Engineer interested in becoming a RN

flgardens · Jul 31, 2011

I know when I was back in school (I went through a traditional BSN program) many of the students had no prior medical experience. You got 'points' on it for the application but it was not a requirement. I volunteered at a hospital for a while to make sure it was something I wanted to do first even though many people in my family are in the healthcare field, including nursing and I had a pretty good idea what I was getting into.

I would say if you did all the research and you have your mind set then go for it. Do not do it just to make sure you have a job though, because many new grads are having trouble securing one. There are a lot of things you can do with a BSN, it is sort of like a stepping stone to all the advanced MSN/Specialty programs.

If you already have a bachelors degree, you could use it to get into other medical specialties besides nursing so be thorough in your research. Other medical fields can be just as rewarding and may have just as many or more opportunities.

Engineer933 · Aug 1, 2011

thank you "flgardens",

i do hold the following degrees:

- associates degree for electrical engineering technology

- bachlorers of science in electro-mechanical engineering technology

some of the other programs recommended to me are “physician assistant” & “nurse practitioner” but i have not done as much research in these 2 professions.

if you want to add any comments about these 2 professions or add a 3rd suggestion i’m open for suggestions…i have a lot of time to do research while out here in afghanistan.

thank you!

flgardens · Aug 1, 2011

If you are interested in Nurse Practitoner you will have to get an RN and probably at least a accelerated BSN then you could enter into a program for Masters/Nurse Practitioner.

Some states have differences in what a Nurse Practioner vs. a Physician's Assistant can do. So you will want to check that out as well.

For a PA, they would take your Bachelors and require some science courses which you may already have the chemistry and math depending on what you take but they usually want some biology, organic chemistry, anatomy, and perhaps microbiology courses. Different programs require different things.

Also many schools require you to take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) for admission to the University in general.

Here are a few examples of PA admission requirements. Keep in mind that some programs may list a lower gpa but to be competitive it will have to be higher than what they list. Some schools will list the average gpa and science gpa of the previous students that were admitted so that can be helpful. You should look into the states that you would be interested in applying to, to see what the courses you would need to get into those programs.

http://www.midwestern.edu/Programs_and_Admission/AZ_Physician_Assistant_Studies.html#Admission Requirements

http://www.nova.edu/cah/pa/fortlauderdale/requirements.html

as you can see different programs will have different requirements.

Nurse Practitioner (example of admission requirements - again different programs will vary)

http://www.nursing.ufl.edu/prospective/prospective_msn_admission_criteria.shtml

Tiffanybaybay · May 3, 2012

you can def get in without medical experience. But volunteer or shadow first. School is nothing like work.

stephanie2012 · May 3, 2012

Hello, there is no problem if you want to step in this field, and experience is important, but there's chance to aquire, you can serve as a assistant or kind of job, and then make the experience accumulation.

Good luck!

Hello everyone/anyone:
I'm currently a male engineer who has been working in Afghanistan for the past year. I have been in the engineering 'world' for 7+ years (currently 30yo) and have known for awhile that I want to do something different. I have seriously been considering the accelerated BSN program at MUSC in Charleston SC (I live in Mount Pleasant SC when not in Afghanistan). I have already done all my research and know what pre-req classes are required, GPA is needed, essay needed, cost...etc.
My main concern is this: I have ZERO medical experience....has anyone been excepted to the accelerated BSN program with no prior work experience?
I am still in the infancy stages in dertermining if I will persue this career but I must say that I am REALLY interterested and your feed-back is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!!!