So, now that I have that College Degree...

[worldwonder16]

What do I do with it!? =) I graduated with a BS in Health Science, hoping to quit my job and go to nursing school full time. I thought the BS would give me a little bit of a boost to get ahead. Life had other plans for me and there is no way I can attend nursing school full time and I have yet to find a part time program in my area. Nursing school wasn't a definite, so I am open to all other suggestions. I just need someone to kindly point me in the right direction.

Thanks for reading...

[bawhitsett]

Could always do a weekend program if one is available locally.

[burbuja0512]

What about finding a job at companies that support the health care industry? There are a million different vendor positions out there that all pay very well and it is hard to find good B2B sales reps that have a clear understanding of healthcare. Most applicants for these type of jobs are business majors (or some other random degree) that have no knowledge of healthcare whatsoever, but just want to get a solid sales job. To do this, you have to be able to fearlessly speak to C-level types such as a hospital's CMO and you have to be comfortable with public speaking.

Or, if you hate the thought of speaking to C-level execs and presentations make you nervous, you can still find great jobs at these sort of companies in product management or customer service. A couple of examples: Let's say there is a company like McKesson, who manufactures TONS of different pieces of equipment that is used in hospitals. THere is a lot of support and service that goes into each one of those products, you could be part of that team. (LOL no I don't work for McKesson and never have, it's just a well-known company that has offices in many cities)

Or, let's say you like customer service and understand health care, you could get a job at an HMO or PBM. There are tons of customer service and "behind-the-scenes" administrative jobs that are secure and pay well. You can look at larger national companies such as Medco or United Healthcare, or you can check out smaller local or state-wide health plans.

Anyhow, these are just a few ideas. If you seriously want to do this for a while until you go to nursing school, I would recommend doing some volunteer work at your local hospital. That way you have the healthcare-type degree with some experience of actually working within a hospital setting. It also gives you the opportunity to really evaluate your desire to be a nurse first-hand.

[dcan]

If you tested out of the business core portion of a BS in Business Admin at one of the Big 3 then you would be ready (or almost ready) to graduate with a second bachelor's in business. Just guessing but I would think that would get you all (or almost all) of your required "new credits" for a second degree, depending on the specific school policy. Combined with your health science background you would be positioned for work in that field.

Or move on to a grad degree, MBA (need the business core though) or a MS in health information management or something like that?

[Lindagerr]

If you really want to do nursing and you have all the prereqs done look into a good community college in your area. My neighbor had a BA in communication from a B&M school then decided she wanted to be a nurse. She went part time to CC and took the math and science prereqs then got a night and weekend job in a hospital( she does phlebotomy) she goes to nursing school full time now and works weekends and her days off of school. It is not easy but she is doing great and it should only take 1 year. When she graduates she will not only be an RN but a BSN, that can lead to more supervisory work. If you really want to go into nursing go for it, the job market will never dry up because as we babyboomers get older we will need more nurses.

[marianne202]

Depending on your background, experience and availability you have many options. I too have a BSHS that I added to over 30 years of experience in a variety of healthcare areas. Healthcare sales is a great area if you like sales. They make great money! If you have a healthcare background you may be able to teach health related classes. Getting all your nursing pre-reqs done is a great idea, because most nursing programs have waiting lists anyway, so you won't be able to go full-time in nursing core classes right away most likely, so take advantage of this time to get the pre-reqs done and be further ahead when it comes time for them to evaluate candidates to accept into the program. The other option is Excelsior's nursing program. You can complete that at your own pace via exams, but some healthcare experience is required. You have many options, just open up your mind. Look at local hospital HR websites, job ads or try healthcare temp agencies. You will probably find lots of options for work and ideas for further schooling based on job requirements for jobs that interest you. Good luck!