How do I become an RN by going into nursing right after high school?

VivaLaVespaGirl, BSN, MSN · Jul 1, 2014

Hi Grier -

It depends on the path you take. You can apply to 4-year nursing programs right out of high school. You will spend your first two years doing general studies and completing your prerequisites. In order to remain in the program, you generally have to maintain a specific GPA. At the end of your sophomore year, your GPA is calculated and it is determined if you will remain in the program which will dominate your junior and senior year.

You can also complete all your prerequisites at a local community college and then apply to a 4-year university for your BSN as a transfer student. In this case, you could work with an advisor to help set your schedule. You would need to look at the transfer requirements for your university of choice to know what prereqs are required and which ones need to be completed prior to application.

If you go the community college route, you would look at the community college prereq requirements, work with an advisor to set your schedule, then apply to the CC program when you have completed enough credits to either satisfy their application requirements or are in the position GPA and volunteer-wise to be a competitive applicant.

The best advice I can give you is to be aware of what the prereqs are for each school you want to apply to and keep your GPA well above 3.5.

Good luck to you!

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Jul 1, 2014

I agree with the PP. Some programs allow you to enroll in the BSN program, and you will spend the first two years completing the prereqs and the other two years will consist of your actual nursing program if you are maintaining your GPA. However, look carefully into all options that you have - make sure the program has a good NCLEX pass rate, that it won't put you in too much debt, and that it can accommodate your needs (consider traveling expenses, if you're going to be working part-time, etc.). Good luck!

Miss.LeoRN · Jul 2, 2014

It depends on the school you're looking at. Each has a different admissions process.

For my school, you need only submit your TEAS V score, and be eligible to enroll in A&P I. This means the only pre-req's you HAVE to take before you apply for the program is Bio I or Bio II as one or the other is the pre-req for A&P. For entry into the program they use a point system based on your TEAS score, and your GPA from Bio I/II.

The nursing program does, however, require a lot of co-requisite courses that unless you take previous to enrolling into the program, you MUST completely these courses as co-requisites to the nursing courses as well. That includes English I and English II, Sociology, Psychology, Microbilogy, A&P I and A&P II, Lifespan Development, and a couple more I can't recall off the top of my head. Some programs require you complete these courses as pre-reqs before applying to their programs. As I said mine doesn't. Most students I know enrolling into the program do try to complete the majority of them and that works out since our college only has Fall Semester entry. So you have at least 2 or 3 semesters to "wait" before you even know if you get in or not. I completed them all with exception of A&P II, which I will take with my Fundamentals I class.

RunBabyRN · Jul 3, 2014

You'll want to research how it's done in your state, because there does seem to be some variety from state to state, but in most, you take all of your prerequisites (2-3 years), and then apply for the actual program (another 2-3 years).

Do your homework, and research the programs you're considering. Stay away from for-profit schools, and any school whose credits don't transfer. Look into overall pass rates, NCLEX pass rates, and employment rates out of school (the market is TOUGH for new grads right now).

I agree about keeping your GPA as high as humanly possible. The higher your GPA and TEAS/HESI scores, the more opportunities available to you.