cassanova

Lol, I don't want to change majors because 1. not sure if nursing is what I want to do and 2. I go to a tiny liberal arts school... there is no nursing major! lol

Is 13 patients a lot, or normal fare for those in the Psych world?

I've been doing more reading, and, as most people probably looking at this profession, I have seen a lot of negativity on here. Especially when talking about the pay/patient overload, etc.... Now, I am interested in nursing specifically because I want to help people, but like most, I also want an okay paycheck. I know, I know, I hear don't go into nursing for the money, but with a soon to be BA in Theater, I'm not likely to get anything more than 25K a year on that. Is the pay really that bad? I am not interested in working in med/surg. My interests lie with Psych, Correctional, and Women's Health. Can anyone give me advice on this please?

I live in Pennsylvania in the Philadelphia area. While I do live close to many schools, I can't seem to find tuition info on any of their websites, and even so, I know the reputable ones (Drexel, Thomas Jefferson, UPenn) are more expensive than an ASN then RN-BSN would be. I haven't looked more into other schools around my area, but I'd have to do pre-reqs first to begin with, which who knows how long that will take. Most schools that I would assume have lower tuition are far from my area.

I've been doing some research--looks like a good option for someone money-handicapped (me) is to get an ADN and then do an online RN-BSN program... also seems like the best option since if I can't get a job, it's cheap, and if I can, then it's online and flexible for me. Does this seem correct, or am I underestimating costs? Doing an ABSN is way way too expensive for me to consider...

Double post, sorry

Wow! Thanks a lot for the great advice. The thing I'm worried about is going to get my ADN and then being unable to get a job, so therefore I can't get anyone to help me pay! The ADN sounds like the best option to me right now though, considering the money situation and the fact that I might be able to do it more quickly than a BSN. From all the advice I see on here, it seems that people urge others to go on and get their BSN. For me, I'd love it if a hospital paid for me to continue my education. I just don't know. ALSO! Let's say I get my ADN. Will I be able to get an entry-level job at a Psych facility? This is my real interest...

Thanks for the scholarship information. I've been looking at the community college courses around here and it seems both community colleges around me offer you a AAS in Nursing? But you can take the NCLEX and become an RN? Is this the same thing as an ADN? I don't want to get that degree then find out I can't get my BSN.

Hi everyone. I've made a thread in another forum, but it seems hard to get answers there... but I am also impatient (and currently in Guatemala, where nothing happens). But this also seems like the area to get more targeted advice for this issue. I am going to graduate in 2012 with my BA in Theater. Yeah. So, as you can see, I'm considering nursing (specifically psychiatric nursing) as a career I want to pursue. Coming from a liberal arts college, I have few prerequisites. I want to pursue an accelerated BSN program but I would have to take pre-reqs first. I've thought about doing this at community college, but is that really a good idea? Someone told me that I'll have no chance of getting into a BSN program if all my pre-reqs are CC. Secondly, my parents will not pay for another degree. Though I would go for the 2-year BSN, where could I get money to do this? I don't want to be 60,000 dollars in the hole (despite the fact that this seems inevitable... don't lecture haha). I'm really new to the real world and haven't experienced much of it. All advice would be greatly appreciated.

Also, how do I obtain a shadow to make sure that Nursing is what I want to pursue?

To work in a mental health facility, do I just need to get my BSN (i.e. become an RN)? Or is there more degrees I need to get before that. Bleh. I wish I had a timeline so I knew exactly what to do.

I'm really interested in psychiatric issues and mental health, so I considered mental health nursing. Does anyone have any input on this (as well as the schooling stuff)? I am definitely going to shadow some people...

Hi everyone... I am 19 years old, a rising junior in a small liberal arts school. All things working out I will graduate with a BA in Theater in 2012. However... I'm feeling like I may want to become a nurse. Knowing well there are plenty of ways to do this, I'm not really sure which one to take. I don't know which paths are fully open to me (I will have little to no biology background when I graduate--though I love bio). Shoudl I take pre-reqs at a CC and then apply to nursing schools? How will I get financial aid (my parents are currently paying all of my schooling, and I know they won't want to take a stab at a second degree)? But of course, my biggest question is if I want to be a nurse at all... I know this is silly to come to you guys with this question, but it's a big one for me. I'm good with blood, most of the time okay with puss, anything like that. I think I can handle cleaning poop and stuff. I love people and I love to help them. But I don't have the stomach for really intense wounds and stuff. Everything else is fine. Is this a complaint of most nurses and they get used to it? Are there careers in nursing where I can take care of people but not get heeb-jeebed out every day of my life? For example, I think being a nurse at a women's health center like Planned Parenthood would be cool... just a silly example. Thanks for entertaining my stupid questions. I know I could do research about this on the internet but it's so much easier to just come to the people who can give me advice first hand. Also, I would like it if people would not say "Well hun, you certainly aren't cut out for blahblahblah if you have a problem with xyz!!" I have had people say that to me about things many times and it is kind of condescending. Mostly the hun part. Hahahaha.