Tips for Students Interested in Studying Nursing
Tips for Students Interested in Studying Nursing
Posted on 12/13/2022
Many students are interested in pursuing nursing careers and there are good reasons for that:
Nurses are among the highest paid professionals in the state. In 2021, the median Boston area salary for registered nurses was $95,430.
Job opportunities for nurses are plentiful. More individuals are employed as registered nurses than any other occupation in the Boston area and the demand for nurses is expected to grow by 5% over the next 10 years.
Nursing offers a broad range of career paths. Nursing jobs aren’t limited to clinical practice in a hospital, nursing home, or outpatient setting. Registered nurses are also employed as case managers to help patients navigate healthcare options and in quality review and research positions.
There are also several advancement routes. Registered nurses can pursue master’s degrees to become nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists in fields including psychiatry and midwifery. Nurses can also pursue management roles in a range of healthcare settings.
Strategies for Getting Accepted into a Nursing Program
Given the high pay and career options within the nursing profession, gaining admission to a nursing program can be challenging. Here are several tips:
Earn Bs or better in high school math and science courses.
Admission to nursing programs is competitive and generally requires students to show strong academic performance (i.e., Bs or better) in high school math and science courses. If a student has weak math and/or science grades, see “Plan B Strategies” below.
Apply in high school for direct admission to public college nursing programs.
It’s important to apply for direct admission into public college nursing programs from high school. All of the public college nursing programs have a separate admissions process that students need to follow to be considered. Highly selective private colleges, including Boston College and Northeastern, do not generally require a separate admissions process. Students who gain acceptance into these colleges can generally enroll in the nursing program during their first year at college.
Nursing program acceptance rates of 7 public Massachusetts universities.
Apply to several public college programs.
If a student meets minimum requirements, it’s worth applying to several programs to increase chances of acceptance.
Apply to four-year Bachelor level nursing programs.
There is a common misconception that it’s easier to gain admission into a community college Associate of Nursing program than a four-year college Bachelor of Nursing program. This is not the case, especially for students graduating from high school. Associate degree programs are equally competitive and have disadvantages for younger students compared to four-year programs. Students can’t enter these programs directly from high school. They first need to enroll at the community college and complete several prerequisite courses before they can apply to enter the nursing program. Another disadvantage is that the waiting lists to enter Associate degree programs can be long and recent high school graduates have to compete against older students, many of whom have already earned a BA degree or have health care experience. Finally, Boston area hospitals have a preference for bachelor's degree nurses when hiring new graduates with limited experience.
Apply to less-selective private four-year college programs as a back-up.
Given the competition for limited slots at public college nursing programs, students may want to consider applying to less selective private college programs as a back-up plan. For example, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ accelerated three-year BSN program accepts approximately 85% of applicants who meet their admissions criteria of Bs or better in high school math and science courses.
Plan B For Students With Weak High School Math and Science Grades
Students who don’t have the grades to qualify for direct admission to four-year college nursing programs can pursue the following alternative routes to a nursing career:
Enroll in a community college pre-nursing program and earn good grades in first-year college math and science courses required for admission into the nursing program. One four-year public college – Rhode Island College – also offers this option of completing first-year prerequisite requirements before applying to nursing school.
Pursue entry into Licensed Practical Nursing programs, which have lower entry requirements than Registered Nursing programs. Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) programs are generally 10 months long and emphasize hands-on clinical practice. While licensed practical nurses make less than registered nurses, the pay is still good. The median salary for Boston area LPNs was $60,540 in 2021. Most LPN programs are offered by community colleges, which require students to first enroll in the college and complete prerequisite courses and tests before applying to the LPN program.
Keep options open by enrolling in a community college that offers both RN and LPN programs (e.g., Quincy College, MassBay Community College). This way you have the option of seeking admission into the LPN program if you are unable to meet the minimum grade and test requirements for entry into the RN program.
Identify community college RN programs and LPN programs that have high acceptance rates. For example, Quincy College, which recently had its nursing programs reinstated, is currently accepting 85% to 90% of applicants meeting minimum requirements for its RN and LPN programs.
To learn more about nursing programs in your region, log into your Navigator account and search registered nursing and licensed practical nursing programs using the degree name filter.