I have a BS Psychology 12 yrs ago & Want to ba a Nurse- Help!

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Dec 2, 2012

The quickest and least expensive route to RN is through your local Community College. Once you are an RN, your options widen considerably.

As you may have seen on this board, it now seems to be rather difficult to get a nursing job as an ADN since the the trend is now overwhelmingly "BSN required" for many employers. The good news is that with the ADN, you can do an on-line RN-BSN program rather quickly (12 - 18 mos) and relatively inexpensively (many brick-and-mortar state colleges have on-line RN-BSN programs that are under $10 grand). As a second-degree student, you will probably have already taken most, if not all of the BSN non-nursing classes, which should considerably shorten the time and cost involved. This by the way is the route that I took (also as a second-degree student) and was done in about 3-1/2 years of part-time, evening/weekend study. The total cost for everything through to the BSN was well under $15,000. As to age, I was older than you when I started, as were quite a number of my classmates, so that should not be much of a concern.

With respect to the NCLEX, the way it works in most states is that your school provides certification to the state Board of Nursing that you have completed the nursing requirements and are eligible to sit for the exam. The test itself is administered by a private company, Pearson Vue, with whom you will schedule an appointment testing once your eligibility has been confirmed. If you don't already know, the test is a computer-based adaptive exam, with no two versions alike. In simple terms, the computer selects and varies the questions from easy to difficult based on your answers. Once you have answered enough questions for the application to reasonably accurately predict your chance of passing - or failing - the test is shut off. This could be in as few as 75 questions or as many as 265.

While I do not want to discourage you from nursing, you should be aware that at present, in most parts of the country, there is a nursing surplus. This makes jobs for new nursing grads difficult to come by. If you are willing to move to a more remote or rural area (North Dakota for example), you may find the job search significantly easier. I would also urge you to look at other jobs in health services that pay more and have better working conditions, such as PA, PT or RT. The education requirements for these are different than for nursing but in general (and in my opinion), they hold more promise for new grads.

NelsonRanch · Dec 2, 2012

Chuckster - Thank you for the reply - can you help me with this

Please bear with me, I am sort of confused and trying to make heads or tails of the LVN, CNA, BSN options and what they mean... I am not sure what an ADN is so will go and look it up.

1. So to become an ADN if I have a BS already, how long does that take and are units applied? Am I starting from ground zero?

2. Is an ADN considered an RN?

3. Can I use the units I have now directly in some fashion to become a nurse and this would be the route to get a BSN?

I am thinking nursing vs the other options (not sure what an RT is) as if at a later date , and a profession that if I wanted to go off on my own I could and thinking RN may leave some options on the table to return to some form of self employment at a later date if needed. When looking at pay rates, I see pay levels all over the board $25 to $75 per hour so I am not sure what the pay is... My cost of living is low and I do not need to make a bunch of money, what I want is stability and to work in a filed I like. I do not mind working in a rural area or small community clinic or with farm labor and would actually prefer this. I really enjoyed when I was able to do the hands on medical stuff and this is sort of a dream that I never completed (I am to old and have no desire to go to medical school) and this desire combined with I guess a mid life crises :confused: ... Shift+R improves the quality of this image. CTRL+F5 reloads the whole page. and at a time in my life when I now have an option can go back to school.

I would like to keep the schooling part to 1 to 2 years if I can.

Nursing in my mind seemed to fit the bill as a stable career and I really liked working in the free clinics, and in ER, surgery, doctoring wounds and that sort of thing etc... when I did my internships eons ago. I did not like the physical therapy , xray... I want a good medical/health care plan, and I have visions of the stability and freedom gained for working for an employer vs being the employer . I know this may sound odd but... For the past 25 years I have worked 7 days a week and no time off etc... and in this economy for the past couple years after the employees are paid leaves little left. The business I have is brick and morter and the stress and total irritation of competing now with the manufacturers I buy from that are offering their products direct to consumers online cheaper then I can buy them at, continually watching margins and lowering pricing to compete with businesses like Amazon, and the credit card fees we have to pay on top of each sale and sales tax, in addition to state and local regulations make it virtually imposible to afford to own or compete with a small retail business in Ca anymore. I have reduced my profit margin to negligable and really the straw the broke the camels back so to speak is the customers coming in to look at my inventory with smart phones in tow scanning barcodes on the inventory in stock and then ordering online while in my store... Dont get me wrong I can make what I am doing now work by lowering cost and selling a lot of stuff cheap in what I call flea market style, but have no desire to do this. Maybe I am wrong, but hoping the skills I gained in managing multiple successful businesses, employees, customers, inventory, advertising and computer etc... So thinking if I have an Rn or BSN or xxx an employer would find this to be a bonus when I am applying for a job if I have an RN.

