00:11:00] registered nurse aspect. So at Columbia, that’s what we offered. We offered, uh, MSN. So our biggest kind of product was working with individuals that already had a baccalaureate degree in any other program, and then we taught them, for our program at Columbia, was 15 months.

So in 15 months, they basically did all of the RN core work, and at the, the end of it, we’re also kind of mixing in some of the master’s level work, and they’re graduating with a master’s degree, um, and having an MSN, still working at the RN level. So the, the main advantage for that is individuals that are looking to go into advanced practice programs, CRNA programs, midwifery programs, um, this is a great kind of stepping stone into some of those programs and starting some of that coursework early.

However, having the BSN also does make you eligible to apply at, at graduate levels of nursing as well. So there are a lot of different kind of options and kind of different ways in which you can kind of maneuver, uh, all three of these, all, all three of these different options at the RN level[00:12:00]

So in terms of choosing a nursing program, as I mentioned before, there are a lot of different breakdowns in terms of how they work and kind of how they’re putting together. So one of the biggest things that I’ve always said to people, it’s, it’s really time versus money, right? So in the previous slides, we kind of discussed the different ways that you can get into nursing.

There are some people that say, “Listen, I know I wanna be a nurse and I wanna get in as quick as possible.” Then from that perspective, the ADN is probably the quickest route in terms of being a registered nurse because it’s two years of knocking out all of the nursing programming and then they’re getting their feet wet and becoming a nurse right away.

So the pro of it is that you’re getting into nursing sooner than later. The downside of it is it’s gonna be somewhat limited in terms of where you can actually work, right? So if you’re an individual and you say, “Well, I wanna work in a doctor’s office,” or, “I wanna work at a specific clinic,” the ADN may work for you.

But if you’re thinking, “Well, I wanna work at a high research hospital, and I wanna do all these other things kind of down the road in terms of advanced care,” then the ADN won’t [00:13:00] necessarily be the best place to start. It may just be kind of a separate foundation just because of which you’re gonna still have to complete after you do your ADN.

This, it feels like it could be more work to have to kind of start somewhere else. So in terms of your career goals, that’s really where you wanna start and say, “Okay, well, what type of nurse do I think I wanna be?” Right? So in looking at career goals, um, because some of you are sophomores and juniors specifically, I would say, and even some of the seniors, looking into getting into CNA programs is really, really advantageous from that perspective because you’ll start to see some of the different roles of what a nurse can do.

And like I said before, I think for me, nursing is so exciting because it is kind of when you walk onto a map and you’re a nurse, there’s so many different directions that you can go in. And I think that in order to turn a corner and try a completely different thing is really just applying and kind of going in a different direction.

Um, once you’re a nurse, if you wanna go from labor and delivery to pediatrics or to acute care, there’s a lot of different ways to kind of make those simple jumps, [00:14:00] um, from one day to the next. It doesn’t necessarily require having to go back to school. I think that’s the huge advantage of nursing specifically is that there are so many different endpoints from one singular starting point.

So I think in terms of career goals, it really helps understand long-term where you think you wanna go. So I think that’s always what I tell people. You wanna start there. And, and once you understand, okay, well, these are my endpoints, then you can kind of work backwards and say, “Okay, well, what makes the most sense?”

And in nursing, there never really is a wrong answer because, again, there are so many different pathways that could lead you ultimately to where you wanna be. So definitely kind of keep that in mind Time, that, and budget is, as, as we mentioned before, um, the ADN program is gonna be faster, um, and less expensive, but it’s also gonna be a lot more limiting.

So you just kinda have to keep that in mind. Versus the BSN program, where you’re going through a natural four-year program, but at the same time, um, you’ll have a lot more options on the back end once you finish your program. So that’s why the career goals make a huge difference in terms of how quickly you wanna get into nursing, kind of [00:15:00] what that process you actually wanna, um, undertake is.

So definitely kind of keep that in mind as you’re looking at the different options that exist. Um, as we mentioned before, there are also different programs, right? So there are schools where you apply directly into the nursing program, and you’re from day one accepted into nursing. And then there’s other schools where you apply generally to the school, and then once you’re in the school and completed all the pre-reqs, then you have to apply separately into the nursing program that way.

So just be conscious and aware of the two different types of admission processes, and kind of how you get into nursing from those baccalaureate standpoints, and just be clear that you know which you’re kind of applying to initially. So that would definitely be kind of my, my take on that. Um, your learning environment is gonna make a huge difference.

So being Columbia, because there were so many people being in New York, um, there were so many different clinical sites that we could use. And even at that, a lot of our faculty were so amazing, and they’ve studied all over, and they have connections in so many different other sites. One of the, the key things that we could do was [00:16:00] students would do a rotation in New York for eight weeks, and then maybe go to Baltimore for shock trauma for eight weeks, and then go out to Long Island for eight weeks, and then do Philadelphia and go to, um, to the, the, the pediatric, uh, hospital in, in Philly, which is one of the best pediatric hospitals in the country, would do a rotation there for eight weeks as well.

So when you’re choosing a school, you’re really also looking at what access do they have to the different kind of learning environments, right? So in New York, the advantage is you’re constantly gonna be rotating through different clinical rotations, which are gonna give you a broad range of populaces, so you understand different types of individuals and different types of, of, of things that you have in cultures that you’re gonna have to be mindful of when you’re working as, as a, as a clinical kind of, um, practice.

So it makes a very big difference in terms of that learning environment, knowing that you can go from a smaller program to a bigger program, but a lot of times some of the bigger programs are gonna give you a lot more opportunity and, and a lot more variety in terms of the, the different clinical aspects [00:17:00] that you’ll encounter when you’re going through those pieces.

Um, the last piece is also the, the expectations on the, on the work side. So because there’s so many different people doing so many different things, um, when you’re in bigger schools, a lot of times they’re gonna have more alumni spread out throughout the country. So they may give you different opportunities that use something like Li- LinkedIn and leverage that and say, “Hey, listen, I know you went to this school.

