Some Nurse School Questions

hprice · Nov 14, 2020

Hello everyone. I am looking into applying to an accelerated nursing program (second degree to BSN) in Florida. Somewhere near Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte area if possible, but I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can answer. Here is some info about me before I get to my questions.

I am a 30 year old male who has a BS in biology already, and changed my major way too many times in my undergrad. Long story short, my overall GPA is pretty bad. Around 2.8 if I remember, but it's rock solid in for just about all prerequisites for nursing as well as the last couple semesters of school. I may have to take DEP2004 Lifespan Development for a prerequisite, but I've taken (idr course code) Human Development and am hoping that will suffice. I also already took the TEAS in 2017 and scored in the 98% percentile. Oh, and tuition cost isn't an issue for me, so I'm open to both public and private schools.

Okay, on to the questions.
1) Should I even bother with an accelerated program for nursing or do a standard 2 year RN program, and then do a RN to BSN program later?

2) I'm kind of ashamed of my overall GPA and am worried that will be an issue for applying to schools. Do schools prioritize science GPA, prerequisite GPA, etc instead, or is this even that big of an issue?

3) Are there any schools I should stay away from? If so, mind sharing why?

4) I know I said I'm looking for schools in southwest Florida, but I am open to others as well. I have tried looking up schools that have accelerated programs, but it seems like I mainly find public schools like UCF, USF, etc. Why is it hard to find information about private schools in Google search? Do private schools have non accredited programs or something?

5) Can anyone provide a list of some good private schools?

6) I know I will have to take the TEAS again. I am hoping to score around the same to help make up for my GPA. Does anyone know what I should shoot for to be competitive?

I'm sure there are probably more questions I should be listing, or more information I should be providing. Please ask me anything that could help you answer any of my questions, and I am definitely open to any advice from here on.

Thank you for all the help!