Advice.. Just starting out.

[CASinAustin]

Hi guys! This is my first post. I am a 32 yr old female living in Austin Tx. I am self-employed (a wedding photographer) and have decided that I want to pursue an ADN-RN as a second career. I have a bachelors from 10 yrs ago, but am finding that very few of my classes will be beneficial for transfer. (I have B.A.. hardly any science/math taken)

I have done tons of research on schools in the area, and have unfortunately found the following: the community college and universities in the austin area require a TON of pre-reqs, at least 15 hours or more. I have found 0 private schools in Austin for nursing. I looked into an accelerated BSN.. but same thing.. TON, even more, pre-reqs.

There are several accredited private nursing schools in San Antonio and I found that the Baptist School of Health Professions in SA will probably be my best option. (Least amount of pre-reqs, accredited, 80 week program, my fam lives in SA) I also found Galen school of nursing, but it is a LVN to RN program that is longer. Trying to avoid LVN, and get straight to RN.

So my questions are: Anyone else in Austin in the same boat? Does anyone commute to SA for schooling? Is there a school I am missing in Austin or SA?

If you attend BSHP.. how do you like it? I hear the job placement at a Baptist hospital in SA is promising after you graduate from there. The problem is, ideally, I'd like to work in Austin. (Love it here!)

Also.. a pre-req question. Anyone know of an online Microbiology class that does NOT require Chem 1405 first? Never took Chem in college, and its not a pre req for BSHP, so trying to avoid taking it.

Thanks for any input or opinions on any of this!

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

Good day, CASinAustin:

Welcome to allnurses.com! This is a fantastic site with a large amount of helpful people from fellow pre-nursing students, nursing students, and those already in the field for decades. First off, be wary of for-profit (aka private) schools as you typically end up with a lot of debt, and often times cannot take those credits towards future education such as a BSN. Secondly, nursing schools typically do require prerequisites. This is among the few fields where an associate degree can take 3 or more years due to the prerequisites. There are schools that will build them into the program; they are either private or BSN-based.

Food for thought... the PRErequisites PREPARE you for nursing school. The better you do in the key ones (usually the core sciences), the better opportunity you have to succeed in nursing school.

Thank you.

[CASinAustin]

Thanks for the welcome! I am excited to be on here! Yes.. I agree, Pre-Reqs are definitely beneficial, especially those pertaining to science. I plan to take: Anat/Phys 1 and 2, Intro to Psych, Microbiology- and hope to complete within a year. (fall/spring/possibly summer semester.) These all seem to be standard for acceptance into most programs.

The accelerated BSN programs and the Austin Community college are wanting an additional 20 hours on top of these. ( biology 1/2, chem 1/2, statistics, algebra, psych 2314 )

While I understand pre-reqs are beneficial, I am just trying to weigh all options. Becoming an ADN-RN in 3 to 3.5 years sounds reasonable. Taking 4-5 years to complete seems very long for me, personally.

Decisions.. decisions.. :)

[RunBabyRN]

In addition to everything pmabraham said, be sure to take a look at the market in your area. Much of TX, from what I've seen, is now leaning toward hiring BSN-prepared nurses. It might be worth it to do the extra prereqs and get into an ABSN program. It's really important to know what will be required of you when you get out there, as the market is tough, and you need every advantage possible. Also, if you can, try to find work in the medical field, as it will help you some when you become a nurse. If you're smart, you'll start building connections so that you can have a job when you get out of school, and hiring managers will see that you at least have SOME experience. It doesn't count toward RN experience, but it does help you stand out a bit over all of the other new grads out there applying for the same jobs.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

PPs are correct. In Tx major metro areas, hospitals are only hiring BSN grads. There are still plenty of non-acute jobs for ADNs out there... just not in hospitals.

If you want to practice as a professional nurse, you will have to acquire a very specific knowledge base.. those pre-requisites are basic core requirements.