Nursing School

I would just call around and see what programs are available in your area. I don't know if University of Utah or BYU offer any Nursing Degreed programs but your local Vo-Tech should. There may also be some options in the surrounding areas that have similar programs. What about the Hospital there, isn't it a teaching one that may offer some type program like nursing?

Good luck, I think improving your mind and making choices like this to improve your family always pay off in the long run...

My husband started nursing school in April, and we needed a program that would move quickly and something that would work while he was still working his regular job. We checked out just about every school from up North at Weber to down South at BYU, and were actually quite frustrated at the lack of options for a functioning adult who couldn't just drop everything and spend all day every day in school. That and some schools had a waiting list that was so long! SLCC is on average a 2 1/2yr wait now!!

We ended up finding Broadview University to be an amazing option and he has just started his second quarter there. The classes are amazingly small and private, especially with the night program-last quarter his anatomy class had only 5 people in it (though another class did have 20+). It does move very quickly-things that are usually covered over a full semester elsewhere are covered over just a quarter here, but with such a small student/teacher ratio it makes that possible. Also the teachers are actively working (currently one of his teachers is an MD, one is an RN), so it's not like it's just teaching staff or someone who used to work and now only teaches, there is a lot of experience playing in.

If you are able to do school during the day there are more options for you, but I would highly recommend checking out Broadview-their nclex pass rate is amazing too, much higher than any other institution we checked into!

Check the colleges/universities in your area. I had an associates degree in nursing but took the same state boards as 4 year graduates. So because I was already working as an RN with some college I was able to get my BSN in 2 years through a local-accredited University.
I'd be willing to bet that with your Bachelor's in sports med, you already have a lot of classes/hours that would transfer to a program.

Good Luck!

ps, it appears that the The University of Utah has a College of Nursing accelerated BSN program. I'd set up an appointment with an advisor and/or the nursing director.

I'd definitely look into the accelerated BSN programs since you already have your bachelors. But, they're very time consuming and you most likely wouldn't be able to work for the year or so that you're in school.

I'm from Colorado, and I know there are some universities in Denver that offer the accelerated BSN program for people who already have a bachelors. I'd looked into them myself, but I wouldn't have been able to quit working for a year and still afford daycare for my son, so I wasn't able to do it.

Also, my best friend went through a program like that in San Diego. It was expensive and hard, but she went in with a BS in Biology, didn't need to take any other prereq courses, and earned her BSN in a year. She got a job as an ER RN immediately.

So, my advice is to definitely look into the accelarated programs that will build on your BS to get you your BSN. I wouldn't look into the associates programs - they will get you the RN license, but the pay won't be as good as a BSN and there is a LONG waitlist to get into most of those programs (3 years is the average waitlist time here). There are also programs that will take you from an associates to a BSN, but they require prereqs and work experience, so make sure you're asking about the BS to BSN programs when you check with the schools in your area.

Good Luck!

I went to an accelerated BSN program in Colorado. I earned a 4 year bachelors degree in 11 months. I made this decision because the wait list for an associates degree program was 3 years. Accelerated programs are very competative, but there usually isn't a waitlist.

The challenge of this type of program is that it is very intense and there is quite a bit that is self taught. I completed this program when my daughter was 2 years old. You will need a strong support system that will help you with the kids because your schedule will change frequently and you will need lots of time for studying.

I have found in this economy, a BSN is much more marketable than an associates degree. As a new grad, you need as much of an edge as possible to set you apart from other candidates.

I am also going back to school to get my rn degree. The research that I did showed that there are two types of programs. there are state schools and specialized nursing school and they generally take 4 yrs to get an rn degree. however most techinical schools will only take you two years because they focus of the classes you will need to take you licensing test. just do some reserch about schools in your area. some privite vocational schools (the ones that advertise on tv all the time) because they will cost you as much as $40,000 for your degree. I am planing on going to Ivy tech (I know they have schools across the country but you would have to look at their website to see if they have any in your area) it is going to cost me about $12,000 for both year and that includes books (you can also apply for grants but all of that has to be done by Feb. of the yr you plan on going to school)

I have my bs in Microbiology, and I am going to Nursing school starting next week. I will be in a 15mo program and then i will have an associates degree in nursing and be elligble to take the board exam......which if I pass I will be an RN. The associates degree is quicker than the Bachelors in nursing, and at the end of both programs you can take the boards and become an RN. I had a few pre-reqs that I had to take prior getting into nursing school. But, since I already had a science degree, I had a lot of other ones done.

Look into it ASAP. Some schools won't accept old coursework if it is over a certain amount of years old. It is pretty competitive to get into nursing school, so keep your options open and apply to a few places.

Be aware the market for nurses isn't very good right now, especially in Utah. I'm an RN and work with many techs who just graduated from nursing school and are unable to find jobs. The schools in UT also have long waiting lists, and as mentioned before, the expedited programs are extremely expensive.
The good news is, that Utah has a multi-state licensure so if you get your license in UT you also will have a license in other states, and vice a versa.
Check on www.dopl.utah.gov for licensing info, etc.
Good luck!