RN-BSN with Psychology minor

[cheezyguy]

I graduated with an ADN degree from a known community college here in San Diego, CA. I applied for the new grad RN residency program as an internal candidate, but unfortunately I was not selected for the Fall cohort. For that reason, I decided to pursue my BSN through the RN-BSN bridge program at San Diego State University starting this August 2013 with an expected graduation of May 2015 if everything goes smoothly. In addition to my BSN, I'm planning to get a Psychology minor as I believe working in acute care also deals with patients with medical condition/diagnosis combined with psychiatric/mental illness. I find this challenging yet a great opportunity for learning speaking from my own experience as a former student nurse extern for 1 semester during nursing school and a recent nurse assistant in acute care setting (where I currently work). I thought this would be a good "touch" to my resume and portfolio (I put it as currently working on my BSN with psych minor) as I mentioned it during my interview, but apparently it didnt work (maybe I want to show them something different from other candiates who just have ADN or BSN). I'm also considering signing up for the army reserve nurse corpse program or army active nurse corps program while pursuing my BSN with psychology minor as they offer good incentives.

Do you guys think this is a good idea getting Psychology minor with BSN and signing up for the army reserve nurse corpse program or army active nurse corps program will help me land a new grad RN position soon? Any tips, suggestions or feedback is appreciated. Thank you. :)

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

moved to career advice for best response

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

Psychology majors and minors know very little about mental illness. A minor would not be enough to even scratch the surface. Psychology actually focuses on thought processes and such, not so much mental illness. Volunteer for organizations that deal with mental health issues instead, read up on mental illness, be understanding of those who have it. That being said, mentally ill people are all around. I have Borderline Personality Disorder and I have my degree and license as a nurse and I volunteer.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Sorry, but a psych minor will not give you an advantage over other BSN new grads. Instead, it would be more advantageous in the long run to try to obtain some sort of relevant work experience - because this DOES make a difference when it comes to landing that first job, particularly if that experience is with the same employer. Any type of entry-level job with patient contact will add value.