Pathway to an RN

[cserrah]

Hi everybody!

I know I'm a young one, but I'm hoping to get some advice. ^_^

I'm a high school senior, and it's getting about time to apply to

colleges in California. My goal is to become an RN for now, and I've been doing

some research. For a long time, I've always wanted to go to UCLA,

and I've felt it was the perfect school for me. The problem is,

I recently found that UCLA only offers an RN-BSN program.

I just wanted to know what my options are.

Should I forget about this school and look for a college that does offer

a 4 year BSN?

Would it be possible to go through a 2 year ADN at a community college

and immediately transfer? If so, would it still end up to be 4 years of school or longer?

And lastly, would it be possible to become an RN without getting a BSN, but with another major like biology? How would I go about doing this?

I just really want to make the right decision, and I'm hoping anyones

advice will help. Thanks a lot!!

[husker-nurse, LPN, LVN]

You are very wise to consider a 2 year college to get your pre-req's done at a substancially reduced fee as compared to a 4-year college. Just make sure that all your credits are transferrable, they can help you with this at your first interview with the school. Best wishes to you!

[Megsd, BSN, RN]

A few tips on finding nursing schools in CA:

You can search for programs at http://www.allnursingschools.com as well as http://www.discovernursing.com. You want to make sure the school is accredited by either the NLNAC or the CCNE (some schools are accredited by one and not the other, and that is okay). Both these groups have websites you can search for approved programs on also -- I don't have those websites handy. I'd recommend finding a program at one of the first two sites I mentioned and then making sure they have accreditation through either the NLNAC or CCNE.

I looked seriously at CA schools for nursing and found that barely any UC schools offered nursing, but a majority of the Cal State schools do (Cal State LA has a program, for example), as well as many private schools (like USD or USF) have approved programs.

You won't be able to get an RN by graduating as a biology major -- unless you do a Hospital Diploma program (which are not very common nowadays) you need to get a nursing degree (either an ADN -- Associate's Degree, or BSN -- Bacherlor's degree). The choice varies depending on your needs and desires. :)

Good luck to you!

Meghan