I have a B.A. and want to be an RN (and eventually MSN). Advice?

[knittedmittens]

Hi everybody, I'm looking for some advice. I have a B.A. in Spanish and have decided that I would like to pursue my longtime dream of becoming a nurse practitioner (with women's health as my specialty). I've been doing some research, and it appears as though an accelerated BSN course would be the best option, as I already have a B.A. However, I live in NH and there really aren't any accelerated BSN courses offered at all, and I would like to remain in-state. The University of NH has an accelerated MSN course, but it is just for a general nurse practitioner degree in family health and doesn't offer the women's health concentration, so I assume I would have to go to school afterwards for the women's health portion. I've been looking at the various ways I could go about getting my RN as soon as possible, and the local community colleges have Associates programs which look quite good, with higher percentages of graduates passing the NCLEX than UNH grads. I ultimately do want to have a BSN, because I then want to go on for my Masters, and a BSN is pretty much a requirement.

I am currently enrolled in a CNA/LNA program that finishes at the end of June, and plan on working as an LNA while I go to nursing school. I attended a liberal-arts college for my B.A. and therefore need to take the usual prereqs (anatomy & physiology, microbiology, stats, etc) before applying to nursing school. Ideally I'd like to start school in fall 2008. Can anyone offer advice? Should I go for my Associates, or go all-out and get the BSN, even though it takes 4 years longer and I already have a B.A. and cannot take an accelerated BSN course? Also, any advice regarding my goal to be a nurse practitioner in the women's health field would be very much appreciated. Thank you very much!!

[arciedee]

Welcome knittedmittens,

I'm doing the UNH direct-entry masters program... and it's not an NP program at all, it's actually a clinical nurse leadership program (which is a generalist role). There's an information session tomorrow evening, which if you have the time might be worth it to go and check it out just to know more about all your options. You would still need to go on for a post-grad certificate to become an NP, but you would have the core MSN courses out of the way and it's still only a two year program.

Another NH option is Mass. College of Pharmacy (MCPHS) in Manchester. They are starting an accelerated 15-month BSN program this fall. They don't have a real history to fall back on, but I went to an info session there last year and they seem to be putting a lot of money and effort into starting their program, so that's an option, albeit an expensive one.

The Techs also have great programs, so that's something to look into. Most of them have articulation agreements w/ UNH, too, so you could transfer right into the BSN completion once you get your associate's degree. But look into the schools you're considering for the NP... some will admit students who are RNs but have a baccalaureate degree in a different field. So you may be okay with just the ADN in nursing and the BA in Spanish.

Feel free to PM me with any questions... and good luck starting on the journey! I just finished my first semester and I'm loving it so far!