In need of some help...

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hi, my name is Carolyn and I am a 2nd year at UC Irvine in California. I am Undecided/Undeclared bio-unaffiliated, which means I'm taking bio classes so I can eventually major in Bio. Recently I decided I want to be a Nurse! I did a little research and I'm a little confused.

Question #1: Once I graduate UCI with whatever major, Bio or Psych or whatever, do I have to get another bachelor's degree in Nursing in order to be a nurse? Or are there programs/grad school I can take after UCI?

My friend told me I would have to get another Nursing Bachelor's on top of my Bachelors at UCI. I would major in Nursing at UCI but it's way too competitive. They only accept 25 applicants a year! My GPA is awful, below a 3.0. I know many of you wouldn't recommend nursing with such a low gpa, but I'll be honest. I've been dumb and I wasted my first year and a half having pointless fun. I'm inspired. And I believe in myself I can do well.

But I don't know what to do now! I guess I can transfer to another school with a nursing program. But they want you to have a good GPA! And plus the deadline is in January which is way too close! And So I wouldn't be able to transfer until my fourth year. If so, should I just graduate with my first bachelor's degree and then get my nursing bachelor's degree? Seems like a waste of time. I don't know what to do :(

Sorry this is so incredibly long. Somebody please help! :confused:

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Specializes in Aspiring for a CCRN.

Hello, fellow anteater.

You have three options to pursue nursing, that is assuming after graduating with a BS from UCI (this part is set in stone, right?):

1) Apply to a local ASN/ADN program and get your RN licensure, then seek advanced degrees in nursing through bridge programs

2) Apply to BSN (UC's, CSU's)

3) Apply to EL-MSN, Entry-Level Master of Science in Nursing (UC's CSU's) - UCLA, UCSF, Charles Drew, Samuel Merritt, UofSD, UofSF, Western Univ. of Health Sci., SFSU, CSULA, CSULB, CSUFullerton, etc.

http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/programs.shtml

GPA-wise, you need to raise your cumulative up to 3.0+. As for nursing prereq's Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbio are not too difficult to get A's in. Just expect nothing less and study accordingly. I know that you still have to do a quite a bit of upper div. science core, so, try to stay focused. If the first two years were spent having fun, the last two or three should not be too much fun.

Good luck.

P.S. Also, carefully consider when you declare major. Ecol/Evol track seemed less strenuous than the Cell/biochem track. Although, the latter would prove much more useful to you later on.

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Hi there!

I literally just went through this whole process (actually, I'm still kind of in it because I'm waiting to hear back from nursing schools!) I am a senior anthropology major at UConn, and decided while I was abroad in Cape Town that I wanted to be a midwife (or rather, that I am a midwife, but I need to go to school for it first!)

I came back, busted my ass with pre-reqs and applied to schools. I would highly recommend getting your first BA or BS, then going on to nursing. More education is never a bad thing! I would definitely recommend taking a few sociology/anthropology classes, they'll help you understand your patients, and I think make your application when you do apply stand out.

As shaas stated above, you have those three options after your first BA/BS, and accelerated programs are usually about a year to 18 months. I'm applying to both ABSN and direct entry MSN programs, so if you have any questions, let me know!

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My GPA is awful, below a 3.0. I know many of you wouldn't recommend nursing with such a low gpa, but I'll be honest. I've been dumb and I wasted my first year and a half having pointless fun. I'm inspired. And I believe in myself I can do well.

I had this same problem during undergrad ... partied away my first two years and totally trashed my GPA. I'm talking an F, a D, and a couple of C's. It was pretty bad. The only way I managed to fix it was dropping the amount of courses I took (12 hrs/semester instead of 15) and devoting the last two years of university life entirely to school. Managed to graduate with a 3.1 and an obvious "upward trajectory" in my last two years. Got straight A's in pre-reqs and that got me into nursing.

You are going to have a difficult (read: probably impossible) time transferring into a nursing school right now. You still have enough time to slow down and do well in your remaining classes - it will have a significant impact on your GPA. Make sure you pick up all the standard nursing pre-reqs (bio, chem, nutrition, A&P, microbio) and that your grades in these classes are excellent. Retake them if they aren't. After that, you can consider any of the second-degree programs... ASN/ABSN/DE-MSN will depend on how much your GPA improves and how much more time you want to spend in school at the end of it.

You also have enough time to get some serious healthcare volunteer/shadowing experience in.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

Something of which you need to be aware:

Many public schools in California will not admit a postbaccalaureate student unless they're getting into a 2nd-BS or MS program. This is due to the overwhelming number of applicants and the budget cuts that the schools are enduring.

Be cautious about completing a degree that you don't really want.

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My school has this option..I guess your must have it as well:

Accelerated Option

The one-year Accelerated Option is a three-semester comprehensive program of study designed for individuals holding baccalaureate or higher degrees from accredited institutions. This is an intensive one year program that requires a full-time commitment without any outside employment during the year.

The curriculum is geared toward people who have already demonstrated the ability to complete a college program successfully and have finished course work that prepares them for studies in nursing. Candidates for this option should be self-directed, able to set priorities and endowed with effective study skills that reflect an awareness of personal learning style.

So finish your bachelor and try to raise your GPA a little bit more because there is a lot of competition. Good luck

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