I’m currently at this school. I’m from this area. Can I do an internship there over the summer? Can I shadow you for a couple days over the summer when I’m between, between sessions?” and things like that. So it definitely can be more advantageous in terms of knowing that difference and kind of knowing where you can be working.

And again, at the BSN level, you really are gonna be having the opportunity to work at those, those magnet-types hospitals that are really kind of research institutions. So it makes a huge difference in terms of, like, where you can actually go with programming

So one of the common questions is what do nursing programs [00:18:00] look for in applicants? And my honest answer is always balance, right? So you wanna showcase that you have the, the intellect because obviously you’re dealing with people in very vulnerable situations and, and you’re a lot of times dealing with people, um, and because they’re in those vulnerable situations, you- we wanna know from, from our perspective that academically you have the wherewithal to know and kinda keep your cool.

So the academics is extremely important. The sciences, hands down the most important because it’s what you’re gonna be using on a day-to-day basis. When you’re looking at pharmacology and anatomy and physiology and those courses, um, the sciences are really kind of the bread and butter and the home base for a lot of that coursework.

So that is extremely important. Your personal statement is, to me, a lot of times one of the most important pieces because that’s really who you are, right? So the academics, there’s a lot of smart people in the world, and I think that’s one of the things that sometimes people with consider and say, “Listen, I, I have better academics.

I know someone that’s at your school, and academically I know that I was stronger than them and they got accepted and I [00:19:00] didn’t. I just wanna understand why.” And from, from my perspective, a lot of times it was that balance, right? So in a personal statement, we wanna understand your story. We wanna understand, okay, well what have you done outside of just the academics, right?

What have you contributed? How have you kind of, um, worked on some of those, those softer skills, as we mentioned. Because you’re working with people in vulnerable situations, we have to know that you have that sensitivity and you have that empathy because some of these people don’t have anyone who’s championing for them.

So we need to know that if you’re in that situation that you can really be the caregiver that they need at the time. So that personal statement really guides us a lot in terms of understanding who you are through under- really understanding your story. Um, the experience kinda goes hand-in-hand with that because I think the experience that you accumulate through the three to four years prior to the application process is really showing us kind of a map of like where you’ve been and what you’ve done.

It shows you how you’ve prepared for this process because I think that preparation piece is the most important thing. When you’re a nurse, you’re always prepared, right? Because you never know for the most part, especially if you’re [00:20:00] working in hospitals and acute care settings, you never know what’s gonna come through the door.

So you have to have kind of that, that, that toolbox ready, locked and ready to go. Um, so I think the experience for us is extremely important. And then our reference, too, are extremely important because it’s really- Who’s championing for you? You’re gonna champion for the, for the patient, but who’s championing for you?

Who are, who’s kind of collaborating your story and saying, “Yes, I understand this person. This is kind of what they’ve done, and these are the, the different things that they’ve kind of highlighted through their process, and I know that their character is really gonna do well in this particular situation.”

So that’s why those reference to us are really important because it’s not so much they’re saying that you’re the best person they’ve ever met, but it’s them telling us qualitatively, “Listen, this person is there. They’re, they have a lot of empathy. They understand how to work with individuals.” And it’s not just about kind of clocking in and clocking out and having a cool schedule.

‘Cause I mean, it’s not something that I’ve covered in any of the slides, but for a lot of people the schedule is nice. You know, where you can have days, you can have nights, and you’re doing three 12s, and that’s kind of what a, a full kind of week is [00:21:00] for. So I have… I’m not a nurse. Um, I have a number of friends that are advanced practice nurses and nurses, and their schedules are phenomenal, and they’re all over the place doing a lot of amazing things, right?

So in that process, the references are really kind of speaking to their character so that they under- that we know and understand kind of where those individuals are coming from. So it’s extremely important. And lastly, the exams. The exams then, depending on, again, the type of, of program that you apply to, there are different kind of markers for going into some of these programs, right?

So you’ll have, like, the TEAS or the HESI exams, which a lot of them are just gauging, going back to the academics, how much of that information you’ve actually retained. And it wasn’t just, “Okay, well, you managed to do well in study while you were in that semester specifically,” but you’ve retained that information and you know that information moving forward, and it’s kind of ready to go.

So that’s extremely important

So this is a kind of a great side because it really speaks to those two things and kind of that balance and how you can kind of keep everything together. Because as I mentioned, the sciences are really the, [00:22:00] the, the core of what we’re looking at. We really need to understand that you’re taking these sciences and you know these sciences and you’re very comfortable with the sciences.

Because when you’re looking at, again, the pharmacology and the kind of the A&P and those courses, this is really what’s gonna stand out in those aspects and really understanding, well, okay, will the students know and are comfortable with these things and have a solid foundation in all those different aspects.

So the academics of them are extremely important. Um, in terms of how structured they are, it’s, it’s really about consistency, right? And we know that life happens and maybe you had a bad semester or you had a bad year, but consistency is really kind of the main key that we’re looking for because I think when you’re, when you’re working in different situations, it’s, it’s funny.

So, um, an advanced practice nurse is someone who is, starts as a nurse but then kind of works at a higher level, right? So I have a couple of people that are, um, CRNAs, which is certified nurse anesthetists, and, um, those are basically people that work in anesthesia. And when [00:23:00] major surgeries are happening, they’re the ones that people under, bring people back.

And I kinda thought it’d be a cool job to have, and kinda had a conversation with the faculty one day. And I said, “Hey, listen, like, this seems like a very exciting job, and people kind of are always kind of excited about this process and kind of looking to get into it. Like, what do you say is the biggest thing about your job, and what’s the most important thing?”

And I was floored when they said to me, “The best thing for a nurse anesthetist is a boring day, because a boring day basically means that everything went the way it was supposed to be.” And they said, “If it’s exciting, that’s bad because it means things didn’t go the way it’s supposed to be, and now everyone has to be kind of thinking on the fly and quick on their feet and making very quick decisions in, in a timely manner.”

