Will my original GPA from first degree come back to haunt me when applying to NP?

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Hey guys

Im a 29 year old male firefighter/medic/nursing student. I originally went to college right out of high school to a state party school and basically did nothing for 5.5 years getting my BA in Poli Sci graduating with a whopping 2.59 cumulative GPA and 139 credit hours due to complete laziness and debauchery(it was worth it though!).

After college I went to fire academy, EMT school, and paramedic and have been working as a paramedic since 2009. I went back to community college while working and did science courses bringing up my GPA cumulative to around 2.90 with 14 As and 2 Bs. I originally wanted to do PA but they had a rapid transition to nursing program in my area that only lasts 1 year so I enrolled in it and am almost half way done.

Im not getting any younger and would like to apply to NP school ASAP within the next 3 years. I am considering either acute care so I can work in an urgent care center/ER or maybe mental health. Will my old GPA come back to haunt me? Would it be smart to do my BSN online next year or attempt to do a direct entry ASN-MSN/NP program? Will having an unrelated bachelors help at all? After Nursing I should be up to a 3.0 cumulative which would also let me apply to PA schools but the independence of NPs in some states is very appealing to me as is the opportunity to do an online program while continuing to work.

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Specializes in Trauma 4yr Flight 8mn.

Yes it will. Speaking from personal experience. Took 4 rounds of applying to 4 different schools. Last round got waitlisted to 1 school for the first time and accepted off the list. Best of luck to you

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

Honestly...you never know. If you are doing amazing at the RN...the old gpa might not be an issue. My RN gpa wasn't great. My BSN gpa was fabulous. I'm doing my NP at the first and only school I applied to...

All you can do is try!

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I applied with a 4.0 from my BSN completion program (3.87 in my original diploma school). In the interview, I got asked (seriously) to explain getting an F in a badminton course (PE requirement) 20 years earlier, the first time I was in college, fresh out of high school (I didn't finish that degree). Our parents were right -- your grades will follow you the rest of your life ... :)

(PS -- I did get accepted into the program, despite the F in badminton. :))

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If you get your gpa up to 3.0 you should not have any problems getting in somewhere. If there is an essay or personal statement on the NP application, you could write an explanation of your grade history and how you overcame it etc. Also, if you took at least one graduate level science class like perhaps biochem or something and got an A in that, you could use that as an example of your readiness for a graduate level program.

This being said, will you have an actual BSN with this nursing program or the ADN plus the previous bachelors? Some NP programs require the BSN so you will have to do some research there.

Be aware that if you do the PA route, you may have several more chemistry (chem 1 & 2, org chem 1& 2), physics and probably more math pre- req's. They usually are also required to have Bio 2 which the nursing students are not required in their pre req's.

Most of the nursing programs only require a basic chemistry and a basic biology, then micro, and A&P 1 &2.

PAs basically have all the same pre req's as pre med students required for most programs- a couple years worth depending on if you do summers or not. So NP would probably be a quicker route for you than PA but it really ultimately depends on if you like the medical model or the nursing model.

With your previously bachelors even though gpa is currently low, you could also consider doing a DO program. If you did all the pre req's and got A's then did well on MCAT you could have a shot at that as well. Don't let naysayers get you down, I have seen DO's get in with not much more than a 3.0 There are also special master's programs where you can boost the gpa to get into med school if that is your desire. Lots of options out there for you.

Make sure to research the schools that you want to apply at and gear your study towards that.

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Specializes in Trauma 4yr Flight 8mn.

Many schools, especially the online State schools, do not even look at the rest of the application if the GPA is not what they are looking for

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Did not affect me in the least. My undergrad BSN gpa was 3.0. I rocked the interview. They were completely impressed that I worked full time with 4 kids the whole time. I was accepted to the one & only school I applied to! Best of luck to you :)

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Specializes in Emergency.

I think it's program dependent. Some programs will want you to take a GRE if your GPA is below X, some will not want to talk to students with low GPAs, some place a higher emphasis on your recommendations and essays, why you want to become an NP.

As one poster mentioned some schools will consider BS degrees that are not BSN, others will not.

So, I think you will need to identify what degree you want, find the schools that offer that degree and research if they will be interested in you as a candidate and what it will take for you to get accepted. Most of the schools have this information on their website and/or have counselors who can help you with this.

Good Luck!

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