Finish BSc or straight to nursing school?

[diandroid]

Hey everyone!

This is my first time posting a thread like this so please be easy on me!

I have decided that I want to become a nurse practitioner! Currently, I am about 4/5 done my Bachelor of Science in university and I am thinking whether I should finish my degree first then apply for nursing school or apply for nursing school now. At the moment, I do meet all the requirements to apply for my first choice nursing schools however I am worried that if I do, I will have a sense of incompleteness from not finishing my previous BSc that I already spent almost 4 years on.

I am getting hell from the parents for wasting time getting a BSc when I could have just gone straight into a BSN program. I am also feeling pressure from other peers who went straight into a community college nursing program and are already almost done while I have not even started yet! It just making me SUPER eager to start already but I would feel terrible ditching my BSc...

If you have any thoughts or advice, please feel free to comment! :)

[cocoahunny]

OMG!!! Same dilemma. I say finish, BUT prolong your graduation date; as in spread out your BS hours, not completing them until you are finish with nursing too. I know financial aid gets cut back when you graduate w/ post-bac and then pursue another degree. So I for one am not going to waste all the years and time I spent on getting my BS. so what I'm going to do is prolong my hours along with taking hours in the nursing program. The MATH: 4 yrs for Biology B.S. + 2 years for Nursing ASN (great career, loving what I wanted to do in medicine, guaranteed success/job/future/happiness/promising/greeeaatt pay/in demand). Think about it...these past 4 years flew by...so imagine 2 more. Also, you'll get higher pay because you already have 1 B.S....you're not so behind as you thought! :)

[BusiestBSN]

Also, you'll get higher pay because you already have 1 B.S....you're not so behind as you thought! :)

No clue where you live, but a majority of the time having a bachelor's in another field does not mean a pay increase. Most employers only increase your pay if you have a bachelor's, not an associate's, in nursing. And in some instances that pay increase is still small.

A BS in biology is not a BSN.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

Yeah, I have to agree with BusyBSN, a bachelors in another field will not equal higher pay when you graduate. Research the job market in your area and see what kind of degree you need. Nursing is not a guaranteed job. It's a difficult road and once you get there it will not be someone knocking on your door saying oh here's a great job and pay. You will have to work for it.

Not everyone knows exactly what they want to do in life and some of us take the long way around. But you will get there. I would just go straight into the nursing program if I were you.