BS to RN? How?

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Hey there,

I am a senior about to graduate in May with a BS and am thinking about going the Nursing route. Can anyone tell me what my options are after graduation? What schools to look into so I dont have to re-do my undergraduate work? HELP.

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Specializes in Infusion.

You can either do the Associated degree at a community college and take the nursing pre-reqs which will include things like anatomy & physiology, microbiology, general and developmental psych, nutrition, and possible chemistry/biology and statistics in order to apply to a nursing program. Or, you could find an accelerated BSN (bachelor's degree in nursing) program that will get you through all of the pre-reqs and nursing classes in about 2 years, maybe longer. I have a BS from 25 years ago in business admin. which kept me from having to take about 5 more classes at my local community college.

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you dont have to redo all your work your just going to have to take additonal classes to be able to apply to nursing schools. they dont care if you have a degree as much as you have their prereqs. that really depends on which program u go to. i have a bachelors degree already as well. thats why i decided to go to a ADN program to become an RN. its cheaper and there are less prereqs. im also planning on doing a bridge gap programs and get my msn eventually. All programs require A&P with the labs. the rest it really depends. some like nutrition, chemistry, micro with the lab it really depends. but dont expect not to take any prereqs bc u have a BA that most likely wont happen unless you took the prereqs as you were earning you BA

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I have a B.S. and M.B.A. and almost done with my M.S. from Medical School. I am applying for an "Accelerated B.S.N." which is specifically designed for those who have a bachelors degree in another dicipline else. The programs called ABSN for short, allow you to obtain a second bachelors degree usually in about 1 year to 15 months depending on the school.

There are prerequisites usually Nutrition, Microbiology, and some other minor requirements that are usually completed towards a bachelors degree anyhow.

This is the quickest way to get a nursing degree to be able to take the NCLEX to become an R.N. after you already have a bachelors degree. Hope this helps.

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I have a B.S. and M.B.A. and almost done with my M.S. from Medical School. I am applying for an "Accelerated B.S.N." which is specifically designed for those who have a bachelors degree in another dicipline else. The programs called ABSN for short, allow you to obtain a second bachelors degree usually in about 1 year to 15 months depending on the school.

There are prerequisites usually Nutrition, Microbiology, and some other minor requirements that are usually completed towards a bachelors degree anyhow.

This is the quickest way to get a nursing degree to be able to take the NCLEX to become an R.N. after you already have a bachelors degree. Hope this helps.

not always. i looked into that route and i needed more prereqs than i would need to get into the adn program im in right now. the adn program only wanted chem, eng, a&p 1 with labs and A&p 2 with labs. who doesnt have english if you have a degree. not to mention accelerate bsn program have crazy gpa requirements at this point. and they look at your overall gpa. adn programs look at just your prereq so the best direction if you have a Bachelors isnt set in stone it depends on the person unique situation

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With all the schools I have researched, the Accelerated B.S.N. is (in my opinion) the best choice for those who already have a bachelors degree who want to be an R.N. as quickly as possble. I will explain in further detail:

The Associates in Nursing (A.D.N) takes 2-3 years generally no matter what degree you already have. The A.D.N has its disadvantages if you ever plan to pursue a higher degree in Nursing since you have to complete a B.S.N. in the greatest majority to be able to apply to specific M.S.N or Ph.D. Nursing programs. If you have an associates and decide to pursue a higher degree later on than it may take you 7+ additional years depending on the specialty/degree/etc. (assuming +2 yrs for RNtoBSN, +2 yrs MSN, +3yrs PhD)

A.B.S.N. takes 11 months to 15 months generally. Most are 12 months.

Each program has its own specific curriculum and requirements. I would urge you to do your research before deciding what route to take.

Keep in mind that the "pre-reqs" for some A.B.S.N. programs are requirements anyway in the curriculum of A.D.N. For example- Microbiology or Nutrition (This explains why the ADN is longer than the Accelerated B.S.N.) Hence, YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE THE CLASS NO MATTER WHAT.

