non-nursing graduate looking to be a nurse?

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I'm a few months from graduating with a BS in Psychology from Loyola Chicago (+ pre-requisites for Loyola's ABSN program) - seeing as there are not many choices for ABSN within the city I was wondering what other paths can I take to become a nurse?

I know there's ABSN, can I use my already-acquired credits to enroll in a normal BSN program but having to take only the necessary nursing classes? What are my options?

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You could apply to BSN programs, they are usually 2 years in length. The ABSN programs are shorter for various reasons including more coursework and shorter breaks.

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That would mean only the nursing classes for those 2 years right, and not gen eds and the numerous science classes I took as pre reqs right?

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It depends totally on the requirements of the nursing department for the school you attend.

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So would this mean looking into any ol' bsn program, and not just second-degree/absn programs?

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Generally, the 2 years is minus the pre-reqs. They will generally expect you to have the specific nursing pre-reqs completed and those vary by school. You generally wouldn't need any of the Gen-Ed classes.

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Thanks, that helps a lot, now that my scope is broader - what are good schools in Chicago, other than Loyola?

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another alternative is that you could seriously look into a bachelor's-in-anything-to-mn program. usually 18-24 months; helps if you know what you want to do with it. for example, if you're interested in psychology, you could consider careers as a nurse specialist in psych in many different areas-- children, teens, adults, elders, special populations (prisons, hiv, homeless, vets...)don't know if there are any in chiland but i would be surprised if there weren't.

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I didn't know there's that option, thanks! I will look into it. Does the nursing specialty then have to relate to psych?

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Another question, how about becoming an RN* and then doing an RN-MSN program (MSN for RNs w/o BSN) such as Resurrection's?

*if this was a viable option how would I go about becoming an RN without doing an all out bachelor's program?

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The RN-MSN programs are for ADN or Diploma RNs. So basically, you'd need to find a community college or hospital with an RN program. Take 2 years to become an RN. Get some experience then do the RN-MSN program. The tricky part there is in many areas, RNs without a BSN are having a more difficult time finding jobs. Also, since you already have a BS/BA degree, becoming an RN (ADN or diploma) will take about the same time as becoming a BSN.

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So that leaves me with absn/second degree bsn right? How would I go about doing a normal bsn program considering I'll have a BS psych anyway?

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