@Sunspeechies There are definitely schools that may be interested. Your not being unrealistic. A 3.09 GPA is not that bad and people get into graduate programs with lower GPAs.
Hopefully, your transcripts show that you have improved throughout your undergraduate and show strengths in speech pathology. Do retaken classes overwrite on your transcripts at your school? Some schools do this and some don't entirely but if they do overwrite and you get As on the retaken classes that could really boost your GPA and show substantial progress.
As far as family issues and health issues... Admissions committee can be very understanding. You could mention it in your SOP/LOI as something you have worked through. Acknowledging it gives some level of context as to why there are hiccups on a transcript. You could definitely mention that nursing isn't your thing and how you found speech pathology.
Are you interested in a master's or PhD? If you're really worried about your grades and want to do a PhD a Master's degree is a good way to get a boosted GPA for later applying to a PhD. It's also a good way to determine if you really want to go as far as a PhD without the time commitment. If you want just a master's, you should go for it!
Hope this helps.
