Too late for college. Are these my only options?

[Clueless_O.O]

Unfortunately, not all of my cresidentials will be available in time for me to apply to nursing programs before their deadlines. And I can't go to a community college and transfer, because the schools I was looking at don't accept transfer students.

So what now. I'm still in H.S. I was planning on going for my CNA before college so I could get a taste for nursing and get experience. I was also told it would help my chances at getting into a nursing program. But now it seems like there won't be college, at least not for now. College probably won't be happening until 2017.

**Should I take a gap year and try to get my LPN instead of my CNA? I know it takes longer and pays more, so I can earn more money and find a way to pass the time. Then maybe I could do a LPN-BSN bridge program.

** Or should I still get my CNA and work and earn money, then go to school to become a LPN? I've heard LPN programs cost a bit so working as a CNA could help me pay for the expenses.

** Or should I only get my CNA and work and earn money until I can apply for colleges.

Any and all opinions are welcome.

(Note: I don't want to get my ADN, then RN, then do a RN-BSN program.)

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

It sounds weird...

For the record, most schools do not accept directly into their nursing programs. What they usually do is have a pre-nursing major and have one or two years, you apply to be accepted into the school of nursing. Most schools do it this way to help weed out students that would not make it. So there is a good chance that you would not even start nursing school till 2 years later. So you probably wouldn't be starting out in nursing clinicals anyway and would be faced with a required 2nd admission process after 1 or 2 years.

Also, I would go into the schools and talk to them. They probably will accept general education and pre-req transfers but not actual nursing courses. Very few schools will accept nursing classes but most will accept general education credits. I think in my state it is actually a law that certain classes have to transfer from public community colleges and universities.

If you feel comfortable listing the schools you're looking at, I could take a look at the site and see if they have any information listed.

I'd go the ADN route before going the LPN route. I did go the ADN route and I finished my BSN quicker than if I had done the traditional bachelors and at a cheaper cost so I am biased. Once again, a lot of nursing schools have moved away from directly accepting students to requiring pre-reqs to be done first so you would probably be in the same boat of not being in a nursing program initially.

Also, if the reason why you are not "accepted" is because you did not meet the traditional freshman application deadline, then take 1 year at a community college and then transfer in. Take the general education credits that you know will transfer like math, English, chemistry, etc. You may need to talk to the schools to find out how each class will transfer. Most universities have easier guidelines and accept more students that transfer at a later date as long as their GPA is high. And most schools do not directly admit into their RN programs anyway.

Nursing school is kind of weird how they set it up. Most schools do not start students in the actual nursing program but instead a set of general education credits for the first 1 or 2 years. Then after you complete a set number of classes, you apply for admission to start your clinicals. Back in the day, you could apply for a start date and you would be placed on a waiting list. Schools had waiting lists that were five or six years out. Well, in my area they changed it so you applied 1 semester before you would start clinicals and they ranked you based on a variety of factors. if you were a top candidate, then you received a start date the next semester. If you were not, you could reapply for the next semester. All the other schools in my area are similar.

[KThurmond]

I'd say do CNA while looking into LPN. Most places have tuition reimbursement and maybe you get hired as a nurse when you finish. Just my idea. Good luck.

[Zyprexa_Ho]

Why are you ruling out an RN to BSN program? For someone who is just outside of high school you have the most time of anyone considering going into nursing. I'm getting my associates in nursing and then bridging to a bachelor's and I already have a bachelor's degree in another field.

Watch this video on the matter:

Opportunity cost is the best way to determine what you should do. It balances cost of the program, the time you spend doing the program, and the time you could be spending making money. I'm not sure how this pans out between getting your LPN versus getting an associate's in nursing (I would almost bet that it would be better to get an ADN versus an LPN in terms of opportunity cost because it is very hard to work full time while in an ADN program which cuts out a lot of the money you could make, unlike working while doing a BSN bridge online), but the clearly best thing to do between getting an ADN and bridging and going straight for a BSN, is getting your ADN and then bridging. You save a year of time (in which you can work and make money) and you can bridge while working (many ADN to BSN programs can be done completely online).

Now a big factor is where you want to work in nursing and what area of the country you're in and where there are jobs for ADN grads. Here in Florida there are plenty of hospitals that will hire ADN nurses. So if you want to work in a hospital as soon as you get an associate's degree, I would look at job listings for local hospitals, or for hospitals in the area where you want to live. And if worst comes to worst, I would still get an ADN and work in long term care until I got my BSN and could then go work in a hospital. It will save you a boatload of money, AND you will *make* a whole extra year's salary.

