Change of Major (Stressed - Needing Advice)

Guttercat, ASN, RN · Oct 30, 2013

The only reason why I am considering Community College right now is because I ended up going to a very expensive school (56K) and it has made me realize that I cannot just waste my money like this.. I want to become a Nurse, and I can say that happily.. The only thing is, for myself I may have to start out small, like a community college, and then transfer. This semester at Pace, I have been very homesick, and not liking where I have been at, at all - So going to a community college, will help me so much. I believe it will give me the focus I need as well, because of all the external factors that effects us as students living in the dorms, or living with friends. I also want to kick ass on my Pre-Requisites, so I can actually get into the nursing program, and do really good, then Transfer to a really good Nursing school.
This has been so stressing for me, not because I'm changing my majors, but that I wasted 56K to finally realize what I want to do. I can't help but regret the decisions I made, because it was hell getting into this school, and finding actual money (loans, scholarships, and grants) to pay for it. It's just not easy.

If you are naturally gifted with quantitative skills, and have a passion/aptitude for biological sciences, also consider other avenues in the medical/biological sciences fields.

Nursing, while it has multiple pathways, can be lateral and restrictive.

I have a great interest in sciences, and while it has served me well as an RN, I was also shocked as a new grad RN to learn the degree of "fetch-and-tote" that made up my daily work requirements.

cardiacfreak, ADN · Oct 30, 2013

@maddiem Currently I'd be going to school in upstate NY. I think I will get my ADN then get my BSN, then ultimately my MSN..
Someone told me it's counterproductive to become a Nurse, then go into Pre-Med. I always wondered why.. but yeah, currently my GPA is a 3.3, but I have had outside factors that have effected it. I really hope that I won't regret this later on.

You will find that there are some people who think nurses are not smart enough to be doctors. I think I am actually smarter because I don't get multiple phone calls in the middle of the night. :cheeky:

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.

Amnesty · Oct 30, 2013

OP, I am basically just like you.

I have a degree in Accounting, a BBA. It cost me ~$30k after scholarships, and I was only 2 classes away from dual-BBA in Management as well (which even then I found to be useless).

I bounced around from thing to thing, using my accounting degree and finding things out the hard way. Like that, at least in my area, there is no demand for an accountant who has no plans to be a CPA. I still definitely used my degree doing things like bookkeeping for offices and taxes during tax season, and I liked what I did, but I soon found out exactly what DCrux said: You don't make a damn bit of real difference in the world behind a desk computing numbers. You're just another cost to be analyzed in one of your programs. I liked accounting, and I was good at it, but a cozy desk job wasn't for me.

With over 30k in loans, I switched to nursing. It burns me right up to know that I could have had my degree almost fully paid for had I chosen nursing straight out of the gate. I'm going to be over 50k in the hole by the time I graduate with my ADN. I'll probably literally just bust my butt for the first 2 years I'm a nurse and put every penny I don't use for bills toward paying off that debt. It's going to be hard. I kick myself every day for it.

But you know what? By the time I'm 30, I'll have my debts paid off. I'll be doing something that, as crappy as the field is right now, makes a difference every single day. In order to be sure I was doing the right thing, I got a job as an aide in a hospital, and you know what I found? Going to work every day, cleaning up feces, being so busy I didn't have time to breathe, hefting people from place to place, etc. all of this grunt work was extremely calming to me. It made me so happy. My friends all thought I was crazy to give up a higher-paying job for one where I literally encounter human waste and excrement every day. None of them understood what it is to feel satisfied and like you're fulfilling your life purpose with what you do.

That rant done with, I don't know that I'd have picked nursing if the glut of nursing candidates was as bad in Georgia as it is in NY. I got into a school relatively easily, and I know I'll find employment easily once I'm done. Then again, our economy sucks so badly right now that a lot of people can't find jobs anyway. Bah. It's a risk, but it's one I was willing to take because I know it'll pay off for me. Good luck with your decision. And there's nothing wrong with doing your associate's at a community college and becoming an RN and then bridging to get your BSN, as long as you realize that there are a lot of intricacies that go along with that and you need to prepare for them. If you want more info on that, just ask :).

NursExec · Oct 30, 2013

Go for it CG...I went to nursing school in my 20s...its worth it..

