I want to become an RN - Currently an LCSW in medical social work

February 22, 2016 9:12 AM

I enjoy school and credentials. I'm currently an LCSW working in a hospital, and I want to become an RN. How? !

So I currently work full time doing medical social work in Chicago. And I constantly have to ask nurses tons of questions because my experiences with the medical field are rather limited to what I've picked up on my own. I really would like to have a deeper understanding to help my patients better and to have an idea of what is going on.

I feel the logical thing is for me to become an RN.

I'm really trying to navigate this, but there isn't tons of information out there for people who already have degrees. I have my Masters in Social Work, and two undergraduate degrees in social sciences.

I know I need to do some prerequisites at the community college (I need a biology lab, chemistry and organic chemistry) aside from that I'm not sure what steps to take.

What are some steps I should take? How should I move forward? Are there other options out there for me? I know of Rush's MPH program that has an RN track, but I 1)don't really want another master's degree, 2) the schedule is very strict and non flexible which is a no go for me. 3) Costs.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

posted by AlexiaSky to Education (5 answers total)

I did my prereqs and got my associate's in nursing at my local community college, which enabled me to get my RN. I already had an undergraduate degree then, which smoothed over my Gen Ed requirements but not a lot else. Once I had my RN, I went into a RN-to-BSN bridge program at my local state school.

I'm not at all familiar with Chicago, but this looks like it might be your best bet. It seems to require a CNA first, which was what I had to do as well.
posted by RainyJay at 9:57 AM on February 22, 2016

Some community colleges have two-year RN programs, a family member is enrolled in one of these in NY; she already has a BA in another field. Some of them require you to already be a CNA -Certified Nursing Assistant. Do you really want to be an RN, or do you just want to understand medical stuff better? Have you looked at becoming instead a Certified Social Worker in Healthcare?
posted by mareli at 9:59 AM on February 22, 2016

Having the RN would be a good thing for job promotioms, as most of my superiors are RN's and not social workers. But I didn't know that the social worker certification existed so I'll look into that.
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:19 AM on February 22, 2016

I think these Entry Level Accelerated Bachelor's programs are probably the best fit for you. The one in my local area requires you to do the science prerequisites before applying, but then only takes one year to complete.
posted by mjcon at 1:18 PM on February 22, 2016

Agree that an accelerated program is a good bet for someone with your training and experience.

Also here to say that I'm an RN care manager and nurse case management/care management could use more people with your background. This is a rapidly growing type of nursing so good call.

My boss is a social worker and a nurse and it's amazing how well she can work in both worlds, and bring those works together. Even within my hospital those worlds are usually very siloed, but as the system of care is changing, we will need people who can talk both languages well.
posted by latkes at 4:27 PM on March 27, 2016