Thinking about becoming a nurse

[mmmcookiesnmilk]

Is anyone here an RN or NP? I'm thinking about pursuing this and want to learn more about it. I have a BA in psych with a minor in Spanish and nearly a minor in Bio (one class short, bureaucratic mix up w/ my uni). Currently I do psych research at a hospital. I have been planning on pursuing a PhD in clinical psych, but I'm getting a bit burnt out on the field and dreading spending 5+ years devoting my entire life to research and coursework. What is the difference between getting a bachelor's in nursing and a master's? Is it requisite to get a ** before a MSN or NP? Also what is generally prerequisite for applying to these programs? Is there a standardized test to take? How many years of school is it and what do you do in school? It's also appealing to me because of the versatility of fields you can work in, but I'm wondering do you need to chose a specialty in school? Also, what is the income generally?

[xoloveinautumn]

I'm taking classes to apply to an associates nursing program I eventually want to be a neonatal nurse
you don't need to choose a specialty you can become a general RN
I think the income varies state to state and what degree you have

[mmmcookiesnmilk]

Originally Posted by xoloveinautumn

I'm taking classes to apply to an associates nursing program I eventually want to be a neonatal nurse
you don't need to choose a specialty you can become a general RN
I think the income varies state to state and what degree you have

what kind of classes are you taking? I'd like to know what I need to apply to programs.

[Npeart]

Originally Posted by mmmcookiesnmilk

Is anyone here an RN or NP? I'm thinking about pursuing this and want to learn more about it. I have a BA in psych with a minor in Spanish and nearly a minor in Bio (one class short, bureaucratic mix up w/ my uni). Currently I do psych research at a hospital. I have been planning on pursuing a PhD in clinical psych, but I'm getting a bit burnt out on the field and dreading spending 5+ years devoting my entire life to research and coursework. What is the difference between getting a bachelor's in nursing and a master's? Is it requisite to get a ** before a MSN or NP? Also what is generally prerequisite for applying to these programs? Is there a standardized test to take? How many years of school is it and what do you do in school? It's also appealing to me because of the versatility of fields you can work in, but I'm wondering do you need to chose a specialty in school? Also, what is the income generally?

*Envisions in nurse outfit*

I give my thumbs up after visual. . .

[teriyakisaki]

im a kinesiology major, and most of those classes are similar to the prereqs for nursing. most of the people in my classes are going for nursing (this is at a california JC). the bottom level of nursing is to get the AA. pretty much everybody i've talked to has said that you can get a job no problem with the AA. the real advantage to the BSN is when it comes time for promotion, it will set you apart. most people have said get the aa, get a job and use the money you make to pay for the schooling to get the BSN. if you can swing for the BSN right away, you might as well.

most nursing programs are fairly competitive. i know for University of Nevada, Reno, they have a 20% acceptance rate, and UNR isn't really known for being a medical school (unlike UCLA for example). i'm pretty sure its a 2 year schooling. i'm sure if you were to go for a program down there like UCSD, i can garuntee you it'd be pretty competitive. if you've come close to having a minor in biology, then i'm sure you'd probably only need to take a couple classes to complete the prereqs. have you taken human anatomy and physiology? if no, i can garuntee you'll need that, and thats always a 2 semester/3 quarter class. i'm pretty sure the courses will follow the same tract as most premeds, which will usually be a kinesiology, or biology focus. math usually up to stats or precalc, obviously heavy biology, a few chem courses, and maybe a physics course depending on the school. when it comes to applying, i'm pretty sure its just like applying for regular colleges where you send in an application and they get back to you. i'm about 90% positive you don't need to do anything like MCATs. you do want to make sure you're strong in your biology grades, strong in math, and basically have a solid GPA. there are TONS of jobs available in nursing, which means tons of people want to do it, and schools can afford to be competitive.


what don't you like about psych? what makes you want to be a nurse? any prospective areas of specialty? im pretty sure its a general degree, and doesn't have to be specialized like being a physician or P.A., which brings me to my next point.


have you thought about becoming a PA (Physician's Assistant)? Awesome gig if you ask me. you get to do all of the fun stuff the physicians do, except you have essentially zero liability. they make tons of money too. i know a guy who knows a guy thats an orthopedic surgeon's PA (actually the surgeon works with the group of doctors that tends to the US ski team) and he brought in easily 100k/year, and the hours aren't bad depending on the specialty.


a few things i'd reccommend along the way is getting your EMT-Basic liscence. this is your main, entry level emergency medical certifercate (first responder isn't really much). it requires a few ride along/clinical shifts, but is also a good example of what nursing school can be like. you'll know right away if medicine is for you. i'd also reccommend getting a phlebotomy liscence. a phlebotomist is a person who works in labs, mostly drawing blood. again, an entry level way to get into the medical world. granted you're already getting experience with your psych, but you can never have too many certifercates or too much experience in a competitive field. all it can do is open doors for you. plus, if you already have some knowledge in doing things like trauma assessments and emergency medical care, drawing blood/working with needles, its one less thing you have to worry about in nursing school, thus allowing you to focus on other things.