Cg37387n · Oct 30, 2013

The status I posted on my Facebook:

"This decision did not come lightly, and I have been thinking about all the factors that could change everything, but I believe I am making the right decision. Over the past year I have learned more about myself, than my whole life altogether. Beta Alpha Psi, helped me with everything.. I came in as a Freshman thinking I knew what I wanted to do. I have made the decision, which I believe is in my best interests, to transfer to OCCC, and get into the Nursing Program. I have talked to several people about the decision, who helped weigh in all the factors, and I am going to be so much happier when I actually do it! In this world, I've only wanted to do one thing;to help people, and make people around me better. People say Accounting to Nursing, that's a big switch, but it is the switch that I ultimately have to live with, and I can finally happily say, I want to become a Nurse. This probably has been one of the hardest decisions I had to make, but I think it will benefit me in the long run."

A huge part of the reason I'm going to try to get into the ADN rather than the BSN is because as of right now my gpa is not the best. My very first semester of college, I got a 2.5, and in my first every chemistry class I got a C- (Which was in the same semester). The reason for this, I was attacked by 5 men, and put in the hospital near Cortland, where I was hospitalized for a month. The teachers were not very relaxed on me, and I had to do what I had to do, to actually get those grades in my class. I am still shaken up by it, but this was another factor of why I wanted to become a nurse. My grandmother was a Nurse, and she always said, she saw her in me, and she always told me, even before I realized what I wanted to be, that I would be the best Nurse possible. I always thought she was going crazy. Last Semester (Which was #2) I got a 3.3 , and then this semester, I have been sick, and my grandma has gotten really sick, who has been my biggest influence in life, unfortunately is getting worse.

I am not worried about the money, and to be honest I never even looked at the salary of being a Nurse. I just found that inside of me, there's a wanting to help other people. I have always stood by this, even in High School, I was noticed as the nice kid. It was a very heartwarming thing..

A Major thing that I want to do, is when I transfer to my Community College, I want to get 4.0s, just to prove that I can do this to people. Plus I'd be living at home, and not being around people that annoy me or distract me from my studies, because I live in a dorm. I also, am really hoping, that when I get my ADN and eventually my RN I want to transfer to a BSN program. But with the GPA I currently have, I am highly doubtful that anyone would hire me, which is highly discouraging.

I don''t want my past to be looked at now that I found my niche. We all make mistakes, and I've finally learned from it.. Now I am proud, that I am actually attempting to do what I've always wanted to do.

If anyone is willing to give me more advice on my specific situation, I'd gladly appreciate it.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2013

Wow you have been through lots. Many people change degrees.There's people in my class who got 3 bachelors degrees before they decided to do nursing. I myself switched from the electronics and electrical field to start nursing school. I disagree with worrying about money and if it was a waste. Each phase in life happens for a reason and it will only make you a better nurse.

A community college is a great place to start. I did that option then transferred to a University with my AA degree. I'm now in a BSN program at a good public University. There's really no need to pay for a expensive private nursing school.

Note that nursing is nothing like the medical field or being a doctor. As one poster indicated, don't be fooled by television...All those shows where you see Doctors running around saving lives...in reality they are nurses. I really did not realize how much nurses did until I started clinical rotations. Most of the times the doctors are contacted via phone. They are hardly ever talking to the patient and have more paper work to do than anything else. A lot of the stuff you see on TV where doctors figured out something..in reality its a nurse who recognized the error and is advocating for the patient. Yet doctors get all the praises and nurses work often go unnoticed.

I highly suggest to you before you make this decision to spend a week or 2 shadowing nurses in various settings. This will really help you.

minniebrown · Oct 31, 2013

You should contact the schools you are interested in applying to and speaking with someone in admissions. I have a previous degree and I'm getting an ADN now and sometimes I wish I had done this earlier. But hopefully there is a reason for how it all works out. The student loans are a lot, but like others said, life is too short to spend time doing what you don't like. Good luck with everything.

MAKimsey · Nov 4, 2013

My sympathies regarding the attack you survived. With regard to nursing - follow your heart. As a child I wanted to be a nurse. Many years and a doctoral degree later, I am finally pursuing a nursing career. Trust me, at your age is easier than at my age (almost 50). My reasons were two-fold. First and foremost, I wanted to be able to help care for my Dad who had Alzheimer's. [He died last November] Dad was at my LPN graduation. Secondly, I wanted to feel as though I had done something good for someone else at the end of my work-day. No matter how challenging a nursing day is, you will know that you made a positive impact on the life of another human being. No monetary value can be placed on the satisfaction this will bring you.

