straight out of highschool and lost

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2014

Welcome! ((HUGS))

Each school has it's own prerequisites. They may or may not accept your credits already earned. It will depend on each school. Not that your credits are not good...but each college wants you to spend money at their school.

When you find a college that accepts your credits depending on what they are....there will be still courses you may have to take.

Try to find colleges that accept your credits. A BSN will typically take 4 years to complete Since you have credits done it might take only 3 years for you to finish. Yes you WILL be an RN after you take the licensing exam called the NCLEX

What is your GPA? Have you taken your SAT?

thread moved for best response

nate341 · Jul 20, 2014

Well I'm going to attend my local community college

I graduated at a 3.2 unweighted 1650 SAT

And thank you ! I wanted to start working asap as a RN. The university should accept my credits for sure based on my research

RunBabyRN · Jul 21, 2014

A BSN can take 4-5 years to complete, but you may have knocked out some time with your credits already earned. Research universities in your area to ensure that they will accept your credits, and that they will actually go toward classes you need. Look into the general ed requirements as well. If you can go through the summers, you can get to your BSN sooner as well. Most actual BSN programs are 3 years, though some are going to 2 or 2.5 years.

Once you graduate, you'll take the NCLEX, and once you've passed that, you're an RN, and are eligible to work. You can apply for an interim permit, which will allow you to work in some places while you wait to take your exam.

You'll need to raise your GPA. Most programs are very competitive, even if they only require a 2.5 or 3.0 to apply. Your prerequisites are particularly important, as far as that GPA goes.

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Jul 21, 2014

If your pre-reqs are transferrable (unfortunately, not all of mine were and my current school views about 16 of my previous credits as electives), you should be able to finish your BSN in 4 years, depending on your pace. Some classes you may want to space out depending on difficulty and your course loads may vary. Once you obtain your BSN and take your NCLEX and pass, you will be an RN and can apply for jobs and work as an RN. Plan, plan, plan. Map out everything and make goals. Discuss your goals with others and research! Planning ahead changes the game and you will feel satisfied knowing where you are headed. Don't forget to make backup plans in case things don't work out.

nate341 · Jul 26, 2014

My main worry is paying for this haha I hope everything will go in my favor so I can start working asap

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Jul 26, 2014

You may also want to look in the area that you're looking to be employed in and see how the job market is. For example, the SoCal area is currently heavily saturated with nurses looking for employment, which is causing a high unemployment rate for new grads in that area. Not to discourage you, or anything, but make sure you do thorough research on EVERYTHING because you want to be prepared for the challenges in the future, not just current obstacles. Good luck!

dorkypanda · Jul 26, 2014

Don't be afraid to go after your goals due to financial situation. You could apply for fafsa to see if you qualify for financial aid. I think you could apply during Jan and the deadline is march something. @Crackling kraken, is that true? That it is hard to find a nursing job in ca? I'm reading this info from many places and its making me worried. I'm just studying for the teas >.

MoniMart · Jul 26, 2014

Congrats nate341 on your graduation! I agree with cracklingkraken, do all the research you can with job market, school accreditation, and also, what schools will take your credits.

Moni

RunBabyRN · Jul 26, 2014

Don't be afraid to go after your goals due to financial situation. You could apply for fafsa to see if you qualify for financial aid. I think you could apply during Jan and the deadline is march something. @Crackling kraken, is that true? That it is hard to find a nursing job in ca? I'm reading this info from many places and its making me worried. I'm just studying for the teas >.

Where in CA? CA has the highest unemployment rate for new grad nurses- 43% for the first 18 MONTHS. Be smart about what the future holds.

Here's a little insight into my own experience as a new grad with a BSN (Bay Area). I've applied for over 700 jobs since March. I have experience as a Navy Corpsman, phlebotomist, first responder and lactation specialist. I've landed a couple of very per diem jobs doing health fairs, flu clinics, and home infusions. They're far from my goal (L&D), but they're flexible, reasonably low key, and they're RN experience. The ONLY reason I got any of these is because I have experience from the Navy doing these before. Few of my classmates have RN work, and those that do are working in LTC.

Be prepared for a tough market. I went back to retail after graduation (couldn't feasibly work in my program, which was accelerated, while caring for my family and school). I was just able to give my two weeks' notice recently, because I have *just* enough work doing this and working for my mom to cover the bills. As flu season picks up, I'll have more work doing immunization clinics, and I plan to put that aside to get us through next year in case nothing else comes up. I'm still applying for jobs like crazy, as in, ALL of my free time is spent applying for jobs (yes, I am burnt out), but at least now I can narrow the search a bit to my more desired areas of nursing.

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Jul 26, 2014

Don't be afraid to go after your goals due to financial situation. You could apply for fafsa to see if you qualify for financial aid. I think you could apply during Jan and the deadline is march something. @Crackling kraken, is that true? That it is hard to find a nursing job in ca? I'm reading this info from many places and its making me worried. I'm just studying for the teas >.

In certain parts of CA, it is extremely difficult to find a job, even with a few years of experience under your belt. However, I have heard that it is possible to find jobs in the more rural areas. If you are willing to look into relocating after graduation, I wouldn't be too worried about it. You can always consider going out of state as well.

dorkypanda · Jul 27, 2014

Where in CA? CA has the highest unemployment rate for new grad nurses- 43% for the first 18 MONTHS. Be smart about what the future holds.
Here's a little insight into my own experience as a new grad with a BSN (Bay Area). I've applied for over 700 jobs since March. I have experience as a Navy Corpsman, phlebotomist, first responder and lactation specialist. I've landed a couple of very per diem jobs doing health fairs, flu clinics, and home infusions. They're far from my goal (L&D), but they're flexible, reasonably low key, and they're RN experience. The ONLY reason I got any of these is because I have experience from the Navy doing these before. Few of my classmates have RN work, and those that do are working in LTC.
Be prepared for a tough market. I went back to retail after graduation (couldn't feasibly work in my program, which was accelerated, while caring for my family and school). I was just able to give my two weeks' notice recently, because I have *just* enough work doing this and working for my mom to cover the bills. As flu season picks up, I'll have more work doing immunization clinics, and I plan to put that aside to get us through next year in case nothing else comes up. I'm still applying for jobs like crazy, as in, ALL of my free time is spent applying for jobs (yes, I am burnt out), but at least now I can narrow the search a bit to my more desired areas of nursing.

Hi runbabyrn,

I'm in the southern part of Ca. Do you think having a hospital or clinic related job during nursing program would help get employment as an RN later on? I appreciate your sharing of your experience :) I hope that you do get he job that you want I'm the near future.