NEED HELP! I want to become a Nurse.

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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So, heres little background on why I want to be come a Nurse. Growing up I always knew I wanted to help people. I just didn't know what to go to school for. Three years have now passed from when I graduated High School and I feel like I am not accelerated as fast as I know I can. All of my peers are now in their last year of undergrad school and I am walking around with only 12 credits. The thing that pushed me to go into Nursing was about a year ago I became ill. It was so bad I almost lost my vision! Long story short, I was diagnosed with Idiopathic intracranial hypertension. I was only in the hospital for 3 days but the Nurses there were so caring! They all seemed to love their job. This along with many other factors pushed me to go into Nursing. I knew I wanted to be that happy. I am currently obtaining my Medical Assistant Certificate (No backing out, already paid for)!

I know Nursing is going to be a challenge for me but it seems like just enrolling is already hard enough! I never receive straight answers from my advisors and they push me to go for degrees I really do not think will help me get into a Nursing Program. So my question is, what undergraduate degrees would look best on an application? I know I want to work specifically in underserved areas and specialize is Mental/Behavioral Health so I am thinking of attending ASU or GCU to obtain a associates in Psychology. Although, in order to do that I have to have a Associates in General Studies! So I guess what I'm really asking for is what degrees are best, what could one do to make an application stand out and what's your story? What steps did you take or are taking to get where you want to be?! :rolleyes:

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In order to be a nurse, you need to have a BSN/ADN (Although I STRONGLY recommend going right for the BSN). But do you want to get another degree ontop of the BSN? Then maybe get a degree that can compliment it. So a degree in global health, biology, bioethics, pharmacology, physiology, etc would all be great choices. Psychology and sociology would all be good choices as well!!

Here's my story (I'll keep it short!): I am just about to graduate from University next month with a BA in Health Science, Bioethics, and Environmental Biology from a very good (and HARD!) school. I volunteered at a pediatric hospital for 3 years during school where I worked with nurses to help them and met with children. I also worked on several research projects while there. I also worked on 2 disease-related research projects with the government (one may be published soon). I also worked on health-related student organizations and conferences. This is all while I was working on my undergrad and I just finished my courses a month ago! Yay! But now I would like to either do a Masters of Public health OR an ACCELERATED BSN program (which could be an option for you!). I'm still torn between which to do. An accelerated program is basically 2 consequtive years of study but you get the exact same degree as a 4-year program. The only catch is you already have to have an undergraduate degree (or almost be done one). So if you want to get a degree, then get any degree that interests you and you can apply for an accelerated BSN :)

I would recommend volunteering at some hospitals. I've volunteered at 2 hospitals. One was a small community hospital where I was basically an orderly and it was SO BORING. But then I volunteered at one of the biggest hospitals in the country and I had so many roles in several units at that hospital there was never a dull moment! So I suggest volunteering.

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Specializes in NICU.
I never receive straight answers from my advisors and they push me to go for degrees I really do not think will help me get into a Nursing Program. So my question is what undergraduate degrees would look best on an application?[/quote']

You do not need a degree to get into a nursing program. Most schools require a list of prerequisite courses that need t be taken before applying to nursing school. Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology are a few. Once you complete those classes, you can apply. Some schools require you to declare a Major. Since you are not a Nursing Major until you are accepted into the program, you can be considered a General Studies major until you are accepted into the nursing program and then you are switched to Nursing major.

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Specializes in Stepdown . Telemetry.
But now I would like to either do a Masters of Public health OR an ACCELERATED BSN program. I'm still torn between which to do.

I am just curious, if you want to be a nurse and get the BSN, and you just completed a BA, why would you get an MPH degree? That is not a nursing degree. Are you torn between becomming a nurse vs MPH? If you are considering MPH as a means to be more desirable for the BSN, that doesnt make sense. An MPH would be valuable in nursing, sure, but it seemed like you were considering a masters degree as a resume booster for your BSN...

Maybe i just misunderstood what you were thinking of doing.

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I am just curious, if you want to be a nurse and get the BSN, and you just completed a BA, why would you get an MPH degree? That is not a nursing degree. Are you torn between becomming a nurse vs MPH? If you are considering MPH as a means to be more desirable for the BSN, that doesnt make sense. An MPH would be valuable in nursing, sure, but it seemed like you were considering a masters degree as a resume booster for your BSN...

Maybe i just misunderstood what you were thinking of doing.

Oh sorry, yeah should have been more clear. I mean I am torn between pursuing EITHER an MPH or a BSN (not both). I mean, I may pursue both eventually who knows. But I meant right now I am going to choose one and I am torn between which degree to go for.

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Specializes in Stepdown . Telemetry.

I see what you're saying. What I love about nursing is that it is the starting point to so many career paths. As an RN you can always pursue public health as an option. Nursing is like keeping your options open!

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Congratulations on obtaining a Medical Assistant Certificate!! If you want to be a nurse, you shouldn't waste your time on completing other degrees at all, you should find out exactly what the prerequisites are for the nursing program (which are mostly science courses and some math). These usually take around 1-2 years to complete (more if you have to retake them), Then you should speak to the dean of the nursing department and go over the steps it would take to enroll in the Nursing program. The BSN Programs are very selective so try to do very well in your prerequisites. Every school is different but the steps to get accepting into a nursing program can be time consuming so you shouldn't waste time at all. I know a lot of BSN Programs have deadlines that have to be met in order for you to start so speak with an advisor and the nursing Dean ASAP so you know exactly which route to take. The other degrees you mentioned sound fun but, you should also keep financial aid in mind. You can no longer receive grants after earning a bachelors degree, and those student loans rack up over time. It'd be best to find the best long term career path for now and if you want to get additional degrees in the future, go for it!! Good luck

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Rob95, thank you so much for your information! I wasn't aware financial aid stopped after a bachelors degree! I haven't became a Medical Assistant just yet! Still taking courses. I should have emphasized that better in the forum (oops)!

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Raven1994, i would love to become a NP but I may just go for my BSN. The school I'm attended has a RN-BSN program so I'm going to contact them for more information on that. Once I am done with my Medical Assistant program im going to look into volunteering! I will have to take a break from school for a semester or two to pay off some of my current loans so this time next year I will be volunteering! I haven't volunteered before so could you explain how to go about that? Are there websites? Sorry! A little new to this. lol Congrats on finishing your courses!

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No problem! And to clarify Financial aid doesn't necessarily stop, "Eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant is restricted to students who do not already have a Bachelor's degree. If a student is seeking a second Bachelor's degree, she will not be able to get a Pell Grant regardless of whether she received federal student aid in the past or not" It only applies to grants you can still take out additional student loans (lol but who wants to do that) so I'd suggest after you get your BSN or ADN, work as an RN for a while and in some cases the job you work for will pay for you to go back to school.

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