[osukellen]

Hello All,
I have some questions I hope some of you can help me with.

I am starting to actively look into Nursing as a career.

I have a B.S. in Exercise Science from Oklahoma State and graduated about 2 years ago.

Here are some questions...

***What is the best route to take for someone in my situation? I have about a 2.9 GPA and will need to take at least 1 (microbiology) class to be considered for most BSN programs.

***Is it worth it to take a couple of my classes over to boost my GPA or go the LPN-RN route?

***Would you consider the MSN route a good choice? I don't really have any clinical experience except for an internship I did at the Cooper Clinic.

***What is your take on cost vs. return for these routes?

***Are there scholarships for Males pursuing a nursing career?

***I will probably look in Texas, as I currently live here, which programs have the most respect in the working world?

***Is distance learning a good idea for someone in my position?

Feel free to enlighten me on these and any other points you feel may be important. Thanks in advance!

[arciedee]

As you may be aware, a 2.9 GPA isn't super-competitive, though it certainly isn't terrible. But that may be something you need to work with. I would look into all the programs available to you, from LPN to direct-entry MSN and see what their requirements are. Some schools do waiting lists as long as you meet the minimum criteria, others require darned near a 4.0 to be accepted. So you really need to do your homework about what's around you and what will work best for your situation.

Accelerated BSN and direct-entry MSN programs can be great, especially for someone who doesn't mind taking a year or two to dedicate him-/herself to their education, but as you may know it's quite difficult to work at the same time, in which case an LPN or ADN program might be easier, depending on your financial considerations. Pretty much any nursing program will start you out in the same place, but BSN/MSN can allow you to move up faster, if that's your goal.

Sorry I don't have more definitive answers for you... unfortunately I'm not in your area so I can't be more specific. Good luck in your quest!

[HealthyRN]

Originally Posted by osukellen

Hello All,
I have some questions I hope some of you can help me with.

I am starting to actively look into Nursing as a career.

I have a B.S. in Exercise Science from Oklahoma State and graduated about 2 years ago.

Here are some questions...

***What is the best route to take for someone in my situation? I have about a 2.9 GPA and will need to take at least 1 (microbiology) class to be considered for most BSN programs.

***Is it worth it to take a couple of my classes over to boost my GPA or go the LPN-RN route?

***Would you consider the MSN route a good choice? I don't really have any clinical experience except for an internship I did at the Cooper Clinic.

***What is your take on cost vs. return for these routes?

***Are there scholarships for Males pursuing a nursing career?

***I will probably look in Texas, as I currently live here, which programs have the most respect in the working world?

***Is distance learning a good idea for someone in my position?

Feel free to enlighten me on these and any other points you feel may be important. Thanks in advance!

If I were in your position, I would strongly consider an accelerated BSN program or direct entry MSN. It all depends on what your future goals are though. Would you care to elaborate on that?

However, your current GPA may be a limiting factor. You may have to take several courses and maybe even retake some science courses in order to improve your GPA and get accepted to a program. I'm not sure about in Texas, but I know in my area of the country (midwest), it is nearly impossible to get accepted with anything less than a 3.5 and programs are turning away applicants with 4.0s. As the previous poster stated, it may depend on the program though. To improve your chances and to make sure that you will enjoy nursing, I would recommend getting some healthcare experience by becoming a CNA.