New & Lost.

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Hello!

I am new to all of this, I originally was looking into going to school for an ultrasound technician but realized that I could become a nurse with just an extra year of classes (at least I think I read that right, it's 4 years right with pre-req's?), so I was thinking that nursing would be more beneficial and worth it. Problem is, I know NOTHING about it. LOL Like what the different degrees are, what's the best route/degrees to take, how hard the schooling is. I'm totally lost. I plan on scheduling a meeting with a local university to learn more about their programs problem is I don't know which one to be interested in. I know what I want to do in the end.. work in the labor and delivery/ new life unit.. that would be my dream job! So any/all help will be greatly appreciated. I'm 24, a high school graduate with no college credits or anything like that.

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Hi Felicia! There are 3 nursing degrees you can go for in your situation: LPN/LVN (licensed practical or vocational nurse), RN (associate's in nursing) or RN BSN (bachelor's in nursing). LPN can take up to 2 years total to earn, ADN can be 2 or 3 years, and BSN is a total of 4 years. All of these # of years I am giving includes the time it will take to complete your pre reqs. I don't know where you live, but if you are financially able to do so & can commit to this much time, I would go for the BSN. Personally, I am going for the BSN because in my area many hospitals prefer BSNs. But like I said, it depends on you and what you want. The fastest way would be the LPN and then possibly a bridge program later on to become a RN. Nursing school is hard regardless of which degree you go for. Some questions to ask schools you visit are: what is your NCLEX (state boards) pass rate? What sorts of things do you look for in applicants to your program? How many people who start in your program actually graduate? These questions can tell you a lot about a school. I hope all this information helps. Good luck.

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Hi Felicia! There are 3 nursing degrees you can go for in your situation: LPN/LVN (licensed practical or vocational nurse), RN (associate's in nursing) or RN BSN (bachelor's in nursing). LPN can take up to 2 years total to earn, ADN can be 2 or 3 years, and BSN is a total of 4 years. All of these # of years I am giving includes the time it will take to complete your pre reqs. I don't know where you live, but if you are financially able to do so & can commit to this much time, I would go for the BSN. Personally, I am going for the BSN because in my area many hospitals prefer BSNs. But like I said, it depends on you and what you want. The fastest way would be the LPN and then possibly a bridge program later on to become a RN. Nursing school is hard regardless of which degree you go for. Some questions to ask schools you visit are: what is your NCLEX (state boards) pass rate? What sorts of things do you look for in applicants to your program? How many people who start in your program actually graduate? These questions can tell you a lot about a school. I hope all this information helps. Good luck.
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Thanks for all the info!! Okay BSN is actually what I'm looking for, if I'm going to do this then I wanna do it all the way! I just didn't know if I had to do the lpn then rn then bsn ya know?! So that's a breath of fresh air! I figured it would all be hard, I was just wondering how hard seeing as I've been out of school for 7 years (can't believe it's been THAT long). I will write down those questions to ask the school. From what I googled in my area (and many others) BSN is what they require now a days!

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BSN is a great decision! I definitely think you will be able to do it, even after 7 years. I have people who have been out of school for decades taking pre reqs with me & they are managing just fine.

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BSN is a great decision! I definitely think you will be able to do it, even after 7 years. I have people who have been out of school for decades taking pre reqs with me & they are managing just fine.

Thanks! I'm just really nervous about failing at this, but I know it will be worth it in the long run.

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You definitely can do it! I graduated high school in 1995 (!!!) and have completed nearly all two years of pre-reqs (for BSN) in just the last 15 months! I have a 3.9 GPA and I've done that with 3 kids while my husband studied for an AAS in Criminal Justice! It wasn't hard to get back in the swing of things when it came to school, just took some time. I'm sure you will do just fine! Good luck to you!

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