RN tells my mom that I don't need to take pre-requisites to become a nurse

DextersDisciple, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2018

She's probably speaking of a traditional 4 year BSN program. The kind you go to right out of high school where your "pre-reqs" (which are really just non-nursing related courses necessary to graduate) are done freshman and sophomore year. My university had general nursing courses starting freshman year. She also may have thought you are doing your two year required courses then two years for an ADN and THEN going back to get your BSN? As long are you know what you are doing is all that matters.

rn1965, ADN · Nov 5, 2018

You do you! Make sure you have talked to a guidance counselor at your school (sounds like you have) and follow their direction.

Let your Mom know that you appreciate her concern, and that maybe the RN she spoke with had a different path that you, but you are going to follow the advice of your school.

Then, hit the books and enjoy!

Good luck!

DowntheRiver · Nov 5, 2018

I think I know where this is coming from. I went to nursing school a LOOOOOOOONNNNGGGGGG time ago (late 1970s). At that time, there were no prerequisites required. You came into the program, took 19-20 credits per semester (which included the courses now considered prerequisites) and graduated.
What the nurse your mom works with needs to know is that times have changed.

My mom graduated nursing school in 1970. She took the two day paper boards where you had to wait 6-8 weeks for the results in the mail. She just old me the same thing - that you just started nursing school and didn't have any prerequisites. You graduated with a ASN (for the most part) and that was not an issue. She also had a job as a student nurse her second year of school and she was PAID! When she graduated she immediately had a job on the floor she worked.

So, times, they have changed...

Kallie3006, ADN · Nov 6, 2018

Clarify with the school itself and if that doesnt answer your questions see if you can talk to an academic advisor. This person should be able to pull what you have taken and are enrolled in and give you a "timeline" for your college courses. This will show you what classes are need for graduation. What are needed prior to applying to the program and what might be helpful if you are pursuing another degree in the future.

I went to a community college- there was some basic classes needed prior to applying as well as sciences (micro, a&p ect) since my goal was to pursue my BSN I was also advised to finish my core curriculum there which will keep me from taking an additional 2 or 3 courses when I went for my BSN. I did this and am now in a BSN bridge where I only have to take the 10 bridge classes versus some extra math and English classes I would have had to had I not got core complete.

All colleges and programs have different criteria to get accepted into their programs, your best bet would be to ask the school.directly as none of us here would be able to accurately answer for you without knowing that information

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2018

This is a good time for you to exercise soundness of mind and wisdom.

Figure out exactly EXACTLY what that nurse said. (talk to her yourself with your Mom present, hint, hint)

Figure out exactly what is required by the school you want to go to. (Go in person, with your Mom, to talk to an Admissions Representative).

Do what is required.

If money is your Mom's bug-a-boo, there are many scholarships and grants available. Go to the Reference Librarian, search online, find these sources of free money.

Good luck.

My own school, in the early 70's, required only a certain GPA from high school, an application, some money, and boom.

We freshmen had visiting professors (none were nurses) to give us certain courses. A & P, Micro, Physics, Chemistry, English, Psychology, Sociology if I remember correctly.

We were taught the Nursing courses by RN's. Fundamentals of Nursing, Med-Surg, Maternal-newborn, Psychiatry, more Med-Surg, more Med-Surg, Leadership, Pediatrics, whatever all else. We had lectures at our school and clinical experiences at the affiliated hospitals. At the end of 3 years, we got an RN Diploma.

At the time, very few students were getting a BSN or higher. I don't think any of my instructors had more than a diploma and some experience working.

Now It is quite different. I think there are only 2 Diploma schools in the whole country. There are RN programs at the community colleges and in Universities. The BSN is nearly universally required to get hired as an RN, it seems, from reading Allnurses.

Just a comparison from now and from nearly 50 years ago.

Again, good luck.

Serhilda, ADN, RN · Nov 6, 2018

Every nursing program around me requires prerequisites prior to being accepted. Also, no, a BSN is not "universally required" like the previous poster mentioned. Half of my ADN class had a job lined up prior to graduation and the rest got jobs less than 6 months after. Many were in acute care, some were outpatient. We live near a very large city at that.

Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2018

It depends on where you're doing your degree. If it's a 2 year community college, then you will almost certainly need pre-requisites. Each community college is different and it sounds as if you already know which classes are needed for where you plan to apply.

