Is an ABSN in the cards for me?

[1NP2BE]

Hello all, I will try to keep this post succinct and chronologically formatted. I'll try to not post the all too common bulk paragraph. Let's go: I am a 36-year-old male that has worked as a patient care tech in two emergency departments on the OVERNIGHT SHIFT (11p-7a) consecutively over a period of 16 years. 6 years into my first job I decided to start college and pursue medical school. I went on to complete a bachelors degree at my home school but unfortunately came out with a terrible GPA (2.7). I'm a first-generation high school and college graduate so a lot of my time in school has been trial and error. I do wish however that I would've found a mentor earlier in my career that would've held me accountable for failures earlier on. I just suffered in silence.

I decided to move across the state to attend a second state university in an attempt to re-establish myself and show that I was able to handle the sciences, however, I fell right back into the same slump and concluded the first three years with a GPA ~2.4. I knew I was capable of a better performance, but was unsure what was causing me to constantly do so terrible. I took a year off and realized that the only variable I did not change over these years was working full time on the overnight shift while taking upper-level science courses during the day. I subsequently took an evening shift position ( 3p-11p) and then returned back to school. I immediately noticed a significant improvement in my coursework. Leaving work at 7a and going to class was one of the worst mistakes of my academic career.

Over the past two years, I've received 3 B's and 12 A's in upper-level science courses. I recently decided that I would put my medical school journey to bed and focus on applying to ABSN programs. I've worked with nurses for years in the emergency department, as well as on other units in these two hospitals, and feel very comfortable with my decision. Due to possible policies of pre-requisite expiration dates, I will have to retake A&P 1&2, as well as Chemistry and Statistics at a nearby CC this summer.

At the moment my GPA stands at a 2.7, but with A's in these summer classes, I may be able to bring it up to a 2.9. I understand many ABSN programs have minimum GPA cutoffs at 3.0. However, my most recent 60 credits including pre requisite retakes should be around 3.7-3.8 at the end of the summer. I only hope my reinvention over these past few years along with clinical experience can help me get to where I would like to be.

Any suggestions on what to do from here? Thank you all for your help.

Also, I'm in the NY area. I primarily would like to stay in the northeast (PA, NY, CT, MA, DE). However, if needed, I would travel to other regions.

[araew2129, ADN]

I would take the classes you need to and then some filler classes to try and pad your GPA, apply to the ABSN programs you are interested in and also to some ADN programs. I was accepted to a MEPN (basically ABSN at a master's level) but turned down the seat in favor of the ADN program. Exorbitant cost and the intensity of the work (I have a family and have to continue to work during nursing school) made the ADN program SO much more attractive. And, I'm sure you are aware, but these programs are all very competitive and IF they look at your overall GPA then just meeting the minimum makes acceptance unlikely. My local ADN program doesn't take overall GPA into account, only the prerequisites grades and HESI scores.