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I think the NP for Non-Nurses is a great option for those who already have a Bachelors. I never heard of it until this post, so I had to do a little research on it. I'm really glad I did! I'm a therapist with an MA in counseling and have thought about going back to become a Psych NP. Not sure I could do the program as I'm about maxed out on student loans, but it's nice to know it's there.
BTW, being an RN is much different than being an NP (this is for those who said that the OP may not even like nursing).
I think the NP for Non-Nurses is a great option for those who already have a Bachelors. I never heard of it until this post, so I had to do a little research on it. I'm really glad I did! I'm a therapist with an MA in counseling and have thought about going back to become a Psych NP. Not sure I could do the program as I'm about maxed out on student loans, but it's nice to know it's there.
BTW, being an RN is much different than being an NP (this is for those who said that the OP may not even like nursing).
It's not a "NP for Non-Nurses". The OP is referring to an accelerated MSN program for non-BSN graduates. There are several tracks in a master's program; she thinks advanced practice is the route for her. One must be a currently licensed RN in good standing in order to be an APRN and while years of practice experience as a RN may not be statistically significant in the certification examination pass rate, it makes a world of difference in patient care. Y'all be sweet.
Have you been on the allnurses website? You can get a ton of info on there. Well the good thing is there is a shortage of APRNs. I say you keep doing your research on schools and specialties, shadow a nurse at a hospital, and start taking those pre-reqs you need at a community college. Here is a nursing education website that has a list of accelerated programs. American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Accelerated Baccalaureate and Master's Degrees in Nursing
I think the NP for Non-Nurses is a great option for those who already have a Bachelors. I never heard of it until this post, so I had to do a little research on it. I'm really glad I did! I'm a therapist with an MA in counseling and have thought about going back to become a Psych NP. Not sure I could do the program as I'm about maxed out on student loans, but it's nice to know it's there.
BTW, being an RN is much different than being an NP (this is for those who said that the OP may not even like nursing).
That would be me. OK, I'll phrase it a little differently. The OP may not like working in health care. I recommend some shadowing of a NP, or at least talking to some.
That would be me. OK, I'll phrase it a little differently. The OP may not like working in health care. I recommend some shadowing of a NP, or at least talking to some.
Nah, it was me Sometimes I get sucked into those conversations. against my better judgement.
I appreciate everyone's advice. I've been doing research trying to decide what would be the best route. Obviously I've never been a nurse before so I don't know if I will enjoy it until I've done it. NP are different but they still involve patient care. Either way nursing school-whether it's accelerated or a master non-nursing entry program will be rigorous. I did decent in science in college and high school(b's and a's) but I'd be lying if I said it was my strongest subject. All of these factors are weighing on the decision I make. Where I live, the healthcare industry is big. The biggest employers are hospitals or health care organizations, IT is big as well.
I went to an information session at Vanderbilt yesterday for their advanced NP program. I'm not a nurse currently and I do not have a nursing background. Anyway the information session was very helpful. The program is very competitive and seems like an excellent program. I'm debating however on if it's the right route for me. While Vanderbilt is a great school, the program itself will be $150,000 for me in student loans. I have less than $20k in undergrad loans. The "so" has no loans(schooling was paid by the military). We have a child. I don't know how I feel about taking out that much in loans for school. It just seems excessive. I'm going to apply anyway, however I'm wondering just how much the school's name masters in the nursing world? I know that in certain fields(business, law, etc) where you go to has a huge impact on job placement. I assume the same is for nursing, however I'm not sure. Does it matter where I go? Does anyone know of any more "affordable" NP programs?
My sister just got her NP degree, lots of student debt, and not a whole lot of jobs for NPs - she's still just a regular nurse (making 60 bucks an hour, though).
I hope you're researching this a lot. Indeed, when my son was in the hospital a few months ago, one of his nurses was an NP who decided to stay a regular nurse. The income isn't that much better for NPs, but more responsibility and of course that means more liability (malpractice insurance, etc).
There are also physician's assistants, not sure if that has a more rosy outlook.
My sister just got her NP degree, lots of student debt, and not a whole lot of jobs for NPs - she's still just a regular nurse (making 60 bucks an hour, though).
I hope you're researching this a lot. Indeed, when my son was in the hospital a few months ago, one of his nurses was an NP who decided to stay a regular nurse. The income isn't that much better for NPs, but more responsibility and of course that means more liability (malpractice insurance, etc).
There are also physician's assistants, not sure if that has a more rosy outlook.
The pay on average is much better. Using one example to draw a conclusion is poor logic. NP's and PA's have it pretty good right now. There are plenty of quality state schools that don't cost much and have great success placing graduates.
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Sometimes I get sucked into those conversations.
against my better judgement.