The A.B.S.N. pre-reqs can be completed over the summer plus 1 semester if you are extremely dedicated (if you have NONE of the nursing pre-reqs) and depending on the school you are applying to .

not always. i looked into that route and i needed more prereqs than i would need to get into the adn program im in right now. the adn program only wanted chem, eng, a&p 1 with labs and A&p 2 with labs. who doesnt have english if you have a degree. not to mention accelerate bsn program have crazy gpa requirements at this point. and they look at your overall gpa. adn programs look at just your prereq so the best direction if you have a Bachelors isnt set in stone it depends on the person unique situation
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You have several options, no matter what you choose you complete the Nursing pre-requisites which tend to be Anatomy and Physiology I&II, Microbiology, Chemistry I&II, College Algebra, Stats, Developmental Psych, etc--some variation does exist--not all schools require Micro or 2 levels of Chemistry, for example.

1--RN (usually and ADN program) offered through community colleges. The programs typically last 2 years. It is typically the cheapest route.

2--BSN offered by a 4-yr university in a 4-yr program, with your electives, probably cut down to 2-3 years. This could be VERY expensive having a bachelor's if you are close to maximizing your undergraduate loans. You also cannot receive any federal grants to fund your education if you already hold a bachelors.

3--Accelerated BSN. A condensed version of the 4 year program for people who hold bachelor's degrees. Most programs I have seen are 1-2 years. Also presents a financial challenge for those of us who hold BS/BA degrees.

4--Accelerated MSN. You first phase earns you an RN, the second phase concentrates on your specialty. The accerated portion is 1-1.5 years, and you are an RN. Then you complete the Master's portion. In this case, your maximum loans increase to fund graduate education. This option is financially the best for those of us with bachelor's.

The accelerated programs are highly INTENSE and highly competitve. All nursing programs are, but anytime you put the same quantity of information in a shorter period of time, it is intense.

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not always. i looked into that route and i needed more prereqs than i would need to get into the adn program im in right now. the adn program only wanted chem, eng, a&p 1 with labs and A&p 2 with labs. who doesnt have english if you have a degree. not to mention accelerate bsn program have crazy gpa requirements at this point. and they look at your overall gpa. adn programs look at just your prereq so the best direction if you have a Bachelors isnt set in stone it depends on the person unique situation

With regard to the G.P.A requirements.... A MINIMUM 2.5 or 2.75 is not a crazy GPA requirement for A.B.S.N.

I can't imagine anyone with a G.P.A. below a 2.5 being able to pass Nursing school much less the NCLEX (unless the person is really a CHANGED person- special cases do happen) no matter which program you choose- it is VERY CHALLENGING no matter what program. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

I must add that it is more challenging to get into an associates program in Nursing then the A.B.S.N. I will explain:

There are many more students you are competing with in the Associates program than the Accelerated Bachelors. This is realistic because there are far less people with Bachelors degrees who want to apply to become accepted to a nursing program. If they only "judge" you based on 4 pre-requisite class GPA then just wonder how many people have a 4.0 GPA in those pre-requisite classes that you are competing with.

*Remember they don't just look at GPA. They look at your track record- honors, awards, volunteering, etc.

When it comes to the GPA it is ALWAYS school-dependent. As with either program, if your GPA is low, you may consider applying in the private sector. Ofcourse, more people apply to public schools for various reasons and there is a higher pool of candidates to choose from with very competitive GPA's. In the case of a low GPA I would advise applying to a variety of schools both private and public and see what happens.

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With all the schools I have researched, the Accelerated B.S.N. is (in my opinion) the best choice for those who already have a bachelors degree who want to be an R.N. as quickly as possble. I will explain in further detail:

The Associates in Nursing (A.D.N) takes 2-3 years generally no matter what degree you already have. The A.D.N has its disadvantages if you ever plan to pursue a higher degree in Nursing since you have to complete a B.S.N. in the greatest majority to be able to apply to specific M.S.N or Ph.D. Nursing programs. If you have an associates and decide to pursue a higher degree later on than it may take you 7+ additional years depending on the specialty/degree/etc. (assuming +2 yrs for RNtoBSN, +2 yrs MSN, +3yrs PhD)

A.B.S.N. takes 11 months to 15 months generally. Most are 12 months.