[pensfan2006]

I'm a nurse and I have to say that EMT-B and phlebotomy are in NO WAY a good indicator of what nursing school will be like at all. They are soooooo different. (no disrespect to teriyakisaki). If you want to know what nursing school will be like, get your CNA (certified nurse assistant). All you do in your first senester (and first year in some schools) is give bed baths, take pts. to the bathroom, wipe their butts, take them for walks, and other such CNA-like duties. You will give medications and do assessments but you will do it on stable, medical/surgical patients. Most schools don't let you start IVs or draw blood until at the earliest, your second semester. You will not take care of anyone in an emergency room/ICU until closer to your last clinical rotations. Becomming an EMT might indicate if you would like emergency nursing, but ypou usually need some experience as an RN before you can go the the emergency dept to work. Getting a phlebotomy cert. is great if you want to work in a lab forever but most nursing schools will automatically train/certify you so it is a waste of money in my book. I am in southwestern PA and EMt-B are making about $8-9 per hour, phlebotamists make minimum wage (unless they have been doing it for a while) CNAs make about $11-12 per hour, LPNs make $15-16/hr but pretty much only work in long-term care, and RNs make from $20-25 per hour depending on if they are working in a specialty area or not. RNs can specialize, but don't have to, and usually make more money id they are CCRNs, or chemotherapy certified.
There are ADN programs or diploma programs which usually take 2-3 years to complete BSN programs, which are yoyr traditional bach. degree programs, and then there are MSN and NP programs. A nurse with a master's degree is usually considered a clinical nurse specialist and has an area (pulmonology, cardiology, neonatology, etc.) that they are considered a specialist in and have advanced knowledge of that perticular body system or age population. They generally do make more money, however the ones I've seen usually teach nursing or are in management positions. A nurse practicioner is a nurse who is able to diagnose, prescribe meds, order tests, and assist in surgeries within a specialized, or generalized area. Similar to a PA. If you do want to get an MSN or become an NP, you first have to become an RN. Since you already have a bach. degree it shouldn't take you too long to get the second bach. degree in nursing. After that you will need to take you state boards to actually get your license to practice nursing.
FYI, In Pennsylvania, there isn't much difference between PAs and NPs except for NPs usually have more experience since they have been RNs before getting the NP. PAs have bach. degrees. PAs can also diagnose, write prescriptions, order tests, and assist in surgeries. The difference is in the philosophy or treatment. A physician assistant usually spends a lot of their education with a physician. They are very clinically focused. And NP usually spends most of their education with other NPs. They are more focused on the patient's response to a certain illness. In pennsylvania, I'm pretty sure that NPs and practice independently from physicians while PAs need to have a physician that they practice under. Although, in reality, they both function the same and they make about the same amount of income. Let me know if I can help you with anything else.

[mmmcookiesnmilk]

Originally Posted by teriyakisaki

im a kinesiology major, and most of those classes are similar to the prereqs for nursing. most of the people in my classes are going for nursing (this is at a california JC). the bottom level of nursing is to get the AA. pretty much everybody i've talked to has said that you can get a job no problem with the AA. the real advantage to the BSN is when it comes time for promotion, it will set you apart. most people have said get the aa, get a job and use the money you make to pay for the schooling to get the BSN. if you can swing for the BSN right away, you might as well.

most nursing programs are fairly competitive. i know for University of Nevada, Reno, they have a 20% acceptance rate, and UNR isn't really known for being a medical school (unlike UCLA for example). i'm pretty sure its a 2 year schooling. i'm sure if you were to go for a program down there like UCSD, i can garuntee you it'd be pretty competitive. if you've come close to having a minor in biology, then i'm sure you'd probably only need to take a couple classes to complete the prereqs. have you taken human anatomy and physiology? if no, i can garuntee you'll need that, and thats always a 2 semester/3 quarter class. i'm pretty sure the courses will follow the same tract as most premeds, which will usually be a kinesiology, or biology focus. math usually up to stats or precalc, obviously heavy biology, a few chem courses, and maybe a physics course depending on the school. when it comes to applying, i'm pretty sure its just like applying for regular colleges where you send in an application and they get back to you. i'm about 90% positive you don't need to do anything like MCATs. you do want to make sure you're strong in your biology grades, strong in math, and basically have a solid GPA. there are TONS of jobs available in nursing, which means tons of people want to do it, and schools can afford to be competitive.


