Nursing

How Do I Become A Nurse?

There are different pathways to become a nurse.

Pursue a second degree (BSN) in nursing after graduation from Rutgers.

Finish your BA at Rutgers, major in any subject you enjoy, and take prerequisites for nursing school as part of your elective/core requirements. During your senior year, apply to an accelerated second-degree nursing program and earn your BSN in 11-18 months.

Requirements for most second degree nursing programs:

• Bachelor’s degree
• GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Prerequisite courses in anatomy and physiology, psychology, nutrition, chemistry, statistics, microbiology, and pathophysiology. Please note, these requirements vary from program to program so you need to make sure you fulfill the requirements that will allow you to apply to several programs.
• Resume
• Recommendations
• Essay
• Interview

How much do second degree nursing programs cost?

• Costs vary, depending on the school and length of the program, ranging from $30,000-$120,000.

Where can I find more information?

-The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (aacnnursing.org) has a searchable database of programs. Here is a list of schools in New Jersey that offer accelerated BSN degrees:

Use the AACN searchable database to research other programs: https://www.aacnnursing.org/Students/Find-a-Nursing-Program

Other useful resources to find out more about nursing

Nurse.org: https://nurse.org/

American Nurses Association: https://www.nursingworld.org/

National Student Nurses’ Association: https://www.nsna.org/

American Association of Colleges of Nursing: https://www.aacnnursing.org