new to nursing

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hey everyone

Im new to this forum and was wondering if i get could get some info. I just finished my freshmen year of college and will be going into me sophmore year (biology major). I am intersted in becomming a nurse and was wondering what i need to do to go to nursing school. Do i need to take a test like the DAT, MCAT? Do i need to take specific classes to apply to nursing school?

Thanks for your help! :)

so you dont need a bsn to become a registerd nurse? i can get my diploma in nursing and then become a RN? How long does this take, and do you go to nursing schoool with this option? Im new to the whole nursing thing so im kinda lost :uhoh21:

no, you dont need a BSN to be a registered nurse, although there are more and more BSN program now, more than diploma programs. Many people pursue a BSN because its is necessary to continue on to get a masters degree in nursing. Most diploma programs are about two years or a little under. The one I am attending is twenty one months long. It really depends on how much money you plan to spend on your education and what your long term plans are. If you want to continue your education to the highest level, you should probably get a BSN. If you go to a diploma program, you can go back and get your BSN later on, and it probably wont take four years, because you took many credits in nursing school.

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It is all very confusing, isn't it? :) There are three routes of preparation in nursing -- diploma schools (typically hospital-based, 2-3 years), AD degrees (community college degrees), and BSN degrees (standard undergraduate college/university degrees). All three types of programs get referred to as "nursing school," and all three prepare you to take the NCLEX-RN, the licensure exam for RNs. Once you pass the NCLEX, you are eligible to be licensed to practice as a registered nurse in a particular state. Once you get a license, then (and only then!) you're an "RN."

Does your present college/university have a nursing program? If you are already a sophomore bio major, you may be in a good position to transfer into their program (and finish at about the same time you would have finished your bio degree). If not, your best bet is probably to talk to the people at all the various nursing programs in your area and see what they have to offer you and which one would be a good match for you. Different programs require different prerequisites (many of which you may have already taken as a bio major) and take different amounts of time (and $$). Although a BSN offers some more professional opportunities than an AD degree or diploma, whether or not that matters to you is a v. personal decision. Also, there are many "RN to BSN" programs out there that enable AD or diploma grads to take just the courses necessary to complete a BSN degree -- many people who intend to eventually take a BSN degree start out by going the quickest route available to them (diploma or AD) and finish the BSN later, after they are licensed and employed. Again, that's a v. personal decision -- no one else can tell you what is the best choice for you.

As for what you do after nursing school, if you choose to continue your education beyond the basic preparation in nursing, there are many graduate programs (Master's and doctoral programs) that prepare you for advanced practice nursing (nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists) and/or scholarship/research.

There are many, many different specialities and opportunities, as well as a lot of career flexibiliity, available in nursing (which are some of the reasons it appeals to many of us). Best wishes with your journey --

thank you! thats very helpful.

I now that my school has some pre nursing circulum and then i go to a nursing school, the undergrad ciriculum is only two yeatrs long and it has mostly humanites classes.

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Holy Cow Z, I didn't know Canada was a different country since it's attached, but I live in texas and sometimes feel it's a different country all by itself. Sorry but just could not pass up such a really good opportunity to do a little picking. But on a serious note, some BSN programs do have a lot of classes that for some reason just dont seem appropriate for any area of nursing. They just stick them in and I sometimes think it's just to increase cash flow.

Have A Great Day and Be Safe

Jerry

Never heard of needing algebra for nsg.

But I do live in a different country.

Z :)

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