Anyone here in/went through a 2nd degree BSN program??

caliotter3 · Mar 18, 2007

I was a second degree BSN student and was unable to complete it due to a lot of life circumstances. While I was in the program, I was doing well. What held me back GPA wise was the fact that they were factoring in the grades from my first degree which were not so hot. I think that you can do well as long as you do not overload yourself with life responsibilities while you are in school or get on the bad side of any of the school administration (a real problem for some students). Try to keep as much of your personal life to yourself as possible, as working is frowned upon, and some (yes, it is true) instructors may develop negative opinions of you for who knows what reason. These personality quibbles can bite you in the rear at the worst time. To be quite blunt, most of the cases of people who left my program that I became aware of, were not dropped purely because they did not do well academically, but because they developed problems with the instructors. Sad, but true. Otherwise, in general, people who are there for the 2d degree usually will be treated with a little more consideration than the younguns right out of high school. Good luck to you and I hope you are successful in your efforts.

sam027000 · Mar 18, 2007

Is your 2nd degree program accelerated or traditional length?

I am in an accelerated BSN 2nd degree program which is 13 months long. The program is divided into 3 levels. I am finishing up level one this week and am making A's. If I make A's on the final exams I'll end up with A's for final grades; if I make below an A I'll end up with a B for final grades. At my school you must earn an average of greater than 93 to receive and A and greater than 85 to receive a B.

The accelerated program is very fast paced and it is a struggle to maintain good grades. I know that it will only be harder as the material becomes more complex. With that said, most people who graduated from the program last year graduated with around a 3.0. That's good enough for most graduate schools, but obviously not quite up to par with the grades most crna schools are looking for.

I think a traditional length BSN program would allow more time to study and therefore make it quite possible to graduate with higher grades. Having a prior degree might even make it a little easier b/c you're not going to be trying to figure out exactly what is expected at the collegiate level in addition to the normal rigors of nursing school.

Hope that helps a little.

Good Luck!!

:)

piper_for_hire · Mar 19, 2007

I did a 12 month ABSN and there were only a few of us with competitive GPAs for grad school - meaning above 3.5. GPAs are only one factor in going to grad school, so you may want to consider the bigger picture.

If you go ABSN and want a good GPA, study like mad and don't listen to the C=RN crowd when it comes to study habits.

I start anesthesia school in a few months and at no time did my pre-nursing GPA come into play. They care about you as a nurse, not as what you did before nursing. If anything, your previous experience makes you more interesting/appealing to them.

-S

mudget · Mar 19, 2007

Dino,

I am also a 2nd degree BSN student (BS Bio. 2001). I'm finally graduating (again) this June, so it can be done. Pay heed, however to the previous posts because, in my opinion they are very accurate. The GPA is doable, but consider how much you will have to work because school is so demanding. Your science background will be helpful but I warn you not to get cocky and think that you know it all...Big mistake. Nursing is very different than the other science courses you may be familiar with, mostly in how the questions are phrased and the thought process. I had a true wake up call.

I would encourage you to go forth however because nursing really is rewarding. I am interested in hearing how the pharm. sales end of the job was for you, if you don't mind sharing. Good luck in your decision.

M

Dino · Mar 19, 2007

Well, to answer a few questions asked first, pharm sales is pretty demanding profession esp. if you work for a bigger comapny. Plus, job stability can be an issue for some. It's a young persons job, not to make a career out of at least not anymore. Most people in this field have 5 years or less, then burn out, get fired or laid off, etc...

Anyway, it sounds like the accelerated program is what I am going to do. I do have a strong work ethic and can log hours with the best of them. But alot of you are correct, nursing is voluminous material and that is what concerns me in a 12 month BSN program. The goal is not just get through but get through well. But I would think that knowing you got a BSN from an accelerated program, most grad programs including CRNA programs must recognize the difference between the PACE of an accelerated program vs a traditional rte or ADN. thus slighty below 3.5 should not rule one out, hopefully.

So, for those in a 2nd degree program or who have gone through. I have 4 months befre school starts what recommendations do you have with regards to studying ahead?

It's a nice feeling knowing I am going to get into another career path and not have to feel stuck!

sam027000 · Mar 20, 2007

If you want to get ahead you could ask the school for copies of the syllabi for your 1st term classes. That way you can get ahead on some reading if they'll be using the same books, etc. If you can't do that you might want to get a Pharm book and start reading/learning some drug classifications and practicing your calculations.

You could also make sure that you have your providers CPR up to date so that you don't have to take time to do that once classes begin. If you know of any research papers that'll be due, you could try to start your research.

Just a few ideas....