Online BSN program question... and some others.

[jondg]

Hi,

My name is Jon and while I was searching for the answer to a few questions I came across this forum. I've only been here a short while, but so far it looks great! Also, sorry if I posted this in the wrong category, I wasn't really sure where it should go.

I have a question about two online BS programs through UMASS and am a little confused about who the programs are for. One is

BS in Nursing for Registered Nurses

and the other is

RN to BS (Nursing)

I'm just now looking into the possibility of becoming a nurse, so excuse me if this is a stupid question. But what I'm getting out of them is that I need to be a nurse already to go to school to become a nurse???:uhoh21:

Also, I have already finished two years of college planning to major in accounting, thank god for internships -- that almost became the biggest mistake of my life! I have taken some sciences (human bio., general bio. 1) and math (through calc. 3 + Stats.), not to mention all those gen. eds. If I choose to go to school to become a nurse will I be giving up those 60+ credits? Is there a program out there that would allow me to put those credits to use or will I be a freshman all over again? How do nursing schools work exactly, they seem similar to an engineering program in that the coursework is pretty major specific and transferring in or transferring out can become pretty messy.

Sorry for that long post. Thanks for making it through all of that! If anyone could help I would really appreciate it.

Jon

[caliotter3]

In both of these cases, the programs are not meant to make one an entry level nurse but to provide a BS education for someone who became an RN through a diploma or ADN program. The BS is an advanced education degree that some RNs obtain in order to further their careers.

[llg, PhD, RN]

There are multiple ways to become a registered nurse (RN). Not all of them involve getting a BS degree. Some people get an Associate's Degree and others go to Diploma programs run by hospitals, not colleges. All 3 of those types of programs -- ADN, Diploma, and BS in nursing (or BSN) -- qualify a person to take the RN licensing exam.

Some of the people who did not get a Bachelor's degree would like to get one later in life so that they can take advantage of career advancement opportunities. So there are programs for those people who are already RN's, the RN-BS (Nursing) program you mention. The BS in Nursing option you mentioned is for people like yourself who are not already nurses. Some nurses get a BS degree in nursing as their first degree after high school.

To make things even more confusing, there are also programs that are specially designed for people who already have BS degrees in other disciplines. Some of those programs are at the bachelor's level and some are at the master's level.

The different entry levels causes all sorts of confusion and conflict within the profession of nursing -- but it's something we all managage to live with as it provides different choices for people who have different needs.

I suggest you talk with the school itself to find out which of your credits will count towards a nursing degree, any prerequisite courses you will need, etc. Each school sets its own rules.