Mature Individual Wanting To Become a RN

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Please help.

I recently entered the healthcare industry at the age of 40. Background in banking and travel. Became a CNA to see if healthcare is something I wanted to pursue further. I do. I would like to become a RN.

Do I have to take pre-requisite courses or can I apply to nursing school as a mature student?

I have some college/university business courses. No degree.

Please advise. I'd appreciate any help I can get.

Thank you

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Please help.

I recently entered the healthcare industry at the age of 40. Background in banking and travel. Became a CNA to see if healthcare is something I wanted to pursue further. I do. I would like to become a RN.

Do I have to take pre-requisite courses or can I apply to nursing school as a mature student?

I have some college/university business courses. No degree.

Please advise. I'd appreciate any help I can get.

Thank you

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prereqs are required for the mature or immature :D

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prereqs are prereqs whether you are 18 or 88. they are basic classes that give you a footing in what you will learn in the future.

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I would reasearch the schools in your area. Most likely you will have to take some classes before you can apply. I would assume that it would be a Biology/A&P with lab and Chemistry with Lab (usually needs to be taken within 5 years of application). If any of the classes you took before were on the list of classes for their nursing program they will probably transfer. Each program is different. They all have their own set of criteria before you can apply. That being said, you can still complete a program from scratch in 2-3 yrs of hard work.

Also you could look into a diploma program that can be done in less time. This is a great option if you are not planning to take any masters level coursework.

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First off, congratulations. I think it's awesome that you're going back to school. Getting credit for previous coursework will probably depend on a couple things.

1. How long it has been since your previous coursework was completed. If it has been a really long time, some things may not transfer (ie: Anatomy/Physiolog). Also, if colleges were still on the quarter system when you took classes, it's a little harder to get credit for those because they carried fewer credit hours than their semester counterparts.

2. Where the previous courses were taken. If you are going to work toward a BSN, some coursework completed at the community college level will not transfer. However, from my experience stuff like English or psychology will usually transfer.

My suggestion would be to figure out which school/schools you would like to consider then look at the curriculum. If you see courses within the curriculum you have already taken, call and ask them if it would transfer in. You'll need to have copies of your transcripts sent to the college anyway. Some colleges will also give you credit for working in the health care industry. If you have a substantial amount of time in health care you may want to inquire if that is possible.

Sorry about the novel! I wish you lots of luck!

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You might not have to take all the pre-reqs if, a) you have already taken some of them or their equivalent for another degree, or, b) if you are able to test out of the classes directly (at the school itself) or indirectly via a program like CLEP.

I believe CLEP stands for College Learning Equivalency Program. Here is a link to a site with more information.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/exams.html

There might be CLEP guides like those that exist for people wanting to beef up their scores for SATs. You probably couldn't learn enough from a study guide to pass if you were seriously deficient in a particular subject, but using one might help to cover all the bases and fill in any "holes" in your learning.

I can see CLEP courses being particularly useful for subjects like English/Written Communication, Sociology, History, etc, that are more academic in nature. Where you'll no doubt need to just bite the bullet is for the health-related pre-reqs like Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, and Chemistry. Even if you have taken something like Chemistry in the past, there is usually a time limit on the credits. More than, say, five years, and you have to take it again.

I think your best bet is to speak with admissions counselors at several different schools and see what your options are.

Let us know what you find out.

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Hello:

Most nursing schools have prerequisites for admission. These vary from school to school. Some have a long list of prereqs. Others don't have many. There are some schools that will let you take your prereqs at the same time as your basic nursing courses. At the minimum though you will probably need to take anatomy & physiology I and II before you apply to nursing programs. Other typical prereqs are math, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, psychology, sociology, and english (writing), etc. If you go to the websites of schools that you're interested in they will have admission checklists that will tell you exactly what you need to take in order to apply.

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Merged two threads on same subject.

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Specializes in PMHNP.

most schools you need to have a least bio 101, 106, chem 110, eng 101 & 102, math 117 & 118, anatomy & phy 109 & 110, microbiology, nutrition 111, psychology 101 & 215. Yes, it is alot. I have only 3 classes let which I think I will take them all in the spring of 09. I would tell you to call all of the nursing schools in your area attend open houses and request catalogs. It will take time but you can do it, if you really want it.

Raquel

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