Experience with Nursing major?

My youngest, now a junior, wants to do a nursing major-- she is definitely serious about this. She is young however so is considering (wisely I think) a program where she can live at home at least two of the years. We live in South Jersey (right outside Philadelphia) so I expect that there are many many good options here.-- she is also talking about going to Central CT to community college and living with her dad, but I am not sure the opportunities here and there for nursing are apples to apples at all. I want her to get a competitive education, but I am out of my element with nursing. Any tips suggestions are appreciated-- do they do a clinical?? I imagine a Clinical at UPenn is a huge advantage over one at say Middlesex Hospital in CT.

      Do look at the present and future plans of your state (Or the areas she wants to work in) for RN reqs, some states want all nurses to have a BSN at some point. Some states don't seem to really care. The starting point would be whether her stats direct her in one direction over another. 

She definitely intends to do the BSN-- it is the how (2+2 route or another one?)

Here is a great discussion on direct-admit nursing schools:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/859704-master-list-of-direct-entry-nursing-programs-p17.html

Monmouth University, NJ
Rutgers University, NJ
Seton Hall University NJ
The College of New Jersey NJ
Fairfield University CT

Nursing schools are so competitive to get into, it’s a good idea to consider a direct admit.

I highly recommend a direct admit program. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘she’s young.’ Is she going to be under 17 when she starts college? If not I wouldn’t worry about that. A 4 year program will give your daughter the huge advantage of much more clinical training than a 2 +2 program. Nevermind avoid a situation where she can’t get into the nursing program because its so competitive.

That is what I am finding out-- Rutgers Camden is right near us, AND Rowan has a direct admit from the Community College first two years

She will be just 17 and seems intimidated at the idea of moving away from home as a freshman… but we do have several programs where she COULD do the 4 years in the same place and live with us for a bit if she needs. ie Rutgers Camden

I would only advise a direct admit to a 4 yr BSN program. Look at the NCLEX pass rates for the schools that she may be interested in.

I live in the same state as you go. My daughter attended the ASN program at our local comm college (lived at home) and then went on to complete her BSN at a state university. She was allowed to bring 90 credits to the state uni and completed her degree having spent (comparatively) very little money. She landed a job at a local hosp (the one that she had her eye on) and found that most of her young co-workers are living at home paying off student loans. She is not.

Our local comm college happens to be very well regarded for it’s nursing program so this was an excellent option for our daughter. I’d encourage you to visit the comm college under consideration and start asking questions. What is their NCLEX pass rate is a good first question. Also ask what colleges they have articulation agreements with for a BSN program.

The drawback of this option is that your daughter would not experience the typical living-on-campus life. Others would consider this an advantage. No one can decide this for you/your daughter. A huge advantage is that it is a much less expensive route. And it makes buying a car (needed for driving to hospitals for clinical rotations) much easier.

So then what is the urgency of starting college right away? Even if your D has finished all the requirements for graduation at 17 I don’t think the school can force her to graduate. Why not have her stay another year in HS, perhaps taking some classes thru dual enrollment at an area CC and working part time in a health-care facility (either paid or volunteer)? You should check the colleges with direct-admit programs she is considering, but I know that some look for actual experience in health-care as part of the admit process. She may be a stronger candidate by doing this, and even if health-care experience isn’t required an optional letter of rec from her supervisor in such a setting couldn’t hurt (assuming she does a good job, of course)

Alternatively, why not a gap year? She could work full-time in a health-care setting, or perhaps take some classes at a CC as well. If doing the latter look carefully into the requirements to be a frosh where she intends to apply; for some colleges taking even 1 unit at a CC during a regular term makes you apply as a transfer student instead of a frosh.

My nieces who live in NJ outside of Philly both have BSN degrees from Drexel which has a direct admit program. One of the nieces commuted, the other lived on campus. They both got nice scholarships such that the one who commuted ended up with no debt at all. Neither one has had any trouble finding nursing positions that pay well at good hospitals.

In Texas, some of the community college programs are STRONG, if not stronger, than some of the 4 year programs. I would take a grad of one of our local jr. college programs ANY day over a pretty highly regarded private $50-55K per year BSN program.

It is very common for these students to graduate, get a nursing job and then pursue their BSN online. The hospitals where they work almost always provide some sort of tuition reimbursement and many of them have deals with local four year schools.

@nycparent12 Good to know about scholarships- the price ticket looks so large there!!

I am not familiar with your area, but my junior is also looking at nursing. Direct admits are where it’s at, and the profession is moving closer to having a BSN as a requirement for management and other areas. She has about 10 on her list right now, all in-state for us and all direct admit.

Some colleges have an indirect program where you wait until the end of freshman or sophomore year before applying to your major (I understand a lot of engineering schools are like this too). What happens if you don’t make it? At least one school she was interested in had a moving target - the GPA required to get in depended on others in your class, so last year a 3.6 would have done it but, lucky you, this year the cutoff is 3.65. I found that the direct admit programs have clear cutoffs that don’t move. The requirements might be a smidge higher than the rest of the university, but at least they don’t change.

The NCLEX is one gauge of a program’s strength. You might want to inquire about whether there is a weeding out process to even take the test. Some schools might let only their strongest students take the test - and have an artificially high pass rate - while others let all their students take it.

There are more questions to ask about nursing than a lot of majors, including where the clinicals are in relation to campus, extra fees, extra admission requirements, etc. I have definitely learned a lot in my own research and over in the nursing forum.

@carachel2 - this was also my daughter’s experience. Her particular community college has a stronger nursing program that some 4 year college programs. She was a difference in the level of her training as compared to others during her clinical rotations.

My daughter had not yet completed her BSN when a hospital hired her to work in their ED. She was required to complete her BSN within 2 years of working there. And they did offer some tuition assistance which helped.

Do have your D check out the job postings in the area, hospital, and specialty where she will want to someday work. In some areas, hospitals are not hiring anyone who already doesn’t have their BSN. There are certainly many areas where the plumb jobs can go to ADNs, but this is NOT true in all areas. Know your job market and the educational requirements listed in the job postings.

I would recommend BSN at a minimum , and a DNP if she wants a more interesting job in nursing. That being said, many nurses tire of the hierarchical hospital system and continue on to an MPH, MD, or DO program.

not sure if this applies to your situation, but see the rutgers-camden bridging the gap program…
http://news.camden.rutgers.edu/2015/10/rutgers-university-camden-announces-new-financial-aid-program-for-new-jersey-students-and-families/

also, rowan has some odd program in which you can live on campus and attend the nearest community college…if its a commute for her it might be an option. i forget what its called, nor do i know any details, but it may be worth looking into…

@kac425 From recent research it appears that RCBC (Rowan affiliated community college) which is very close to where we live has a guaranteed admission with a 3.0 GPA to Rowan University to finish the 4 year BSN. I think I will set up some appointments for her and I at a few nursing programs this spring - Rowan, maybe Kean and Rutgers Camden-- thanks all very helpful

Your D might want to set up a few “shadowing” days. The life of a nurse doing critical care in an urban hospital is very different from the life of a nurse working in public health at a government agency, which is different from a nurse doing case management for an HMO.

HS kids often think of nursing as one long day of grateful patients and smiles as the kid with liver cancer gets sent home from the hospital, fully in remission. The reality of the administrative work/paper management, ugly and disturbing hands-on care, and being at the bottom of the totem pole is very different. Before she goes down this path, make sure she’s got a realistic view of nursing.