ASD Nursing Program - Fears With Making the Switch!

[Lina Marie]

Hi Everyone!

I'm supposed to be applying to MSW Programs this fall and will be graduating next May from Purdue--yet suddenly, I've had a change of heart with the degree I want to pursue!

I am currently studying child development/social work and psychology. I have always wanted to do something helping children, so for the longest time I've thought I wanted to be on the track of counseling therapy. Then I thought, why not go the medical route and try medical family therapy or child life? So I've been volunteering on the peds floor this summer, and suddenly I've found myself considering a career in nursing (which is funny, because when I was way younger, my first 'career choice' was to be a PICU Nurse--but then the thought of administering IV's freaked me out as a child, so I dropped it and never thought about it much again til now).

Don't get me wrong--I love my current major. It's not that I don't want to do counseling or child life anymore, it's just that I've suddenly gained an interest of incorporating those skills into an even larger medical role such as nursing.

As much as I really want to do this, I have some fears with making the switch. What if I don't do well with my pre-reqs, or end up hating those classes? Then I could have just graduated instead of staying an extra year. Or I fulfill my pre-reqs but don't get accepted into a nursing program. I feel like it's such a scary gamble! Any advice is appreciated!

[sandyfeet]

I have a BSW and am halfway through my nursing program. It was definitely scary to switch and feel like I was starting back at Square One, but I truly believe that my BSW has helped with the "art" of nursing. Anyone can memorize lab values, drugs, etc, but not everyone can make a real connection with another person and work towards a mutual goal. All of those counseling classes you took will definitely come in handy!

What really changed my mind was volunteering in a hospital, and then taking the pre-reqs for NS just got me more excited about my goal. If you have already volunteered, why not try just one or two classes like Anatomy and Microbiology to see how it goes? You can still apply for MSW programs if one semester with pre-reqs is absolutely horrible.