Jennie.K

Thank you for the info! I have narrowed it down to either Frontier or Georgetown. Since I am still working on my BSN, I am going to stay open to which grad school to go to. I also spoke with my nursing adviser this morning and she too mentioned Frontier. She also broke things down and explained, in more detail, why getting experience and feeling comfortable with bedside nursing would be important.

A lot of the programs I have spoken with will accept students with any hospital experience. They understand that L&D units are really hard to get into. Also, Georgetown told me that they will not penalize an applicant for doing an ADN then bridging to BSN; but they do prefer that the applicant went through a traditional BSN program.

Thank you for the reply! I didn't look at it like that. I think I was just trying to find a speedy way to get to the end. However, experience takes time. Who knows, I may find that I love bedside nursing once I start! Besides, I want to be the best NP I can possibly be and I don't think that can happen without a good foundation to work off of.

Oh my goodness people, yes I have shadowed RNs. Yes, I am unsure which path I should take (there are only a million to choose from). Please, excuse me for posting a question on a public forum instead of doing my own research about different programs. I am not looking to be attacked for not wanting to do bedside nursing for years before becoming an NP. Yes, I do understand that an NP is still nursing. This is why I want to do it. I am just looking at everything available and weighing the options to decide what is best for myself. Stephalump, thank you so much for your support/information/opinion in various posts. I really do appreciate the advise and pointing out various possible realities without the attack. Good news!! I spoke with Georgetown University and they are a Yellow Ribbon school! (Super excited because I did not know this!) Meaning I can use my husband's GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon to cover most of that expense for the CNM/WHCNP program. Also, I will still have my scholarships at my BSN school next semester, if we haven't moved yet. After all the stress and unknown, I am finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel! Now if the Army would just get with the picture LOL I've just been stressing because once the decision is made and things start rolling, there is no going back!

*nor am I Have to love autocorrect!

That is not what is making my mind up, which I am still at a cross road. Sorry if it seemed as though I was only utilizing crowd-sourcing as my primary information route - not the case. Obliviously, any posts on a forum are going to be negative because people are venting. Another obvious fact, politics in the work place are going to be everywhere. I was making light of a stereotype with that comment. I do apologize if the tone did not come through over the web. By adding the "correct me if I am wrong" statement, I was hoping someone would state what they love about bedside, other than the happy feeling you get from helping someone. If one is to make a decision based solely on what is said in a public forum, such as this site, that individual would be very ignorant. I know what my final goal is and I am looking for information/opinions on a good path to take. Bedside nursing not for everyone. If I could bypass bedside nursing to get to my final goal, why would I not do that if my goal is not in bedside nursing? I am not going write a novel to explain my reasoning for choosing this career not am I going to explain why I want to become an NP over an MD.

Thank you so much for the info! I am actually more interested in the prenatal care than I am actually delivering the babies. At first, I was looking into becoming an OB-GYN; however, after some research, I found that a CNM/WHCNP would be a much better fit for me. All the running around like a chicken with its head cut off, people taking their frustrations out on you, doctors yelling at you, other nurses backing stabbing, zero break in 12 hours... No thank you. That would drive me crazy! Obviously, I haven't done bedside nursing; but, from reading others post, it sounds like that is all bedside nursing is. Please correct me if I am wrong. :)

Hey guys! Do any of you all know of a CNM program that does not require one to be an RN first or do bedside nursing? After doing a lot of research, I really don't think bedside nursing is for me. However, I really want to become a CNM and would also like to work as a women's health NP. Everything that I have read seems to require bedside experience. Thanks for any info/opinions!

I agree with this. It will give you experience and pay most, if not all, your student loan debt.

You will need to find which BSN program you want to do. Then, contact them and ask what prereqs you need and what will transfer.

Sorry, I can only offer sympathy. There are a ton of RN jobs around here. However, they are all for experienced RNs

I took Intro to Philosophy online and it was a lot of reading and discussion boards. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the class. I thought it was fun to argue different topics from different philosopher's view points.

HA! I was originally going to school for teaching; but, since TX has put a hold on hiring public teachers, I thought I should look into other careers. The responsibility nurses have terrified me at first. Then, after I took A&P, I realized this is the perfect profession for me!

I would make sure the General Bio will transfer. Most likely, it will; but you will need to make sure. Now, for how challenging the schedule will be. Introductory level bio and chem are pretty easy. Also, general psych and sociology seem like the same class. Neither is hard, just a lot of material. So, I do not think your classes will be very challenging; but you will have a lot of work and a lot of material to learn. That could be difficult. However, I think you will be fine.

Also, in some states, hospitals use private companies to screen potential employees. If your name lands on the "should not hire" list, you will not be able to get a job at any hospital that uses that company.