Decided to pursue Nursing.... help?

[skysthelimit05]

Hi yall! This is my first time posting on the forum :) I've read various posts on the site earlier and have a few questions regarding my options for getting a BSN.

I'm currently a junior at a small, private University pursuing a BA in Psychology. I am now interested in Nursing. It is not just a sudden change...I've been contemplating it for a while and now I know I really want to do this.

I am interested in the accelerated BSN programs after I graduate. The thing is, I have most of the pre-reqs completed already except A&P , Microbiology, and (possibly) Nutrition..but Nutrition is not offered at my school and in order to take A&P and Microbiology I would need to take 3 additional classes of biology as pre-reqs for the A&P and Microbiology. At my local community college, they offer the pre-reqs I need and they are offered during the summer and at times that could work for my schedule.

I'm not sure if I could take the 12-15 hours of remaining pre-reqs I need at the community college throughout my remaining 3 semesters at the University or if I should go ahead and take the courses at my own University, which would cause me to graduate late and would be even more expensive because of the other additional courses I would have to take.

...a little confused on what to do because it seems kind of a waste to take the 4 courses at a community college after I graduate..and then apply. All in all I am hoping to complete the pre-reqs by the time I graduate :)

Thanks for your time..and sorry this got a little long/confusing! lol

[UVA Grad Nursing]

I would recommend taking the classes at a community college after you finish your BA/BS degree. For one, this will likely save you thousands of dollars in tuition (which you can use these savings for the tuition for the ABSN degree).

Secondly, some time out of school also gives you the opportunity to get some work experience in health care while you are taking the prerequisite classes at a community college.

At the program where I am the assistant dean, most of the accepted students have some practical work experience in health care or related fields. This makes then stand out in the admissions process (this year we had 110 applications for 24 spaces). The mean age of our entering class was 29 this year (with the range from 22 to 58).