Accelerated program grads, I need UR expertise!

[msmay]

I currently have a BA degree in Communications and haven't done anything with it that I can really say has satisfied my goal of career happiness. Now, I think I'm finally acquiring the courage to pursue nursing but horror postings I've read about rigorous admissions are again starting to make my knees buckle.

I'm in the process of looking into the accelerated BSN and MSN programs and would REALLY like to hear from any of you who've survived the process. Specifically,

1) How hard was the admission process at your school? What's the stats on the students admitted? (i.e. What was your GPAs, GRE scores, pre-req grades? How many students admitted versus applicants?)

2) What type of background did you have previously? Does having job experience in a health related field increase your chances of acceptance?

3) Any suggestions or advice about things to do, such as volunteering, prior to applying that might help my chances? I graduated with a CUM 3.1 GPA, and although most schools require at least a 3.0, I heard that because of the competition, my GPA is nowhere near good enough.

4) Any suggestions of jobs in healthcare with a COMM degree that would be good prep or exposure?

I know that this is a lot to ask, but from the few posts that I've read so far, everyone is so helpful and knowledgeable, so who better to ask. This is a big step for me and I just want to make sure that I've done all the research before I make my decision. Any advice, long or short, would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks everyone!!!

[Annaproblemma]

I did this program and it was very worthwhile. If you want any more information, please feel free to e-mail me.

Anna

[lilylight]

I did (am doing) a program like this (accelerated BSN to MS). I graduated in 2000 from undergrad with a BA in Sociology. I got a job working in corporate retail. Great company but I was just not happy with it as a life long career. In Fall of 2001 I started looking into accelerated BSN programs with the MS option. I only applied to one program and I was accepted to that program. I graduated May 2003 with my BSN and I continued on and am now in the MS program. I just took the NCLEX last week and am going to start looking for a job now as an RN. I plan to work full-time while finishing the MS part-time.

I had a background in health but mostly through highschool. I was in a track geared towards students who wanted to pursue a careeer in the medical area. I also did a few programs in highschool that involved classes and internships at local Medical Centers. My mother and grandmother are also nurses so it kind of ran in the family. Once I got to college I wasn't really sure if that field was for me so I went with Sociology (kinda by default). During college I did do a lot of volunteer work, tutored, studied abroad, etc but nothing really related to healthcare specifically.

Anyways, I don't know too much about what the exact qualities these different programs are looking for. In my program there were students who had just graduated from undergrad with degrees in everything from English to Biology. There were people who were in their mid-twenties who had been in the workforce for a few years and their were others who had been in the work force for 20-30years in all types of fields (management, investments, social work, etc). The students came from all types of schools (state, private, Ivy league, small colleges, large universities, etc) So based on that I would guess that they look for people from all sorts of backgrounds who can offer different types of view points.

Based on the fact that the programs are designed specifically for people from a non-nursing background I dont think you specifically need to have any prior work experience in this area to get accepted. It might be a good idea to maybe do some volunteer work, shadow a nurse, and talk with nurses just to get a feel for what the job is really like so that you can have a better idea if it's something you definitely want to pursue.

I do know for my program there were some pre-req course that needed to be completed before the start of the program and some of the classes, such as anatomy and Physiology, were not something that the average liberal arts major had (including myself). You can usually take the pre-reqs at a local community college and as long as you get a grade deemed acceptable by the program then that will count. So make sure to look into that b/c the program i did only starts once a year and if your pre-reqs weren't completed you'd have to wait an entire year before starting the program.

Sorry for the super long post, If you have any other more specific questions you can send me a PM. Hope this helps. :)

[EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN]

Hey,

I just finished a one year accelerated BSN program last September. The program wasn't hard to get accepted into to, the minimum requirements were a 2.75 GPA plus all the necessary science pre-reqs. I had a previous bio degree and a 2.85 GPA. I think my program has a really long waiting list now though, because more and more people are becoming interested in programs like these. I really think the admissions standards should have been more difficult because I lost about 40% of my class-- it was a rough year and most people had no clue what they were getting themselves into. I had a much easier time of it then many because of my previous science background-- I had no difficulty understanding pharmacology and pathophysiology. Be prepared to basically dedicate your life to school for the duration of the program. You really need to be self-motivated and learn at a fast pace.