Already have an Associate's degree but want to be a nurse?

[ilovejose22]

So I have my general associate's degree was planning on transferring to a university for a bachelors in education. Since then my life has taken some turns, and I have started to look at my career path from a more financial stand-point and realized a teaching salary simply won't do what I need it to. I have worked in the healthcare field for years, and would love to be a nurse in either L&D or Peds. I work in a hospital now in Bed Control and work closely with the charge nurses so I know what the healthcare setting is like. That being said If I already have and associate's degree, what do I do now?? I have taken most of the usual nursing pre-reqs within my Associate's degree. I don't want to go back to the community college and have to start from scratch and go back through the Associate's RN program to become an RN. Do universities typically have Bachelor programs that are 'nursing schools' and accept students who have a normal associate's not in the field of nursing?

I live in central florida and am looking at at University of Central Florida, and University of Florida, but preferring UCF. If there are programs like this, what are they like? One year, two years? Intense? Can I work? Lots of questions! Whew!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Coriander, BSN, RN]

I would suggest speaking with a counselor at the schools you would like to attend, and figure out which pre-reqs you still need. You can always take those at the CC level and then apply for the BSN program, or finish the pre-reqs at the college you want to attend. :)

[Saysfaa]

Yes, BSN programs at universities are typically "nursing schools' and accept students who have a normal associates not in the field of nursing. They would be transfer students. The courses taken to get the associates degree would count as if they didn't add up to any kind of degree. Usually, though, science classes have to be taken within the past few years... schools differ on how long ago they can be taken but roughly 5 years. Some are 7 years and some might be 3 (not sure about the 3).

University of Central Florida's BSN is four years - two years of nursing classes after all the general education classes. It would take someone starting with no credits about two years to do the general ed classes. UCF makes more of a line between the nursing classes and other kinds of classes than some of the other universities I've looked up. They have a nice flow chart on their website of a typical four year schedule that makes it easy to see what classes are needed.

I am a prenursing student, so I don't know how intense the nursing program is. Usually, I see recommendations of not working full time while going through the nursing part of programs, but some people do it successfully. I have no way of knowing how many or how many try unsuccessfully.

I agree with Coriander about talking to them (take your transcript) because, really, the typical pattern doesn't help you with specific schools.