In a hole...what's the best way out?

[brownelb]

Hi guys!

So, I'm a bit confused about what to do in my situation. I'm committed to being a nurse, but I'm not sure how to go about it given my academic history. Any input would be incredibly helpful!

My current situation:

• 2 years behind in my BA in Economics because of health issues my first few years of school
  
• I'm working on bringing up my GPA, but it took a hard hit from when I was ill (I was having seizures, among other things) -- I should not have been in school, but I was persistent.
  
• Transferred to a junior college to give myself a "blank slate" after recovering from the health issues
  
• I'm completing my associates this semester, so am transitioning back to a four-year university this summer or fall
  

I planned on completing an economics degree with intentions of pursuing and MPH, but I really am drawn to nursing after all I experienced the past four years. I had seen doctor after doctor and been told I was too young to have health problems. Almost two years after I developed symptoms, I decided to try yet another doctor, out of desperation. I ended up seeing an NP and she was the first medical professional to seem to care about how what I was experiencing was affecting my quality of life. She was also the first to do a neuro assessment. It took four years to determine what was wrong.

My experience really inspires me to be an voice for minors who are not receiving the health care they need. I feel like there's something really dangerous about telling a young person they are wrong about their body. I'm drawn to peds and really want to make a difference for kids, especially those with chronic illnesses.

I can bring my cumulative GPA up to a 3.3 or so by the time I graduate, but I'm honestly just not sure how to go about switching gears into nursing. I'll have an associates degree in Economics this semester, so it feels like backtracking to earn an associates of nursing. That said, I don't currently have any of the pre-requisites for nursing programs other than Stats.

Does it make more sense to complete my economics BA and take the pre-reqs for a masters-entry or a second bachelor's BSN program and hope I get in? Or is it prudent to start with an associates degree?

I'm mostly concerned my cumulative GPA will not be competitive if I apply to Second Bachelors BSN or masters entry MSN programs. I want to do what is most efficient cost-wise and time-wise, since I'm already a few years behind in school, but I'm committed to doing what makes the most sense.

Any suggestions? :)

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

In all honesty, I would say.... go the generic BSN route. There is no way to "wipe out" your academic record in order to provide a clean slate. Admission to accelerated programs will be based upon a cumulative GPA, which you say is not competitive for a variety of reasons. In my part of the country, very few employers are willing to hire entry-level MSNs or ABSNs unless they have relevant clinical backgrounds (e.g., cross-trained from another direct care clinical field such as respiratory or radiation therapy)

If you are really convinced that nursing is where you want to go, don't waste time pursuing an irrelevant degree. Instead, invest all of your time, energy and resources into your pre-requisites - which you know you are going to have to ace in order to meet admission requirements for nursing.

You're still young, particularly for nursing because unlike many fields such as IT, we're 'mature grad friendly'. Take the time to get a really strong nursing education that will provide you with the best possible preparation for your career. Your health care experiences will make you an even better nurse because you have a much more realistic understanding of the patients' experience.

[brownelb]

[double post]

[brownelb]

Hi @HouTx. Thanks for your input!

Oh, I know that transferring schools doesn't give a clean academic record -- I apologize for being unclear. I switched schools to give myself a "fresh start" psychologically. It has helped a lot.

If I decided to go the traditional BSN route as you suggest, I am a bit worried I won't be able to get into a program, even if I ace all my pre-reqs.

My current cumulative GPA is around a 2.5 -- fortunately, I'm still a sophomore credit-wise, so I can bring it up by the time I would complete a bachelors degree (which is why I was looking into a 2nd degree BSN or Master's Entry, in hopes that admissions officers might focus on my last 60 hrs of credit and put less weight on my cumulative GPA). Is this fear of doing the pre-reqs and not being able to do a traditional BSN warranted? I thought it would be a big stretch to get into a regular bachelor's program with my GPA.

[As a side note, I do see value in the economics degree. I still am very interested in public health policy & feel that the economics background is helpful for MPH studies, should I decide to do that later in my career. But you're right -- it may not be the wisest decision.]

[krrbrr, ADN]

Keep in mind that a lot of schools have very different admission requirements. Some take your cumulative GPA, while others only count the GPA for the courses in their program. However, as HouTx mentioned the accelerated programs are quite different. If you really feel like this is the path you're wanting to take do some research on all the schools you would like to attend near you and make a spreadsheet so you can keep track of who requires what and see if your past GPA will even matter.

I can understand how it must be a really tough decision on whether or not you finish the Economics degree as you're at the very end of it! I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to go ahead and finish it just to say that you did it and to have as a backup for later in case nursing doesn't work out for you.

[brownelb]

Thanks krrbrr.

Maybe nursing isn't in the cards; I don't know.

It seems like my only bet would be to finish my bachelors and try to get into a second bachelor's program or something, since my GPA is so terribly low right now. My GPA won't facilitate admission to the nursing program at any of the community colleges in my area, which have wait lists of 2-3 years.

Maybe I'll just aim to finish my econ degree and take it from there. :/

Thanks for your advice!