How should I approach getting a BSN?

dishes, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2010

Since you completed the business degree 20 years ago, and universities often restrict transfer of credits to certain time periods, it is unlikely you will be able to transfer the business credits towards a BSN. The good news is your BSN GPA will start with a clean slate. Take some pre reqs to get started and if you can afford to go directly into a fulltime BSN program.

dishes

cabanaboy · Apr 17, 2010

Hey Guys!
I just turned 42 and have been seriously looking into the nursing profession. I have a BS in Business, graduated 20 years ago this year. Unfortunately I was not a dedicated student and graduated with a 2.2 GPA. I didn't take school seriously ... I know I have the aptitude and would excel this time around. I have noticed most schools require at least a 2.7-3.0 to enter nursing school. I have a couple of questions hopefully you can advise me on.
Is there anything I can do to qualify for a 2nd degree accelerated BSN program? If I took the pre-req's and aced them would this help? Will I have to start with an ASN then work towards a BSN? Once I begin a nursing program does my Business GPA get added into the new BSN GPA? The reason I ask this is I would like to continue into a Masters program and noticed most schools require a 3.0 minimum. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!:) Thanks for your time.

Hi TN42. I was in a similar situation. I graduated in 94 with a 2.4 GPA (and took 7 years to do that and includes some "A" credits for "varsity athletics") and now I will be graduating from an accelerated BSN program next month (I'll be almost 41). I looked at schools all over the country and found that some have a hard 3.0 GPA requirement regardless of your more recent and more applicable prereqs. But, others look at more the big picture taking into account your recent prereq grades, work experience, "real life" experience, and future goals. I looked at a lot of websites and sent out a lot of emails to find out that info. You can get a good idea from the schools' websites.

As for the BSN GPA, I think it really depends on the school as to how they will calculate your GPA. I plan on applying for grad school too, but I'm not too worried about my previous grades in regards to that. The way I view it is that I will have very good grades from the nursing program, great references from professors and clinical instructors, and most importantly by then will have nursing experience and hopefully very good references and recommendations from my RN job.

I hope that is some encouraging news!

JustinTRN · Aug 2, 2010

I would suggest talking to some nursing schools that you look at applying too. They would give you a wealth of information and what they think you should do. They would be more than helpful. Most schools only take your last 60 credit hours and no science or maths over 5-10 years.

wezzie, RN · Aug 2, 2010

I would suggest contacting the Advisor for the nursing department of the schools you're considering. They could answer all your questions and give you all the help and advice you need.

I know my school requires the previous Bachelors to have been completed at a 3.0 to be considered for their accelerated program.

It also says this on their website for the traditional program..

The minimum GPA requirement is 2.75, which applies to both cumulative and prerequisite GPA. Because the admissions process is highly competitive, the GPA of the admitted class of students tends to be higher than 2.75. The overall average GPA for students admitted into the program is a 3.42 +/- .13. The GPA range of students admitted into the program is between 2.99-4.0.

Best of luck to you!