Help from BS (non nursing) to MSN

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Hi guys,

This is my first time posting on AllNurses, but I've been looking around for a while.

Until about two quarters ago, I had my heart set on becoming a physician. After thinking, I realized that I didn't want to spend such a large portion of my life in school...I want to get married, have many kids (lol), travel...things that won't be so realistic if I attended medical school + residency. So, I have been looking into Nurse Practioner and its really appealing to me. I'll be graduating early (as a Junior) with a BS in Biology from Ohio State, and I had a few questions about BS to MSN programs and prospective jobs.

Are they costly?

How difficult is the curriculum? ( I know its gonna be hard bc its grad school, but comparatively)

Looking into the job market, would a NP who was a nurse be more appealing than me?

I understand there aren't alot of BS(non nursing) to MSN programs out there, but could anyone provide me with a link or list of American schools that provide these programs?

Would I be considered competitve? GPA 3.3 right now but haven't taken my GEC's and 3 science classes, so I'm expecting it to be around 3.6-.7 by graduation. I have 3 months of hospital volunteering, about 5 years of volunteering as a tutor for my old school.

Also, how do you like whichever program you attended? Do you have any regrets? Anything you would've done different?

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Specializes in Family NP, OB Nursing.

Why don't you look into OSU's NP programs, they have several options including a direct entry NP track, though I'm not sure how much they are. If you're already there, you have some contacts, so use them. I do know they tend to hire pretty heavy from their own graduates though.

Really, there are many schools you can look into. I had a full time RN job, so I did my course work online through Ball State in Indiana. I'm not sure I can answer the difficulty question other than to compare it to my undergrad work. I didn't work fulltime in college and got a 3.7 GPA, in grad school I had a 4.0 and worked fulltime. It was doable, but it was a lot of work.

I do feel that having RN experience is a really, really good idea, but it's not absolutely necessary.

List of direct entry NP programs: http://www.bestnursingdegree.com/programs/direct-entry-msn

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Thanks rninwch, I was aware of OSU's, but I wanted to apply broadly. Just to increase my chances. Thanks for the link, I'm definitely gonna check it out!

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Specializes in allergy and asthma, urgent care.

Ashli,

I graduated from a Direct Entry NP program and am currently working as a FNP. It was very challenging and pretty much consumed my life the whole time I was in the program, but I have no regrets. I have never worked as an RN, and really had no trouble finding a job. I went to school full time and worked part time during the entire program (14 hours per week). My original career was in another aspect of health care, so I'm sure that made things a little easier for me. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Best of luck to you!

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I'm learning something here everyday. I had no idea that you could go from a non-nursing position to a NP. As I understood it, a NP has a RN background. while a PA can have a heath background or even a B.S. in another non-nursing field. So am I right in understanding by several of your responses that a B.S. degree can bypass the nursing program and go straight to NP? If so, I just wasted a lot of years getting my MSN so I could move into a FNP field.

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Specializes in allergy and asthma, urgent care.
I'm learning something here everyday. I had no idea that you could go from a non-nursing position to a NP. As I understood it, a NP has a RN background. while a PA can have a heath background or even a B.S. in another non-nursing field. So am I right in understanding by several of your responses that a B.S. degree can bypass the nursing program and go straight to NP? If so, I just wasted a lot of years getting my MSN so I could move into a FNP field.

Not exactly. The direct entry programs do not bypass the RN or BSN. You must be a licensed RN before you can become an NP. The direct entry programs spend the first year or so on learning the skills necessary to sit for NCLEX. You don't pass NCLEX, you don't get to continue in the program. Having a BS in another field allows you to forgo the general education requirements of an RN/BSN program, since you've presumably already fulfilled those requirements with your first degree. Most of the direct entry programs have a lot of pre-reqs that must be completed before you start, like general bio and chem, micro, etc.

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He BCgradnurses. I currently have my BS and am applying to MSN programs. Which program did you go through. Thank you!

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