BSN or ABSN?

[alissakle]

I went to a university for 2 years in order to take my nursing pre-reqs, and I applied to four different schools in my state and got denied to all of them (I live in Oregon).

My GPA is about a 3.6, and I'm unsure whether I should go back to school and finish a degree in Public Health and a minor in management and policy, and then apply to more ABSN programs, or if I should continue to keep applying to nursing schools. I'm nervous that I still won't get in (especially on the west coast) and that I would just be wasting my time when I could at least be finishing out a degree. I do plan on retaking my anatomy courses, which would take me another year to do so.

Currently I'm taking CNA classes and am working at Oregon Health & Science University as a student worker. But my job ends in December, which is when I think I would be going back to my university if I were to choose to go back. I have little time to decide, so my stress levels are high. Is getting a degree in public health even going to be useful? How much more or less competitive are ABSN programs? I think I'd be less nervous to move out of state for an ABSN program because I'd know I'd have the security of my degree in Public Health. I just don't know if getting the degree in Public Health is worth the money. My parents think it's a waste of time and to go directly into nursing but then again, they want me to stay at home to save money but I got denied to all the state schools in Oregon for nursing.

[ottersloveoysters]

I think it depends on what you want to do. If you want to go into nursing, I would make an appointment with a school and see an admissions counselor and see what you can do to improve your application and get into a program.

[alissakle]

Thanks! I've been e-mailing a lot of counselors and basically I just need to retake my anatomy course. I took a 200 level one at my university, but apparently I need a 300 level so I have to do the whole year again.