What would you do? ADN or BSN

U.S.A. California

Published

Hello :)

I recently received my acceptance letter to CCSF's RN program. Anybody have any input on this program?

Prior to recieving my letter... (because I didn't expect to get in) I applied to an out of state BSN program and have an interview SOON (the same time i need to notify CCSF if i'll be attending or not.) (i heard the interview is nothing to sweat about if they've invited you for one.) This program is 1.5 years and the tuition is $45,000 plus living expenses.

My question is..where would you go? Cheap and close to home but then another year + for a BSN VS. directly to BSN but expensive?

My main reason for wanting to take the leap directly into the BSN program is because I've heard hospitals in CA will soon only hire BSN rns. Anybody hear anything like this before? If I get my ADN (and I already have an AA :() and can't get a job because I don't have my BSN- I'd be sooooooooo disappointed. Ultimately, a BSN is what I want and I'm pressed for time. (fam needs to retire.) but i've heard so many horror stories from people taking large loans and saying it's not worth it.

What would you do?

Specializes in Perioperative, ACU, Hospice.

Hi Vines,

This is just my two cents, but if I were you, I would leap at the chance to go to CCSF. Of course I'm biased because I graduated from there last December, ;) but it really is one of the best programs around. That, and it's nearly FREE! Textbooks and uniforms are your only major expenses.

I graduated debt-free and now I can use whatever money that I would have paid in undergrad tuition for an ADN to MSN program.

About hospitals only hiring BSN degree nurses, this rumor has been going around for years and hasn't come true yet. Yes, some hospitals prefer BSNs over ADNs (John Muir, Stanford), but just because you start with an ADN doesn't mean that you have to stop there. Unfortunatly, right now nobody's hiring ADNs or BSNs, so it's all a moot point anyway. But perhaps this should be another reason to choose the cheaper program as you would graduate with far less debt in this hard economic time.

Good luck with whatever you choose, and congratulations on getting in to TWO programs!

:)

I agree with the previous poster; I went with the CC route as well because it was practical for me at the time and being debt free was sweet. Again, my situation at home is not the same as yours, so it really all depends. Maybe you should make a pros and cons list?

Or better yet, FLIP A COIN... heads or tails. Let fate decide for you, either way, you're still going to be an RN. Well, assuming you pass everything.

Even if you get your ADN, you're still going to end up paying $$ for an RN-BSN transition program. By the time, you graduate with your ADN, the classes that you need to take for a BSN would cost more. So, you'll probably end up paying more than $ 45,000 plus living expenses.

Even if you graduate with an ADN, there's no guarantee you'll get a job either. So, really, either way.... you'll still end up around the $ 45,000 debt/expense mark.

Like I said, flip a coin... fate will show you the way.

Vines,

As a person who has been paying off her $40k loan for the last 15 years (not from nursing), I would HIGHLY recommend going the cc route. You will graduate with actual marketable skills, and if the job market still stinks, you could continue to a BSN bridge program (SFSU has an advanced placement option for RNs without a Bachelor's: SFSU Bulletin 2009/10--Nursing) and STILL pay much much less overall. For me it was definitely worth taking out some loans to go to school, but I really wish I had been more patient and chosen a less expensive route, so that I had more freedom to choose the jobs I wanted and where I wanted to live.

As a disclaimer, I should mention that I also got into CCSF for Spring of next year :-) Good luck with whatever path you choose!

Does anyone have a list of textbooks used in the CCSF RN program? :)

Specializes in Perioperative, ACU, Hospice.

Hi,

I don't have a current list of textbooks from CCSF, but you can go to the website, then go to the schedule of classes. After each class there is a link to the bookstore which shows all of the books used for a particular class.

Good luck!:)

@peaceofmind8

i believe there is a bundle (books) we need to purchase, for fall 2010, it costs approx. $1100 or less and is available in the bookstore.

I agree it is only a rumor, that hospitals will start hiring BSN's only. I have a friend that is an LVN and she told me that when she went to school 15 years ago, there was a rumor going around that LVN's will soon be fazed out and hospitals are transitioning to only RN's. Obviously that never happened.

I also agree to go the CC route and be debt free.

Specializes in Case Mgmt, Home Health, Geriatrics.

Congratulations on your acceptances!!! You know what, getting your AND or BSN all depends on an individual's sitatuion (time, finances, commitment). I started out already having a previous non-nursing BS and was accepted into a highly competitive AND program in NYC. It was competitive in that only 40 students were selected with high GPA and we paid close to nothing b/c it was a community college. I was also getting married my senior year of nursing school and was lucky to have a position waiting for me that gladly accepted ASN's. I then enrolled to an online BSN program in which my job paid for. I could have easily enrolled into a private nursing school and graduated with a BSN but also have the 50k+ in student loans taking over my life. Decide between the two and see which you can benefit from the most. Sounds like the cheaper of the two is great, but then again you may have other things lined up and may want to go with the other school. Best of luck to you.

For me, I say -- whatever works, heh? :) In my area, there's not that much of a difference between two state schools (BSN vs. ADN). The BSN route will COST more but compared to other state schools, it really isn't that bad. At this point, it doesn't matter which degree you get, because hardly anyone is hiring anyway! No one knows if it's going to get better by the time anyone graduates. One tip though, going private isn't a smart idea. They almost scam their students with how much they charge $$$ :eek:

Congratulations on your acceptances!!! You know what, getting your AND or BSN all depends on an individual's sitatuion (time, finances, commitment). I started out already having a previous non-nursing BS and was accepted into a highly competitive AND program in NYC. It was competitive in that only 40 students were selected with high GPA and we paid close to nothing b/c it was a community college. I was also getting married my senior year of nursing school and was lucky to have a position waiting for me that gladly accepted ASN's. I then enrolled to an online BSN program in which my job paid for. I could have easily enrolled into a private nursing school and graduated with a BSN but also have the 50k+ in student loans taking over my life. Decide between the two and see which you can benefit from the most. Sounds like the cheaper of the two is great, but then again you may have other things lined up and may want to go with the other school. Best of luck to you.

Can you please tell me which school you went to in NYC, I am also in the same boat. I have a B.A. degree in history and want to become a RN but I do not know if I should do the BSN or ADN route. I want to become a CRNA eventually and will be taking a bridge program. Thank you!

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