what Bachelors degree can I earn besides BSN (from RN)?

KendallAZ · Jan 17, 2012

Diagnostic Medical Sonography, a former nurse became one after she discovered being an RN wasn't what she thought. I hear the days are slower, too. But, I like the fast paced enviornment of nursing.

Forgot to mention you would need to do some extra courses. But the pre and co-reqs are pretty much the same as nursing (in my state of Arizona).

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 17, 2012

School nurse?? Most places you have to have your BSN, but it's different. I don't know what your old job was.

SweetPEI · Jan 17, 2012

Before jumping off the nursing wagon, simply think about what it is that you might be interested in. I guarantee that you can do it as a nurse. For example if you are interested in law you can become a legal nurse consultant, if you are interested in solving crime (i.e. Rape), you can become a forensic nurse. If you want to push paper all day you can become a case manager. Don't sell yourself short. There may be some type of nursing that you will love. You just have to find it. Use google to do a search of all nursing jobs. Hopefully you find something worth your time. Of course, don't push yourself where you are not comfortable. If you feel healthcare is not for you, find what is. In the end you can only be happy doing something that makes you happy.Best wishes

janice_c67, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2012

I was a phlebotomist for 16 years and I definitely love healthcare, but I think I would be happier in a different type of position. I want to get at least a bachelors but I think I want to do something other than BSN.

janice_c67, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2012

There are alot of other types of nursing I would be happy in I'm sure, but the job market being what it is for newbies, I can't have what I really want. The unit I'm on is about as far from what I really want as I can get but I just took the only job that came my way after a year and a half of job searching :/

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2012

It might not be nursing that you do not like, just the type of nursing you are doing. If you put me in LTC I would not last, did not like it in school, when I worked it for a short time. Now the ED, ICU, or OR were I have worked and loved I am happy. Also, 3 months is a short period of time, you are still getting your feet wet and developing your practice. As time goes by things will get easier, they still might be hard but you will be working smarter. As others have posted there are plently of healthcare options out there. Contact your local college and see what they have to offer. Speak with some of your old instructors about how you are feeling, if they are honest they will be able to give you feedback on your feelings about your feelings for nursing. For the most part they can tell if a student is going to like nursing or not, but that is not their job to weed you out for this. Also, they can be a resource for your education options. Good luck in whatever direction you take.

33762FL · Jan 18, 2012

The general education credits you have from non-nursing classes in your associate's degree, assuming they're from a community college and not a for-profit like Devry/Chamberlain or ITT Tech, will transfer to another school for ANY 4-year bachelor's program. However, nursing credits do not transfer to other degree programs. Nursing classes are in a special category, much like cooking classes, the credits won't count towards a bachelor's in Art History, journalism, etc.

I wouldn't be quick to give up your nursing career, even if you don't like your current job. You can take the general ed's and apply them to a 4-year degree in something else, but keep in mind that doing this likely won't yield better job prospects than you currently have, especially since you ARE working as a nurse. A bachelor's degree in English, History, Journalism, Education, marine biology, and pretty much anything else aren't worth the paper they're printed on and graduates are lucky to be working as baristas and cashiers. And job poor prospects are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the problems with job-hunting after getting a bachelor's, there's also the issue of the huge costs of the degree and associated debt you may drown in.

Just my opinion - but if you're employed now, I'd really think twice about trading in nursing for a useless bachelor's in another subject, student debt, and (likely) a low paid joe-job.

AZMOMO2 · Jan 19, 2012

I was a phlebotomist for 16 years and I definitely love healthcare, but I think I would be happier in a different type of position. I want to get at least a bachelors but I think I want to do something other than BSN.

Have you looked into infusion nursing? You can work as an infusion nurse with your current degree, RN, as well as you phlebotomist experience should help as well.

Sarah G · Jan 20, 2012

I was a phlebotomist for 16 years and I definitely love healthcare, but I think I would be happier in a different type of position. I want to get at least a bachelors but I think I want to do something other than BSN.

Maybe you could find something along that area. At my hospital there is an IV therapy team, they pretty much go all over the hospital getting labs & placing IVs in the more difficult pts that unit nurses couldn't get.

CNA1991, CNA · Jan 22, 2012

Maybe a resperitory therapist or you can go on to get a MSN in physical or occupational therapy?

kcmylorn · Jan 22, 2012

Look at different colleges and universities under the general heading of :Bachelors of Science. A BSN is only one small course of study under the science department. You can obtain a BS(bachelors of science) in Microbiology, chemistry, biology, botany, physics any of the sciences, nursing is only one small area. If this is the case alot of your science courses you took in nursing will transfer providing there was a lab component and a "C" or "B" as a final grade depending on that specific department's rules- the microbiology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology. Say this senario for example: you posted you like phlebotomy and did phlebotomy for a number of years, you could get a BS(bachelors of science) in microbiology, work in a hospital, commercial( example: Labcorp, Quest diagnostics) or a state or federal government lab, or maybe a pharmaceudical lab doing drug studies for 6,7, 8th generation antibiotics, anti retrovirals for HIV, vaccines or be the head of the lab dept in any of these places and then possibly go on to get a Masters of science in epidemiology or Public Health- either of which could land a position in a state dept of health or federal governemnt as the head of the Infectious disease program. Look into what it requires to get into clinical trials, research.

I worked a temp position in my state's dept of health- infectious disease program for 6 months, I am a diploma RN for 30 yrs. My boss was the the Head of the Dept, had a bachelors of science in I think- lab science or microbiology, and a master's of science in epidemiology. She was NOT a nurse and was NEVER a nurse. She began her career in the lab of a hospital, became the lab dept head/supervisor/manager and moved up to head the infectious disease program of my state department of health. calls came into the state dept of health from anyone- private citizens, Dr's offices, nurses in the ED or on the inpatient units of the hospitals, the infection control practioner in the hospital, county epidemiologists, industry workers, family members, the patient's themselves- anybody. These complaints reached her desk. She headed communicable disease out break investigations- the latest being H1N1, chemical spills that had direct links to cancer insidences in certain areas, criminal investigations of unlicensed individuals practicing medicine and nursing with out licenses that caused infectious disease in patients, outbreaks of infectious diseases in hospitals, LTC, restaurants- which involved tearing apart, food prep equipment, plumbing and drainage systems and collecting samples, suspected bioterrorism attacks- suspected anthrax exposures. She frequently collaborated with the state's lab- public health environmental lab( in certain instances this is the only lab allowed by law to handle certain specimens for certain criminal investigations), state's attorney general's office, the state's dept of homeland security. She was responsible for creating state guidlines for reportable infectious diseases and the managment guidelines for these outbreak's surveillience, state guidelines for isolation standards of practice for healthcare facilities; communication, reporting to, collaborating with and gathering required statistical reports to be submitted to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.

This is a world that few nurses see or even know anything about. And I was fired from my perdeim acute care bedside hospital position when my nurse manager found out I was working this temp position at this Infectious disease program at the DOH. I suddenly became(after 2 years) "not a good fit"