So, I ask again, why do you not want to get an ADN (ASN) and then bridge? Because from an opportunity cost perspective (time and money combined) it makes the most sense. So, that's what I vote for. (Get your CNA to make sure you won't hate it, and then go for the ADN and bridge)

[Midnightmist 01]

The main reasons I didn't want to go ADN-BSN is because I heard most places require a BSN to get a job as an RN. I looked through job openings where I live (Taunton, MA) and saw that it's true. A lot of the places do require a BSN. And in two years, if I successfully become an rn with an adn, I think it would be even more difficult to find an RN job that doesn't require a BSN.

Another reason is that I didn't want to do an online school again. I've done it for middle school through high school and I've realized that I work better in a classroom with a teacher vs a computer screen. I'm also afraid that since it's online, I'll rush through it and won't get everything I need to out of it. Of course I'd try my best, but when you're doing work at home, it's easy to get caught up in other responsibilities and then remember about your school work and rush through it.

I've also heard bad things about my nearby community college. I'm not, however, fully opposed to the ADN-BSN program. I would do it if I have to, and coming from your post, there are also additional benefits that I missed. I'll have to look into it some more.

.

[Midnightmist 01]

(Whoops-- I replied with this account instead of Clueless. It's still me, I had just made that account when I couldn't remember my password to this one. I didn't realize, however, that this account was actually still signed in on my mobile device.)

The comment I posted seems to be waiting moderator approval, though, and it isn't showing so this comment probably makes no sense to anyone.,

[Zyprexa_Ho]

Yeah you really can't beat the monetary benefits of cheaper tuition and the opportunity credit of getting started a year earlier.

So are you not considering working anywhere besides a hospital, even temporarily?

I understand the desire to be a good applicant, but that only matters if you absolutely will not consider working anywhere besides a hospital, even for just a couple years. If you are in an area where BSNs are almost required (or actually required) to work in the hospital, I would ask yourself if working in long term care for a couple years while you do your BSN online is something you could do. If I lived in an area where they only hired BSNs in hospitals this is probably what I would do, but alas it's your choice

[Midnightmist 01]

I'm definitely thinking I might do this then-- thank you for the help :)

[Zyprexa_Ho]

For sure :) I wish you the best of luck

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

The main reasons I didn't want to go ADN-BSN is because I heard most places require a BSN to get a job as an RN. I looked through job openings where I live (Taunton, MA) and saw that it's true. A lot of the places do require a BSN. And in two years, if I successfully become an rn with an adn, I think it would be even more difficult to find an RN job that doesn't require a BSN.

Another reason is that I didn't want to do an online school again. I've done it for middle school through high school and I've realized that I work better in a classroom with a teacher vs a computer screen. I'm also afraid that since it's online, I'll rush through it and won't get everything I need to out of it. Of course I'd try my best, but when you're doing work at home, it's easy to get caught up in other responsibilities and then remember about your school work and rush through it.

I've also heard bad things about my nearby community college. I'm not, however, fully opposed to the ADN-BSN program. I would do it if I have to, and coming from your post, there are also additional benefits that I missed. I'll have to look into it some more.

.

It really depends on your area. If you are willing to move, it's fairly easy to get a job. If you limit yourself to certain fields, certain shifts, or a certain area that turns out nursing grads every three months then it is a lot harder to find a job. In an area that turns out hundreds of new grads each semester, I started in an ICU and switched to ER because I hated the ICU. Developing a resume and experience with great references can also go a lot further. I was able to work quicker and earn my BSN and 1 year experience.

Also, a lot of RNs find their first jobs outside of the hospital. A handful of my classmates started at different jobs. One was in a prison, a handful in LTC, home health, but a lot ended up in a hospital. Even with a BSN, a competitive resume will get you further.

What is better to do is to research about eight schools. Pick four or five that you like. Do a mix of ADN and BSN. Find out the requirements and what you would need to take to apply to their programs. It is better to have several options than to never get into that one school. A lot of people I know were unable to get into my ADN program so they went to other schools to do their BSN because they were admitted quicker (back when there was a waiting list). Sometimes it is the other way around where BSN applicants come to the ADN school because they can start quicker.