Pre-Health or RPN to BScN Degree?

xokw, BSN, RN · Apr 27, 2015

HI,
I was just curious on your opinions on which route to take!
I do not have the grades to get into any of the BScN programs in Ontario, which is my final goal. Would you recommend taking a Pre-Health course to get right into the BScN program or would you recommend the RPN route and then do a bridging program to get the BScN degree? They will both take 5 years to complete so it is not an opinion of taking the "shorter route".
I have been out of Highschool for 4 years now but have also attended Post-Secondary school but don't have the GPA to get into the BScN programs.
I also do not qualify as a mature student for most schools.
I appreciate all of your comments! :)

Both are valid options. Do you have the grades to get into a PN program? They are still quite competitive.

The upside to going RPN-BScN is that after two years you are a working nurse. You're earning more money and gaining EXTREMELY valuable work experience which makes a huge difference in the BScN program. That is my experience :)

KarleyLynn · Apr 28, 2015

I have the minimum requirements to get into RPN programs, but I applied for this year and have been waitlisted. I am currently upgrading my Grade 12 Biology and that should be good enough to be accepted for 2016!

Thanks for your input :)

Maxg1983 · Apr 28, 2015

Hi

(was going to reply on pre health but noticed you replied on upgrading :) )

Toaster · Apr 29, 2015

I'd take RPN to BScN degree. Atleast you know at the end of the day, you have a RPN diploma whereas pre-health you gotta apply again and since you'll be using your pre-health GPA, it'll be harder. Don't get me wrong, it's still competitive even with high school grades by itself.

I will say it again, I think college application process sucks. It's first come first serve. Make sure you submit your required documents as soon as possible.

Also, which college/university will you be applying next year? :)

KarleyLynn · Apr 29, 2015

Thanks :)

I was looking at maybe going to Loyalist if I did the RPN route. I guess they have an agreement with Brock that if I do the RPN program there, then I can go to Brock and do the last 2 years of the BScN program. The only thing I'm afraid with that though, is I don't want to rush my studying, if it affects my competency I'd rather do the extra year in a bridging program.

So that's one school lol, I was also debating on Fanshawe, Conestoga, (I live between London and Kitchener), or going to Lambton which is where I have gone before.

If I decide not to get my BScN with Brock, Conestoga and Lambton are the only 2 Colleges I know about that have good bridging programs.

klovesedamame · May 4, 2015

I was in the exact same position as you in 2011. I didn't have the grades to get into a BScN program and wasn't sure of what route to take. I still did not have the prereqs for RPN or even pre-health at some schools, so I ended up taking two and a half years (lol) to do my gr. 11 chem/bio. After all this work, I did not want to do pre health. In 2013, I decided to take the RPN route as I felt I just wanted to get into the working world faster than being in the educational world. Fortunately (although, it felt like an 'unfortunately' at the time), I did not get into an RPN program for Fall 2013 or even Winter 2014. I wasn't sure what else I could do, so I decided to apply to a Pre Health program that would allow me to get my RN (At the time, I believe the only places that would allow me to do this would be Fanshawe or Flemming). I applied to Pre-Health for Winter 2014 at Fanshawe and got accepted and decided this was the way I was going to go.

I am biased, but I loved my time in pre-health. I found like I met a good group of people who, like me, had unique stories in educational experiences. A lot of different degrees, or unfinished attempts at school and this was the route they had to take to get into the health science career they wanted. I know people find it a waste of time, but to me, I actually found the information I was learning valuable and similar to what I can expect in my first year of nursing this September. The content itself you have to know isn't terribly hard, what is challenging is learning to balance a schedule because the volume of information is huge. PHS is competitive, and taking it does not guarantee you a spot in a BScN program, but the same can be said for a bridge program. You still have to have the grades to get into a BScN program no matter what route you take. I believe the cut off this year to get into Western Nursing was a 3.9 GPA from the PHS program at Fanshawe (The highest possible GPA at Fanshawe is a 4.2) - something that is completely do-able.

I've never met anybody who completed an RPN and a bridging program in five years. My friend is finishing up bridging right now and from the time she started her RPN to now, it has been almost seven years. This is because she had to get into school, graduate, write the licensing exam, find a job as an RPN, work the set amount of hours required for a bridging program, apply to a bridging program, get accepted and start. She loves it because she is working at a hospital that has an agreement that they will cover the cost of tuition and books if you commit to five years of working at the hospital and she absolutely loves this because she feels she is not only making money working as an RPN currently, but also getting her degree without having to spend as much. However, the hospital she works at isn't hiring RN's right now so she will have to fulfill the last three years of her commitment as an RPN with RN credentials or wait until an RN position opens up. So there is that downfall.

Ultimately the choice is yours, and if you have any questions about PHS I can most certainly do my best to answer them. :)

