Am I on the right path to becoming a BSN?

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Okay, so my dilemma is that I do not know if my guidance counselor signed me up for the right string of courses. The school that I am going to is a 4 year college (previously a community college), but they do not yet have a BSN program, they only have the ADN program. I told my guidance counselor that since I want to become a BSN, I would probably have to transfer to a different college or university that offered this. She seemed as though she understood and she told me that I had a full-time schedule.

Right now I am only taking 4 classes, a few days a week. I have an Intro to Humanities class, a Freshman Comp class, a College Algebra Class, and a Human Nutrition class. The thing is, I feel like I should be doing more intensive, medical training. Should I be doing more "nurse-based" studying right now, or does that only come later on when I have already achieved my A.S. degree? Am I on the right track, or should I speak to my guidance counselor? Right now I am a freshman in college, this is my first year there. I simply knew that it was a community college before because it was common knowledge in my city. I just graduated high school in June.

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Specializes in NICU.

What is your plan: get your ASN and then do a bridge program (RN-BSN) or take your pre-reqs at the community college and transfer to a 4 year university for your BSN?

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What's the difference between the two? Sorry I'm so ignorant about this subject, I'm kind of on my own with my education...

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

You are taking general education and pre-requisite classes. We've all had to do that. Unfortunately, as much as we would like, we can't just walk right in off the street and have a seat in nursing courses. You will be taking courses that will have you wondering 'what in the world does this have to do with nursing'. There is a method to the madness. As a nurse, you will encounter people of varying educational backgrounds and levels of intelligence. You want to be able to somewhat relate to them all and establish a trusting relationship with whatever type of patient you encounter.

I was told many years ago by my LPN instructor that sometimes, how your patient views you will determine whether or not they name you in a lawsuit, versus accepting an error as the simple honest human mistake that it was. Of course, that was during a time before there were just as many lawyers as there are nurses.

Your advisor knows what courses meet specific areas. In coursework, introductory-level courses must be completed before moving into upper level courses...just as kindergarten is required before primary school, that before elementary/middle school, and that before high school. Once you get the hang of things and meet other students, you will know what you want and need to take based on your plans for transfer. If you have a school in mind for the BSN, I would suggest looking into that schools BSN curriculum to get some idea of what they require as far as pre-reqs, GPA, etc.

Good luck!

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Specializes in NICU.
What's the difference between the two? Sorry I'm so ignorant about this subject, I'm kind of on my own with my education...

There is two different pathways to get your BSN. The first is to get an Associates in Nursing, pass NCLEX and become an RN, and then enter a RN-BSN program designed for ASN RNs to get their BSN. The alternate route is to get your BSN without getting your ASN first. Many students take their pre-req classes (A&P, Microbiology, etc.) at a CC since it is usually cheaper, then transfer those credits to the 4 year university and take the nursing classes for the BSN.

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^ Thank you so much! You really cleared it up for me! Very informative.

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I think I'm doing the second option. My courses are set up so I can do my prerequisites and then transfer my credits and take the BSN nursing classes at a university.

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Specializes in ICU.

You won't be doing the medical classes until you are in the program. You are doing what is called the prereqs right now. First off, look at what the prereqs are for the programs you are looking at. Make sure you get those done. Make sure your classes from your current school will transfer. Last, do well in your prereqs! Nursing school is competitive so get the best grades possible. Good Luck!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Should I be doing more "nurse-based" studying right now, or does that only come later on when I have already achieved my A.S. degree?

Click on the link below. It will answer many of your questions about how college works.

https://allnurses.com/online-nursing-schools/faqs-first-generation-918245.html

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You need to find a specific BSN program at a college you want to attend. Look at the course pre-requisite requirements, and then take that to your guidance counselor. The good news is, there are a ton of pre req's so you probably can fit what you are currently taking into a BSN degree, but it's good to have a system set up. Good luck.

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Specializes in ER.

You need to find a specific BSN program that you want to do. My advice is to honestly look at four or five different programs including two ADN programs. Research what requirements they have as all schools are different. Some may require medical terminology or they may require sociology 101 whereas another may require a 3 hour nutrition class but another may only require 2 hours. Talk to each school and find out what classes will transfer and what they require to be admitted. Some may require different levels of anatomy or someone may require a Spanish class. Get course plans from each school too. One example is the college algebra. My ADN program used to require college algebra but now they require statistics. The students still have to take college algebra but now it is an additional math class.

Unfortunately, you will need to do the legwork 99% of the time as the admission counselors are overworked and rarely know anything about the requirements for all the different schools (as in the departments, not other universities) they manage. They also aren't responsible for managing other universities and ensuring their stuff will transfer correctly.

Also, some schools get hundreds of applicants and so they only take the top X amount. Not all BSN schools are good though either and it may not be the shortest route. I have my ADN and I worked out a plan where I did all of my pre-reqs in nursing school and now I am getting a BSN within a year of graduating with my ADN.

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