LMSW Social Worker considering Associates Nursing Degree to transition to BSN and MSN

[RayRay89]

Hello,

So I'm currently an LMSW (Social Worker) practicing as a child therapist in a community mental health center. I graduated with my MSW in 2014 and graduated with my Bachelors of science in Human Biology in 2011. For many reasons, I've been highly considering going back to school to be a nurse. My ultimate goal would be to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. For now, I'm focusing on doing what I need to get my nursing credentials first. Initially, I was considering doing an accelerated BSN program, however my undergrad GPA is a 2.52-many of my science courses butchered my GPA-literally and my credits from undergrad are now 6 years old. I wish graduate degree grades could be counted with my undergrad GPA as my grad GPA was 3.52.

Right now, I'm seeing that I'd have to redo so many courses to bring up the undergrad GPA and to qualify for the accelerated programs. I have a higher chances of getting into an associates degree program with my old credits, while possibility only having to do a few more Pre-reqs. Does anyone have experience going the associates route with similar background or situation as me?

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I went the absn route, but I seriously considered the adn route. It wound up coming down to the fact that I could actually finish the Bsn sooner. Doing the adn and then the bsn bridge would have cost the same, but taken more time.

Adn programs can be very competitive too. Make sure your gpa is not an issue there.

Where I work, most of my fellow psych nurses are adn nurses. But I think having a BSN helped get me a psych job without any med surg experience.

Are there any prereqs you still have to take for both programs? What are the classes you did poorly on the first time around? Have you taken anatomy and physiology?

If you still have a significant amount of prereqs, you may be able to boost your gpa that way. If your a and p is over 5 years old, you may have to retake it anyway.

[RayRay89]

Thanks for commenting. I struggled mostly with physics and anatomy and physiology. I know I most likely would have to take a and p 2 over, possibly a and p 1 over. I'm going to make a trip to dutchess community college on Monday to see what other classes I have to do for their nursing program. Another nursing program I was exploring-Cochran, told me I only need microbiology and nutrition. A lot of the BSN programs require more Pre reqs, higher grades for the core science classes and higher GPA so ADN may be best for me and then I can later explore a bridge ADN to bsn online program.