Social Work vs RN; Watts School of Nursing

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I'm currently a 22-year-old BSW student at ECU. My original goal was Nursing, however after attempting A&P (twice) and Chemistry and having to drop them, I reluctantly settled on Social Work with the eventual goal of getting the MSW to become an LCSW. However, after taking the introductory Social Work courses and doing more research into the field, I've become sort of disillusioned with Social Work for various reasons such as earning potential, prestige, etc. so I'm now reconsidering Nursing.

I've recently discovered Watts in Durham and am intrigued by the lack of pre-reqs (although I'm still worried about their A&P) and how their website makes it seem like their admission standards are lower than public university and community college programs. I emailed them last week asking about their admission rates and my chances of admission but I'm still waiting to hear back from them.

Basically my debate is this: Right now I have 2 years left before I get my BSW, and then 1 year after that before getting the MSW; so therefore 3 years total until I can realistically start a career in Social Work/Mental Health. Hypothetically, if I did get accepted into Watts, would it be worth it to drop out of ECU to attend essentially a diploma Nursing program? Do hospitals and other employers in NC view diploma/ADN RNs less favorably than BSN RNs (I've been hearing this for years now)?

And I've looked into a few ABSN programs - such as ECU's - but they all seem to require a lot of pre-reqs, and accept so few students that I would probably never get in anyways. From what I understand it seems like it would be easier just to get the RN from Watts and get the BSN online later.

Also, has anyone here graduated from Watts or know anything about how difficult it would be to get accepted, how difficult their A&P course is, etc.??

I apologize for the lengthiness!! I look forward to anyone's response :)

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BSWtoRN,

Sounds like you have a lot of tough decisions. There are plenty of ways to skin a cat so to speak but the first thing you need to decide is, "What do you want to be a nurse or a social worker." They are very different careers, but are both rewarding and needed. I am attending Watts beginning in June of this year. I have a BSPH concentration in Nutrition from UNC-CH. When I was in school back in 1990 I thought about going to nursing school and I allowed myself to become discouraged because I wasn't making A's in A & P with 125 people in my lecture class. I didn't have the grades to get in Nursing at UNC. I did not check into all of my options because I thought a 4 year degree was what I needed and it would outweigh a 2 year degree. I was wrong. I graduated in something where my heart wasn't and now at the age of 45 I am going back to school to get the diploma RN and I will convert it to a BSN and then an MSN. Don't get caught up in the 4 year vs 2 year, the truth is you are young and can get a 4 year degree in Nursing thru an online or by sticking it out at ECU. At the end of the day a BSN from ECU or a BSN from Mount Olive College by way of a Diploma or community college RN are all looked at equally. Your employer is not going to shun you because your BSN was obtained differently. You only have to answer to you and whats in your heart and in your ego.

Unfortunately, Anatomy & Physiology doesn't change a lot where ever you take it, what changes is the class size and your instructor. Watts is the oldest nursing school in the State of North Carolina and they produce some great Nurses. It has a great reputation and a slightly different philosophy. It stresses hands on and is geared more to teaching you Nursing. It's not a University, its a School of Nursing. They only offer Nursing and they only accept 50 students in each class twice a year. They are accredited and adhere to the same guidelines for RN as ECU has in place in there program. Watts is a beginning, not the end of your education but ECU is also just a beginning because depending on your desires and career steps you and I will both need a Masters eventually depending on what you want out of your Nursing Career.

This doesn't answer your question, it only gives you my opinion. I wish I had checked into Watts when I was at UNC because I would of switched programs and not wasted so much time in my career doing something I didn't really want to do. ECU is a great school and can provide you a wonderful education and student experience. It can streamline the number of years for you to obtain a BSN it is just more competitive because of the number of students applying for Nursing within its system. If you are ok with leaving the University experience and think you will do better in smaller classes, than check into WATTS. It's a great school, it's not easier than the other programs, you still have to make the grade and learn the same information and take the exact exam you would take if you graduated from ECU. Watts just gives you more of a focus because it is smaller classrooms and more one-on-one instruction.

Hope this helped a little. Good luck with your decision.

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djstormin,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and advice. And congratulations on your acceptance to Watts!! I've spoken with professors, friends, and family and they all pretty much feel that I should just complete the BSW at ECU and then I can go back for Nursing later if I really still want to. And mental health has always been a close second interest of mine to Nursing, so I suppose that is what I should do at this point. However, I am still debating getting my NAI this summer based on the advice of others to see if I can handle the "nitty gritty" parts of Nursing.

By the way, I just thought of this -- I know Watts doesn't require any Chemistry courses for their diploma, but would a graduate of Watts need to later on take Chemistry (and potentially other courses) in order to get a BSN?

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BSWtoRn,

Depending on where you go to obtain your BSN would determine if you would need Chemistry. If you graduate from Watts you are automatically eligible to apply to Mount Olive College to complete your BSN. You are guaranteed acceptance at Mount Olive after graduating from Watts. I met with them today and found out after graduation from Watts I only need to take an additional 49 credit hours to receive my BSN. Chemistry is not one of the classes that they require.

Sounds like you have a lot of people giving you advice, you just need to take it all in and ponder it awhile to determine what you want to do. It may not be a bad idea to take the CNA over the summer to decide if you are interested in moving towards Nursing. The one thing I have learned you need to do what is in your heart and go for it! Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. I know for a fact that if you want it bad enough you will find a way to make it happen.

Wishing you much success and lots of luck!

Diane

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Specializes in PACU.

If you are interested in mental health, nursing is still an option and incorporates both :) I also have a strong interest in mental health and psych and I'm going into nursing to hopefully go into the psych specialty afterwards. This is mostly because of my own experiences with mental health that have led me here.

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kate, I definitely agree!! I myself am interested in potentially pursuing the Psych NP.

Diane, thanks again for your help!! I would love to keep in touch since you're starting in June—It'd be nice to hear how the A&P will be. Is it possible to private message people on here?

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If you do go for Watts, I have to tell you that their A&P class is pretty easy. I just took it there in January/February. There's one test and one quiz a week. The professor just goes through slides that covers the homework reading (1-2 chapters a week) It was totally doable. You shouldn't worry about their class....unless of course they change it up for future cohorts.

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hey is Watts School of nursing worth going to than Durham Tech Community College?

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