How Long Does It Take to Become a Nurse

I think your best bet would be to go into a college/university and ask to speak with a guidance counselor about their nursing programs, and they could help you understand timelines, costs, etc. Or you might be able to call and set up a time for them to call you. They might even have an online Q&A forum.
From my understanding, you have to have a bachelors degree to become an RN. And LVN is 2 yrs of school (associates degree) and a CAN is a year long certificate program. If you take more classes per semester than you could graduate sooner. But I'm not sure how you would be able to do that with 2 little ones at home =) rule of thumb is for every 1 credit hr (or semester hr) you should plan on 2 hrs of homework (or at least that's what they told me when I was in college). So a 3 credit class is 3 hrs of class time per week plus about 6 hrs homework per week. A full course load is 12 credits/units, which translates to 12 hrs class time per week and about 24 hrs of homework per week. So you can see how adding even one extra class per semester (a class is usually 3 or 4 credits/units) adds a lot of extra time/work. You can take accelerated classes during the summer though, and that can help speed up your graduation.
You will need to also speak to the guidance counselor about your prior college credits. You will need a copy of your transcripts so they can tell you which courses will transfer and which will not. At the very least your prerequisites should transfer (basic math, writing, etc), which should also shorten the time it takes to get your degree. Make sure the school tells you the requirements for accepting transcripts though. Some require the school to send them to the new school directly, some will accept them from you but with an unbroken seal. Since you have to pay for transcripts, you don't want to do it wrong and have to pay for a 2nd copy!
As I said, best bet is to just contact the school you would like to attend and speak with the guidance counselor and they should be able to help you with all your questions =) good luck!

Hi M.,

I just went to the orientation session at UT, for the alternate entry master's in nursing program. This program is for people with a bachelor's degree in another field. The program takes 3 years but there are 9 pre-req. courses you need. When you come out of this program, you have a master's in nursing. There may be faster ways to become an RN (without getting a master's), but I think you still need the 9 pre-req classes and then it might take two years after that. Go to UT's web site and look at the school of nursing program. They have a ton of information on there. Good luck.

Texas Tech University Health Science Center has a bachelors to RN program. It is one year and it is mostly online. I am not sure of the cost as my husband is in the Master program.

It is doable and I have several friends who have done it this way. Good luck!

Your best bet is to talk with someone at the collage, they might even be able to help you with classes. That you can take in the mean time one at a time, along with telling you the amounts, you might be able to get financial help for these classes also. Do yourself the best and check these out.

I was going to become an nurse with an associate's degree which would have taken about two years, once you get in the program. You will have to take some pre-requisite courses in science like Anatomy I & II almost assuredly, I never saw any school that accepted that coursework if it was more than five years old. Because you do have a bachelors you probably won't have to repeat English etc. But since you did not obtain that degree in the US you may have to discuss that with a counselor to determine whether they will accept your credits. To become and RN with an associate's degree usually takes about a year of pre-requisite work and then two years of the program. It is very intensive and demanding but much less expensive because you can do it a the junior college level and you are a licensed RN. The basic difference in the associates degree is that once you are a practicing nurse you cannot be charge nurse for the floor, that requires a bachelors in nursing, and the pay grade is lower, when I was pursuing it I was told that a nurse with an associates degree could expect to start at around 45K or so and then of course work up from there. However, while you are working as an nurse with the associates degree, you can fulfill your bachelor's degree in nursing online. If your credits from the UK are accepted here, this may be extremely easy for you. The main advice I would give is once you decide on a program, be prepared to stick with it at that school. I tried changing schools or picking up classes at different jr colleges and it was nightmare. They all have some slight differences in their programs and it is really hard to get in, so you cannot even waste your time applying unless you have fulfilled every detail of their pre-requisite course work and you have to have a high GPA. Like I had a 4.0 but was lacking one P.E. and did not get into one program I applied for. The original school I was working to get in didn't require that P.E. so to get into another program at another school would have required another semester to take one P.E. course. So best to just work hard in one program and keep applying there until space opens, in my opinion. Another option is an LVN(licensed vocational nurse), it is a one year course, probably two by the time you take your pre-requisites. The pay grade is less, but it is easier to get into and the job market is good for LVN's as well. You are not a licensed RN, but you can always become and LVN and then pursue RN while you are working. I would start by checking with jr colleges in your area and reading over all the material. They will have contact info and day seminars you can attend to learn the specifics of their program. Once you pick a program you like, you can schedule and appointment with their office to find out exactly what you must do to apply for their program. I know this was so long! Sorry, hopefully I gave you some info to get started with! Good luck:)

hi M..
I am a Registered nurse ,since 03. i went the long route, abachelors degree only because my mom payed for my school at a public university. If you have a bachelors already and it is valid here in the US. then my recommendation for you would be try for LVN licensed vocational nurse which is around 1 year to 1 1/2 years long at a community college. You can also do the associates for Registered nurse which is only 2 years and you will pay less than a regular university or 4 year program. When you become an RN ,,, job facilities are looking for your licence they don't ask you how long it took you to get it. they will pay you based on your experience and your title. sometimes LVN pays more than RN it depends which agency you work for and how much you will be working. semester hours are only the hours needed to complete the program for example you might end up going full time for two years to complete a 60 hours semester program. which will be divided by 15 hours every semester, which ends up being like 2 o3 classes per week. So it's like regular school expect you have to go to clinicals at the hospital and you pretty much are looking at a full time student for the next two years. My only ADVICE IS TO MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR PREREQUISITES TO ENTER THE RN OR LVN PROGRAM, MOST PROGRAMS ARE COMPETITIVE YOU MUST DO REALLY GOOD AND DON'T GET DISCOURAGE IF YOU DIDN'T GET IN, JUST MAKE SURE YOU GET GOOD GRADES IN ALL YOUR PREREQUISITE CLASSES TO HAVE A CHANGE TO GET IN. ONCE YOU ARE IN IT'S UP TO YOU TO DO GOOD AND PASS UNTIL YOU GRADUATE.
I hope this helped. i live in South Texas .. so most of the information is similar around the entire state. if you have questions you can email me back.
-G.

Hi! I work on campus at Angelo State University and although I do not know all the specifics, I do know that we have a post-bachelor's program within our nursing department. From what I understand, this program will take you 1 year to complete. This is for people who have a bachelors in any area and wish to go back to school to become a nurse. I would encourage you to look into the universities in your area-as well as their websights usually have a ton of info on them! I work with these programs everyday and still get a little confused! The best source of info is the actual program you are looking at. Also-many 2 year colleges offer coursework to become a LVN which can be less expensive than a 4 year university! Good Luck! Please feel free to contact me if you need some help! K.

I did the accelerated nursing program at the University of Texas and it took me three years. Before the program, I had a bachelors degree in Biology, and once I completed the graduate program, I received my Rn license and a Masters degree in Nursing. For me it was easier to go this route, but not necessarily cheaper.

Hi! M.,
I'm nit sure where you are located, but UTMB in Galveston has a nursing program. They will pay for most if not all of your schooling as long as you agree to work there for a year after graduation. I'm not sure what it entails. I have had a few friends that have gone through the program. It has been great for them. Hope this helps.