Confused on How to even Start Toward Nursing

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Hi,

Freshman in a New York CUNY QC here looking to pull my life together and pursue nursing. I actually have no idea where I should even start. Unfortunately my school doesn't offer a nursing major or a program either. I understand that I need to take the NCLEX and obtain a BSN(The hospitals I asked around me all demand this, ADN seems too little) but at the moment I'm feeling overwhelmed and really confused.

I have advisers/nurses telling me that:

-I should've gotten straight to a nursing program out of highschool/transfer into schools like Hunter Bevelle School of Nursing that basically are so competitive with 3.8+ GPAs being the only contenders (I only have a 3.2, I'm trying to raise it but not counting on it)

-Some said to go into community college and get an ADN, and get into an accelerated BSN program through hospital money...but from going around to hospitals that don't even accept ADN into their staff.

-Major in chemistry? at my college then start looking for nursing programs

I'm so confused, did I screw up already? Do I have to transfer? Can I major in Chem then slide into a program or do I need to find a program right now? @_@

I have money but if I continue screwing around then I won't be able to complete it so it's been really stressing me like crazy. I'm searching up programs that simply all seem out of my league/competitive and if not, the price would destroy my bank, it just feels like everything is crashing down on me.

Any advice is appreciated, especially "semi-competitive" programs to get into within the NY area. Thank you!

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Specializes in Emergency Room, CEN, TCRN.

If you major in chem, you still need to take other prerequisites like A&P before you can apply for baccalaureate programs. Does your school offer a pre-nursing program that lets you take classes to transfer to a school that does offer nursing as a major?

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No nursing program at this school unfortunately. I wasn't thinking about becoming a nurse until recently, I could transfer but the most convenient one (retains all credits) is way too competitive.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, Med-Surg/Tele, LTC.

One option is that you can begin taking your pre-nursing classes while finishing your degree at CUNY in a major you enjoy and apply to an accelerated BSN program after you graduate. Accelerated BSN programs are for those who already hold a Bachelor's in another subject but want to go into nursing.

The main nursing pre-requisites are Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology. It may seem like not a lot, but keep in mind that those three classes most likely have pre-requisites of their own that you must complete before even taking those classes. Those are the main classes, but there are other pre-nursing pre-requisites as well. Other nursing pre-requisites are school dependent, so start looking into Accelerated BSN programs in your area and take the classes that they require. Accelerated BSN programs are very competitive to get into as well, but you still have the rest of your undergrad years to fix your GPA.

Or you can just take your pre-nursing classes, not finish with a degree, and apply to traditional BSN programs. Nursing programs are competitive in general, but since you're so early in the game, you've got plenty of time and classes to take that you can still fix that.

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This makes a lot more sense, thank you for clarifying!

I guess now I'll focus my classes into those areas for now. I know I'm asking for a mile more but besides the highly competitive CUNY Lehman and CUNY Hunter BSN nursing programs...are there any other near their price range (ofc, it won't that cheap, but low as possible along with a solid education) while still being a in New York Metropolitan Area?

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, Med-Surg/Tele, LTC.
This makes a lot more sense, thank you for clarifying!

I guess now I'll focus my classes into those areas for now. I know I'm asking for a mile more but besides the highly competitive CUNY Lehman and CUNY Hunter BSN nursing programs...are there any other near their price range (ofc, it won't that cheap, but low as possible along with a solid education) while still being a in New York Metropolitan Area?

I'm in California, so I don't know any thing about the schools there, but you can post your question in the New York Nursing section and I'm sure you'll get some answers [emoji1]

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Specializes in ICU.

You need to find a college with a nursing program and complete their prereqs. Each school is different on what they require. They also differ on what entrance exam they require. Hospitals these days do not completely pay for degrees. They usually have some type of tuition reimbursement. You are in an area that is flooded with new grads. Look at your job market and see if hospitals are hiring new grads right now. Then find a school that has a nursing program and start with their prereqs.

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