So, um, it definitely made me look at things a little bit different because I think from the outside of things, my expectation of what they were gonna say was completely different. And then when they said it, it kind of made so much, uh, it made so much sense to me. So that’s why kind of the, the foundation in the academics is actually so important [00:24:00] On the extracurricular side, again, that’s how you’re really showcasing that balance.

You’re showcasing, yes, you have kind of the academic structure, but you also have the requisite soft skills to kind of be in a s- in an area, right? You are someone who’s warm, you are someone who’s welcoming, you are someone who can make someone feel at ease, right? You are someone who, uh, can just kind of take the time to listen to somebody’s story.

Because sometimes that’s all someone wants, right? They may not really need anything else, but if they don’t have anyone else next to them, they may just want someone to just listen to their story, right? And understand kind of how they feel. So I think being able to kind of slow things down in a fast-paced environment is also equally important.

So those are different ways to kind of, um, structure those things out. And then, and obviously we talked about some of the, the healthcare aspects in terms of CNA and LP and those kinds of works. But even looking at the last point, team sports are extremely important. We get a lot of people that are involved in team sports, and get a lot of their coaches to serve as a reference and say, “Listen, this person is, is an absolute team player, and these are the different things that really highlight who they are about their character.”

[00:25:00] So these are the different things that really kind of help to balance out your application and really give you some kind of, some structure and some strength in that process

So once you apply, a lot of the questions, well, what happens after you’re admitted? So one of the bigger pieces is just on-campus events and personal touches, right? So from our perspective, um, what I would tell you is, like, my main piece with, with everyone on my team was we wanna make everyone feel as an individual and never as, well, you’re one of the people that were accepted, right?

So that’s a two-way street. So I always tell people from an a- applicant perspective, you always wanna make sure that you reach out to schools. You wanna make sure that you’re participating in webinars prior to the application process, right? So that you’re getting to know some of the people, you’re getting to know some of the qualifications that are gonna be required, what they’re looking for.

Because nine times out of the 10, the admissions office will tell you exactly what they’re looking for. And honestly, a lot of times what happens on the applicant’s side is you take that information, you th- [00:26:00] synthesize it, and then you come out with a different output and say, “Okay, well, they said turn left, so what they really meant was make a wide right,” when initially the…

what they told you was make a left, but you’re synthesizing to something else. So kind of having those conversations and, and kind of having those touches with the admissions office is extremely important, um, through the process, but even kind of on the back end. That’s one of the main things that, that for me was a huge asset, right?

Because in me having all those personal touchpoints with, with applicants, it made them feel like they were already a part of our team. It made them p- feel like they were already part of our school and our culture, because I think for us, that’s one of the bigger things. I think that academically, a lot of schools are set up very similarly, so the academic structure may be very similar at most schools.

But the community and all the different aspects of kind of how they’re layered and set up and resources, that could drastically differently from school to school. So in terms of, like, the personal touches, that’s always what’s gonna make the biggest difference, right? Having different events near you, talking to student ambassadors, so that you can kind of already see [00:27:00] yourself in the shoes of some of our students is absolutely important.

So it, it’s from our perspective, that was kind of one of my favorite parts of, of the process was- Hosting students and even today having this conversation, this webinar with you all, just letting you know, “Okay, well, this is how we see it.” Right? Because I think from the outside perspective, you’re thinking, “Okay, well, there’s 100 seats, there’s 10,000 applications.

How do I become one of those 100?” Right? And it seems very easy to say, “Well, these are the different things that you have to do,” but you’d be surprised how much people kind of overanalyze it and kind of overcomplicate the process. But really keying in on these different aspects are kind of the, the most important things.

Um, so once individuals decide that they’re going to enroll, the next piece of it is onboarding. So it’s completing any outstanding requirements that you have to do. Um, as most of you are in, in high school, the biggest piece is gonna be, um, completing graduation and graduating and making sure that you meet all the requirements for graduation.

But next to that, you also have all of your [00:28:00] immunizations and your medical records and all that information, drug testing, all of that, and background checks, all that goes back to the school because, again, once you start clinical, um, most schools are, are providing, uh, cl- your clinical insurance. So they wanna make sure that you have all the eligibility to go to- go and rotate through all these clinical sites.

Um, so it’s gonna make a huge difference, especially sometimes state to state, because some state laws vary greatly with, with certain aspects of drug testing. So you wanna be sure that you understand, “Okay, if I’m applying to these schools in these states, what are their drug testing policies and what are their, what are the, the different background checks and all that information?”

Because, again, every state’s gonna fluctuate slightly and every school may fluctuate slightly in terms of what their, their medical requirements will be. And then orientation is really registration and program overviews, right? So getting you ready for being kind of a part of the class. So, um, from that perspective, you’re already now sitting in the driver’s seat, and you’re going to class, and you’re really starting, um, day one of, of where you’re going to be.

So it’s [00:29:00] really kind of the, the ideal way that you wanna kind of look at how to get into, to programming specifically.

So how do you look at, at the cost of living? So as you can see here, and we kinda touched on this before in terms of the, the updates and kind of how programs are, these are the three different kind of aspects, right? So the community college is typically the quickest route, and usually that’s the least expensive route.

A public school may be kind of in the middle, but the reality is even though it’s in the middle, a lot of times because it’s less expensive than a private school, it’s gonna be a lot more competitive because there’s a lot more people vying for those same seats, right? So, so those schools can kind of be a lot more selective, which sometimes people think, well, public schools will probably be, like, not as selective as some of the private schools.

But ironically, because of the cost factor, um, there are some public schools that their acceptance rates are much lower than some of the private schools. But then last, as you can see, [00:30:00] the private schools will have kind of a, a higher price tag. But then that also comes with different things, right? Because as you can see here, there are sometimes merit scholarships to offset some of that cost.

I would say sometimes also the bigger difference between going to a private school versus a public school is attention to detail and resources. So I know that I would have conversations with individuals that, for instance, we accepted in one cycle and say, “Hey, listen, I would love to come to Columbia, but it’s too expensive.”

