Worrying about getting into a nursing program in NY area. Need advice please!!

Check around with some of the nursing schools. They will be able to tell you what their min required GPA is, and you can ask what is the min GPA of students that typically get in.

I'd really work hard on getting that GPA up, and possibly consider retaking some classes for a higher grade if that might be an option for you. I'm in a totally different part of the country, so I can't speak to the NY area. Where I live, 3.0 GPA is min required to apply and be considered, but nobody has gotten in under a 3.8 for a while to my knowledge.

Study hard, pre-requisites are far easier than nursing courses.

Hi everyone. I need some feedback. I'm 20 credits from my associates in liberal arts. I am taking prerequisites for nursing. Is it smarter for me to apply to an associates nursing program or just transfer to a nursing program and get my bachelors in nursing after I complete associates in liberal arts with prereqs? I'm also worrying about getting into a program because it seems like everyone in NY is competing to get into a nursing school because of the high demand and economy. Should I be worried? I know I can ATLEAST keep my GPA at 3.0 Advice please!

I am certainly not going to try to talk you out of going to nursing school==

But please, do it for the "right reasons"....ie-you really want to be a nurse.

RIght now, the job market is Very Tight---Nursing is NOT recession proof--this has been said over and over again...please take the time to read some of the many threads addressing the NATION WIDE lack of nursing jobs--especially for new grads (non existant) before you take on a lot of debt in school loans and can't find a job after finishing.

THere is NO NURSING SHORTAGE....there is no High Demand.

I wish it wasn't so, but I know so many nurses who are looking right now, some with many years of experience. I know in NYC jobs are nonexistant as they are in the Seattle area and in South FLorida.

Please go into this with your eyes wide open and maybe a back up plan.

s

Firstly, I've been wanting to pursue a career in nursing since the first grade.. Secondly, I did NOT say I wanted to be accepted into a nursing program because of the high demand and economy..I stated I was worried about not getting accepted because of the competition and all the people applying due to the way the country is right now. I only wanted some advice on whether I should continue with graduating with 60 credits and going the BS route, or applying to associates programs in the meantime. Thank you

For what it's worth, I spent all last summer talking to advisors at BSN programs around my area (Virginia/North Carolina) about the same topic. I wasn't quite done with all the pre-reqs for a bachelor's, but I was done with necessary classes to start an associate's.

Two of those advisors told me that (with the astounding number of applicants in mind for the BSN program) they would apply to an associate's program at this point -- and if I got into that then by all means do that first and then bridge to BSN if I still wanted the bachelor's, given that (according to them) the application pool for the RN-BSN bridge programs are smaller. If I didn't get into an associate's program, then keep plugging away at pre-reqs for a bachelor's.

So, I applied for 2-year programs to see what would happen and got into one. I do intend to do a bridge program later, and honestly the time difference of doing an associate's + bridge versus straight BSN isn't huge.

Now this may not hold true for New York area, I don't know.

I would just apply to a BSN program. Jobs for new Rn's are very competitive and many hospitals only hire BSN prepared nurses ( such as NYU, and Columbia prep I think). I am applying for accelerated BSN for Summer 2011 or Fall 2011 to start after I graduate.

It also depends on what you plan on doing with your nursing career I know for a fact that I want to become a neonatal nurse practitioner. I want to get my BSN as quickly as possible do I can get into the work force and earn my experience required for that advanced degree.

I live here in the metro area and I have done a little research on the careers for nurses.

There truly is a nursing shortage...however the shortage is in advanced practice nurses/NPs. I am not saying that you cannot get a job with an ASN degree but due to the shift many hospitals are making in their hiring practices save your self the trouble. Just apply for the BSN.

Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to talk to my advisor tomorrow morning to get some insight. Working on the prereqs towards BSN, and applying to associates programs in the meanwhile sounds like the smart thing to do.

Hi everyone. I need some feedback. I'm 20 credits from my associates in liberal arts. I am taking prerequisites for nursing. Is it smarter for me to apply to an associates nursing program or just transfer to a nursing program and get my bachelors in nursing after I complete associates in liberal arts with prereqs? I'm also worrying about getting into a program because it seems like everyone in NY is competing to get into a nursing school because of the high demand and economy. Should I be worried? I know I can ATLEAST keep my GPA at 3.0 Advice please!

1. If by "transfer" you mean do the pre-reqs for a BSN program where you are,then try to apply for a four year school, you need to research carefully and plan accordingly.

Some BSN programs do not take transfer students, period. Others, including most if not all CUNY BSN programs require one to complete a certain number of credits and or time at the college/university proper before applying to the NP as a transfer. This is done for the obvious reason of not allowing transfers to push out students who started their pre-reqs at the college in quesiton.

2. You need to answer several questions of yourself. Why are you going to nursing school and what do you want to do with a nursing career.

Yes at the moment the RN market is tight in NYC, with many hospitals going "BSN preferred", but do you want to become a nurse, or become a nurse that works/lives in NYC? There are other parts of the country and once you are an RN, even with a ADN you could find work elsewhere. I'm not saying it would be easy, but then again nothing in this life ever is!

3. While there does seem to be a "high demand" for nursing programs at the moment, this comes and goes in cycles. Right now with the bad economy and tight labour market, everyone and their mother seems to think a RN license is like a winning lottery ticket. If history is any guide this can and will change. What will not change is that there will always be need for nurses.

4. If you have the time and more importantly can afford it, I advise going for your BSN off the bat and get things over with. With so much going on right now, spending four years in college and coming out when the dust settles (if it has by then), seems like a good idea.

Best of luck

Thanks for taking the time to reply. :) I have been doing my research on schools that take transfers for BSN.

Can anyone please give me ino on The College of New Rochelle? I am really interested. How many students are admitted to the bsn program and what was your GPA when you were accepted?

I would take the pre reqs at a community college and then transfer to a Bsn program. That's what I did and am doing. I know it's tough for new grads to getnjobs but I'm hoping in 2 years it will have gotten better. don't let anyone discourage you if you truly want to become a nurse. if you can pull an A or b+ in A&P then I think you should be okay. I had 60 credits and got all A's in pre reqs and had a 3.3 and I got in.

You should apply to the Associates nursing program first. Get in, get your degree and then get your Bachelors.

I know a person who is taking all of the pre-reqs for the BSN, but the person still has to actually apply...and get into the program.

It really depends on you. As you see everyone has a different opinion based on their own experience. I tried to go the BSN route straight out of H.S but the program was way too competitive so I decided to try to start from the beginning. I took a 6 week course to become a CNA so I could get some experience working in the field while in school, then I applied to a couple associate degree programs and an LPN program just in case. I did not get accepted to one of the programs, was placed on the waiting list for the other and got accepted to the LPN program. I completed my LPN and then tried again to get into an associates degree program and finally got in. Now i'm in my last 4 weeks of the RN program and researching RN-BSN programs. But that's what happened to me it may work out differently for you. I suggest applying to both associate and BSN programs, see which ones accept you, do your research as to which school takes most of your credits, has the better NCLEX passing rates, graduation rates, tuition, etc. and take it from there. That way you're not making your decision blindly. Good Luck!