Would love some advice

[MargyMe]

I'm 44 with a son starting kindergarten in the fall - I have an undergraduate degree and a couple of unfinished Master's degrees as well as a year of med school overseas in my chequered past and have been working as an educator and performer in music. I've always wanted to go into medicine somehow and am so tired of the self-employed life, so it seems like a good time for a change! I'm deeply rooted in Austin, so am looking at ACC and UT - what's the most judicious use of time/money with qualifications, what are the most valuable qualifications potential employers look for and what's a realistic timeline before I could actually get a job in the field? I'm not afraid of competition (ha, the world of classical music is a nightmare) and am very good with people, etc....and am extremely stubborn when I want to do something! I could definitely do online courses right now and then start pre-reqs over the summer....thankyou for any advice!

[iPink, BSN, RN]

I cannot speak for Texas, since I'm not from there. I live in the NE and we have heard of the many opportunities in Texas. I'm currently in my last semester of nursing school and many of us in the program are thinking about relocating there.

When deciding on obtaining either an LPN vs. ADN vs. BSN vs. MSN, you may want to do some research, such as speaking with nurses, or looking through nursing employment job postings to know what employers are looking for. For example, in my area new grad BSN RNs are more preferred and often required to apply.

I, like you, have a previous degree (a B.A.). I decided to go through an accelerated BSN program. These programs are about 12-16 months in length are more expensive than a community college ADN/ASN program. There are also entry-level MSN programs. I'm not too familiar with those programs, but have heard they are just as expensive or maybe more. After I graduate and work for a while, I do want to go back for that advanced nursing degree. If I stay where I am, my university are changing their MSN programs to Doctorate programs (DNP). They are even offering BSN-to-DNP programs, which I would definitely apply.

Every school has slightly different prerequisites, the most common are: A&P 1, A&P 2, Micro, Psych, Sociology, Stats, and Chemistry. Some schools may add: Nutrition, Organic Chemistry, Child Psych, and other additional courses. Science courses should be no more than 5 years old in some programs, while the other prereqs can't be more than 10 years, so check your degree to see if some of your courses qualify for the prereqs.