Hi, I’m a current high school senior and I’ll be going to De Anza in the fall. I really want to be a nurse but I’m super confused about how to go about it. Do I just fulfill all the IGETC requirements + some nursing pre-reqs and transfer into a CSU (I want to potentially go to SDSU or Long Beach). Or do I need to complete an ADN (Associates Degree of Nursing) and then transfer? If I do that then do I need to apply to De Anza’s nursing program? I’ve been researching a lot online but it’s really confusing.
SDSU’s Nursing Transfer requirements: https://nursing.sdsu.edu/programs/bs-in-nursing/admissions/transfer-students/
http://web.csulb.edu/colleges/chhs/departments/nursing/docs/PathwaysBrochurev607-20-15.pdf
There are different ways in getting a Nursing degree from a community college to a 4 year university:
-
ADN to RN/BSN:
Get an Associates degree in nursing from a Community College that has an approved RN program. Those programs are usually competitive for entry, unlike most other community college programs. Often, the community college has a waiting list for nursing and will make you take a number of science classes first to prove that you are capable of handling it, before you are accepted as a nursing major. Your job opportunities will not be as wide as if you have a BSN, but you should still have no problem getting hired. Many of those grads then go onto later get a BSN, while taking classes part-time. Many health care employers will subsidize those classes.
The second way is to complete a regular bachelor’s degree (in anything, although a science major makes this easier), then go back to school and get an accelerated second BSN. ABSN programs usually take 14-18 months after your first bachelor’s degree, which adds time and expense to getting your BSN. This route is usually chosen by people who didn’t realize they wanted to be a nurse until after they were already in college, but I’ve known a couple of college students who chose to go this route because they wanted to go to a liberal arts college to undergrad and yet still wanted to be a nurse. If you do this you have to plan your prerequisites carefully, since colleges without nursing programs tend not to have classes like anatomy and physiology.
The third way is to complete a regular bachelor’s degree (in anything, although again, a science major makes this easier) and then go into an entry-to-practice MSN program. Entry-to-practice programs are 3-year programs in which you get your RN in the first year and then your MSN in the last two years, which allows you to practice as a nurse practitioner. This is only a good idea if you know you want to be a nurse practitioner (an NP is a nurse who gives primary care).
I really appreciate this! Thanks for clearing up the questions I had!