Wanting to be a Nurse after having a B.S. in other discipline, INFO Needed!!

[Nurse212]

Hello everyone,

Recently, I have been reading through the Forum and I've noticed that many people have considered leaving their present careers to pursue a career in nursing. Most people know that as long as you have a High School Diploma and descent grades that you can apply to a school which has a nursing program and achieve a BSN through that avenue, but for the rest of us that already have careers and seek to do the same, what options do we have?

For Instance:

I have a B.S. in Finance/Accounting and after attaining that degree, I have worked as a financial analyst for about4 years, but have now decided that nursing would be a much more rewarding career. It would be something that at the end of the day would make me feel good about what I truly do on a day to day basis and because of this, I am considering pursuing a degree in nursing. Now, since this idea is predominantly new to me and probably to others, hopefully someone who has traveled this road or who is insightful can help answering the following questions:

~If you have a B.S. from 4 year college, can you apply to a BSN nursing program and have most of the Liberal Arts Credits that you have attained previously transfered to the nursing school you wish to attend, shortening the 4 year process to more like 2 years?? (I have looked into this and most colleges will accept this, but still would like to hear the opinion of others)

~For those of us who might not be experts in science, what do you guys who have taken the Nursing requirements have to say about such courses like General and Organic Chemistry, as well as Physiology 1 & 2 and Microbiology?? (For a person as myself coming from a business background these will be totally new to me, only chemistry and Bio courses I took where in High school ages ago)

~Within Big areas like NYC, Chicago, LA and any other big cities how much more of a difference does it make becoming a RN with just an Associates Degree as compared to an RN with a BSN??

Pay wise?? Advancement within Management wise?? etc..

(This question is particularly important because such big cities have high costs of living and many people I ask say that BSN's make mush more money than do RN with just a Assoc. Deg.)

All replies will be highly appreciated!

[Ranchgirl30]

Nurse 212 - If you have a previous degree look at an accelerated BSN program. These are usually 12-16 months in length and when you get out you have a Bachelors in Nursing. I am going into one and it requires 32 hours of prerequisites (like Anatomy and Physiology I &II, Chemistry, Microbiology etc etc - all of which I have taken here and there while working full time). You can get your ADN but you will spend the same amount of time so why not come out with a Bachelors - especially if you ever want to go on and get your masters. Hope that helps. . .