They went somewhere else, and then a couple months later they would send me an email and say, “Listen, I’m at this school now. I don’t love it because, yes, it’s less expensive, but I don’t have the same access that I would have to some of the resources at Columbia. So is it possible to transfer?” You know, so, um, those again, different things that you wanna consider.

Yes, sometimes the price tag is more somewhere, but sometimes the resources, the access, and some of the different things that you’re, that you would be able to do there may kind of even out some of what that cost is, right? So you definitely have to kind of take an [00:31:00] in-depth look to understand it’s not just the final cost.

You have to, as you can look at the two bottom pieces, um, you have to understand all the other things that are gonna be required, right? Some schools require certain exams, some schools don’t, right? So if, if you’re looking at two schools and one school exam, can, let’s say, offer you direct admission into the nursing program versus another school said, “Listen, you’ll apply as an undecided student, and then you’ll do a separate application for nursing,” that could be more challenging because now you have an extra step to do in the middle of a program that you’re already involved in.

So just kind of food for thought in terms of putting all those different pieces together and really looking at kind of how you’re assessing the, the different, uh, options between the different schools that exist and kind of how they weigh against each other.

So, kind of the final advice, I think, again, for me, nursing is phenomenal because there’s so many different entry points. There’s so many ways in, there’s so many different ways out. There’s so [00:32:00] many different ways to kind of just change your mind at the drop of a dime if you decide one day, you know, “I wanna kind of go in a different direction because I’ve had- I feel like I’ve had so much experience in this, I wanna try my hand at something else.”

Um, for that, I feel like nursing is, is absolutely phenomenal. So if, if someone is interested in kind of health professions on a grander level, I always tell people nursing is a great aspect. Um, one of the conversations that I typically have a lot of times when, when I speak to someone who says they’re pre-med or they wanna go to med school, I ask them what they wanna do, right?

If they… A lot of times people say, “Well, you know what? I came from this type of environment, so in an ideal world, I’d like to give back and I’d like to be working in a family setting, or I’d like to work with, uh, in midwifery and really kind of work with individuals that are going through this process, and really be a support and an asset to them.”

And a lot of times I say, “Well, listen, if you haven’t looked at nursing, nursing may be a better option than kind of going the longer route through med school and all these other, and the residency, and all the other pieces.” So one of the bigger differences I tell people is, [00:33:00] if you wanna do surgery, there’s no aspect of nursing that’s ever gonna help you be a surgeon.

Um, I know there’s some PA programs and obviously med programs that kind of go through that, but within nursing, there isn’t anything like that, right? So at the advanced practice level, you’ll have, as I mentioned before, midwifery. Um, you’ll have, uh, advanced AC- CRNAs, which are nurse anesthetists, who also have acute care level nurses as well, so advanced practices.

Um, so those are kind of the three that are, are kind of most outside of just, like, a family setting and most outside of a primary setting. So, um, if you’re considering healthcare programs, you really wanna kind of look and say, “Okay, well,” going back to the, one of the first slides is looking at your goals and where you wanna end up, um, because that really can be kind of your, your compass and your navigating piece to understand maybe there is a different option.

And I think one of the, the better, the better processes, I know a lot of times people say, “Well, yes, Columbia doesn’t have an undergraduate nursing program, so should I go to X school and graduate with a bachelor’s degree [00:34:00] and then apply to a, a master’s program to be a nurse generalist?” I would tell you at this point, because you’re still in high school, that’s the absolute worst thing you could do, um, just because you’d be wasting an undergraduate degree in an undergraduate program to then just apply to a master’s program to do what you could have done in a four-year program.

So I would say if you’re interested in nursing, obviously we talked a lot about the different kind of options and ways to get into nursing, but I would say, um, the most direct route in terms of RN nursing would be kind of that four-year BSN program, but there are a lot of kind of other options in, in how to get into nursing.

Um, as you can see here, choosing a program that’s based on your career goals, timeline, and budget, absolutely. You know, I regularly kind of have conversations with people and say, “Listen Even though you got accepted here, this may not be the best step for you because of X, Y, and Z reason, right? So I think when you go through the process as an admissions, um, as an admissions person, I feel like it’s our responsibility to have that dialogue with individuals that aren’t sure and say, “Listen, [00:35:00] if you wanna talk about the different options that you have…”

Uh, one of the things that our office was very good at doing was saying, “Listen, we can be objective and not try to get you to come here.” Because we know that essentially the people that wanna be here will end up here at the end anyway. But we wanna help you understand your process so that you can realize, “Okay, well, maybe there are some aspects that I’m not considering,” right?

So those are things that you really wanna look at when you’re kind of having dialogue and these conversations with so many schools. Understand their softer points, right? Because if they’re just pushing you to apply, and they’re just pushing, “Well, come here ’cause we’re the best,” that’s never really the answer, right?

It’s really more about the same softer skills that you’re looking, that the school’s looking for from you, you should also be looking for from a school to understand, “Okay, well, what can they offer me outside of just this,” right? “What are the resources that are available? What are the internship programs that are there?

What are the clinical sites that are available?” So those are all the things you really wanna consider and kind of when you’re choosing the right type of program for yourself. Um, again, the sciences and kind of the, the exams and the academics all are extremely important because it’s a [00:36:00] healthcare program and it’s really working with people’s lives on a day-to-day basis, so that has to be important.

But again, the balance of it is, is the most important thing, so it can’t just be that, right? Equally as important is kind of those softer skill sets that you also need to have as well. And then lastly is just, again, looking at the total cost of kind of program financially, kind of how everything is, is, is, is compared, right?

So if you live in one place, do you wanna move across the country to go somewhere else? And what that’s gonna mean for you going back and forth and, like, your family and everything else and all the different factors that you have. So, um, definitely through the process, you wanna keep your options open, apply to multiple schools, have different dialogues and conversations with a lot of these different schools.

Make sure that you are participating with them, and you’re going to different webinars. And if you can get on campus, be on campus because to me, that’s the biggest tell. You know, when you’re on campus, and you walk around, and you can say, “Listen, can I see myself here? Does this feel like home to me?” You know, that’s one of the bigger differences in terms of, like, what you should also make your decision on.

