Question about nursing program

[allison.]

I'm currently in high school and I want to get a bachelor's degree in nursing but I'm kind of confused about nursing programs?? Are the prerequisites and core classes part of the nursing program or do you have to take them before you can start the program? What's the difference between pre-nursing and nursing? and actually, if you could just tell me a very generalized overview of the whole process, that would be so helpful :) Thank you in advance!!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

This may be completely dependent on the program. When I attended my prelicensure BSN program, we were nursing majors at the time of admission if we declared so. A pre nursing student is simply one who hasn't begun the actual nursing classes yet while a nursing student has. Sometimes, the classes overlap, such as when I was taking anatomy & physiology 2 at the same time as nursing fundamentals.

The best place to find this information is directly from schools in your area that you are considering applying to. Most will likely have a department of nursing webpage if it's part of a larger university/college system.

[_firefly, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Good questions. Programs vary a bit, but here is what I've seen. Nursing programs are typically two years. To apply you need to have already completed certain college classes with a good grade point average (microbiology, anatomy, physiology, etc). These courses are considered pre-nursing. Core classes are generally part of the degree program you are in (actual nursing classes such as medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology, pediatrics).

You can take the prerequisite or pre-nursing courses at any college or university or multiple colleges and universities as long as you are careful those classes will be accepted by the BSN program you apply to.

[allison.]

Thank you so much this was really helpful!!