adn/bsn app debacle...

[ami.625]

Hello all! I'm currently a 1st year pre-nursing student finishing off my last quarter!! I know this seems pretty early to think about applications and such, but this has been bugging me lately. I'm doing dual enrollment right now so I'm taking classes at my local college whilst in high school.

I was hoping someone could give me advice on whether I should apply with the next pool (fall 2018) for bsn/adn programs or wait till 2019. I'll be done with my pre-reqs before the fall of 2019 and I'll be 17 when I graduate with my AA next year in June so time definitely isn't a problem. I live in Seattle so I know BSN programs are super competitive here but my gpa so far is pretty good although I'm taking A&P 1 right now so who knows if I can keep my 3.9 gpa!

Anyways to sum this up, does anyone have any similar experiences or know if I should apply after i've finished my pre-reqs and not while I'm still doing them? I plan on getting my CNA this summer and volunteer @ a hospital if that helps at all :)

Thanks!

[idkmybffjill]

You'll need to contact the programs you're interested in to see their requirements. Different programs require different things and allow you to apply at different points. Some you will have to complete all prereqs while others will require that the majority be completed.

You may also want to check out any age requirements for clinicals if you haven't already. In my state, a person must be 18 to be a cna or work in some healthcare facilities. So if that's the case for your state, there might be an issue with being in the program when you are still a minor.

[ami.625]

You'll need to contact the programs you're interested in to see their requirements. Different programs require different things and allow you to apply at different points. Some you will have to complete all prereqs while others will require that the majority be completed.

You may also want to check out any age requirements for clinicals if you haven't already. In my state, a person must be 18 to be a cna or work in some healthcare facilities. So if that's the case for your state, there might be an issue with being in the program when you are still a minor.

I live in Washington so it's a bit different because we can get our CNA at 16 and most people require a high school diploma/GED but I know many places even hire sophomores. For nursing schools, I have a summer birthday so I would graduate at 17, but turn 18 before fall quarter so it wouldn't be a problem!

I also know about the requirements for my schools. All ADN programs in my state want you to have everything done while the BSN programs give some leeway which is what made me hesitant because it would be ideal to apply for them all at the same time.

[idkmybffjill]

Honestly, even with that information, I'm finding your timeline confusing (in regard to a fall 2018 start for nursing school when prereqs won't be done for a year, but it not being a four-year program since you are getting an AA, etc), so maybe it's some state specific thing about the programs' application dates that someone from Washington will be able to answer. (or my flu brain is having a hard time grasping things)

In general, I would figure out what type of program you actually want to get into the most--BSN or ADN--and apply for programs based upon that priority. If I wanted to go for my BSN more, I would apply for those programs as soon as I could and then, if able, apply for ADN programs too at the same time as a back-up or, if unable to at the moment, apply to ADNs later only if I didn't get into the BSN program. Similarly, I wouldn't go for an AA if I truly wanted to get an ADN (and later do a RN to BSN program).