And kind of going back a couple slides, [00:37:00] that’s really kind of once you get accepted, that’s what that on- previous to onboarding, that’s what that’s all about, those personal touches to make sure that you have all your questions answered, and you really understand kind of what the culture is at each individual school.

So that’s what I got.

Anesha: Thank you so much, Jose. That was, um, very edifying for me at least, um, having heard, like I said, so much from the, um, the pre-health doctor side. So, um, that is the end of the presentation of the webinar. We hope you found the information helpful. Just a reminder that you can download the slides from the link in the Handouts tab, and we’re gonna move on to our live Q&A.

The way that it will work, I’ll read through the questions that you all submit under the Q&A tab. I’ll paste them into the chat so that others can see them, and then read them aloud so that Jose will have an answer to give an ans- will have an opportunity to give an answer. If your Q&A tab is not letting you submit questions, just double-check that you joined the webinar through the custom link in your email and not through the CollegeAdvisor webinar landing page.

You might have to log out and log back in in order to submit your questions. Also, just a reminder [00:38:00] that the webinar is being recorded and will be available on the CollegeAdvisor, uh, Webinars page tomorrow, uh, if you’re having any issues and wanna revisit today’s topic. Um, okay, let me see. My first question for you I will say, um, selfishly is reflective of a student that I worked with many years ago, um, who took the, the nursing path because she thought it would be, quote, unquote, “easier” than doing pre- pre-med.

Um, and so… And she struggled, and she had a, a really difficult time and, and almost withdrew. But I’m curious if you could speak to, what are some of the common reasons that students might struggle, um, in nursing programs, and how can applicants kinda prepare themselves to avoid some of those pitfalls?

Jose: Ooh. I don’t remember I heard that question before in 17 years. Oh. And that’s-

Anesha: I’m sorry.

Jose: No, listen, I mean, I’m, I’m, I’m here for it. Um, yeah, no, I mean, I think, I mean, honestly, I think being at Columbia, one of the biggest things that people struggle with initially was just [00:39:00] imposter syndrome, right? Sure.

Saying, “Well, is, is, is this, is this really real? Do I belong here be- with all these other people that are here?” And because there’s so many different people that are doing … I mean, as a sidebar, I’m working with one of my friends, and he just got into MIT Business School. And his pathway there was so around the block that he’s like, “I don’t even think I should be here because these people are so advanced academically.”

Mm. And I’m just like, “Listen, your life is different, but, like, you still put the hard work to be where you are.” You know? So it’s like… And, and it’s funny ’cause it’s not just obviously nursing, right? It’s, it’s everywhere, that people fall into situations and realize, “Should I be here?” So I would say that’s the first thing, right?

So I think- Mm … the fact that a school accepted you means that they, they, they see the value in you, and they know that you have it in you to kind of be at your very best, right? So I, I would say that’s kind of the first thing. I would say, um- Once in, in 17 years I, I spoke with someone who got into our program that said to me they struggled a little bit on the clinical side of things.

Anesha: Mm.

Jose: As they didn’t really [00:40:00] wanna do that aspect of it. And they said to me they were really going into nursing because they wanted to build apps, and they wanted to build more infrastructure kind of on the, on the, on the data side of things.

Anesha: Sure.

Jose: But they were going through nursing because they felt like they would better understand the process, so that can help them build on the back end, right?

So I would say people that struggle with the nursing program specifically might have something like that, where they’re not necessarily completely bought into the process. Um, I would say at Columbia, in, in, in… for most MSN programs, you’re doing accelerated programs, so you’re doing a lot more work in little time.

So the condensation of that work is a lot harder than people could ever really imagine, you know? So I would say from those structures, yes. I would say also depending on kind of where you’re coming from as a school, the science classes are heavy.

Anesha: Sure.

Jose: Right? So you may have taken a bio in, in one year, and you may have taken a chem in another year, but in this program, you’re taking A&P 1, you’re taking micro, you’re taking pharmacology all at the same time, right?

So you have to be able [00:41:00] to handle those different, those different courses, and realize sometimes that the, the study skills that you’ve acquired to this point may not be adequate, right? So you may have to reinvent yourself and say, “Okay, well what can I do?” And I think that from that perspective, um, be open to reaching out to faculty and reaching out to the, to leadership and say, “Listen, I need support from these particular aspects because I’m struggling in these particular areas,” right?

So a lot of times because people have been successful their whole life, now that they’ve hit a wall, they don’t know how to ask for help, right? So sometimes that hinders them more, and then when they realize that, okay, and then they finally do it, but it’s not necessarily too late, but, like, it could’ve been done much quicker, much sooner.

Anesha: For sure, yeah. I think we call that trailblazer syndrome. Sometimes you’ve, like, been successful consistently. You’ve been the one setting the path that-

Jose: Yes …

Anesha: you don’t know where to go. Um, and you’re, you’re not used to, um, asking questions. No, I appreciate also the mention of, um, imposter syndrome, which is absolutely real, especially in these accelerated and highly competitive programs.

Um, my next question for you is, [00:42:00] uh, someone asked, is it better to go … You spoke to this a little bit, but, um, is it better to go to a direct nursing school or, uh, um, once you apply, or once you’re … Sorry. Is it better to go to a direct nursing school or one you apply to once you’re already in college?

Jose: Yeah.

Anesha: So apply directly. So- Yeah. Gotcha …

Jose: yeah, so, so like I said, I mean, I think, I think direct nursing entry programs, post-baccalaureate programs are good if you’ve already graduated, right? Or if you’re a senior now and you realize, “Oh man, I wanna get into nursing.” Um, I actually just took my daughter to the, to the, to, to the, to the clinic, and I say clinic because I chose specific because of my background and understanding of nursing.

We now go to a clinic where they’re all NPs, so there are no physicians in that, in that clinic whatsoever. So the person that came in was someone who is an RN and was accepted to Columbia, decided to go a different route because it was too expensive. You know, so we had a dialogue about kind of that, right?

