sunray12

IMO community college programs are your most affordable option, but if you'd rather get in the profession with a bsn then look at state U programs where you qualify for in state tuition. Alternatively consider private schools that have scholarships and grants that you qualify for and this could reduce your out of pocket cost to an amount that could be similar to in state tuition. Usually if this type of financial aid is available you can find out about it on the school website. Since you already have a bachelor's degree you may also want to look at direct entry MSN programs. With regard to prereqs since every school wants different things I think you should just stick with the list of prereqs required by schools you plan to apply to. Everything required to get into nursing school is no more than first or second year undergraduate level material so you don't really need to pre-study for prereqs. Just sign up for the classes you need, and while you're in, focus and study the material and you'll do well enough to get into nursing school.

Over the long term since you mention an interest in specialized paths such as community health or research I can see a small benefit to a program like Penn - this will give you access to e.g., world class researchers and community health leaders. Getting into Penn alone is not enough of course - you'd have to step up to the plate, make your interest known and do what you have to do to get the attention of busy people, etc., so you can get your foot in the door. If you want a more typical entry into the field through hospital nursing then paying for a top ranked school is not necessary at all - you stand the same chance of getting hired as any other applicant with a new nursing license. A year is not a long time. If you're seriously considering community health then take this opportunity to volunteer with an organization in your community that deals with these kinds of issues. This will help you firm up your career interests, it will look good on applications, and maybe even help you find some scholarship/fellowship money.

I think most people will take their coreqs ahead of time if it's at all possible. Nursing classes are demanding enough without the extra responsibility of keeping up with non-nursing coursework.

Imo one of the benefits of being a nursing student with a lpn license is you can work and make decent money while you continue your education or take a break and make decent money before pursuing your RN. People have a lot to say about the role of rn's, lpn's, etc., etc., most of it isn't true or it's their perception which might not be yours so all you can do if you get an offer you want to accept is go for it and see for yourself. There are also online/distance learning lpn to bsn programs so if you decide to take a job this could be an option.

There is a nursing shortage. It just doesn't mean what people think it means. i.e. People think nursing shortage means plenty of jobs for nurses but it does not necessarily mean this at all. Local economies support health care institutions and if the local economy is not good then hospitals get fewer patients. Hospital budgets tighten and so instead of hiring and training new nurses they resort to other things like increasing workload of nurses they already have and filling gaps with non-nursing staff. With that said don't get caught up in negativity before you've even been accepted to a nursing program. Older nurses have pointed out time and again that the demand for nurses is cyclical - the demand is down now but a few years from now things may be completely different. Lots of employers do prefer bsn's now but that may be due to the tight job market - i.e. like all employers right now they can afford to be picky but when the situation reverses that could change. Just take one step at a time. You have to get into nursing school, and finish nursing school (this is not a guarantee) before you start worrying about what the job market is like when you get out. Clinical hours don't count as experience. Your experience as a nurse begins when you get your license then you'll be hired as a new nurse and begin from there.

Persistence is good but you should be applying elsewhere and hopefully you'll get hired and start getting some experience under your belt. To be honest you shouldn't be waitressing with a new license "in your pocket" unless that was your only choice. You don't know that this is your only choice coz you haven't tried looking elsewhere. I know people who have literally waited for years to get on with dream employer but in the mean time they were working elsewhere and the experience they gained elsewhere gave the edge they needed to finally get in the door.

It looks like a heavy course load to me. Do you have a job? I have a friend who once squeezed 20+ credits into one semester while working full time however that requires a lot of focus. If you don't have a job other than student then that's a good thing. A lot of the cc's in my area have accelerated versions of courses that only last for half of the semester. If you can take some of your courses that way it helps because you aren't taking everything at once. What's most important is to only take on as much as you can handle and do well in. If you're overloaded and end up with mediocre or poor grades this will only slow you down when it comes to getting accepted to nursing school.

I don't recommend combing them out because this really thins the hair out to the point where it can take a year with repeat trims just to get hair back to where it stops looking like you had an unfortunate accident of some sort. If you cut it, within a year you'll have a decent length bob or afro (if your hair tends to grow up and out rather than down). No one has to shave locks just clip them 2-3 inches from the base - this hair is not locked and will come loose with your fingers. I would never pass on a job opportunity over a hair style. For a decent paycheck I'll go with whatever style the employer prefers. Hair grows back but it doesn't pay the bills.

I think OP may mean "previous Bachelor's degree". The one linked in the post by mschaz above does not require a previous Bachelor's degree but you do need 60 credit hours of core curriculum credits this the foundational coursework including the typical nursing school prereqs - e.g. a&p, micro, math, chemistry, etc.

I don't see any reason why you can't apply to a pharm d program as long as your bsn includes the prereqs for the grad program. If you pursue chemistry and didn't get into a pharm d program you could perhaps do regular grad study in chemistry. I agree you need to do more research. Write down a list of the different paths you're interested in, look them up and compare what you find. Also talk to guidance counselors at your school and admissions officers at schools you're interested in and they may give you some useful pointers about how to proceed.