If you go to a 4 year College, then technically you may not need the pre-requisites to get in, but you'll end up doing them in your freshman and sophomore year anyway. Swings and roundabouts.

It's way cheaper to go the community college route. There may be some private schools that would accept you w/o pre-reqs but then you'll end up taking those classes at that school anyway, but at a much higher $$ a credit.

In a nutshell, I would say the RN who spoke to your mom is wrong.

middleagednurse · Nov 6, 2018

This is a good time for you to exercise soundness of mind and wisdom.
Figure out exactly EXACTLY what that nurse said. (talk to her yourself with your Mom present, hint, hint)
Figure out exactly what is required by the school you want to go to. (Go in person, with your Mom, to talk to an Admissions Representative).
Do what is required.
If money is your Mom's bug-a-boo, there are many scholarships and grants available. Go to the Reference Librarian, search online, find these sources of free money.
Good luck.
My own school, in the early 70's, required only a certain GPA from high school, an application, some money, and boom.
We freshmen had visiting professors (none were nurses) to give us certain courses. A & P, Micro, Physics, Chemistry, English, Psychology, Sociology if I remember correctly.
We were taught the Nursing courses by RN's. Fundamentals of Nursing, Med-Surg, Maternal-newborn, Psychiatry, more Med-Surg, more Med-Surg, Leadership, Pediatrics, whatever all else. We had lectures at our school and clinical experiences at the affiliated hospitals. At the end of 3 years, we got an RN Diploma.
At the time, very few students were getting a BSN or higher. I don't think any of my instructors had more than a diploma and some experience working.
Now It is quite different. I think there are only 2 Diploma schools in the whole country. There are RN programs at the community colleges and in Universities. The BSN is nearly universally required to get hired as an RN, it seems, from reading Allnurses.
Just a comparison from now and from nearly 50 years ago.
Again, good luck.

My experience was like yours, Kooky I graduated in 1971

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2018

Every nursing program around me requires prerequisites prior to being accepted. Also, no, a BSN is not "universally required" like the previous poster mentioned. Half of my ADN class had a job lined up prior to graduation and the rest got jobs less than 6 months after. Many were in acute care, some were outpatient. We live near a very large city at that.

I didn't say it was without exception. Read more carefully.

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 7, 2018

I graduated in the late 1970's from a 4-year BSN program at a major university. No prereq's. I was accepted right out of high school as a college freshmen. We took no nursing courses our freshman year, 2 nursing classes in out sophomore year. We then took 3 nursing courses each semester of our junior and senior years (+ electives which could be either nursing or non-nursing.)

I think there are still a couple of programs like that still around ... but most have evolved to require a 2nd application be made after the freshman or sophomore year to enter the nursing major. That lets the school "weed out" some people who did not do well on their college-level work and also gives them room to possibly admit a few students from the outside who didn't sign up for the nursing major as freshmen, or did not get accepted as freshmen -- but who have taken appropriate classes and done well on them.

BookishBelle · Nov 9, 2018

My community college nursing program does take students straight from high school as long as you did chemistry and did well on it. So technically no pre reqs. As I am a returning student, I had to do math and chemistry again as pre reqs tho. Other courses such as A&P and microbiology are recommended to be pre reqs, but you can do them at the same time as your nursing core. Does make it harder.

Etak, BSN, RN · Nov 9, 2018

There is one school near me that requires only highschool algebra and chem to get in. There's also no waitlist and you only need a low (for nursing) highschool gpa. (I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was below 3.0)

the catch? A BSN costs $90k. Only 56% percent of accepted applicants finish the program. Of those 56%, only 77% pass NCLEX on the first try. Of those that successfully become RNs, according to the school's own gainful employment disclosures, only 13% land a job after graduation.

They don't accept transfer students (I assumed because they'll make less money off them and whether the student succeeds isn't the bottom line).

Take your prereqs. Most reputable schools require them for transfer and it'll save you thousands of dollars, and if along the way you decide nursing isn't for you (it happens) you're not tens of thousands of dollars in debt with no degree.

and yes, there are good 4 year programs where you don't need to have done them to apply. But as others have said, you're still doing them, just during the first 2 years. Going to community college route to finish them and then transferring to a 2 year program is usually much, much more affordable and gets you the same exact degree.