New here - lots of questions!

[Matka]

Hi there.

So after lots of thinking and praying, I've decided that I would like to become a nurse. I have a B.A. in Linguistics and an M.A. in Religious Education, and I'm just not doing what I want to be doing. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do, and I was thinking of becoming a Physician Assistant, but realized that perhaps nursing is a better route for me. Although I have lots of education, none of it is in the science fields, so I'll have lots of work I need to do to get my full education.

I have several routes that I've been thinking about. My husband and I will be moving from New York to Indianapolis next year, so I won't start until then (given that I'm due to have our first baby in 3 months!). So I was looking and there are three program available that I can do, and i would love some opinions.

1) Accelerated BSN - a degree for those who have a prior degree. I don't have the pre-reqs done, so I would have to do those before I could start. ANd then its a full time program, and i'm currently the primary wage earner in our family. So I think this one is out.

2) BSN - this seems to be a regular B.S. degree. I would be able to get out of the general education requirements because of my other degrees. THis is definatley a possibility.

3) ASN - I could go and get my associates and start working almost immediately, and then be able to do a RN-BSN degree which has much more flexibility.

What do you guys think? Anyone do the ASN, get the RN and then do an RN-BSN program? I have 2 fields that I would love to get into: nurse-midwife and nurse anesthesist. I was thinking of doing a Physician Assistant and could do either of these as well. I would love some opinions!!

Thanks!

Ksenia

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Welcome. I'm doing the ADN to RN route. Just don't wait 14 years like I did. I'm getting tuition reimbursement. It's a good option if you're the primary wage earner. These days ADN programs have pre-req courses and waiting lists so it still could take you three to four years to complete.

Good luck.

[suebird3]

Welcome to allnurses.com! I moved your post to a more appropriate Forum.

Good luck!

Suebird :)

[HARRN2b]

Hi KB,

I am in Indianapolis (northside). I have a Bachelor's in Business from Ball State. I am taking my science pre req's at Ivy Tech. You will need a&p 1 and 2, chem 101, micro, a&p 201. You can take all of these at Ivy Tech. As far as fast track BSN's, you can go to IUPUI downtown. Marion College holds an informational session about once a month, University of Indianapolis has a program. You can also get a 2 year degree at Ivy Tech, it is however, very competitive, due to the lower cost. Marion college is the fastest to get in but very $$ due to private. Not sure on the cost of University of Indianapolis, as I did not look into it. Ball State and Indiana State also offer programs, but those are nice long commutes. Let me know if you have any questions.

Holly

[HARRN2b]

Oh and I forgot Butler University. From what I hear they have an excellent Physician Assistant program.

[arciedee]

Hi there! Congrats on your upcoming baby and move. You've definitely got lots going on!

If you're interested in becoming an advanced practice nurse at some point, I would look at MSN programs you might be interested in and see what their admission requirements are. Some will accept people with an RN (ADN) and a bachelors in something else, so that might help you make your decision. For the accelerated program, how long is it and where is it? If it is at a state school w/ reasonable tuition it might be beneficial for you because you'll be out of the workforce for a shorter period of time. But if you're planning to try to work during school, then that's would be pretty much impossible for most accelerated programs.

Also, keep in mind that PA programs often have different pre-reqs than nursing programs (though there is some overlap). PA programs usually want more pre-med type courses (general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, etc.). So you might want to figure out which one is a better fit for you or start out taking the ones that DO overlap while you decide.

Good luck!