Best way to work towards BSN in Portland, OR

[Pdxstudent]

I currently have a bachelor's degree in business and have been working in banking for 6 years but need/want to switch careers. I just started pre-req's this year at PCC and am only taking one class per term for the time being while I continue to work full time. I'm also volunteering at the VA Hospital once a week. Eventually I will start taking more classes per term and I figure it will take me 2-3 years to complete my pre-req's. I know there are 2 year RN programs available but ideally I would like to get my BSN. I'm still doing a lot of research but I am wondering what types of programs are out there and what are my best chances for getting in? What kind of costs would I be looking at? My husband has agreed to be the sole bread winner while I go back to school but I know I will be needing to apply for financial aid/student loans to help us get through. I expect it take a lot of time and hard work but I also don't want to take 7 years to get into a program. Thank you for any suggestions!

[lulu7403]

Many hospitals are requiring BSN to apply in my area (Salem) and I suspect you would be wise to just go that route to begin with. There are programs that take previous degrees into account (OHSU does, but may be harder to get into than when I did 25 yrs ago!). The AD programs tend to take 3 yrs with the pre-requisites anyway. Good luck!