xokw, BSN, RN · May 4, 2015

I was in the exact same position as you in 2011. I didn't have the grades to get into a BScN program and wasn't sure of what route to take. I still did not have the prereqs for RPN or even pre-health at some schools, so I ended up taking two and a half years (lol) to do my gr. 11 chem/bio. After all this work, I did not want to do pre health. In 2013, I decided to take the RPN route as I felt I just wanted to get into the working world faster than being in the educational world. Fortunately (although, it felt like an 'unfortunately' at the time), I did not get into an RPN program for Fall 2013 or even Winter 2014. I wasn't sure what else I could do, so I decided to apply to a Pre Health program that would allow me to get my RN (At the time, I believe the only places that would allow me to do this would be Fanshawe or Flemming). I applied to Pre-Health for Winter 2014 at Fanshawe and got accepted and decided this was the way I was going to go.
I am biased, but I loved my time in pre-health. I found like I met a good group of people who, like me, had unique stories in educational experiences. A lot of different degrees, or unfinished attempts at school and this was the route they had to take to get into the health science career they wanted. I know people find it a waste of time, but to me, I actually found the information I was learning valuable and similar to what I can expect in my first year of nursing this September. The content itself you have to know isn't terribly hard, what is challenging is learning to balance a schedule because the volume of information is huge. PHS is competitive, and taking it does not guarantee you a spot in a BScN program, but the same can be said for a bridge program. You still have to have the grades to get into a BScN program no matter what route you take. I believe the cut off this year to get into Western Nursing was a 3.9 GPA from the PHS program at Fanshawe (The highest possible GPA at Fanshawe is a 4.2) - something that is completely do-able.
I've never met anybody who completed an RPN and a bridging program in five years. My friend is finishing up bridging right now and from the time she started her RPN to now, it has been almost seven years. This is because she had to get into school, graduate, write the licensing exam, find a job as an RPN, work the set amount of hours required for a bridging program, apply to a bridging program, get accepted and start. She loves it because she is working at a hospital that has an agreement that they will cover the cost of tuition and books if you commit to five years of working at the hospital and she absolutely loves this because she feels she is not only making money working as an RPN currently, but also getting her degree without having to spend as much. However, the hospital she works at isn't hiring RN's right now so she will have to fulfill the last three years of her commitment as an RPN with RN credentials or wait until an RN position opens up. So there is that downfall.
Ultimately the choice is yours, and if you have any questions about PHS I can most certainly do my best to answer them. :)

Your comment about the time it takes to bridge is extremely misleading.

The full-time bridging programs in Ontario are 3 years in length. At McMaster, at Ryerson, at every school I looked into when making my decisions about where to bridge (which I am currently doing and on track to finish in just under 5 years). When you add those 3 years on top of a 2 year RPN program, it is 5 years. For these programs you do not need to work a set amount of hours, I was accepted right into my bridging program after graduation (even before being licensed, which by the way takes no time at all, just send in the papers) as well as about 80% of my classmates. Very few had taken any significant amount of time off in between programs, and for those who did it was their personal decision to do so, not a program requirement.

However, there are MANY part-time options available (such as nipissing and Athabasca) that do have specific requirements regarding necessary amount of work hours, but those are part-time programs so people can move at their own pace. Because they are part-time they obviously take quite a lot longer to complete, up to 7 years.

I just thought I should clear it up so there is no confusion for future students reading the post.

KarleyLynn · May 6, 2015

Thanks guys for all your posts! I appreciate reading all of your experiences and tips that you may have. :)

I am aware of the bridging programs which you can complete in 5 years (at McMaster, Ryerson and wherever else). But a new bridging program opened up with Lambton College and they do require you get at least a years working experience after completing the RPN program before you can be accepted into the bridging program. As far as I know Lambton is the only one with these requirements and everywhere else, like xokw has said, can be completed in 5 years.

klovesdamame, which school did you attend the bridging program that requires you to have working experience before you can apply to the bridging program?

klovesedamame · May 6, 2015

Oh wow, I didn't realize my information was wrong. Do you know if it has changed over time? I only shared what I knew because I had talked to my friend years ago about what route was best for me and she said that it was definitely a good route to go - it was just the set number of hours she had to work to be able to get into a bridging program. Weird. Maybe I misunderstood? I also remember reading a thread back here closer to 2011 about bridging where someone said most schools want you to work at least 6 months before applying/being accepted. But again, that was quite a few years back. Maybe things have changed, or maybe they haven't and it was just wrong information. But thanks for letting me know the proper information and correcting it so that other members don't get confused :)

Anyways, thanks for letting me know again :) Congrats on almost being done bridging.

KarleyLynn - I actually haven't attended a bridging school because I couldn't get into RPN so I went the PHS route and am starting my BScN in September. It was my friend who was in the bridging program and she is at UOIT. I have known other people who have taken over five years to complete, but after reading the comment above, I am going to guess that they went part time.

oneblue · Jun 14, 2015

Oh wow, I didn't realize my information was wrong. Do you know if it has changed over time? I only shared what I knew because I had talked to my friend years ago about what route was best for me and she said that it was definitely a good route to go - it was just the set number of hours she had to work to be able to get into a bridging program. Weird. Maybe I misunderstood? I also remember reading a thread back here closer to 2011 about bridging where someone said most schools want you to work at least 6 months before applying/being accepted. But again, that was quite a few years back. Maybe things have changed, or maybe they haven't and it was just wrong information. But thanks for letting me know the proper information and correcting it so that other members don't get confused :)
Anyways, thanks for letting me know again :) Congrats on almost being done bridging.
KarleyLynn - I actually haven't attended a bridging school because I couldn't get into RPN so I went the PHS route and am starting my BScN in September. It was my friend who was in the bridging program and she is at UOIT. I have known other people who have taken over five years to complete, but after reading the comment above, I am going to guess that they went part time.

I find myself in a similar situation and don't really know which path to take. I want to do a BScN. What school did you get accepted for BScn nursing? Are you doing the collab nursing or straight 4 years at a University?

Genell44 · Apr 24, 2018

Hey I had some questions about the prehealth .. I got accepted into the program at Fanshawe and I wanted to know how it was what it expect I'm kinda scared thinking idk if I can do it