Career and Education Options for
Pre-Nursing “Expressed Interest” Students
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
Other: Certificate
programs, own your own
business, Peace Corps,
jobs that do not require a
degree, etc.
Entry-level professional
positions that require any
BA or BS degree
Jobs directly or indirectly
related to your major,
concentration or
coursework
Graduate School
Program that may or not
relate to undergraduate
degree
Teaching at the K-12,
community college or
university level
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
Certified Medical Assistant
Speech Therapist
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist
Physician Assistant
Magnetic Resonance Technologist
Medical Librarian
Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Rehabilitation Counselor
Physician
Polysomnographic Technologist
Occupational Therapist
Respiratory Therapist
Art Therapist
Cytotechnologist
Dental Hygienist
Dietetic Technician
Medical Social Worker
Histotechnologist
Physical Therapist
Medical Technologist
Music Therapist
Occupational Therapist
Orthotics/Prosthetics
Radiologic Tech
Recreational Therapist
Surgical Technologist
Career and Salary Info
 explorehealthcareers.org/en/home
 bls.gov/ooh
 glassdoor.com
 salary.com
 YouTube: “A day in the life of a __job title__.”
Certified Athletic Trainer
Certified Surgical Assistant
Nurse Practitioner
Genetic Counseling
Health Educator
Interventional Radiologist
Medical Laboratory Tech
Medical Transcriptionist
Nurse Aide Instructor
Orthoptist
Health Educator
Registered Nurse
Registered Dietitian (RD)
Medical Illustrator
 Google: _job title_ inurl:careers
 Google: allintitle:“_job title_ careers”
Options for Pre-Nursing “Expressed Interest” Students
Page Three
Sacramento State Majors Related to Nursing
American Sign Language/ Deaf
Eureka 401
Studies
Biological Science
Sequoia 202
Child Development
Eureka 401
Family and Consumer Sciences
Mariposa 3000
Gerontology
Benicia Hall 1018
Health Science *
Solano 3002
Kinesiology
Solano 3002
Psychology *
Amador 350
Recreation, Parks and Tourism
Administration:
Solano 4000
Recreation Therapy Concentration
Social Work
Mariposa 4010
Sociology
Amador 450
Speech Pathology and Audiology
Shasta Hall 172
* = Impacted major for “expressed interest” students.
(916) 278-7192
www.edweb.csus.edu/eds/
(916) 278-6535
(916) 278-7192
(916) 278-6393
(916) 278-7163
(916) 278-6441
(916) 278-6441
(916) 278-6254
www.csus.edu/bios
www.edweb.csus.edu/chdv
www.csus.edu/facs/
www.csus.edu/gero
www.csus.edu/HHS/KHS/
www.csus.edu/HHS/KHS/
www.csus.edu/psyc/
(916) 278-7163
www.hhs.csus.edu/rls
(916) 278-6943
(916) 278-6522
(916) 278-6601
www.hhs.csus.edu/swrk
www.csus.edu/soc/
www.hhs.csus.edu/spa
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:
 Is the major impacted? If yes, what are the pre-major requirements?
• GPA: ___________
Classes: ___________________________________
• Application Process to get into the major: Yes  No 
 Are there concentrations/options? If yes, which ones interest me? ________________________
 How many units are required for the major? _________________
 Are there any math and/or science requirements and how have I done in those classes in the past?
 Which classes look interesting to you? (see catalog at: http://catalog.csus.edu)
 Academic Department Office Building: ________________ Room #: ________________
 Is foreign language exempt for this major? Yes  No 
 How will your financial aid be impacted by your choice/change of major or total units?__________
 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. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________

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)
 Peer Health Educators (PHE)
 Delta Epsilon Mu
 Pre-Dental Association
 Hmong Health Alliance
 Pre-Physical Therapy Organization (PPTO)
 American Assembly of Men in Nursing
 Public Health Club
 Chicanos/Latinos in Health Education (CHE)
 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/