Chuckster, if you do not mind me inquiring, you said you were older then me - was it worth it and are you glad you made a life change? Also feel free to give me your honest opinion if I am looking at any of this wrong, you will not hurt my feelings, I want to know what I am getting into... and thank you for replying.

Ntheboat2 · Dec 3, 2012

Since you already have a bachelor's degree then you're probably eligible to do a 2nd degree program for your BSN. It's probably more expensive than the ADN route, but sometimes it takes even less time to get your BSN through a 2nd degree route. You should call your local universities and ask them if they offer such a program.

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Dec 3, 2012

. . . Please bear with me, I am sort of confused and trying to make heads or tails of the LVN, CNA, BSN options and what they mean... I am not sure what an ADN is so will go and look it up.
1. So to become an ADN if I have a BS already, how long does that take and are units applied? Am I starting from ground zero?
2. Is an ADN considered an RN?
3. Can I use the units I have now directly in some fashion to become a nurse and this would be the route to get a BSN?

ADN is Associate Degree - Nursing and the associates level analogous to the BSN. Getting either degree qualifies you only to sit for the nursing boards (the NCLEX). Once you have passed the exam, your state will recognize you as a registered nurse. You will get credit for your BS in an associates degree program - for what courses will be something that will differ from school to school. I'd recommend making an appointment with a counselor at the school you're thinking of attending. Obviously, the least expensive school will be your local community college. The time involved could be as little as two years IF you have all of the nursing per-requisites. These would be Bio, Chem, Psych and other social sciences, possibly math and nutrition. In addition, you will need two semesters of Anatomy and Physiology, that generally have to be no older than 5 years.

I am thinking nursing vs the other options (not sure what an RT is) as if at a later date , and a profession that if I wanted to go off on my own I could and thinking RN may leave some options on the table to return to some form of self employment at a later date if needed. When looking at pay rates, I see pay levels all over the board $25 to $75 per hour so I am not sure what the pay is...
My cost of living is low and I do not need to make a bunch of money, what I want is stability and to work in a filed I like. I do not mind working in a rural area or small community clinic or with farm labor and would actually prefer this. I really enjoyed when I was able to do the hands on medical stuff and this is sort of a dream that I never completed (I am to old and have no desire to go to medical school) and this desire combined with I guess a mid life crises at a time in my life when I now have an option can go back to school.
I would like to keep the schooling part to 1 to 2 years if I can.
Nursing in my mind seemed to fit the bill as a stable career ... So thinking if I have an Rn or BSN or xxx an employer would find this to be a bonus when I am applying for a job if I have an RN.
Chuckster, if you do not mind me inquiring, you said you were older then me - was it worth it and are you glad you made a life change? Also feel free to give me your honest opinion if I am looking at any of this wrong, you will not hurt my feelings, I want to know what I am getting into... and thank you for replying.

RT is Respiratory Therapist. I am not sure if this still requires only a masters degree or has now gone to a doctoral requirement. Pay should be somewhat higher than RN.

You will not be able to "go off on your own" as an RN unless you became a Nurse Practitioner. This will require a master's degree though in the near future, this may change to doctorate. RN wages vary considerably by both location and institution. So for example, CA nurses working in hospitals may make $50/hr (not saying these are actual hourly numbers - just rough comparison guesses), while an RN working in long-term care in Alabama may make only $18 an hour. In urban or suburban CA, you will probably find it difficult to get a job as new nursing grad and the same is true for FL, PA, MA, NY, NJ, IL, AZ and a host of other states. If you don't mind working in a rural or small city environment, you should find a nursing job easier to come by in places ND, MS or AL.

