what do you think of my plan?

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2013

Hi guys! a bit of a long story here. I'm from the UK, 20 years old and currently in my second year studying for a bachelors in biological sciences here. My boyfriend lives in North Carolina and when I finish my degree we plan to get married and I will be moving there (or wherever in the US he will be for grad school). I've been spending a long time trying to figure out what I want to pursue as a career and I think I've finally decided I want to be a nurse practitioner.
I like to plan everything in advance and here is what I have planned for now, assuming everything goes smoothly. Do you think this is realistic or will I need more time than this? Are there any easier routes? Let me know what you think. Thanks!
Summer 2013 - Shadow various healthcare professionals in NC over the summer. so far I have confirmed a spot with a nurse midwife and a dentist, yet to find an NP
Spring 2014 - Graduate with Bsc. biological science.
Around this time I will be relocating to the US, start taking prerequisites at a community college or online if I'm not fully settled in one place. I will start applying for ABSN programs
Dec 2014 - start ABSN
May 2015 - finish ABSN. find RN job. Work for a year and apply to an MSN or DNP program
Dec 2016 start MSN or DNP program
Dec 2018 finish MSN or
Dec 2020 finish DNP

According to your timeline, you are only allowing 6 months for an ABSN program (12/14-5/15). While these programs are shorter than traditional BSN programs, most programs are 1 1/2 -2 years in length. So you would probably graduate from an ASBN program in 2016.

lollypop036 · Jan 5, 2013

Thanks Christine sorry about that, I know the ABSN programs are definitely not 6 months, I made a little mistake there. Thanks for pointing that out

allnurses Guide · Jan 5, 2013

If you could transfer into a nursing program and finish with a BSN you could shave some time off and save some money. Might be some work now, but would pay off in the long run.

Technically you could graduate in the spring, take pre-reqs and apply in the summer, and start in the fall.

You could also look at direct entry masters programs. Otherwise you will be looking at at least 2-3 years post grad from ABSN before you start a grad program.