What do I do?

CABG patch kid, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2014

Hmmm. So you want to do a double major? I'd say your list was a little broad... Business, psychology... Which interests you? Which do YOU think you'll make money with? And you're also interested in paramedic school? That's a different path than say getting a double major. I think you should talk to a counselor at school and get some input. Also, follow your nursing program's guidance, as we were discouraged from stretching ourselves too thin and encouraged to focus primarily on nursing school. I did a BSN program over six semesters full time and that was enough for me. I worked minimal hours and threw myself into nursing. If you want to be a nurse, make that your priority.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2014

Ok, if you are going for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, your major is Nursing. There will not be enough electives available to you to double major. It was not even possible to minor in something at my school, we had 3 electives over the course of 4 years.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Apr 10, 2014

Paramedic preparation would entail another course of study that you should pursue.

You are not clear on your course of study.

Please.. use your counselors and get their assistance on the path you need to follow.

Kaley1 · Apr 10, 2014

Nursing school is quite the ordeal to go through and not use. If you want to do both, I would go the paramedic route first because there are paramedic to RN bridge programs but no RN to paramedic bridge programs that I know of. Both are huge time commitments and something you really need to be sure about before you jump in.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2014

You want to double major? I agree it would probably be impossible to do in 4 yrs. That said, if you have the luxury of time and money to double major, and if you're in the U.S., I'd suggest Spanish. I can't tell you how many times I wish I'd studied it more than 2 yrs in high school.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2014

Oops, my tired eyes didn't see the last line of your post. You reeeeeally don't want to go through nursing school and not use the degree.

TU RN, DNP, CRNA · Apr 10, 2014

I think there might be a little bit of high school mentality contaminating your perception of a college level curriculum, but I don't know your full story so I won't indulge that train of thought further. There is no double majoring when you're in nursing school. To make such an attempt would be an exercise in futility. I absolutely loved studying Spanish the 4 years I took it in HS, got some NHS stuff for it at graduation, and was absolutely resolved to at least minor in it in college. Between the prerequisites for nursing school and nursing school itself there was no time for additional coursework in my roster without going over the semester-ly credit limit. I ended up taking a year between pre-reqs and nursing school because I was truly passionate about Spanish (no regrets), but unless you have a true motivation to accomplish that second major you're just hurting yourself across the board.

You don't need a college degree to be a paramedic and you make less, on average, than RNs. To echo Here.I.Stand, you DO NOT want to go through nursing school to let the degree collect dust.

Ecl09 · Apr 10, 2014

I definitely agree with the above responses. I wouldn't recommend going through a nursing program if your dream job is to be a paramedic. Becoming a paramedic requires less schooling, and you can always go back to school and enroll in a bridge program to get your RN if you decide to continue on.

I would recommend researching both options as you try to decide. Here is a helpful article about becoming a paramedic if you are looking for a place to get started.