Pre-Nursing Student with a few questions

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 2, 2012

Hello, I am a pre-nursing student, I currently have all my general ed pre-reqs and all nursing pre-reqs except for A&P II (which i am currently taking) and Microbiology, which I am registered for in the Fall. My GPA is 3.7 and I plan on applying for the nursing program while i am taking Microbiology in the Fall. My questions are:
1) do you have to have your Associates Degree in Nursing before going for your BSN. If not, what is the difference in time frame of each program and is it much of a difference between getting your Associates and Bachelors in Nursing?
2) When you graduate from the RN program, are you able to chose which department you work into. I really want to work in Labor & Delivery, Mother/Baby, or NICU. Is it usually hard to get into the field you want.
3) My goal is to eventually work as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, from what I've researched online you must have your BSN first and then you can apply for this program which is a Master's Degree. Does anyone else have any futher information regarding this.
Thank you!!! :)

1. You have to have graduated from an accredited nursing school to be able to sit for the NCLEX-RN, the licensing exam you'll need to pass to become an RN at all.

You can reach this goal by graduating college with an Associates Degree (typically a 2year program that takes longer depending on how long it takes for your pre-reqs to be completed; the actual nursing program is two years). OR you can enroll in a 4-year university, in a Bachelor Degree program in nursing. The first option gets you an ADN, the second a BSN. BOTH options arrive at the same RN license. It just depends how much education you want to have; some places that hire prefer BSNs, some ONLY hire BSNs, and some don't give a rat's patooty. Research what's needed in your geographic area.

Also, you can do what's called an "RN to BSN" option; after getting the ADN, you can do a 'fast track' BSN; won't take you four years, but it will take something like 18 months full time, to get the extra requirements in. Might be longer depending on your availability to do the courses along with working as an RN.

2. Choose? Not likely. Yes, some areas are much more difficult to get into than others, and you've managed to list all the ones that can take years to get into. Some people will tell you they got in smack out of the gate, of course it's possible, but I wouldn't count on it. Job market is tight, and experience wins every time....gaining experience before landing the dream job is to be expected.

3. Nurse practitioners start with a BSN....honestly, that's far enough down the road that's not what you should be focusing on right now. If your goal is NP, then you should be looking to enter a BSN program now.

You're welcome :)

ssaarraahh · May 2, 2012

Here is what I know:

1) You can go straight into an ADN or BSN program. The ADN programs are 2 years and the BSN programs are 3 years. If you choose to go into ADN, you can then take a RN-BSN bridge to get your BSN. I have heard that it is harder to get a job if you just have an ADN. Some hospitals, like magnet hospitals, require you to have a BSN to work there.

2) There is no nursing shortage. You can try to get into the dept you want right out of nursing school, but trust me, it will be hard. New grads are having a hard time finding jobs. I am a new grad (graduated in Dec 2011) and I have been applying to many, many jobs in California, and I have only had 1 interview. It is hard to get a job as a new grad. Some new grads are going on a year without a job and still looking.

3) For this, all I know is that you need your Masters.

Ashley1120 · May 3, 2012

thank you both for the information!!! I appreciate it :)