At the moment, I am taking pre-ADN nursing requirements at Community College and will eventually obtain more advanced nursing degrees. The value return on investment for my current program is excellent - the price is right and the program has an strong reputation in our community. Regardless of the BSN trend, as an ADN - RN there are many options and opportunities available to you. Time is on your side. Focus on your courses, take a half-load if necessary to ensure maximum grade advantage. Getting into a program is usually GPA and point-based using pre-requisite courses as the benchmark. Congratulations on deciding to make the change. Wishing you success!

annewithane · Nov 4, 2013

Hmm, I'm not sure how transferring nursing school works, but it might be difficult to transfer from an ADN to a BSN program. I went for actually a second degree nursing program (do you already have a bachelor's?) and the program originally was designed to go straight for an MSN though I opted to graduate with a BSN for a variety of reasons. Our community college had a HUGE fiasco where our BSN program actually ended up accepting over 100 new students in various semesters. Some people who were graduating that semester found that they had another 2 years left because the ADN and BSN prereqs and coursework were different. A 3.3 GPA is actually pretty good! Do be sure though to look at other options like the program I went to, because we were an accelerated degree it made us eligible to apply for the Robert Wood Johnson New Careers in Nursing grant which was substantial. We had 5 grants and only 7 people were eligible to apply for them, and many of us got other scholarships that were geared toward non traditional students. Also, kind of word of mouth and not official, but all of the men in our nursing program were LOADED with scholarships and opportunities, that might work to your advantage.

The program I went to was at New Mexico State University and called the Roadrunner program if you are interested, as I understand it these programs are becoming more common around the US. Also, we had dirt cheap tuition for a university (less than

Cg37387n · Nov 4, 2013

I'm transferring to OCCC to hopefully get into the ADN due to money issues, and also I was a business major, so no credits really transfer. The only things that transfer would be put in electives anyway. I am also going to be taking my pre-requisites there, just so I can get them done. I am willing, (when finished w/ my Pre-Requisites, to apply to the ADN program, and other BSN programs) but for right now this is all I can do. There is a hospital near my house that does accept people as RNs with an ADN. If I do get into the ADN program, and I graduate I will be able to work at the hospital, then do a bridge program RN to BSN. I kind of have it all mapped out, but some people are discouraging me telling me to go straight for the BSN program. Well I really can't do that if I don't have Pre-Reqs done, and my GPA isn't the best.

theantichick · Nov 6, 2013

Kudos for hanging in there with all the adversity you've encountered!

You won't per-se transfer from an ADN to a BSN program. And while I always encourage everyone who can to go straight for the BSN, sometimes life doesn't work out that way. Rest assured, there are still options out there for ADN.

I was working 50-60 hours a week as a computer programmer while going to nursing school, and none of the area BSN programs were flexible enough for my schedule even though my employers were fantastic about letting me flex my time and work some from home nights/weekends to make my deadlines and hours. I graduated in December 2012 with an ASN. I didn't get a hospital job because almost all of the hospitals in the area are trying to not hire ADN new grads, and since I was working in I.T. I couldn't go get the tech experience that makes a lot of difference in applying for the residencies that were open to ADN new grads.

It's OK, though... because I impressed my Complex clinical instructor, she referred me to one of her long-time associates who had just taken a job at an LTAC as nurse manager and had openings to fill. She thought enough of me to have me try the ICU test, and so I started working in March as an LTAC ICU nurse. I gave myself enough time to be able to focus on my orientation and learning critical care, and then started my RN-BSN bridge program in August. Many universities have online RN-BSN bridges so you can work it around your schedule. Just don't fall for the for-profit ones where your credits won't transfer if later you try for an advanced degree. I'll graduate with my BSN in May 2014 and then I'll not only have my BSN but a years' experience in what I figure is equivalent to high acuity telemetry at a "regular" hospital.

Bottom line, there are a lot of ways to get to the goal. Straight through BSN is preferable, but it's not the only way to get there.

ETA: Also, if you can do it without adversely impacting your grades, try to get a job at a hospital as a tech or unit secretary (and then move later to a tech position) as that can really make a difference when it comes to applying for jobs and/or residencies with an ADN. Not to mention help you start saving money to pay off the student loans. :)