Best path to nursing school? Almost have BA in liberal arts...

[mikey_z]

Hi everyone,

Since the summer, I have seriously been reconsidering nursing and doing lots of research, contemplation, and praying about it. I really feel called to this profession.

In high school, I took Health Occupations, and did clinicals with nurses at the hospital, and urgent care. There was also a rotation at the Vet office, which is the reason I took the course -- I wanted to be a veterinarian my whole life. My freshman year of college, I didn't do so well in Chemistry, and because of that abandoned my dream of being a veterinarian. I spent years trying to figure out my "Plan B," taking classes in the social sciences, business, humanities, etc. Anyways, to make this short -- my senior year of college, I realize I miss learning about science and how the body works. I took Chemistry again and received an A.

I have a strong desire to help people. I feel my purpose in life is to be an instrument of healing in this world. When I was younger in high school, I loved health care, but wasn't anywhere near as much of a people person as I am now. I have grown so much, in so many ways. I'm much more outgoing, and love being around people.

I'm expecting to graduate this summer or fall with a BA in Multidisciplinary Studies. After this semester, I'll only have 3 --5 classes left (depending on if I pass the CLEP tests for History and Literature). I'm trying to figure out the best way for me to go to nursing school and become a nurse. I would like to start working in health care as soon as possible. What types of health care jobs could I get with my BA? I was thinking about getting a job doing something health care related while taking some pre-reqs at the community college part time after I graduate from my current university. My uncle worked as an EMT before nursing school, so I've been looking into that as well, getting certified as an EMT or a CNA and do that while finishing my BA. I'd love to do phlebotomy, but I hear it's hard to find a job without years of experience.

Any kind of direction or advice is greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!

[leenak]

Honestly, your BA won't buy you much in general. Your best bet would be to take a CNA course or other quick entry level jobs. Then do pre-reqs at a community college. Unless you are able to stay on at your school, don't graduate and take pre-reqs there.

[TenderTouch, RN]

I also have a B.A., but entered an accelerated BSN program to obtain a BSN. You can get your EMT cert or CNA first before jumping shoulder deep into a nursing program. As the previous poster stated, you can start taking some of the common prereqs needed for a nursing program, such as sociology, psychology, etc. at a communitiy college. Most of those prereqs have a 10-year expiration date, but not the sciences, so be mindful of that when deciding to go back to school to pursue nursing. Start looking at all nursing programs that may interest you, including ADNs, ABSNs, and EL-MSNs and weigh the pros and cons.

[J.Juarez]

Oops sorry