<p>I'm in highschool going about the college process, and I know I want to go into nursing. I live Bergen County, New Jersey and I don't want to go too far from home, but I of course want to go away. I'd like to stay in the NJ,PENN,NY,CT area and aiming for mostly colleges that once you apply and get in, your automatically in the program itself. Any help of some top choices?</p>
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<p>I think nursing a good choice for a career! There are many job opportunities for nurses. Nursing is a 4-year program right? Well ultimately you need a nursing license for work so any nursing school you go to that can prepare you for that is ok. You want to finish your program in the shortest amount of time so you can start working. You’ll learn much more from working. I’m in a similar program and I think the most important thing is to get your license. Focus on getting your license. What do you need to do to get that license? Not just to get an A in a course or going to the top nursing school. </p>
<p>I suggest you live at home while you’re in school or live close to home. Any program medically related is very challenging. You’ll need all the help you can get so you don’t get distracted from having to take care of small things around the house. Trust me I’ve been there. Once you move out there are tons of things that magically appear that you have to take care of. You’ll constantly worry about small things all the time on top of worrying about your classes. People can say it’s a learning experience or part of growing up but don’t complicate your life. Once you’re in the nursing program you’ll face many challenges and wish that life could be simpler. Once you have your nursing license and can earn a good living you can move away then.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with the above poster at all. It’s perfectly reasonable to want to go away but also stay in the region. There’s no reason to be discouraged about living away from home, especially if you will be living in a dorm for the first couple years, or maybe all four. Uconn is a solid state school not to ofar from you.</p>
<p>It’s definitely possible to live on your own and be successful in a nursing program… personally, living with my parents would be much more stressful than living in my apartment is.</p>
<p>Definitely go for your BSN if you can, especially if you might ever want to do a masters or go into research or anything like that, since it gives you so many more options. The nursing program at my school, SUNY Stony Brook, is wonderful and my friends in the program love the professors and clinical mentors. You have to apply to it while you’re already in undergrad, though, so it’s not “guaranteed.” Pretty sure that’s the norm with nursing BS programs.</p>
<p>Thanks 
yeah i figure i want to go away my freshmen year becuase it is a learning experience, and I think if i’m actually home, I won’t be able to study and really focus. I could be in my dorm studying away from everything or in the library getting my work done, but I’d still like to be close enough to come whenever I want. Yeah at some schools they have a program where once a week or once every two weeks you go to this class and while you’re going for your RN you get your BSN or something around like that. I figured I’d do the whole RN process and then once i’m out and get a job go to school for 2 more years and maybe consider doing nurse pract.</p>
<p>IMO you’d be better off doing a BSN right off the bat if you’re thinking about being a nurse practitioner–getting yourself to go back to school once you’ve left is harder, especially for undergrad. If you can afford it, plowing through a bachelors to begin with could be easier. If you’re interested in having a “traditional” college experience with a dorm and all that too, a BSN is a better path and it will open more doors for you in the long run.</p>
<p>What are the advantages and differences between the RSN and BSN?</p>
<p>It’s the ASN and BSN. The BSN let’s you advance faster and get an advance degree faster (if that’s what you want). The disadvantage is the BSN costs more. Also, don’t forget about the diploma either.</p>
<p>As a nursing instructor, and mom of 2 college students, I would highly recommend a residential 4-year school. Research done over the past 30 years indicates that students do better in college when they are engaged in the social and academic life of the university. It is also quite common to meet a future mate while in college. With regards to some specific suggestions, check out Villanova U. in PA (pricey but a great school of nursing). If you can venture a bit further from home check out Otterbein in OH. </p>
<p>A few other notes regarding the different routes to entry into professional nursing. The BSN degree contains more nursing theory, research (using evidence to guide our care rather than ‘it’s always been done this way’), and leadership than AA degree or diploma programs. It also contains courses and clinical in public health and home health. There are some areas of practice that do require a BSN and many supervisor positions are now requiring the degree. The AA degree generally takes more than 2 years to obtain (1-2 years of prerequisite courses then 2 years of nursing courses). Degree completion programs (RN to BSN) usually take 2 years (full time). The BSN programs are 4-5 years long. So, it’s really much more efficient to choose the BSN degree from the start.</p>
<p>If you think you may want to teach nursing, it’s best to keep on with your schooling (MSN) full time and work part-time as an RN. There are many national and local student loan forgivenenss programs available for graduate school if you then teach full time after graduation.</p>