In the interest of full disclosure, I need to mention that I do not work in nursing. I had intended to take early retirement from my regular job when I became a nurse but my retirement savings were decimated in the crash of 2007 - 2008, so I could not take the cut in pay a nursing job represented. I still intend to make the transition to nursing but at some point in the future.

calinursestudent818 · Dec 4, 2012

ADN nursing programs are mostly offered at community colleges and take about 2 years to complete. BSN programs are usually at state colleges and private nursing school institutions and take 3-4 years to complete.

If you already have a degree the BSN route is probably the best route for you because more than likely the general ed classes you took in college some of them may transfer to cover some of of your nursing prereqs--like English, Math, Sociology, Psych. But be aware that even if some of your college classes do transfer/count for nursing prereqs, you will still have to take several prereqs for whichever nursing program(s) you choose to apply to. It will take you about a year-year & a half to complete nursing prereqs on average if you are taking care of them full time (12-14 units a semester).

Step #1 Research several nursing programs in your area, then narrow it down to 2-3 you want to apply to. Step #2 Call the schools you decide you plan on applying to and ask if they have an information session night where you can go to ask any questions you may have. Step 3 make an appointment to talk to a counselor at each school you decide on to go over you college transcripts to figure out what classes will transfer and figure out what prereqs you have left to take. This is important to do because more than likely no two nursing schools will have exactly the same prereqs. Step #4 Then you need to sit down & figure out a plan to take your prereqs. IMPORTANT: You need to finish prereqs before applying to any nursing programs.

I think you will enjoy nursing. If you are still interested in being a doctor you can always get your masters in nursing after you get your BSN and become a nurse practictioner. Nurse practitioners are similar to Physicians Assistants in terms of work duties/performed. NP's work in medical offices, urgent care clinics, womens health offices/clinics and hospitals.

Good luck to you let us know what you end up deciding! If you have anymore questions PM me, I'm always happy to help!

HammockBound · Dec 5, 2012

Im going back now...I have my BSW. I am taking my pre-reqs. this year...ant. 1 &2, chemistry, micro biology (all labs) and nutrition. My BSW classes also meet many of the prereqs. I am going to go to an accelerated BSN route. It is only 3 semesters full time as opposed to 2 years full time for just the RN program at the CC. It is a much faster route. I have to drive over an hour each way to the school but I think it outweighs the time it would take in the 2 year program. I had to find the route that worked best with my 3 kids at home.

HammockBound · Dec 5, 2012

I think you will enjoy nursing. If you are still interested in being a doctor you can always get your masters in nursing after you get your BSN and become a nurse practictioner. Nurse practitioners are similar to Physicians Assistants in terms of work duties/performed. NP's work in medical offices, urgent care clinics, womens health offices/clinics and hospitals.

That is great advice...I also am waiting to see how I like the career but I think I may continue with the time I save in the BSN program and continue the specialist classes or masters program. Has anyone continued from one to the next? Or is it better to work first?

RNSAC, MSN · Dec 17, 2012

since you already have a BS, you should consider an accelerated BSN program. They are usually 1 to 1 and a half year long. There are also entry level masters of science in nursing (ELMSN) programs, which is typically 2 -3 years long. Good thing about ELMSN is that after a year, you can sit for the boards to get your RN license, and depending on the specialty you choose, you may take another year or two to finish the masters portion. So after 2-3 years of starting the program, you can get a RN license, MSN, and also a certificate for your specialty. 3 in 1!!! some ELMSN programs also give BSN after finishing the prelicensure portion of the program. so that makes it 4 in 1!!

RNSAC, MSN · Dec 17, 2012

in the past, bedside nursing experience was a prereq for NP schools. But now, you dont need any experience as a RN to work as an NP. However, getting RN experience will make you a better NP so thats your choice.