what don't you like about psych? what makes you want to be a nurse? any prospective areas of specialty? im pretty sure its a general degree, and doesn't have to be specialized like being a physician or P.A., which brings me to my next point.


have you thought about becoming a PA (Physician's Assistant)? Awesome gig if you ask me. you get to do all of the fun stuff the physicians do, except you have essentially zero liability. they make tons of money too. i know a guy who knows a guy thats an orthopedic surgeon's PA (actually the surgeon works with the group of doctors that tends to the US ski team) and he brought in easily 100k/year, and the hours aren't bad depending on the specialty.


a few things i'd reccommend along the way is getting your EMT-Basic liscence. this is your main, entry level emergency medical certifercate (first responder isn't really much). it requires a few ride along/clinical shifts, but is also a good example of what nursing school can be like. you'll know right away if medicine is for you. i'd also reccommend getting a phlebotomy liscence. a phlebotomist is a person who works in labs, mostly drawing blood. again, an entry level way to get into the medical world. granted you're already getting experience with your psych, but you can never have too many certifercates or too much experience in a competitive field. all it can do is open doors for you. plus, if you already have some knowledge in doing things like trauma assessments and emergency medical care, drawing blood/working with needles, its one less thing you have to worry about in nursing school, thus allowing you to focus on other things.

It sounds like the BSN would be my best option right now. Other than GPA, any ideas on how to set myself apart from other applicants? I have a 3.8 and a ton of extracurriculars but in the psych and service field. I have all the classes you've mentioned, but my chem was pretty weak, I could definitely stand to brush up on it. Thanks for all the info

[xoloveinautumn]

I am taking math chemistry and biology..
I'm a certified nursing assistant and currently looking for a job..
Yes you do wipe butts/bed baths/ Intake-Output
I really want to work in a childrens hospital as a cna but i can't find a good part timejob

[mmmcookiesnmilk]

Originally Posted by pensfan2006

I'm a nurse and I have to say that EMT-B and phlebotomy are in NO WAY a good indicator of what nursing school will be like at all. They are soooooo different. (no disrespect to teriyakisaki). If you want to know what nursing school will be like, get your CNA (certified nurse assistant). All you do in your first senester (and first year in some schools) is give bed baths, take pts. to the bathroom, wipe their butts, take them for walks, and other such CNA-like duties. You will give medications and do assessments but you will do it on stable, medical/surgical patients. Most schools don't let you start IVs or draw blood until at the earliest, your second semester. You will not take care of anyone in an emergency room/ICU until closer to your last clinical rotations. Becomming an EMT might indicate if you would like emergency nursing, but ypou usually need some experience as an RN before you can go the the emergency dept to work. Getting a phlebotomy cert. is great if you want to work in a lab forever but most nursing schools will automatically train/certify you so it is a waste of money in my book. I am in southwestern PA and EMt-B are making about $8-9 per hour, phlebotamists make minimum wage (unless they have been doing it for a while) CNAs make about $11-12 per hour, LPNs make $15-16/hr but pretty much only work in long-term care, and RNs make from $20-25 per hour depending on if they are working in a specialty area or not. RNs can specialize, but don't have to, and usually make more money id they are CCRNs, or chemotherapy certified.
There are ADN programs or diploma programs which usually take 2-3 years to complete BSN programs, which are yoyr traditional bach. degree programs, and then there are MSN and NP programs. A nurse with a master's degree is usually considered a clinical nurse specialist and has an area (pulmonology, cardiology, neonatology, etc.) that they are considered a specialist in and have advanced knowledge of that perticular body system or age population. They generally do make more money, however the ones I've seen usually teach nursing or are in management positions. A nurse practicioner is a nurse who is able to diagnose, prescribe meds, order tests, and assist in surgeries within a specialized, or generalized area. Similar to a PA. If you do want to get an MSN or become an NP, you first have to become an RN. Since you already have a bach. degree it shouldn't take you too long to get the second bach. degree in nursing. After that you will need to take you state boards to actually get your license to practice nursing.
FYI, In Pennsylvania, there isn't much difference between PAs and NPs except for NPs usually have more experience since they have been RNs before getting the NP. PAs have bach. degrees. PAs can also diagnose, write prescriptions, order tests, and assist in surgeries. The difference is in the philosophy or treatment. A physician assistant usually spends a lot of their education with a physician. They are very clinically focused. And NP usually spends most of their education with other NPs. They are more focused on the patient's response to a certain illness. In pennsylvania, I'm pretty sure that NPs and practice independently from physicians while PAs need to have a physician that they practice under. Although, in reality, they both function the same and they make about the same amount of income. Let me know if I can help you with anything else.

