<p>I am a senior considering nursing as a future career. How many years does it take to become a nurse, like in a hospital? What is involved? Also, what do I major in if my college choice doesn't directly offer nursing?</p>
<p>You can do a 2 year program or a 4 year program, but both will lead you to the same title: RN. </p>
<p>DO NOT go to a college that doesn’t have nursing if you want to be a nurse. You’ll waste AT LEAST 2 years, and if you graduate with another degree, it’ll be 4. </p>
<p>If you want to go into nursing, I would highly suggest only applying to schools that have direct entry programs so you’ll be sure that you actually will get to participate in the nursing curriculum.</p>
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This isn’t completely accurate. Many colleges are now offering a BSN program for people that already have a BA or BS degree in some field other than nursing. Depending on how many of the nursing pre-reqs you already have you can receive a BSN in as little as 1 1/2 years (3 semesters). I cannot imagine that a “2nd degree” nursing program would ever require anything more than 2 1/2 years (5 semesters).</p>
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<p>I’m not talking about ABSN programs. I’m talking about going to a 4 year college and obtaining a degree in something (obviously) other than nursing. Sorry for not being clear.</p>
<p>If you go to a school like that, you can do your prereqs and apply to other schools that have nursing programs so you’ll have wasted 2 years…and if you graduate with a degree from that school, it’ll be 4.</p>
<p>I’m not talking about ABSN programs either. A person who graduates with a BA in Art History can enroll in a Second Degree program and receive a BSN in 3-5 semesters (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years).</p>
<p>aglages - the Second Degree programs you’re talking about are ABSN programs…</p>
<p>…and you’re still completely missing my point! The BA in Art History is 4 years of the person’s life wasted.</p>
<p>^^^
Not if you like art!</p>
<p>…but if you know you want to go into nursing, even if you really LOVE art, it’s a waste.</p>
<p>I am going to suggest that sometime people’s obsession of not wasting time is not necessarily the best course and I would not trade my 5 years spent getting a 4 year degree for anything. I graduated from SFSU 30 years ago with a BSN. I did not start there.</p>
<p>I began a UCSC which does not even have a pre-med/health courses nor Chemistry for health majors so to meet the chem requirements, I took 3 quarters of inorganic and 1 quarter organic chem. I took my psych classes there and was taught by an amazing professor Elliot Aronson, a top regarded Psychologist in social psychology. It was a life changing class!
Since UCSC didn’t have anatomy and physiology, I took it at the local CC Cabrillo college, again a life enhancing experience with real cadavers.</p>
<p>I applied to SFSU and entered in the soph year after spending 2 years getting prereqs that could have been done in 1 year at SFSU. If I had started at SFSU I would have missed the chances to take classes elsewhere that to this day, have changed my life.</p>
<p>If you love art (or any other major), go someplace with a great art program but where you can still meet your prereqs. Don’t worry so much about “wasting” time.</p>
<p>^^ that is if you have the money to waste as well?</p>
<p>If you know you want nursing then you should apply to a direct admit school. If you are not sure then maybe a school with a 2 year program starting Jr year? My d had a mix of schools to choose from and ultimately went with a direct entry program even though she was unsure about nursing - she felt that it would be easier to switch OUT than compete to apply later. It took her til junior year clinicals to really love nursing though - glad she stuck with it!</p>
<p>50 % of all college freshman change their majors. I guess they are all wasting money since often classes in one major are not transferable to another. Your daughter would have “wasted” money if she didn’t stay with nursing.</p>
<p>Remember, I said to go someplace where prereqs can still be met.</p>
<p>While many classes don’t transfer to other majors, most freshman take primarily gened courses and maybe one or two that are specific to their major. So as long as you change before you start taking multiple major classes, you aren’t wasting money.</p>