Be that as it may nurses still have one of the best professional licenses available anywhere. Even MDs and attorney's can't change countries and keep working. Attorney's can't even practice in different states without a lot of hassle and red tape involved. This is a transitional period in the global economy but overall a nursing degree is a good investment. I'm not fantasizing about getting paid well, but I'm related to quite a few nurses who are working hard and receiving pay commensurate with it. It's not a get rich quick scheme by any stretch of the imagination but a license that entitles you to help and sometimes get paid is a nice thing to have.

You need to directly contact the admissions reps at the schools you're interested in because every school has different requirements generalized answers here won't help you if that's not the policy at the schools you apply to. They will evaluate your transcripts and tell you exactly what they'll take, what's missing and sometimes even give you a list with acceptable courses at area cc's. It's much easier to do it this way than to put money and effort into courses before you know whether they're required.

I took all my prereqs while working full time - this was not in a health care environment as you are now but my job was still demanding. I know others working ft in hospitals while taking prereqs so you can do it. I have a BA and I haven't been turned down for FA. Did you use up all your federal loans as an undergrad?

I agree. The internet magnifies and skews things. I recently had the opportunity to be in the thick of a situation and watch pros (nurses) do their thing. It was very impressive and I'll admit the thought came to me - this is nothing like it sounded on all nurses. You can learn a lot from discussion forums but don't mix them up with real time existence.

I don't understand why anyone with a license and RN job offers close to home would move to take the non nursing job that pays less. Is this a trick question?

At community colleges in my area it's a 5 semester program. Since you already have a AA that probably takes care of most of the gen ed requirements however the ultrasound part of the curriculum takes 4 semesters and they have to be done in sequence.

Not a RN but if you listen to that kind of talk you'd never get into any profession. You also might not ever get married or have kids if you listened to some people talk .... It's more important to make sure that you know exactly what nurses do. You should either volunteer or get your CNA license and then if you're still fired up then maybe it's for you. It sounds like you're on the cusp of getting into nursing school anyway so as you go through the first semester you'll know for yourself whether it's for you.

While in Italy what I'd do is spend some time volunteering in some way or another to put some of my degree to use and broaden my personal knowledge. A lot of hiring managers will find any excuse to look at an applicant with suspicion in a tight job market yet the same people will literally be phone stalking applicants and begging them to take jobs without barely knowing the applicants last name when it's an employee's market. Since everyone knows markets are cyclical, in their shoes I'd try to be more even keeled about these things. Anyway I guess my point is that some interviewers will try to make a negative out of anything on your resume - but it's your job to spin them into positives and it can be done.

Well the question is do you want to be a nurse?? Don't waste your Dad's GI money if this isn't something you don't want to do. The other thing you should consider is focusing on cc programs rather than BSN programs to keep costs low. This way if you remain on the fence at least you won't run up a huge bill while you figure out what you really want to do. jmho.

Are you missing a zero here? Or is the interest rate really high? If this is a federal student loan you can contact the loan servicer to have the payment adjusted or put on forbearance until you get back into school. I'm not in MA or NH so I can't tell you what is typical for transfer credits in your area, but best bet is to try the community colleges in both states. Because you have so much course work completed you won't have to compete with first years for admission so this increases your chances of getting in. Good luck.

I'm sure you have your answer by now but just to add there are nursing students twice your age. So no - of course you aren't too old. Don't be jealous of the 22 year olds. Nursing is a field with a lot of turnover and a high burnout rate. To get the most out of your investment whether that's time, money or both it's much better if you are mature enough to know for sure that nursing is what you want to do for the long term.

Are you saying someone from the same facility where you were turned down wants to talk to you again? If so, I did think from your original post you would probably end up being offered a job there. The first lady was rude - and there's no excuse for that even in a bad economy. Four applicants is not a lot for one position so she doesn't need to trip on that. What if two applicants turn her down and the third takes the job but flakes out in a few weeks? It would be very poor management to blow off an applicant who showed your degree of passion - and if this woman is that bad at what she does she may be out begging for a job herself before long and then she'll know how she made other people feel. Anyway - hopefully things will work out for you.

I took bio 141 and 142 at the same at nova. I got an A in one and B for the other - I also worked full time and had a long commute so fatigue got to me in the end and caused me to slack off. My point - it is doable if you are directed and can focus for several months. I don't mind the B - but if you feel that it would be catastrophic for your plans to not get an A in both - then you should consider taking them one at a time.

It sounds like you'll be taking mostly basic 1st and 2nd year college classes that you didn't do for your BA because you majored in something else. This is not hard course work, it just takes time so you need good time management skills. And for the record there are no useless BA's. Without your BA you wouldn't be eligible to "cut in line" so to speak and go straight to the master's level. Some people have no college and it is common for community colleges to make them start with pre-college level math and english. This makes their path much longer. With a Bachelor's you get to waive out of a lot of preliminary level prereqs. My point - that BA is good for plenty. :)

RN to BSN degrees are a dime a dozen. Most are online. So you shouldn't have any trouble finding a program that suits you once you get your ADN and you won't have to move. Can't imagine a BSN program in this day and age closing for lack of interest. I would ask if this was in the US but from your post it sounds like you're in NYS or someplace in that vicinity.