I will already have a BS in different field...

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I am a senior and will graduate in May 2014 with a BSBA in human resource management. My heart is in healthcare though. I do not want to pursue another Bachelor's degree unless necessary.

Anyone else been in the same boat? How does financial aid work with already having earned a bachelors in something else? I was thinking maybe an associates in nursing ( and then becoming an RN) or respiratory therapy, but haven't decided yet.

I have just completed a 15 month accel BSN program. My prior degree was in education which meant that I had to take ALL of the prerequisites that were required for entry to my accel program prior to applying. Fortunately, I was able to do this at a local community college while still working as a teacher and could afford the in-state tuition. However, I did receive financial aid via my university. Since I did not use financial aid for my first degree (I had bright futures and scholarships), I was able to take out loans for my second bachelors degree. Taking out loans and working as a nurse tech during the latter part of schooling was how I paid for my second degree. I would strongly urge you to discuss your financial options with the schools you intend to apply to. Additionally, there are some (albeit small numbers) of scholarships for people just like you, career changers getting a second bachelors degree as well as student loans from banks who participate in health care loans-- offered to those students going to school for health related jobs.

Specializes in Psychiatry, Oncology.

Hi zeus&lincoln: do you know of any resources on scholarships for career changers? Websites, institutions? Thanks in advance.

Hey,

I know that Johnson & Johnson had a couple of scholarships, and I don't know the others offhand since I did not utilize these to pay for my schooling. However, your financial aid department and college of nursing will have a list of nursing specific scholarships for career changers as well as non-nursing scholarships.

To me taking out a $15,000 loan was worth it to complete my program in 15 months and earn a BSN. All but 3 people in my BSN have gainful employment-- therefore paying back the loan shouldn't be too bad. I know this is not common for all new grads in all parts of the country but fortunately I did find employment and in my dream unit nonetheless!

Specializes in Psychiatry, Oncology.

Good for you! Congrats and thanks!

I went and got my first bachelors just like you.

Then started working at a hospital as a nurses aide full time. I made maybe 30k/ year.

Hospital paid for every penny of nursing school--associates program. Took two years.

So I made 60k plus the cost of tuition those two years.

Then I went onto a 6 month RN to BSN program. Again, hospital paid every penny.

So monetarily, even though it took longer than an accelerated program, I came out way ahead.

Hi Ellaballet,

Thanks for your reply. How long did it take you to do the BSN? I'm hoping some of my credits would transfer if I did go for this option. If the credits did transfer it would be similar in time (about 2 yrs) for the MSN or BSN depending on the school.

This may be a silly question but how different was the direct entry program vs. the BSN? I'm sure it varies from school to school however if you know in general I'd appreciate your thoughts..

I will look into your suggestions of NP & PA thank you for them!

The University of Arizona offers a Master's Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MSN) program to folks with a non-nursing bachelor's degree. It is a 15 month program offered in either Phoenix or Tucson.

I'm starting my BSN in January and it takes 16 months. At least the direct entry programs I was considering applying to you would still need to do the 16 months of nursing school. When thats finished you would take the boards, and then continue on for the masters/doctorate in nursing. I think the second part of the program was about 2-3 years depending on school? Either way you're going to need to become a RN before you can carry on into the masters/doctorate part of the program. My friend is in PA school right now, he did 4 years premed and then 2 years for the masters program. I'm not 100% sure of the differences between a NP and a PA (DNPs/students here would be a way better resource, I only know what I hear from my friend)

The University of Arizona offers a Master's Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MSN) program to folks with a non-nursing bachelor's degree. It is a 15 month program offered in either Phoenix or Tucson.

University of Arizona -College of Nursing - Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

Not an MSN, it's called MEPN - Master’s Entry to the Profession of Nursing. I'm not really sure what the difference is or if this degree is respected.

Hi, I also have a Bachelors in another field. How long did you work at the hospital before they helped you with tuition? Also, why didn't you go straight to the second degree BSN instead of the Associates Program.

Thanks.

There are three pathways for you. One is to go to the community college and get an ASN. But in many cities/markets, getting a job in a hospital with only an associate's degree is getting more difficult.

The second option is to pursue an Accelerated BSN (12-20 months). However if you have a Bachelor's degree already, you cannot get government scholarships for a second bachelor's. In addition, there is a cap on Stafford Loans for a bachelor's degree. If you have reached that with your first BA/BS, then you may only be able to get private loans for a second bachelors. My University offers this Master's Entry CNL and the tuition is approximately $20K/year for instate students (12 months) or 32K/year for out-of-state students.

More schools are now offering MSN degrees for those with a non-nursing bachelors. Some of these prepare one for an Advanced Practice RN role (3 years minimum) and other prepare you for a generalist (CNL) role (20-24 months). Since these are graduate degrees, you can qualify for scholarships as well as Stafford and other loans.

Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics.
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The second option is to pursue an Accelerated BSN (12-20 months). However if you have a Bachelor's degree already, you cannot get government scholarships for a second bachelor's. In addition, there is a cap on Stafford Loans for a bachelor's degree. If you have reached that with your first BA/BS, then you may only be able to get private loans for a second bachelors. My University offers this Master's Entry CNL and the tuition is approximately $20K/year for instate students (12 months) or 32K/year for out-of-state students.

^^THIS

I got into Johns Hopkins for their 17-month ABSN last year, but wound up having to defer my enrollment to this Summer because of the $100k (once you include housing and extras, tuition itself is only $69k) pricetag! (and I'm STILL not ready! :( ) I wish I would have known about the loan caps before putting all of my eggs into that basket. While I didn't max out on my Stafford loan eligibility during my first degree, as I went to a school with VERY generous need-based aid, the cap per year of $12,500 on those loans still applies...and for me that, $12,500 is not enough. Hopkins SON does give out a grant, but usually for no more than 10k/yr. Once it was all said and done, I still needed $20k in private loans in order to be able to pay my bills while I was in school. I wasn't in the financial state to do that however, so I worked out a plan w/the school to defer my admission until May 2014 in exchange for an award of a 1/2 tuition scholarship. Lucky me right? Yes and no. It's STILL going to cost an arm and a leg, even with the extra money. In any case, I'll make it happen, but I wish I had known more about how financial aid for second degrees worked, or I may have gone another route. :sigh:

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