Thanks for your reply. That all sounds pretty interesting, minus the wiping butts part lol. Any suggestions on what I can do to better my chances of getting in? It sounds like a BSN would be the best option right now, but if I was interested in becoming an NP is a BSN prerequisite? How long would the BSN program take to complete? Also, what is a CCRN? What do you think about being a nurse, what are the good and bad things about it?

[pensfan2006]

I never had trouble getting in to nursing school either LPN school or RN school. my grades were real good, not perfect. Some schools require you to take a nursing entrance exam. It's a way to gauge how strong you are as a student. It's not hard, trust me.
As far as the BSN being a prerequisite for NP goes, in Pennsylvania it is. I would imagine it is in all states. A CCRN is a critical care registered nurse, in plain terms, a registered nurse who is certified in critical care nursing. A lot of hospitals are now wanting their RNs to be critical care certified if they are going to work in any of the different ICUs or CCU. Most facilities will hire a nurse who is not certified in the ICU/CCU, as long as he/she becomes a CCRN within a certain amount of time. There are tons of certifications an RN can obtain; from hospice and palliative care to rehab and everything in between.
I know that there are a lot of second bach. degree RN options around here. They take anywhere from 6 months to 18 months to complete, depending on how fast you can complete the actual program, and what school you go to. I have worked as a nurse for about seven years, mostly in long-term care (AKA nursing homes), but I have also done a lot of hospice and long term acute care (this is when someone needs to be in an ICU or ICU stepdown unit for a very long period of time and their insurance decides that they won't pay for the hospital setting any more). So far the best thing about nursing to me is the ability to make a difference in someones life (These moments do actually occur) I have felt the best about nursing when I am working with a hospice patient (hospice is when somone has a terminal illness). I enjoy providing end-of-life care to a patient (and their families) and allowing them to die with peace, dignity, and comfort. On the other hand, I have helped save many lives when someone has "coded". and really felt like crap about it because their quality of life sucked. I hate working understaffed (which is usually the case...lol) especially in critical situations. You're in california, which as far as I've heard, has a pretty decent union for nurses. I don't know what the working conditions are like there. If I could do it all over again, I would still be a nurse.

[pensfan2006]

What you need to do is find a college that has a nursing program , find out what the admissions process is and go from there. Just know that a lot of nursing schools have a deadline for admission applications and it is usually pretty early.

[mmmcookiesnmilk]

Thanks, you are so helpful I don't know how you do hospice, it seems so depressing! I work with schizophrenics now and most of my patients live in board and cares, honestly it's hard to deal with such a nonresponsive illness. Some of my patients are awesome, but a lot of them are frustrating. I know what you mean about those moments, that is why I want to be in healthcare. I used to work at a crisis center and I loved it because it was so amazing when at the end the person tells you that you changed or saved their life. I'm going to start trying to find programs now so I can see exactly what their requirements are. I have a year of commitment left to the lab I currently work in, so I'm not planning on going to school until fall of 2009.

[PeaceKeepr]

Currently trying to get another job that will allow me to go back to school for RN degree. My road, if it all pans out, will be to get 2 yr RN > then BSN > then off to nurse anesthesia school.

A bsn might make a little more per hour and should help you to get promoted to management positions later or move on to advanced nursing degrees.

[Swamp Dog]

DON'T DO IT!!!!






































Forgive me, I thought that this was another breast implant thread...

I hope all goes well with your ambitions, a good nurse means alot to those who are stuck in a hospital.

[Starlet_GT]

Originally Posted by mmmcookiesnmilk

Is anyone here an RN or NP? I'm thinking about pursuing this and want to learn more about it. I have a BA in psych with a minor in Spanish and nearly a minor in Bio (one class short, bureaucratic mix up w/ my uni). Currently I do psych research at a hospital. I have been planning on pursuing a PhD in clinical psych, but I'm getting a bit burnt out on the field and dreading spending 5+ years devoting my entire life to research and coursework. What is the difference between getting a bachelor's in nursing and a master's? Is it requisite to get a ** before a MSN or NP? Also what is generally prerequisite for applying to these programs? Is there a standardized test to take? How many years of school is it and what do you do in school? It's also appealing to me because of the versatility of fields you can work in, but I'm wondering do you need to chose a specialty in school? Also, what is the income generally?

I'm a Nursing assistant on an acute psychiatric admission unit, in Wales its a 3 year course or 4 if you want a masters. Which hopefully I will be doing next year.

[sunsetbeauty]

Check out www.nursinglink.com/education
I think the information provided in the article ADN vs. BSN will help answer your questions.