Best Path to Becoming a Nurse (BSN and eventually maybe an NP)

[Apollo617]

Hello!

I've dragged my feet about finishing undergrad and also deciding what I want to be now that I'm supposed to be grown up. Now that I have a (surprise) baby, I've thought about it and want to go into Mental Health nursing. I've always loved psychology and want to work in the medical field. I am 14 classes away from completing a bachelor's in Psychology. I attended an info session at a local university and feel that I probably would not be accepted to the Nursing program at this time due to old credits and no current or applicable references. I'd like to finish my BSN as soon as possible, but also have a good job as I prepare for it. My options:

1. Finish my Psych degree and then apply to the accelerated Nursing program which is 18 months. I'd be back in school mode, finish my prerequisite courses and have current references from professors. Plus, I'd finish what I started and end with two degrees.

2. I can take a 12-14 month LPN course and find a job working as a nurse. Hopefully, with an employer who would pay for my BSN.

3. I can go to community college and get an associate's in nursing then do the 18 month RN to BSN program that hopefully my employer would pay for.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Do a bit of investigation into the job market in your area as part of your decision process. In many areas, hospitals (who pay the highest salaries) will only hire BSN grads. So ADN grads must look into non-acute employment such as LTC, clinics, physician offices, etc. LPN jobs in acute care are very rare.

While health care employers may provide some tuition reimbursement benefits, it is usually very minimal... usually not enough to cover more than one or two university classes per year. So it's not realistic to count on this as a sole method of financing your educational advancement.

It's wonderful that you have a great job right now. This certainly decreases the pressure to make an immediate decision. But keep in mind that its extremely difficult to work full time during an accelerated program due to the pace and intensity of the curriculum. If that's your plan, you'll need to squirrel away as much savings as possible while you're completing your pre-requisites in order to be prepared to cope with a drastic income decrease during that period of time.

Wishing you the absolute best of luck on your educational journey!