So I think, I think the direct entry programs and kind of the associate programs are [00:43:00] good options for individuals that already have a degree- Right … and maybe have a little bit more time, right? I think, again, for individuals that are in high school, to me, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t try to get into a four-year undergrad BSN program, because I, I think the, the last thing you wanna do is graduate

And not to say, uh, history degree’s bad, ’cause I have a history degree. Um, the last thing I would tell someone is, “Go to X school, get a history degree, take all the pre-reqs, and then apply to a direct entry program.” I would, I would definitely say that’s definitely not the aspect, especially for individuals that are still in high school

Anesha: I mean, shout out to liberal arts degrees, but yes.

Um, if you know what you wanna do, the direct BSN, um, it sound like you’re saying is the best option right now for high school students. Um- Absolutely … uh, someone asked, “How do nursing programs evaluate applicants who have retaken prerequisite courses? Uh, does that raise any red flags?”

Jose: So yeah, I would say every school varies.

So, um, being that I’ve been where I’ve been s- for so long, uh, I’ve formulated kind of strong connections at, at some of my competitive schools. And ironically, we travel [00:44:00] together when we’re recruiting. And a lot of times when I first kind of brought it up, people were just like, “Why would we recruit with other schools that we’re competing against for the same students?”

And I said to them, “Well, because I’d rather be in the room to know that they’re not saying something wild about what we’re offering.”

Anesha: Sure.

Jose: And, and it keeps us all on a, on a playing field, and someone can kind of sit there and say, “Okay, well, I’m gonna ask everyone the same question and see what the different answers are,” right?

So from that perspective, I would say, um, some schools will merge the grades together. Some schools, depending on when, how long the pre-reqs were taken apart, will favor the, the more present one because that’s more recent than the older one. If it’s a semester apart, they’ll probably just merge them together.

If it’s a year or two apart, they’ll probably still evaluate the, the, the primary kind of grade, but kind of give more credence to the secondary grade ’cause it’s more recent. Okay.

Anesha: Um, someone asked, “How can students in rural areas or underserved communities find clinical experience, especially when there are fewer local hospitals or opportunities at local [00:45:00] hospitals are limited?”

Jose: No, I think, yeah, I think that’s a, that’s a phenomenal question. Um, and again, like I said, a CNA is, is a great opportunity, but it’s not the only way to do it, you know? So we had a lot of individuals that did a lot of, uh, work with homeless, you know, a lot of different in- individuals that did, uh, work with migrant workers and kind of different people.

Again, it’s how do you live outside of your life, right? How do you live outside of just, like, waking up, going to work, and going to school, and coming home? So all those different aspects. And I think that when you’re willing to work with vulnerable populations, um, regardless of how you see them and how you work with them, those are the softer skill sets that we’re looking for.

Because we know that when you’re in a clinical perspective, those are some of the settings that you may come in contact with, and those are some of the individuals that you may come in contact with. So from our perspective, then we know and we can rest assured and say, “Listen, they’ve been in these situations and worked with some of, some populations similar to these before, so they’ll be very comfortable being in these situations now.”

Anesha: Yeah. I, I’m thinking, and I’m asking if this is a good, I guess, [00:46:00] example. So we have, um, a, a current doctor who’s also a presenter, and she talks about when she was in high school, she did kind of remote suicide hotline kind of work, and that was something she could do at a distance. It wasn’t something she was up in.

You know, she couldn’t go into a, a sp- a space to do that. I’m wondering if that’s the kind of opportunity you’re talking about as far as working with vulnerable populations, getting comfortable with difficult kind of health-centered topics, or am I off, am I off the field?

Jose: No, absolutely. Because I mean, think about it, like, I, I mean, I’ve never worked in that space, but I would assume you have to be very specific in terms of the words that you’re utilizing, because you don’t want anything to be triggering or jarring to someone, right?

So you have to be very conscious in terms of just that dialogue. So I would think there more than anywhere else, right, you have to be kind of more on point in terms of your listening skills, right? And then also kind of your, your quick thinking and your responses. It can’t just be, okay, well, you hear something and you’re automatically just sputtering something out, right?

You really have to kind of, like, take the time to synthesize the information coming in and also synthesize the information going out, because you wanna make sure [00:47:00] that there’s balance. You wanna, like, be sure that you have control of the tone so that things don’t escalate more than, than, than they should, I guess.

Anesha: Yeah, no, I guess what I, I’m picking up on you, um, saying, “I feel, like, uh, comfortable, comfort working with a lot of vulnerable populations,” and so started getting exposure and access to that early on is what- Absolutely … what I’m responding to. So, okay. Um, all right, we’re gonna take a quick pause from the Q&A just, uh, to highlight some student success stories.

So we do have two nursing students that we actually wanna talk about. The first one is Lydia, whose family immigrated to the US. She was an aspiring first-generation college student, and she came to CollegeAdvisor really looking for a guide. Her advisor helped her create a strong profile, edit her essays, and build a strong list of nursing programs.

Of the 13 schools that she applied to, she was accepted to eight, and decided to attend the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, which is rated number one in, um, the best nursing… Which is rated number one of the best nursing schools in the world. Um, the other student is Ilham, who came to CollegeAdvisor feeling very anxious about the admissions [00:48:00] process.

She felt unsupported by her guidance counselor at school and signed up to work with us. Her advisor helped her navigate her worries about her grades and put together her strongest application, which earned her acceptances into every college on her list. While she originally planned to become a nurse, she has since switched to healthcare administration at Caldwell University.

Um, and I’m wondering about that, that type of switch. Um, or sorry, we will leave our QR code up on the screen. Sorry. Very eager to get back to questions. Um, these are just two examples of the 10,000 client, um, 10,000 clients that CollegeAdvisor has guided through the application process. Our team of over 300 former admissions officers and admissions experts are ready to help you and your family navigate the college admissions process through one-on-one advising sessions and essay editing.

