Any new 2nd degree nurses?

[cjog]

Hi all~

I'll be starting an accelerated second degree program soon to earn my BSN/RN. (My first degree was in English) Anyway, I was just hoping to hear from some second degree students who are in their first year of nursing and what your experiences have been thus far. My main concern is the fast pace of the these progrmas - I mean, if nurses in 'normal' programs are going through stress and struggles and not feeling as if nursing shcool prepared them as much, I'm wondering how those who who earned the degree in 12 months feel? I'd love to hear from you, or any stories from anyone you know who may have done this. Thanks all! Have a great day

[kc_jellybean]

1st degree = BA in Soc, just graduated in May w/ my BSN from a 1yr accelerated program. I felt like my clinical exp was lacking, but it was my own fault - I did not seek out experiences as agressively as I should have, b/c I felt insecure and, well, frankly, frightened!

As a result, I was drawn to an orientation program - "fellowship" - 6 months in length at my hosp. During this time, I have done pretty much every invasive procedure I avoided during clinicals - w/ the exception of dropping an NG. Additionally, my hosp provided all the orientees w/ 1 day in the GI lab to practice IVs.

While I still feel overwhelmed, and regularly second-guess my career choice, I have no doubt that the fellowship really helped to fill the gaps in my education. Like one of the previous posts stated, I wish I had worked as a CNA/tech while I was in school - I think this would've helped me develop my time management skills and helped me feel more comfortable in the hospital/clinical setting. (Previously I worked in a ofc for 8 years!)

Good luck!

[Yahaya]

HI

I have A B.S. already I was wondering what the benifits of a 2nd B.S. in nursing would be?

[Goldenhare]

It probably wouldn't hurt, however, it depends what you want to do with it. I have a BS and graduated with an ASN in May. I went to Virginia Commonwealth University to enquire about finishing the BSN, and they basically told me not to bother because of the BS. They told me I needed only 3 "prereqs"-their term, not mine before I could go into the MSN program. Some schools also have a untraditional BS to MS program also. Talk to some career advising people at some colleges or go online and research it. Talk to the human resources department of wher you want to work also. Good Luck!:)