what are the best majors to better prepare you for an ABSN program?

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I just transfered to UCD from a CC and start my first quarter this fall and I have been really interested in pursuing a career in nursing. After months of research I think the best pathway for me is to go into one of Samuel Merritts ABSN programs but am a little unsure as to what the process is like, so hopefully those who have finished or are currently enrolled could give some much needed insight.

What major can better prepare you for an ABSN program? I've read that there are prereqs for the ABSN program, if so what? What is the application process like? What else, other than GPA, is put into consideration for admission?

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.

Your GPA for your prereqs is important - if you do well on your other classes but barely pass those, expect your application to make its way to the circular file. Some schools want you to fill out a personal statement or get letters of recommendation, so volunteering in medical settings, especially where you'll be interacting with nurses, definitely wouldn't hurt.

Every school I looked into had the prereqs listed on the school's webpage. However, most of the prereqs had the title used by their own school or local community college, so you'd have to call up your school of choice and see which courses at your current institution would qualify. Things like "Anatomy and Physiology" are easy to figure out, but others like "Life development" can be a bit wonky if you don't know what the class actually covers.

As for major, anything that gets lots of prereqs knocked off in the course of filling the requirements for the degree. Why do twice the work when you've already decided on an ABSN program afterwards? You should easily be able to turn a bio major into a glorified pre-nursing program if you know what prereqs you need ahead of time. Kinesiology might work as well if your university offers that. Check what other majors your school offers and compare their requirements to the local ABSN programs' prereqs and see what you find.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

I'm a little confused as to why you would want to obtain a Bachelor's Degree strictly for the purpose of going into a second Bachelor's Degree program, accelerated or not.

Why not work on your prerequisites at the community college and apply directly to a BSN program? It seems like that would be the quicker and less expensive way to go.

You will

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I agree with Jolie...I think it would save time if you focused on your prereqs at a CC rather then to get an extra degree if you're really determined to do nursing. You can also even get better grades there because classes aren't as hard. I know this because I graduated from UCD and the classes were much more difficult relative to classes at a CC.

I know that there is a 2-year BSN program at Samuel Merritt for transfer students. Maybe you can check that out on their website. They tell you all the prereqs that you need and other things about the admission process.

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Specializes in Telemetry.

Best majors.. I'd say biology or health science.

I don't fully agree that would be the *best* option for you, though. Have you looked into entry level master's programs? You could get a bachelor's in whatever, go to one of the ELMSN's, and then come out with your RN and a master's degree, instead of a second bachelor's (even if it takes a bit longer). Also, Davis is opening a brand new school of nursing next year, and will be taking in people for the bachelor's program starting 2010.

As for the pre-req's for Samuel Merritt, look here: http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/nursing/abs_nursing/requirements#prerequisits

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I agree with Jolie...I think it would save time if you focused on your prereqs at a CC rather then to get an extra degree if you're really determined to do nursing. You can also even get better grades there because classes aren't as hard. I know this because I graduated from UCD and the classes were much more difficult relative to classes at a CC.

I know that there is a 2-year BSN program at Samuel Merritt for transfer students. Maybe you can check that out on their website. They tell you all the prereqs that you need and other things about the admission process.

I also attended a 4 year college and received a BA. I'm now attending a CC doing prereqs for my adn. I completely disagree with you as far as difficulty. My 4 year and the cc were equal in difficulty. It's what you put into it that makes or breaks your grades, not where you take the class.

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.
I also attended a 4 year college and received a BA. I'm now attending a CC doing prereqs for my adn. I completely disagree with you as far as difficulty. My 4 year and the cc were equal in difficulty. It's what you put into it that makes or breaks your grades, not where you take the class.

Having a good many friends who went from being A-students at CC to barely B-students after transferring to a major research university, I have to differ on this one.

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I have also attended a University and a CC. I find that these courses differ greatly when it comes to difficulty. I would probably say I put an additional 15 hours/ 4 credit class a week when I was at the University. Personal Opinion: I don't think it's very fair when individuals are completing their pre-reqs at a CC... when others are working twice as hard at a University.

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Thanks for the great feedback guys!

I want to get my degree in Psycho-Bio because I ultimately want to pursue a career in Psych. I figure that nursing is a great stepping stool to get to where I want and by the time I finish the ABSN program, I'll already have a foundation for a Psych career with my degree as well as as a nursing degree. What I see most people do is that they pursue nursing to use as a stepping stone and they get stuck with that not being able to do what what they wanted to do in the first place. Don't get me wrong I'm pursuing nursing not just for its financial benefits but for the experience because I look forward to becoming a psych nurse and making a difference that way.

If I dropped out of university now and back to a cc, it would probably take me 1 year to finish my nursing pre-reqs ( i have 4 sciences to go and human dev & inter com) then 2 years to get an ADN, if I wanted a BSN it would take 2-3 years right? so just to get the ADN it would already take 3 years or so which would be the same amount of time I could get a regular degree (I am a junior now and should finish in 2 yrs) and the ABSN (which I understand is about 1 yr). I just did a lil more research with the ELMSN program and that takes about 2 years. So at least if I am successfull in my nursing pursuit I would have a regular BA and either a BSN or MSN depending on which program I choose, right?

jennafezz, could you explain a little more about the ELMSN programs (anyone from samuel merritt care to give a little insight?) and the difference between an ABSN program? How much longer is it? What are the requirements?

Ah thank you so much for the replies, this is so much more productive than sifting through google searches :yeah:

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I, too, am confused. Accelerated BSN programs are designed for people who already have a baccalaureate degree (or most of one, in some cases), who have now decided, after the fact, that they want to go into nursing. If you're starting from scratch, I don't see the logic in taking a baccalaureate degree (in something else) in order to get into an ABSN program ... Why not just work on getting into a traditional BSN program to begin with? Wouldn't that be quicker and cheaper? How did you decide that this would be "the best pathway" for you?

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Specializes in Telemetry.

jennafezz, could you explain a little more about the ELMSN programs (anyone from samuel merritt care to give a little insight?) and the difference between an ABSN program? How much longer is it? What are the requirements?

:yeah:

ELMSN programs are usually three years - the first year is very similar to the ABSN program (intense), and you can usually get your RN license after the first year. So really, you'd be getting your RN in one year, same as an ABSN. The next two years are spent on the master's degree.

http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/rnprograms.shtml#msn

this page shows the CA schools that have approved ELMSN programs.

As for your comments about getting a psych degree, I think that's a great idea and will really help with your future career. I'm going to get a Health Administration degree as well as a nursing degree because I eventually want to be in nursing administration.

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Specializes in Telemetry.
Having a good many friends who went from being A-students at CC to barely B-students after transferring to a major research university, I have to differ on this one.

I went to a state university for my first year, and transferred to a CC to finish GE/pre-req's.. I think the university had harder tests and general material, but the CC gave more busy work and homework, so I actually spent more time on CC work. Most of my university classes were all graded based on a few tests and nothing else, while the CC graded on tests/essays/homework/quizzes/attendance/etc.

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