You can learn more about CollegeAdvisor and get started working with us through the QR code that’s on the screen, which will allow you to sign up for a 60-minute strategy session with an admissions specialist. During that meeting, you’ll receive a preliminary assessment about your academic profile along with some initial recommendations on what you can do to stand out.

By the end, you’ll learn more about our premium packages and get paired with an expert who can [00:49:00] support you in building your college list, editing your essays, and so much more. CollegeAdvisor’s here for the whole process. Now we will get back to the questions. I’ll leave the QR code up there. But I was curious, um, about students who kinda switched, like, i- in the research process, the mo- the more they kind of understand about the variety of the pre-health, um, or healthcare landscape, they kind of are able to zone in on what they actually want.

I’m wondering what are, what are things that students can or should be researching in these early days to figure out if nursing is the right thing for them, is the right field for them?

Jose: I mean, a couple points, right? So I would say shout out to Penn, ’cause I know the people over there, the admissions team, they’re amazing.

Um, but, uh, I would say- The, the good thing about nursing specific, even if, if, if you just have, let’s say, those, those vulnerable populations that you work with and none of them are nursing specific, when you get into nursing, you’re gonna have a clinical rotations through minimum five different sites, right?

So that’ll give you a good basis of kind of direction of where you wanna go. So I, I think that’s why individuals coming into nursing [00:50:00] that are unsure what type of nursing they wanna get into still kind of end up where they wanna be, because they’ll have those rotations. Mm. Um, so that’s, that’s kind of a key aspect to it.

Um, but I would say realistically, you can’t be squeamish, right? So you’re gonna be, in some schools you may work with cadavers, not many anymore. Um, I know Columbia has really high fidelity, high fidelity mannequins. They can replicate anything. They can … They talk, they feel, they sweat, they bleed. Um, they have a mannequin that, that gives birth.

You know, so like- … all of this stuff is, it’s, it’s very real. You know? So like the stuff that, the simulation team there is phenomenal. The stuff that you can do in simulation is really kind of the space, the safe space you practice in so that when you get out into the real world, hopefully you don’t see some of these environments, but we can do things there to prepare p- our, our students to kind of go out in the world and do kind of amazing things.

So, um, I would say if, if, if they’re considering nursing from a health perspective, I would say- Mm-hmm … even, and this is, this seems odd, but I tell people even [00:51:00] going pre-med, right? At the end of the day, you have to get a four-year degree before you go to med school, right? Mm-hmm. So if you go through a nursing program, you’ll be better prepared for being a physician or being a DO or being kind of whatever trajectory you wanna undertake, because you would’ve already had some, some, some pre-exposure to all of the different aspects of it, right?

And then ironically, I’ve talked to some people that went in that direction and never went on to med school because they found nursing kind of satisfied all the different things they wanna do. Again, with the exception of, of surgery, you know, because it’s something that a, a nurse will never be. You know?

But I think, yeah, there’s, there’s a ton of different things that you can kind of work your way in and out with nursing.

Anesha: And it seems like the exploration is built into the education is what, is what

Jose: I’m hearing- It is …

Anesha: yeah.

Jose: It is. Yeah, and I think it’s, it’s obviously always continually learning, right? And, and I think that once you, again, once you become an RN, really the sky’s the limit, right?

So you can start moving in a certain direction, and I think the way that the programs expand, [00:52:00] and even now with so much online programming that’s available, there’s, there’s so much more access to kind of further your education once you start. So you can always … You, you’re never kind of too old or too short to kind of morph into something completely different.

Anesha: Um, speaking a little bit, getting back into the admissions requirements, someone asked, “How much weight do nursing programs place specifically on a science GPA?” So looking at bio, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, those type of classes, versus looking at someone’s overall GPA. Is it, is it targeted in that way?

Does the overall GPA matter as well?

Jose: So in most instances, both, right? So we’ll have your, your cumulative GPA, which is everything together, and then we’ll tease out all of your science programming so that we can kind of also have that side by side, right? Because I think at the end of the day, there’s gonna be a lot of people who, on paper, look exactly the same, right?

And you’re kind of just throwing darts at kind of who is what. And I think going back to the balance, that’s where the, the biggest piece comes in in terms of the strength of your personal statement and your story, right? Because if, if I’m here telling people become a [00:53:00] CNA, do these other things, there’s a lot of other people saying the same things, right?

So if everyone on paper is becoming a CNA, becoming an LPN, also kind of doing really well in school, what’s gonna ultimately differentiate them is their own story, right? So that’s where that balance comes in in terms of their personal statement. So I think sometimes people overlook that personal statement, say, “Listen, I know they’re overlooking at my academics and overlooking at my extracurriculars,” but that personal statement really is gonna be the glue that binds and sometimes makes the biggest difference.

And I would say even from that perspective, um, I can reflect and tell you that one of my favorite personal statements of all time was a personal statement when I read the first couple of sentences, I thought it was gonna be absolutely terrible, you know. Um, we’re talking about nursing programs, and she started talking about a gift, and she was talking about a present and a wrapping, and like, you know, the paper and the tinfoil and all this other stuff.

And I’m just like, “Where is this going?” But at the end of the day, the way that they tied everything together and brought everything back, I was like, hands down to this day, [00:54:00] 17 years later, it’s the one I remember above everything else because it started so out of left field, but it was so composed and was so sh- so, so true to its own story that it, it, it maintained that kind of that, that high acuity the whole time.

So, um, when you’re putting that personal statement together, definitely feel free to kind of make it your own and have your own tone in it, and not make it, make it overly academic. Because I think a lot of times what happens is people think, “Okay, well, to get some specific schools, it has to be really academic because that’s what the expectation is.”

And honestly, sometimes it’s not, because the academic pieces are gonna fall into place when they need to. What we need to understand is who you are as a person.

Anesha: And it seems like also, what I hear you c- what I’ve been hearing you say is that, like, there’s a resilience, there’s a grittiness, there’s a, like, focus required to be a, a nurse.

