Is an Accelerated Degree B.N in Alberta a Good Move for Me?

[SpaceMonkey1234]

Hi Everyone, I graduated with a B.Sc in Neuroscience in back in 2014. I have been working as a microbiology lab technician since then. I enjoy my work and it has decent perks and pay, but looking forward 10-20 years, I'm a bit worried when it comes to long term stability and growth. I'm considering applying for an after-degree nursing program in 2018 at the earliest.

I've been reading about accelerated nursing programs and I'd like some input on if it is the right decision for my situation.

Some background information about me:

I graduated with a GPA of 3.08 which isn't great. I did several work semesters in water, microbiology, and molecular biology through a co-operative education program (Not sure if that will help me when it comes to applications.)

I've looked at the After Degree Nursing programs for the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, and Calgary. I will need to take 6 credit hours of anatomy/physiology to meet the pre-requisites but the others such as Statistics were done during the course of my degree. I've been looking at taking some late afternoon arts/humanities courses through Lethbridge College throughout 2017 to help boost my GPA. I'm thinking of taking Anatomy/Physiology online through Athabasca as neither University of Lethbridge or Lethbridge College offer lectures during times that fit with my current career.

I'm interested in Nursing mainly for the security and mobility that it offers. I lose quite a bit of sleep over the fact that my experience can only be applied to a small handful of locations around the country. The accelerated program also interests me as I could potentially finish changing course before I turn 30.

I don't mind working long days much, and am fairly decent at defusing situations when personal tensions run high.

Do you folk think that I should bother trying to go this route? If not, are there any alternatives you can recommend for me?

Thank you for your time =)

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

There's no security in nursing, especially when the economy has declined. Governments continue to cut funding to health care, and AB is one of the worst Provinces for growth.

That said, if you don't mind working casual, temp, or rural, you'll likely find work. Just realize it isn't secure.

You will need to boost your GPA to be competitive. The average sits around 84-87 percent for nursing programs.

[SpaceMonkey1234]

Hmm. A lot more bleak than I had hoped. Thank you for the reality check.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Since oil has tanked it's more bleak than any of us realized. Wage freezes, layoffs and quietly leaving positions vacant is the norm. The health authorities are millions of dollars in debt, so this will be the norm.

[plub]

hey spacemonkey! I did the exact same thing in 2013 and did a fast track program through U of A. Definitely don't regret my decision... and yes, similar background (Bsc. in biochem) and also from a eastern province... I understand where you're coming from and I wanna say if you don't mind starting up in a rural/suburb area and working graveyard shifts, you can definitely achieve what you're looking for within a year or two! don't give up!

[SpaceMonkey1234]

hey spacemonkey! I did the exact same thing in 2013 and did a fast track program through U of A. Definitely don't regret my decision... and yes, similar background (Bsc. in biochem) and also from a eastern province... I understand where you're coming from and I wanna say if you don't mind starting up in a rural/suburb area and working graveyard shifts, you can definitely achieve what you're looking for within a year or two! don't give up!

Hi Plub, thanks for the advice and hopefully things will keep looking up for you. Unfortunately working in a rural area was the exact opposite of what I wanted and after browsing a bit more, seems like I was a bit mislead when told that nursing is the recession proof job and whatnot.

I'm looking at other programs like Medical Laboratory Science at NAIT or maybe even a Bachelor of Commerce from U of A instead. Hopefully the future prospects those offer will be a bit more up my alley.