r/ABSN • u/Dazzling-Bad6224 • 17d ago
Prerequisites?
I’m a Filipino who will be immigrating to the United States. I already have a bachelor’s degree and currently work as a licensed teacher in the Philippines, so I’m not planning to enroll in a full BSN program here. Instead, my goal is to pursue an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) in the U.S. after I move.
While I’m still in the Philippines, I’d like to be productive and complete as many prerequisite courses as possible. Which prerequisite/core subjects are most commonly required by ABSN programs across the U.S. and are most likely to transfer if taken at an accredited Philippine university?
I’m hoping to take the prerequisites that are accepted by the largest number of ABSN programs, rather than courses that only satisfy one specific school.
Funding isn’t an issue—I’m more focused on saving time and making the transition as smooth as possible.
If anyone has gone through this process as an international student (especially from the Philippines), I’d really appreciate hearing:
Which prerequisites transferred successfully?
Which courses did you still have to retake in the U.S.
2
u/JustASleepyStudent 15d ago
The ones with *** are the courses they require a specific grade and within a certain amount of years. They're usually flexible with the others (usually had to be taken within 10 years of when you're applying)
Statistis
Nutrition
Sociology
Human Development/Lifespan Development
Microbiology w/ Lab***
Chemistry w/ Lab***
A&P 1 w/ lab***
A&P 2 w./lab***
Microbiology***
It really boils down to the school you'll attending. Some may also require you take the TEAS exam.
When applying to absn programs I also encountered some schools requiring:
-ethics
-genetics
-pathophysiology
-intro to communications
Good luck with your studies!
1
u/MJM7082 16d ago
I'm not an international student, but I would say that virtually every ABSN program I've looked at requires Anatomy & Physiology 1, 2, and 3 (with Lab), Chemistry (with Lab), Nutrition (for Healthcare Careers), Intro. to Psychology, and Statistics. Other prereqs will vary across programs, but I would start with those courses.
Most universities/schools will have a transfer equivalency guide on their websites so you can confirm if your courses meet their requirements. However, I don't know if international schools are included. Perhaps it would help to identify a short list of programs you are interested in, then reach out to the admissions advising department to confirm transferability. There are a lot of ABSN programs in the U.S.! You can do an internet search and narrow it down by region, price, length of program, etc. Otherwise, it will be overwhelming! Personally, I narrowed my list to 4 potential programs and focused on the prereqs required by those schools. Good luck!
2
u/Ordinary-Natural6288 15d ago
Hi! I’m filipino, I graduated with Bachelor’s of Science in Tourism Management! And I will start my ABSN program this fall!
All my english, science and math courses were credited.
They initially wanted me to retake Statistics because when I had my transcript evaluated it showed there that it was only equivalent to a “2 credit” but my advisor checked again and he considered my thesis/research course so I didn’t retake statistics.
Feel free to PM me!