And, and being able to speak to that more so than your comfort with the science m- I think is also valuable in the application sometimes. Absolutely. Uh, I was gonna ask you an essay question, but you kind of a- addressed it in your response there, so I’ll go back to a different question. Someone asked, [00:55:00] um, and talking, I guess, with clarity about pathways, how would the nursing programs apply if you wanted to pursue something in a more advanced nursing, like a nurse practitioner?

Would, would you be taking the same nursing program as an RN in order to become a nurse practitioner?

Jose: Yes. So any nurse practitioner you speak to is a nurse first, right? So they’re, everyone undertakes the RN program first, whether you do an associate degree and then do an RN to BSN, whether you go to a four-year BSN program, whether you go through a, a 15-month master’s program like Columbia or some of these other programs that exist.

The RN is always gonna be the base for everything, and then from that you’re adding, right? So whether you go on to become an advanced practice nurse or a midwife or a CRNA, a n- a nurse anesthetist, those are all kind of additives that you’re adding to the base of being a nurse. But any advanced practice nurse I’ve ever spoken to, especially our faculty, says that at the end of the day, they are always a nurse first.

So that’s always gonna serve as the kind of the pivotal foundation, and then everything is kind of built on top of that.

Anesha: Okay. Speaking to the [00:56:00] application components again, someone asked, “How important are letters of recommendation for nursing program applications, and who would be the strongest recommenders?”

Jose: So extremely important, because as we mentioned before, it’s, it’s really how they’re corroborating your story, right? So I would tell you that when I was at Columbia, one thing that we did was there was a form that they would fig- fill out. And it would say, well, from the best to worst in 12 different categories.

And although that, that form is important, it’s more important what they’re saying, right? So sometimes people do the form and kind of write and write a letter and say, “Hey, this person’s great. I recommend them highly.” That’s not really telling us anything, right? It’s more having a dialogue with your references and saying, “Listen, this is what I’m doing for my applications.”

I always tell people, give your references copies of your essays, your personal statements, your supplemental essays so they get a general gist of what your entire application is kind of doing. So then from their perspective when they’re writing you a reference, they’re either complimenting and talking about other things that you haven’t discussed in your application, or they’re supporting it and saying, “Listen, I know that they’ve done these three [00:57:00] things before, and these are different things that definitely highlight who their character is.”

So either one of those kind of, uh, pathways for the reference is extremely important and definitely what we’re looking for.

Anesha: Um, you spoke to this a little bit, but I’ll ask it again. Um, someone asked, “Are community college nursing pathways a viable route to a strong nursing career, or is the BSN program more preferable and carry more weight for someone in the long run?”

Jose: Like I said, it, it’s, it really depends on how quick you wanna get there, you know? I know people like… So I have a good friend who is in pharmacy, so we accepted him in our program. He’s male, he’s a Latino, so he was getting more scholarship than the average person. But at the end of the day, he was making above a six-figure salary in his regular job.

And he said, “As much as I’d wanna go through the program at Columbia, ’cause I know it’d be phenomenal, I can’t take that pay cut to make no money and go into debt.” So he went through an associate degree program. Took him two years to become a nurse. He’s never been a nurse, right? But because he’s in, in pharmacy and because he’s in [00:58:00] pharma, the credentials of being a nurse, and he keeps his, his, his, his license up to date, but the credentials of him being a nurse give him a lot more standing when he’s in a room talking- Mm-hmm

from a clinical perspective. So, um, yeah, there’s a ton of stuff that can happen with that.

Anesha: Sorry. Um, uh, you spoke a little bit to financial aid, so I’ll, I’ll pivot to a question there. Um, are there loan forgiveness or service, service programs tied to nursing that students can or should factor into their school selection?

Jose: So there are programs, and not necessarily tied to schools. They’re more federal programs. Obviously and, and unfortunately, depending on who’s in charge at the time, uh, somewhat dictate how flexible or how many of those programs are available. So I would say that’s definitely gonna vary year to year. I know, um, previously there were a lot of students that applied to, like, Health Corps and Service Corps and things like that, where basically, where if you committed a certain amount of years in certain different, uh, hospitals and certain areas, they would forgive a certain amount of your loan.

So some of that was and is definitely available, but it’s definitely gonna be managed by whoever’s in power politically at the time. Okay. [00:59:00]

Anesha: All right. Um, we have one more question. I’m not clear on it. I’ll ask it, and maybe you, you can speak to it. Are there any specific program recommendations when taking a path further into nursing, such as a nurse practitioner path?

So are there programs that, I guess, allow students to go deeper?

Jose: So as, again, nursing is kind of the, the, the basis, having that, that RN piece. And then from that, you can go into different types of advanced practice nurses, which are what nurse practitioners are. So acute care would be one. Um, a nest- anesthetist.

Those are the two that would probably most likely land you in hospital settings if you wanna be in hospital settings. Um, midwifery obviously is outside of hospital settings. They’re more clinics and kind of home bases. Sometimes people that wanna give kind of at home births, that’s kind of what we’re gonna be with there.

But it’s a lot more than just birthing babies. So that’s one of the things our faculty would always tell us. If people just tell me, “I wanna be a midwife because I wanna birth babies,” it’s the wrong thing to do. Um, so definitely know more what, what that kind of entails. But then outside of that, you have a lot of primary care, family, pediatrics, adult gero.

So those are kind of [01:00:00] three pathways that are more primary as well, but those are typically the main … And, and psych mental health. Are those are typically the seven different avenues of advanced practice nursing.

Anesha: Okay. Yeah, I feel like we might have more conversations about all, what all the different pathway means, and kind of dispelling some, uh, uh, as- presumptions that people are coming into, but we will, that will be another webinar for us.

We will end it, um, for today. Thank you so much, Jose, for your- Yeah. Absolutely … for your answers. Thanks, folks, for your questions. Uh, we hope that you gained some context on strategies and tips for applying to nursing programs. We also hope that you’ll join us for our future webinars. But until next time, take care and have a great evening, everybody.

All

Jose: right. Have a good one.