The purpose of this handout is to provide academic and career information for pre-nursing “expressed interest” students who: 1.) need to identify career and/or academic option(s) in addition to nursing school; 2.) gather information to determine if nursing is the correct career choice; 3.) are interested in gaining experience related to health care or the nursing field; and 4.) would like to identify and apply to other nursing programs instead of and/or in addition to their first choice nursing program.
Pre-Nursing “Expressed Interest” Considerations:
1. What led to your interest in nursing?
2. Describe what you have learned about nursing and/or nursing programs?
3. What do you think are some of the challenges of being a nurse?
4. What have been your favorite and/or least favorite courses in school?
5. In addition to pre-nursing, list other career fields or majors of interest:
6. List schools/nursing programs you are currently considering?
7. How would you describe your ideal work environment?
Career Options for Students with a Bachelor's Degree
Academic Advising and Career Center • California State University, Sacramento • (916) 278-6231 • www.csus.edu/careercenter • 2014
Options for Pre-Nursing “Expressed Interest” Students
Page Two
Partial List of Career / Education Options for Pre-Nursing “Expressed Interest” Students
(Not comprehensive lists)
· Nursing Programs: Associate, BS/BSN, LVN to RN, MSN, RN to BSN, Nurse Educator, Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Practitioner, Ph.D, Physician Assistant
· Assistant Positions: Anesthesiologist Assistants, Surgical Assistants, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Speech Pathology Assistants, Radiologist Assistants, Certified Medical Assistants
· Allied Health Professions: Medical Laboratory Technologist, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Dietetic Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, Histotechnology, Magnetic Resonance Technology, Ophthalmic Technologist, Veterinary Medical Technologist
· Health Related Community Agencies: American Lung Association, American Diabetes Association, BloodSource-Sacramento, Health Education Council
· Companies that manufacture products or offer services used by the nursing or healthcare profession: Insurance, software manufacturers, billing companies, accounting and bookkeeping companies, pharmaceutical companies, recruiting companies, staffing companies,
event planning organizations, durable medical manufacturers, computer consultants and manufacturers
· Professional Health Related Occupations: Occupational Therapist, Respiratory Therapist, Music Therapist, Cytotechnologist, Health Educator, Art Therapist, Genetic Counselor, Nuclear Medicine, Orthotist, Prosthetist, Registered Dietician
· Professional Associations Related to the Health Fields: Air Ambulance Association, American Public Health Association, Emergency Nurse Association
· Bachelor's Degree Programs Related to the Health Fields: Kinesiology, Speech Pathology and Audiology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Child Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, Gerontology, Health Science, Social Work
Partial List of Health Professions
Anesthesiologist Assistant Art Therapist Certified Athletic Trainer
Certified Medical Assistant Cytotechnologist Certified Surgical Assistant
Speech Therapist Dental Hygienist Nurse Practitioner
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer Dietetic Technician Genetic Counseling
Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist Medical Social Worker Health Educator
Physician Assistant Histotechnologist Interventional Radiologist
Magnetic Resonance Technologist Physical Therapist Medical Laboratory Tech
Medical Librarian Medical Technologist Medical Transcriptionist
Nuclear Medicine Technologist Music Therapist Nurse Aide Instructor
Rehabilitation Counselor Occupational Therapist Orthoptist
Physician Orthotics/Prosthetics Health Educator
Polysomnographic Technologist Radiologic Tech Registered Nurse
Occupational Therapist Recreational Therapist Registered Dietitian (RD)
Respiratory Therapist Surgical Technologist Medical Illustrator
Career and Salary Info
explorehealthcareers.org/en/home bls.gov/ooh Google: _job title_ inurl:careers
glassdoor.com salary.com Google: allintitle:“_job title_ careers”
YouTube: “A day in the life of a __job title__.”
