Nursing as a second degre

verene, MSN · Nov 27, 2018

Assuming you are in the U.S. with a prior degree you have a lot of options to pursue nursing depending on you abilities to move, how much money you want to spend, and how long you want to take to make the transition.

No matter which option you take you will need to look into pre-reqs requires and admission standards for each individual program you are interested in as these vary between programs. I found keeping an excel spread sheet with programs and requirements for admission helpful.

The beauty of nursing as a second career is that there are a lot of ways to make the jump - the challenge is that there are a lot of pathways and figuring out which one is best for you can take time and research.

RN school options:

Associate's Degree: Usually 2 years post-preqs, but if done in-state can be highly affordable from a community college - frequently less than 10K for the whole program. Draw backs are because of affordability sometimes these programs can be more competative than other options - and frequently they only look at pre-req grades and test scores. If you have extensive prior educational history and relavent work experience and only "okay" pre-req grades it may be less competative to take another option. Additionally depending on where in the country you plan on working post graduation - job options may or may not be limited. In staturated markets ADN nurses may be limited to non-acute care jobs, or may have to sign a contract stating that they will get a BSN with in so many years of hire at s hospital. In other areas - it doesn't matter and nurses are in demand no matter which degree that have.

Post-bach BSN: Traditional BSN programs may admit students as transfer or post-bach students. Again making the nursing program about 2 years after pre-reqs. This can be a good option in terms of marketability and cost. Particularly if you want to take some time in learning the material or have other interests or responsiblities outside of school.

Accelerated BSN programs: Intended for students with prior bachelor's degress who are high acieving students who have previously done well in school. These programs are nursing through a fire-hose. A typical ABSN program is 12-18 months from entry to graduation with a BSN. These programs can be more expensive than other BSN/ADN programs AND are intense enough that ability to work is limited while in them, so examine that cost/benefit of taking this route.

Direct-entry MSN: There are a variety of direct-entry MSN programs. The main advantage of these programs are they are graduate level - meaning if you've already used up financial aid for undergraduate degrees, you again qualify for aid a the graduate level. Draw-backs - unless you are super sure of NP school and go to one of the hand-ful of direct-entry to NP programs, you've just paid for an expensive graduate degree and are working the same RN job as the graduate from an ADN program who paid less than a 1/3 of your tuition. Some managers may be reluctant to hire students either because "They didn't take the traditional path" or because those attracted to the MSN can be seen to be too willing to jump into leadership or other non-bedside positions as soon as they have enough experience. There are good direct-entry programs out there and I know some graduates who are really awesome nurses and individuals, but the option still has some stigma in the nursing world.

I personally applied to programs at all levels (from LPN certificate to direct-entry MSN) and then waited to see where I was accepted and how I felt about programs after interviews and talking to graduates. I was accepted to a well-respected ABSN with hefty scholarship, which combined with some other reasons (closer to family, better job market) swayed my decision to attend that program. Ultimately it is an individual choice and you need to look at what will work best for you, your family, and your professional goals.

MiladyMalarkey, ASN, BSN · Nov 27, 2018

Maybe start with doing some research online regarding schools you may be interested in (community colleges are not bad for any pre-reqs you may need to still do-but that is your preference-you likely have many done thanks to your micro degree). Chances are good you may not receive financial aid (other than student loans) because you already have a bachelors, but that you can discuss and verify with a financial aid advisor unless you are fortunate enough to be able to cash pay!

Make an appointment with an advisor at your school/s of choice, see what you need to do to get the ball rolling. I'd suggest seeing a nursing advisor if you can, general advisors are often not as versed in the requirements for nursing programs. From school to school some pre-reqs may differ slightly and you need to see which of your previous degree courses transfer. Have a copy of your transcripts for reference with you when you go to the school/s unless you are attending the school where you got your previous degree of course.

Figure out if you want to do an ADN/ASN degree, a BSN degree, or since you have a BS already, you may consider an accelerated BSN program. In some places they do have bridge programs for those with a previous bachelors to get a MSN concurrently, but, I'd think hard about that one. Getting a master's is great, but, you likely will not get paid more being a new nurse and having a masters. If your financing with loans, MSNs are also more expensive, so weigh your options. Good luck.