Hi! I want to become a nurse practional & had a few questions. what is the difference between attending (at an undergraduate college) a Direct admit programs (like Villanova), a pre nursing program (majoring in nursing, Ex: UNC), & majoring in a major that is not nursing. which one will take the fewest years to become an RN & eventually become a nurse practitioner. Thanks so much!
Both direct admit and indirect admit will get you a BSN within 4 years if you are admitted into the program your first time around. Direct admit programs are rarer in some areas, I didn’t even know the existed when I applied to schools. While direct admit is less stressful, indirect admit schools can be cheaper for students like me who didn’t have any direct in their state. If your ultimate goal is to become an NP, the cheapest route is your best option! Nursing is a degree where employers value your work expierence more than your Alma mater, so you should keep costs down while you can, maybe work as a CNA during the school year or summer until you graduate, then work for a few years to save up and get expierence before you get your NP.
Ultimately you should weigh the pros and cons of each school. Don’t knock off indirect just because it seems scarier, I love my school and I had to work hard to get into the program, but it was worth the work. I didn’t find it worth while to pay for OOS tuition and get out loans. If you like a direct admit school and it’s a decent price though, that’s a great option!
Majoring in a major that’s not nursing is just paying extra money. It will take a longer time because you’d take 4 years for your first degree, and then have at least 2 years at a CC or maybe 3 or 4 at a 4 year to get another nursing degree (ASN or BSN). There are some programs for people that already have a degree to only take 2 years, but that would be a total of 6 years just to get a degree you could have in 2 years at a CC or 4 at a college. That’s a lot of money that you could use toward your master’s.
thanks so much! I was quite confused & you really helped! are you a nurse practitioner?
Oh no, I’m still in school for my bachelor’s. This is advice that I have gotten from family friends who are nurse managers and hire nurses for their floor, and my professors who have their NP or their MSN.
what type of NP do you wanna become & what are the different types?
Well I originally wanted to be a neonatal nurse practioner, but I’m now trying to keep my mind open, since there are a lot of areas that I haven’t expirenced yet so I don’t know what I’d like best. There are a lot of certifications for NP from different licensing bodies.the most generic NP is Family NP, and they can practice on people of any age. Then there’s Adult, pediatric, and specialty areas like women’s health or geriatric. There’s a long list somewhere on the onternet, but it’s overwhelming. Im gonna let my clinical and my work expirenced lead me to what type of NP to be, rather than limit myself to one option 
thanks for all the help!
No problem! If you come up with any other questions feel free to ask.