Transferring into Nursing School vs Second Bachelor's in Nursing

[Amanda_Joan91]

Hi all,I'm currently in between my freshman and sophomore year of college at a liberal arts school with no nursing program. Due to a chronic health issue flaring up, I'm taking a year off at the moment, and constantly being in and out of the hospital has made me rethink whether or not I really want to spend the rest of my life as a physics teacher in high school. I spent most of my childhood, back from when I can first remember up until mid-high school, wanting to be a doctor. However, at some point in high school the fact that i was a patient led me to become sick of hospitals and there was a period of time where I never wanted to never step foot inside one again. However, being forced to spend an entire school year focusing solely on my health has made me realize how much of a difference I can really make as a nurse (and given the current state of the American education system, it's a much more appealing option than babysitting students who don't want to learn physics!)Anyhow, I am at a school where there is no nursing program, and I haven't taken really any courses that are prereqs for nursing school (other than calc I, intro physics I, and chem I). I know I'm not going to be able to transfer into a nursing program for fall 2012, but I'm not completely sure that it's worth trying to get into a nursing program for my first bachelor's at this point in the game anyhow. I guess my questions are, do nursing programs that take transfers take students that will pretty much have to start from the beginning of the program? Is it worth throwing away two years of a physics major? Or should I try and get my prereqs completed and then do a second bachelors (or direct-entry MSN program) after my BA?If it helps, I go to school in Ohio currently, but want to stay close to home (greater Boston) for nursing school. I also really want to work at the hospital I've been a patient at (Children's Boston), and preferably do clinical experience there as well to get my foot in the door. Thank you all so much!

[UVA Grad Nursing]

There is no easy answer to your questions. I would encourage you to look at the various schools in the Boston area and see how they differ.

Some BSN nursing programs are designed so that all of the nursing instruction happens in two full academic years, and everyone 'transfers' in as a junior. Other schools extend the curriculum over 3 or 4 years, and would have some spaces for transfer students. Most programs have some prerequsite classes (anatomy & physiology, human growth and development, nutrition, microbiology, etc), so you should consider taking some of these classes first before applying to a nursing program.

One thing to consider is the importance of scholarship money and financial aid. Federal aid (and most institutional aid from universities) is dedicated to people getting their first undergraduate degree. There is much less scholarship money for those seeking a second bachelors (most students finance a second BSN mostly through loans). If scholarship money is important, you might not want to use up your federal eligibility on a BS in physics if you do not like the subject.

There are many fine public and private universities there in the Boston area.