Each program has its own specific curriculum and requirements. I would urge you to do your research before deciding what route to take.

Keep in mind that the "pre-reqs" for some A.B.S.N. programs are requirements anyway in the curriculum of A.D.N. For example- Microbiology or Nutrition (This explains why the ADN is longer than the Accelerated B.S.N.) Hence, YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE THE CLASS NO MATTER WHAT.

The A.B.S.N. pre-reqs can be completed over the summer plus 1 semester if you are extremely dedicated (if you have NONE of the nursing pre-reqs) and depending on the school you are applying to .

I see your point but there are schools that will accept you into their CRNA, NP etc with an RN and a bachelors in another area. they just add a couple classes to your schedule and bridge you in. but like you said not all schools do that. My adn program is 18 months. its not accelerated. i needed eng, a&p1 and 2 plus the labs and chemistry to get in. THATS ALL :) all the bsn schools needed 4-5 classes more. not mention the gpa requirements for accelerated bsns are crazy. not everyone has 3.8 cum average. all the bsn programs around here look at your overall gpa. so if you dont have a 3.5 your not going to get into a bsn program in florida. at least not in south florida. i had a 3.35 and got into my adn program. so i think it really depends on the situation. to me in this situation its the quickest most secure way to go through nursing school

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

To Tina:

I have a B.A. and in the process of applying to two schools: 1. An ABSN and 2. An AASN. Yup, an AASN! I didn't realize the CC by me offers an Accelerated ASN program, which is completed in 3 semesters; much shorter than the ABSN program. So, overall I'm hoping to get into the AASN program because I'll be an R.N. quicker that route. Afterwards there are RN-MSN bridges I'm going to do later.

I've already completed all the prerequistes required for both schools. Overall, including the prereques, if I get into the AASN program, it'll take me 2 years to complete. If I got into the ABSN program it'll take me 2 1/2 years.

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I'm in South Florida. I know someone who got into University of Miami ABSN with 3.0 GPA overall and 3.2 in pre-reqs. From my sources, in Central FL Remington College was unable to fill their all their open seats during their last term (Summer) for their ABSN program although I'm not entire sure of the accuracy of this.

The CRNA will be a Ph.D soon (within the next 5 to 10 years from now or so...depending on how quickly they can make the transition) and those requirements and "bridge" programs will have to change in order to abide by regulations for the transition from Masters to Ph.D. only. When this happens, there will be no Masters for NP or CRNA- they will be Ph.D. sooner than we anticipate. All those who are already NP or CRNA will be grandfathered in. I know a student working on her CRNA at Barry U and she said that they are working on converting their CRNA to a Ph.D.

When this happens, I doubt that a Ph.D. program (for NP or CRNA) will accept applications with a minumum Associates degree requirement. My advice is that if you want to be an NP or CRNA do it now before the changes take effect. From my understanding CRNA was suppose to be a Ph.D. by 2012 but they are running behind.

I see your point but there are schools that will accept you into their CRNA, NP etc with an RN and a bachelors in another area. they just add a couple classes to your schedule and bridge you in. but like you said not all schools do that. My adn program is 18 months. its not accelerated. i needed eng, a&p1 and 2 plus the labs and chemistry to get in. THATS ALL :) all the bsn schools needed 4-5 classes more. not mention the gpa requirements for accelerated bsns are crazy. not everyone has 3.8 cum average. all the bsn programs around here look at your overall gpa. so if you dont have a 3.5 your not going to get into a bsn program in florida. at least not in south florida. i had a 3.35 and got into my adn program. so i think it really depends on the situation. to me in this situation its the quickest most secure way to go through nursing school
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