NURSES HELP! Know any good CA colleges for Nursing major?

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First off, hello and thank you for your time!

I am a senior in high school and I think I have decided Nurse Practitioner over Physician Assistant. I will be applying for colleges in the fall and I am not sure if pursuing the BSN degree (MSN later) is better at state colleges or universities.

I originally wanted to go to UC Davis or UC Irvine, but I don't think they have a BSN program. Please correct me if I'm wrong because I have been dreaming to go to one of those UCs. However, I will sacrifice whatever it takes to be an NP.

I have done my research and found that these colleges have a nursing program. Please help me choose the BEST California college for nursing out there! I ruled out UCSD or UCLA because I doubt I will make it in with a (10-11th grade cumulative) 3.54 gpa.

Universities (If you're sure it offers nursing.):

Davis

Irvine

State Colleges:

CSU Los Angeles *NLNAC Accredited

CSU Sacramento

San Diego State University

San Francisco State University

San Jose State University

This is extremely long, but it will be my future.

PS. It is true that I must take two years of pre-reqs before entering in any nursing program?

PPS. Is it possible that I can enter a Nursing (BS) Program right when I enter college?

I'm no expert on CA nursing schools, but I can offer you this link which lists RN programs approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing:

http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/rnprgms.htm

UC Irvine has a nursing program

http://www.cohs.uci.edu/nursing_undergraduate_programs.shtml

It looks like it just started in 2005. I would find out about their accredidation status before establishing yourself there.

As far as I know for BSN programs, you are pre-nursing before completing the pre-reqs and then you apply to the major. Some schools have programs for high school students who will be "pre-accepted" into the program provided they finish all the science pre-reqs in their first year with good grades.

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

hi, delasoul, from one californian to another!

from reading your post i can tell you are a bit confused about what nursing school is and what it entails. ericenfermero has given you the best link on the schools in california and you should check it out. you are going to find most of the schools you listed on that list. you need to have a bsn before you can become a nurse practitioner of any specialty. i am giving you a couple of websites about nursing that you should also read. they have good information on them about what nursing is, the different levels of nurses and the education required for them. this will help un-confuse you and help you make your decisions. some schools are known to be educators in certain specialties of nursing as well, so you will also want to take that into account when you are ready to do your practitioner studies. but first, you need to get your bsn. that is job one. and i think you will probably will be able to do that at one of the uc schools. do not be discouraged by your gpa. still try to apply to these colleges and see what happens. the worst case scenario is that they can say "no". you can always try to "backdoor" into a uc college later on by transferring in from a community college with an even higher gpa that you earned there.

http://www.discovernursing.com/

http://www.nursingsociety.org/career/cmap.html

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/majors_careers/42226.html - "thinking about nursing school? consider your many options" from the college board.

http://www.wetfeet.com/content/careers/nursing.aspx - about nursing from webfeet.com

ps. it is true that i must take two years of pre-reqs before entering in any nursing program?

not necessarily. it depends on the specific program and what they require for pre-requisites. some programs admit you to their nursing program and then you proceed to take the pre-requisites. others, require you to take the pre-requisites and then apply for a place in the nursing program. they are all different.

pps. is it possible that i can enter a nursing (bs) program right when i enter college?

yes. it just depends on the college as i mentioned above and how they handle admission to their nursing program. you are more likely to finish a nursing program faster if you go directly into a bsn program since most students go the faster route, which is the adn degree. many students are only interested in becoming an rn and not in getting the baccalaureate degree along with it.

let me tell you what i was told many years ago when a was a youngster contemplating a career in nursing. rns are leaders and managers, not just nurses who take care of the sick--they direct those who take care of the sick. this is what a bsn is going to prepare you for. as a nurse practitioner you will have an even bigger role as a leader, educator and manager of both patients and your colleague nurses.

welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

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