Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, where do I start?

[incandenza]

Hello all, I am 25 years old and one year out of college. I received my bachelor's degree in Philosophy with the intention of going to law school. After a year of thinking it over, I have come to the conclusion that law school is probably not for me. Nursing is something I had always entertained but never thought about seriously (my father has been an emergency room nurse in NYC for over a decade and has always loved his job). After some deliberation and many long talks with my father, I think that I would like to become a nurse. My problem is mainly this: having majored in philosophy and minored in English literature, I went through all of college without ever taking any real science classes (besides two astronomy classes which obviously are not relevant), and the truth is I am very confused about where to start. From what I have researched online, I believe I would be able to apply to an accelerated BSN program if I take the prerequisite classes. Is this the path I take? Do you need to have some other type of nursing degree to be considered for a BSN, or will my bachelor's plus the prereqs be sufficient? It seems that if I can find guidance anywhere it would be these forums. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[barleynhopsBSN]

You will need any bachelors degree plus pre-reqs for an ABSN program. I would start by taking Biology or A&P while you figure out the specific pre-reqs for the nursing schools you want to apply to. It can be overwhelming having to start from scratch with the science pre-reqs, but it can certainly be done. I have a previous degree in Art History and always avoided science but after a few pre-reqs I found the science classes very interesting.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I recommend investigating the requirements of the schools that interest you before you invest more time and money in specific classes that may or may not be required by those schools. Each school is different and requirements can vary dramatically.

Are there some specific schools/programs that interest you? If not, then it would be worth it to start looking at various programs to find a few that would suit your needs well. Once you have identified some that interest you, then look closely at their requirements.

[juliaann]

I totally agree with barleynhopsRN. I have a BA in history and am beginning my ABSN in June! Start by looking at the pre-reqs required for ABSN programs in your area (most schools have this online), and then start taking them! I found it most affordable to take them at my local community college. I needed A&P I&II, Microbiology, Intro to Psych, Developmental Psych, Chem II, Statistics, and a government class. Somehow in my history degree they couldn't find a single class that would transer as a goverment credit - drove me up a wall! But I had biology and chem I from my previous degree, so I counted it as a fair trade. :)

You can also consider getting your ADN - it will probably require a lot of the same pre-reqs as an ABSN or traditional BSN program, but it might widen your application options if your ABSN is super competitve.

For me the ABSN route was the fastest option I had to get me the degree I wanted, so I just went for it!

[Mamba49]

I would suggest to look into the Accelerated Nursing Programs in your area or at schools you'd be interested in attending. Accelerated programs prequesites are usually pretty similiar, but they can vary a bit from school to school. Yes - an accelerated program sounds like your best bet. If you have a Bachelors in an area, other than nursing (which you do), take the prerequisites necessary (usually - Anatomy, Physiology, BioChem, Chem, nutrition, Psych, Stats, & Human Growth-Accross a lifespan, but some schools may want others like - organic chem, ethics, or med term, ). Then apply to an Accelerated program, and you can get your BSN. Depending on how many prerequ's you need, you can have your BSN in a reasonable amount of time, mainly because Accelerated Programs tend to be 12 - 15 months and usually consecutive semesters (summer, fall, spring, summer). You could be done in 2-3 years, depending on how many prerequ's you want to take each semester and depending on of course what you've taken so far. Good Luck!