JCironMan

Keiser University's BSN program is accredited by CCNE and their ADN program is accredited by NLNAC. You are in good hands as long as the school you are interested in attending are accredited by CCNE or NLNAC with no pending status conditions. What you need to avoid are those "for-profit" schools. Keiser University used to be a "for-profit" school, but they are now a fully accredited non-profit institute. And no, I am not a paid-spokesman. hahaha! Whatever you decide on, make sure that you do not attend an online nursing school. I recommend that you switch from full time to part time as soon as you start a nursing program. Try working on the weekends if you'll be needing extra funds to help with the costs of nursing school. Good luck with your search!

Having an AA, AS, BA or BS in some other field unrelated to healthcare will have little to no impact on getting you hired as a nurse. Don't waste any of your time fulfilling other degrees. I don't know if withdrawing from statistics is such a good idea as you will be needing this course to fulfill the requirements for BSN. Talk to your academic counselor or adviser and make sure you're on the right track. Hope this helps.

Although it would be nice to volunteer at a local hospital, I highly recommend that you work part-time as a CNA, tech, secretary, admin assistant, etc. within a hospital. This approach will help you in the long run when you are done with nursing school and get licensed because nowadays internal employees get first dibs on available nursing positions within any given hospital. This specific environment will also give you a better advantage to start networking while you're in the program and yes, this will give you the opportunity to work with nurses. Working as a CNA would be my top choice because the very first portion/months of nursing school covers the basics/fundamentals in which your experience as a CNA may come in handy. If attending a CNA program doesn't please you, try looking into secretary positions in postop, ICU, PACU, tele, or surgical units. You won't need clinical experience or certifications for that. Bottom line is get a job in a hospital and while you are job hunting, volunteering a few hours a week won't hurt. Good luck!