Confused about how to become a nurse

VampyrSlayer, CNA · Jul 21, 2014

Google discovernursing you can search for schools in your area with no wait lists. You can always go community college route and do a bridge to BSN

VampyrSlayer, CNA · Jul 21, 2014

And private schools are usually very expensive, but I don't know if that's a problem for you.

rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN · Jul 21, 2014

No matter where you go you may have to tend with a wait list. It is time to do research on programs in your area or areas where you might relocate to in order to get your education. You may have to be patient but in the mean time get your prerequisites done, or at least what is common for most programs.

amer1996 · Jul 21, 2014

Can you explain more about the bridge to BSN thing. Ive heard of it but I dont really know what it is.

amer1996 · Jul 21, 2014

Thanks for the advice! So private schools also have waitlists?

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Jul 21, 2014

There are a few ways to get to BSN, all from where you are academically. You can certainly do all your prerequisites at De Anza. It's a very good school. It's just that the classes are faster paced than some other Colleges because they're on the Quarter system, not the Semester system. You'll have to take all 3 A&P classes to get the "full year" of A&P, however because they do 3 courses instead of 2, it can be interesting when it comes to evaluating your classes for equivalency. It's not really a horrible thing, it's just that most schools use the Semester system and therefore only require 2 courses to equal 1 year of A&P.

Looking at De Anza's own prerequisites for their program, with the exception of "Nursing 50" and "Math 114" if you were to take all of those courses at De Anza, you'd meet most of the area program prerequisite requirements. Add in an Organic Chemistry course and you'll pretty much meet all the prerequisite requirements for pretty much all programs that I'm aware of.

Now then, you have a few ways to get to the BSN, after your prerequisites are done. One way is to enter an ADN program (De Anza is one such course), pass the NCLEX and then take an RN-BSN transition course. Another way is to apply directly to BSN programs and if you're selected, you can start there. You could also do private BSN programs, but they tend to be very expensive. Make sure that the pre-licensure program you're taking is accepted by California's BRN. If it's not, you're out of luck...

My own personal recommendation is to investigate all the ADN and BSN programs that you're willing to attend, make sure you know exactly what courses they want you to have to apply there, and as you meet those requirements, start applying. It very well could be that you might end up waiting longer to get into a particularly desired program than it would be to get through another program, get licensed, and then do an RN-BSN upgrade program.

In my particular situation, I already have a Bachelors Degree, so I couldn't do a BSN program because the Universities weren't allowing any 2nd Bachelors students that weren't already enrolled students to enter, which meant I couldn't earn a BSN that way. It was ADN and do the upgrade route or nothing. Had that been open to me, I would have taken it and it would have been just 2.5 years long... You're at a much better point because you don't have that problem.

It all starts with doing a little research into what each program requires for entry (make sure all's done before entry) and taking the classes you need.

De Anza at least has a waiting list for those people that meet their entry requirements, though their wait list seems to be about a year long after you have met all entry requirements. That means you have an additional year to work on a 2nd Associates...

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Jul 21, 2014

A BSN is a bachelors degree from a university. You should start by looking up universities in your area and find out if they offer a bachelors of nursing. Unfortunately, it is up to the school how they admit. There are many different styles of admitting students. Some will only admit students after they complete pre-reqs whereas others will admit before the pre-reqs are done.

Another system is the points system that some universities are moving towards. With the points system, usually the applicants apply for a deadline and then start the next clinical start date. They have a set criteria that they give points to and the ones at the top of the list are accepted. However, there is no guarantee of ever starting if you are not competitive enough.

Some schools have wait lists. Some do not. Some do points systems. There is a lot that goes into a school of nursing and you should look at a variety of variables such as cost, pass rate on the NCLEX (usually available on your state's BON), and reputation (which is hard to tell). If you can get the employment rate of the people who are employed as a nurse (some schools include employment in other professions in their estimate).

amer1996 · Jul 21, 2014

Thanks for the advice. I think applying directly to a BSN program is the route I might go with. Ive looked at the different programs here in california and I've seen some that attract me but the thing is im not sure which ones have waitlists and point systems. My mom is an RN but she got her education in a different country so she doesnt really know about the education system here. According to her private schools dont have waitlists but I dont know if I should believe her cause shes not too credible. Also according to one of her co-workers there are really long waitlists which can take years and thats not something I want to do but I really want to be a nurse.

amer1996 · Jul 21, 2014

How do I find out if the school has a point system or wait list?

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Jul 21, 2014

Can you explain more about the bridge to BSN thing. Ive heard of it but I dont really know what it is.

Simply put, a the bridge program that we're referencing is a way for Licensed RN's to get their Bachelors Degree in Nursing (BSN) and not have to go through an entire pre-licensure program, but instead take the "missing" coursework that they'd have otherwise taken had they been in an pre-licensure program at that University. For the "typical" undergrad that's never earned a Bachelors Degree, that's all the upper division General Education as well as nursing courses such as public health nursing, research/statistics in healthcare/nursing, and so on. You end up doing about 2 Semesters-worth of Full-Time study and you earn the BSN. From entry to an ADN program to earning the BSN program, you're looking at about 3 - 3.5 years of study. That's on top of all the coursework you did to get there. A BSN program is "4 years" but once you actually start the program itself and are formally a Nursing Student, you're looking at 2-2.5 years.

amer1996 · Jul 21, 2014

Oh ok I see thanks for the detailed description. Since I've literally just started my prereqs at a CC im guessing it would be better to just go for a BSN and not the bridge thing right? I think this cause If I have to deal with waitlists I would have to wait for the ADN program and the BSN program but instead I can just be w aitlisted for the BSN program instead of both. Hopefully what I just said makes sense but im not sure if it does.

Simply put, a the bridge program that we're referencing is a way for Licensed RN's to get their Bachelors Degree in Nursing (BSN) and not have to go through an entire pre-licensure program, but instead take the "missing" coursework that they'd have otherwise taken had they been in an pre-licensure program at that University. For the "typical" undergrad that's never earned a Bachelors Degree, that's all the upper division General Education as well as nursing courses such as public health nursing, research/statistics in healthcare/nursing, and so on. You end up doing about 2 Semesters-worth of Full-Time study and you earn the BSN. From entry to an ADN program to earning the BSN program, you're looking at about 3 - 3.5 years of study. That's on top of all the coursework you did to get there. A BSN program is "4 years" but once you actually start the program itself and are formally a Nursing Student, you're looking at 2-2.5 years.