HSPW: Alternatives to Nursing

Since nursing programs are so competitive, many students will need to explore alternative options.

Five Tips:

Don’t sugar coat it. Talk about the new nursing admission requirements. Explain that these are pretty typical requirements for all RN programs and the expectations are set by state and national accrediting bodies.
Show genuine interest and concern. Tell the student that this is a “tough conversation that we’re going to have.”
Refer to career assessments online through Career Services website. You and the student could even do the short version of Career Coach.
If you’re working with a student who is early on in their program and you see some areas that may prove to be difficult going forward, ensure the student that you’re setting them up to have parallel plans. Many of their first and second semester classes can apply to other majors.
Offer ideas for shadowing, information interviews, career panels/forums. Rochester General Hospital allows shadowing opportunities (see link below).

Five Questions to Ask:

How/why did you first become interested in nursing?
How do you envision yourself helping people?
Do you work? Where? How many hours? (This provides so much insight!)
Why don’t we see how this next semester goes and we’ll reassess things mid-semester?
If you were to do something different, what would it look like? Have you thought about doing something different?

LPN Programs

Isabella Graham Hart School of Nursing Application at Rochester General Hospital
BOCES programs
Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Geneva Hospital

Additional Alternative Options

Health Studies tracks (Community Health, Health Care Administration)
Psychology
Social Work
Counseling (at Master’s level)
Education
Public Health
Programs that aren’t as competitive: Health Information Technology, Surgical Technology, Respiratory Therapy (GCC)
Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree in a non-nursing field, followed by an accelerated BSN program (such as Brockport or University of Rochester).

Resources

http://www.healthcareersinfo.net/ – an easy way to search health professions, view job responsibilities, and education programs in NYS.
https://www.rochesterregional.org/join-our-team/volunteer-at-rochester-general-hospital/shadowing – shadowing at Rochester General Hospital
Career Coach, A-Z Index
Career Assessments (i.e. Focus2, others on Career Services site), A-Z Index, Career Services

Updated 6/19