Options for Pre-Nursing “Expressed Interest” Students
Page Three
Sacramento State Majors Related to Nursing
American Sign Language/ Deaf Studies / Eureka 401 / (916) 278-7192 / www.edweb.csus.edu/eds/Biological Science / Sequoia 202 / (916) 278-6535 / www.csus.edu/bios
Child Development / Eureka 401 / (916) 278-7192 / www.edweb.csus.edu/chdv
Family and Consumer Sciences / Mariposa 3000 / (916) 278-6393 / www.csus.edu/facs/
Gerontology / Benicia Hall 1018 / (916) 278-7163 / www.csus.edu/gero
Health Science * / Solano 3002 / (916) 278-6441 / www.csus.edu/HHS/KHS/
Kinesiology / Solano 3002 / (916) 278-6441 / www.csus.edu/HHS/KHS/
Psychology * / Amador 350 / (916) 278-6254 / www.csus.edu/psyc/
Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration:
Recreation Therapy Concentration / Solano 4000 / (916) 278-7163 / www.hhs.csus.edu/rls
Social Work / Mariposa 4010 / (916) 278-6943 / www.hhs.csus.edu/swrk
Sociology / Amador 450 / (916) 278-6522 / www.csus.edu/soc/
Speech Pathology and Audiology / Shasta Hall 172 / (916) 278-6601 / www.hhs.csus.edu/spa
* = Impacted major for “expressed interest” students.
Explore your Options
Use the following resources to explore majors:
· University Catalog: http://catalog.csus.edu
· Academic Department Offices: http://tinyurl.com/p47dpak
· Academic Advising and Career Center: http://csus.edu/careercenter
Students should also consider the following questions when choosing a major:
q Is the major impacted? If yes, what are the pre-major requirements?
• GPA: ______Classes: ______
• Application Process to get into the major: Yes q No q
q Are there concentrations/options? If yes, which ones interest me? ______
q How many units are required for the major? ______
q Are there any math and/or science requirements and how have I done in those classes in the past?
q Which classes look interesting to you? (see catalog at: http://catalog.csus.edu)
q Academic Department Office Building: ______Room #: ______
q Is foreign language exempt for this major? Yes q No q
q How will your financial aid be impacted by your choice/change of major or total units? ______
q Visit the Academic Advising and Career Center, LSN-1013, to find career options related to majors you are considering.
Next Steps
Tasks Date Completed
1. ______q
2. ______q
3. ______q
4. ______q
5. ______q
Options for Pre-Nursing “Expressed Interest” Students
Page Four
Health Related Resources
1. Volunteer Programs: Take advantage of experiential learning opportunities by volunteering at diverse local agencies in the health field.
· Local Hospitals
UC Davis Medical Center- http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/giving/time/
Sutter Medical Center- http://www.suttermedicalcenter.org/volunteer/becomeavolunteer.html
Shriners Hospital- www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/en/locations/northerncalifornia/volunteer
Dignity Health: Mercy General Hospital/ Methodist Hospital- http://tinyurl.com/dignityhealthvolunteer
· Health Related Community Agencies
Nonprofit Resource Center- http://www.nprcenter.org/
Hands on Sacramento- http://www.handsonsacto.org/
Community Engagement Center- http://www.csus.edu/cec/
2. Online Databases: Search through different databases to find opportunities in the health field.
· HealthCare Volunteer- http://www.healthcarevolunteer.com/volunteers/
· Volunteer Match- http://www.volunteermatch.org/
3. Career Center’s Listserv: Sign-up for the Career Center’s Health Career Information listserv to receive information on internships, job opportunities, and other programs and services related to the health field.
· To receive opportunities by email, visit: www.csus.edu/IRT/web/listserv/subscribe.html
· Subscribe to HEALTHCAREERS-L and NSMCAREERS-L
4. Sacramento State Student Clubs/Organizations: Becoming involved in a club or health related organization will give you the opportunity to participate in health-oriented workshops and discussions; gain valuable experience; and be exposed to important academic and career information through professors, advisors, career professionals, and fellow active members. For club/organization details or contact information, visit www.csus.edu/soal
· California Nursing Student Association (CNSA)
· Delta Epsilon Mu
· Hmong Health Alliance
· American Assembly of Men in Nursing
· Chicanos/Latinos in Health Education (CHE)
· Peer Health Educators (PHE)
· Pre-Dental Association
· Pre-Physical Therapy Organization (PPTO)
· Public Health Club
· Well Into Nutrition
5. Pre-Health “Expressed Interest” Professional School Advising: Meet with an advisor to learn about requirements for various health professional schools.
· Natural Sciences Advising Center (NSAC), Sequoia 238, Sacramento State
6. Internet Resources
· Explore Health Careers: http://www.explorehealthcareers.org/en/index.aspx
· Sacramento State Pre-Health “Expressed Interest” Website: http://www.csus.edu/prehealth/
· Sacramento State Nursing Website: www.hhs.csus.edu/nrs/
· Health Career Connection: http://www.healthcareers.org/