Currently have a BA in Psychology and trying to decide between a ABSN or entry MSN

[kbbarbie]

Hello loves!

I am hoping that I can find some help deciding between two (maybe three) courses of action! I currently have my BA in Psychology....about half way through my degree I realized that I wanted to be a nurse, but it made more sense for me to finish up school rather than change majors. From researching programs for post baccalaureate degrees in nursing there seems to be three options.

1-ABSN programs

2- Entry level MSN for non RN's

3- A) Get RN from a community college then do a Bridge RN-BSN/MSN program.

I feel like option 3 might be the longest what with the Nursing program wait lists at community colleges even with the fact that there is some preques that I have to take before applying.

The question is which one is the best fit for me :/ and was wondering if anyone else has been here or done it, if you had pros/cons to list, or anything tips you wish someone had told you.

A little about me (which might be useful to know) is that

-I have a GPA of over 3.5 (3.78 I think) so will meet the requirements

------The ABSN is 3.5 the MSN is 3.0 in the programs I have looked at.

-I WANT to be an NP so want to get my MSN at least before I am truly "done" with school

-I got my CNA certificate because most applications I looked at said that they look at that or it is at least a plus to have to get you considered for the program.

-I work for a surgeon (as a nanny) and know RN's/Dr.'s who will write letters of recommendations for me (which I have heard is good to have, if this is not relevant to my question then please ignore!)

-No children and no plans to have them in the near future so a large work load is ok (:

&& is there any tests or other requirements I might have to take/meet before applying?

I think that is it, if someone could help I would really appreciate it!

Thanks!

K

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

The ABSN is your best route. Then after a year, start taking classes for your MSN. I have heard that it would hard to get hired as a NP without actually working as an RN. Unless the school allows you to sit for the NCLEX after your undergraduate portion of the program and you work while finishing up your MSN.

[smoup]

I too have a BA in psychology and will be starting an entry level MSN in the fall (a CNL program). I chose the entry level over the ABSN because I didn't need as many pre-reqs. For the MSN, I just needed the basic sciences (A&P 1 and 2, Micro, Chem), intro psych, and stats. If I would have gone my BSN, or even for my AA, I would have needed the above plus intro speech, intro computers, intro English, intro sociology, etc. The entry-level was the shorter route, will give me classes towards my NP program if I go to the same university, and I'm really interested in the CNL role as a whole.

Good luck with whichever route you choose!

[emilyrg]

I graduated with a BA in Psych and while in my junior year, I also wanted to pursue nursing. It was too late to switch majors but I started researching accelerated nursing programs and completed the pre-requisites my senior year. While all programs may be slightly different I had the majority pre-reqs finished upon graduation. I worked at a hospital as a CNA and I am starting an accelerated MSN program at the College of Mount St. Joseph's in Cincinnati. Some schools (ex: University of Cincinnati) offer an accelerated program of 3 phases: 1: pre-requisites; 2: accelerated BSN (16 months) 3: specialization. After phase 2 it is recommended to get some work experience before you begin phase 3 for your NP. I never knew how many different nursing paths there are until I started researching. I would definitely suggest an accelerated program! At Cincinnati Children's they are requiring a certain percentage of ASN to upgrade to a BSN, so I definitely would not suggest getting your associates!