Confused about schools - which route to take?

ShelbyP · Dec 29, 2009

I think your ideal is a Master's/Graduate Entry Option. Off the top of my head, UC San Francisco, Samuel Merritt (campuses in Sac & SF) and University of San Francisco all come to mind.

UCSF is probably the most difficult to get into, requiring the GRE and lots of clinical/hands-on/volunteer experience. SM and USF are both private.

In any of these programs you will spend your first year preparing to be an RN and to take the NCLEX. Immediately following, you will spend an additional 2 years in an already decided specialty (check out the schools' websites to see what they offer), and will graduate after a total of three years as a nurse with a master's degree (whether you choose Clinical Nurse Leader, Clinical Nurse Specialist, or Nurse Practitioner will depend on the program and the school).

Best of luck!

jpmbsm · Dec 30, 2009

I'm with Shelby P. Go to an accelerated nursing program. You get into this because you already have a degree. Then when you graduate take your NCLEX exam. This is an exam to get your RN License. Then apply for a master's program. Hope it works out for you for the best, good luck.

>30yrsRN · Dec 30, 2009

I am a student at CSUS that was planning on going into physical therapy but decided to go for nursing/PA instead. I will graduate in Fall 2010 with an Exercise Science Degree, concentration in Therap. Exercise and Rehab. Since I will have a BS degree before going into a nursing program are there specific programs I should look for? The schools are confusing whether a masters program means you are already a nurse or if you have a degree and looking for nursing. I would prefer going into a program that allows me to become a practitioner if such a thing exists. What programs should I be looking for in the Sacramento (or CA) area? If it helps I have about a 3.8 gpa right now.

Also look at the Degree tab for blogs for

BS accelerated MSN program there is a lot of info posted there

and simular questions from others with a BS degrees

jd2nurse · Dec 30, 2009

If your ultimate goal is PA, go ahead and apply to PA school now! :) There's no need to get a nursing degree before you get into PA school. If you're worried about being competitive (lack of health care hours) don't let that deter you. You have a good-excellent GPA, which will help. According to the informational session for UCD's PA program, they will overlook hours requirements from time to time (they accepted one candidate right out of undergrad).

Don't put all your eggs in that one basket, however. You could apply to Stanford and Samuel Merritt PA programs obviously. I believe Stanford is much tighter on the health care hour prerequisite, so if that's an issue, you might not be that competitive.

Nevertheless, if you're headed for PA, I recommend you try as hard as you can to get into PA school first. Why spend one or two years on a nursing degree if you don't need to?

Of course, if you're open to going for your RN as an alternative path, then I'd recommend a BSN program. The ADN programs at the community colleges in the Sacramento area select candidates using the lottery system. Up to now, no preference at all is given based on GPA. I heard a rumor that these programs may be starting to consider GPA (it's about time!), so you should look into it. Still, with the lottery system, the odds aren't good because there are LOTS of applicants in the pool. In the ER where I volunteer, a couple of the ER techs have been waiting for 3 years to be selected and they're still waiting. Each year you wait is a year you could have made money as an RN down the drain. So, you can apply for these programs, but don't count on being admitted. Plus there's the added disadvantage that they award only an ADN. If you're headed to advanced practice, you're probably going to want a BSN.

So, I would really aim for a CSU program or go private where you can get the BSN. CSUs are great, except they're frighteningly competitive (check CSUS admission stats online--I'm talking you really need just about a 4.0). Plus the CSU system is shut down to new applicants right now. I know because Sac State Nursing was my "Plan A." When they shut the door, I went to plan B...which is Samuel Merritt University. It's expensive ($37K tuition), but it's an ABSN program, so I will be done in 12 months. You'll need to get two additional prerequisites (pathophysiology and pharmacology), which you can take online. (Check with the school about where to find these courses because they have a list of the ones they deem transferable).

Anyway, I hope that helps!