What would you major in at LAC or school without nursing if you might want to do a nursing program post college? I know there are direct nursing programs but looking at all options.
The most common I see (as one who works in a second degree nursing program) are: Biology, Biological Sciences, Kinesiology, and Psychology.
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A science, some field that includes first year biology and at least first year chem. State colleges often have BS to BSN post bac program, as little as 2 summers and a school year, if the person already had bio and chem.
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I would major in one of the sciences and I would also look at the prerequisites for ABSN programs and take them during undergrad if possible.
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I would say the major doesn’t really matter, but it would be smart to take all of the pre-reqs during that first degree. Depending on what part of the country you’re in, a major or minor in Spanish would be excellent.
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If you know you want to be a nurse, you really should just major in that. If you just don’t know then make sure to take a year of chemistry, a year of biology, 1 semester of stats, 1 semester of nutrition, anatomy and physiology. Everything else you’ll probably need to take during your nursing program. For a bachelor’s(BSN) it will be an intense 2 years of nursing classes. You really do need to make sure that the classes/ pre-req’s will transfer in as some/most programs are very particular in what exactly will transer.
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Look up the web sites of MSN and accelerated BSN programs for those with bachelor’s degrees in non-nursing majors. From these, you can find the course prerequisites that they want to see. It looks like common prerequisites for MSN programs for those with non-nursing bachelor’s degrees include:
- Human anatomy
- Human physiology
- Chemistry
- Microbiology
- Statistics
- Psychology
- Communication
However, specific programs may have other or different requirements.
Another option if you do not get into a desirable BSN program is to look for an ADN / RN program, followed by an ADN / RN → BSN program.
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You indicated that this student “might” want to be a nurse after graduation.
Before starting any kind of nursing program (accelerated BSN or CC) I would make sure that this student is sure that they want to be a nurse. I would interview a few nurses, volunteer, maybe shadow at the pediatrician if permitted, and take a look at the nursing classes to make sure they are of interest to this student in terms of material, skills that need to be learned, etc.
IMO nursing is something that you need to be sure about before starting. I think the first step is to decide if nursing really is the right career path (only because you said “might” want to do nursing), and then they can think about the right program.
I would still take the prerequisites while in college.
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Psychology BS with a minor in a language spoken by non English speaking families in your state (if the language is not offered as a minor, community education classes).
A psychology BS should include intro courses in biology and (if not already part of the major) should easily accomodate classes in chemistry (any level), human anatomy, interpersonal and/or intercultural communication, and all levels of developmental psychology.
An alternative is something similar to BioBehavioral Health, Global Health, or a science major with a minor in Medical Humanities…
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An accelerated RN program will have certain classes that are required. Definitely check out each program you’d be interested in and see what each requires. You can likely major in anything so long as you have the GPA and required courses. But I would recommend you also look into other options for post bachelors. Programs like PT, OT and PA oftentimes have similar prerequisites. Differences being shadowing hours for PT/OT and patient care hours for PA. Most of which you could do during the summer. It’s not a bad idea to get trained as a nurse aide or EMT and work as an ER tech or as an aide somewhere. A biology major grad was working as an aide at my peds rehab while studying for MCAT and to get hours in. She changed her mind after being exposed to so many different fields and did an accelerated RN program. She only needed a couple classes (nutrition and something else I think) that she took at a cc. Haven’t seen her in years since she graduated and moved on. Here’s a link to one accelerated program: Full-time Accelerated Coursework Track - 1 Year
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DPT and PA often require classes such as physics (dpt), organic chemistry or biochemistry (PA programs). Some ABSN programs require organic chemistry and genetics, while others do not. As noted, programs have different requirements in terms of observing, volunteering etc.
I think the first step is deciding whether the student likes nursing. Observing and interviewing nurses, as well as exploring what is covered in nursing classes, would help.
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