PLEASE HELP-RN to BSN to CRNA?

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Hi, I'm a pre nursing student, going to a community college to be RN. I want to be a Nurse Anesthetist..I need a BSN for that correct? Am I going down the correct career path? Go for the RN first and then move on to the BSN? (Obviously can't do the BSN part in comm college) Is that another 2 years of school.

Sorry, I feel a bit lost! :uhoh3:

Thanks!

So long as you complete the science prerequisites and have the GPA, your first undergrad can be in whatever. My accelerated BSN class had marketing, elem. education, biochem, etc. as the primary degrees.

My previous post about the degree referred to the combination of an Associate Degree in Nursing and an "Other" bachelors to apply to Anesthesia School. Once you earn a BSN- :rolleyes: that is the acceptable degree at all programs.

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Paula,

I second Suzanne's suggestion to shadow a CRNA.

If you still want to pursue nursing regardless of whether nurse anesthesia is for you, check into accelerated BSN programs. You don't have to have a science-based undergrad degree, but it will cut down on the prereqs you still need. I just finished a 12-month accelerated BSN program last week and prior to that I took 40 credits of prereqs. There were 3 programs I was planning to apply to, and I wanted to cover the requirements for all of them. Most programs require bio, chem, anatomy & physiology, nutrition, growth & development, psychology, pharmacology. Many require microbiology, pathophys, sociology, statistics. If you take classes that satisfy BSN prereqs and count for the nursing program at your community college, you'll keep your options open while you figure out which program is best for you.

Best of luck to you. Every day in clinical was confirmation for me that I made the right choice in switching careers.

First off, congrats to you!!! :balloons:

Secondly, thanks so much. You pretty much summed it up for me in your second to last paragraph. I think I'm just going to continue on with the ADN for now, become an RN and go on from there. It's always something I can pursue later on I guess.

Thanks and again Congrats!

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My previous post about the degree referred to the combination of an Associate Degree in Nursing and an "Other" bachelors to apply to Anesthesia School. Once you earn a BSN- :rolleyes: that is the acceptable degree at all programs.

Roger that

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My best advice is don't mess around with an ADN, go straight to a four-year BSN program or as stated perviously an anccelerated BSN program. Upon grad I went to a four year program and finished before a peer did for a 2yr ADN program, why, she had to take all the pre reqs, apply for the program, get put on a waiting list b/c the program had too many applicants "pre-nursing" students and not enough slots (low amt of instructors, clinical sites, etc) to accomidate qualified applicants.

That is why I would recommend to anyone that ask for my advice, is that if you are thinking of doing advance practice nursing (CRNA, CNS, NP) got straight for the BSN don't waste your time with the ADN.

Don't miss read my point, I'm not downgrading any ADN or Diploma RN, it simply makes since to get the degree requirement out of the way asap. Because it opens so many doors for you, management, education, further advance practice, etc. However alot of times, reality determines what education and pathway we take to get where we want to go.

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My best advice is don't mess around with an ADN, go straight to a four-year BSN program or as stated perviously an anccelerated BSN program. Upon grad I went to a four year program and finished before a peer did for a 2yr ADN program, why, she had to take all the pre reqs, apply for the program, get put on a waiting list b/c the program had too many applicants "pre-nursing" students and not enough slots (low amt of instructors, clinical sites, etc) to accomidate qualified applicants.

That is why I would recommend to anyone that ask for my advice, is that if you are thinking of doing advance practice nursing (CRNA, CNS, NP) got straight for the BSN don't waste your time with the ADN.

Don't miss read my point, I'm not downgrading any ADN or Diploma RN, it simply makes since to get the degree requirement out of the way asap. Because it opens so many doors for you, management, education, further advance practice, etc. However alot of times, reality determines what education and pathway we take to get where we want to go.

Thanks so much. I really appreciate your honesty and it makes good sense! :)

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I have to disagree about the ADN route. It may make perfect sense to take this as an initial path to APN, including CRNA, depending on your personal situation. I applied to and was accepted to a variety of Direct Entry MSN, accel and traditional BSN and ADN programs in my area, and ended up going the ADN route to get my RN. The primary motivators for doing so are that I will be an RN in the same or less amount of time as the other programs, after considering application/program cycles, and I would spend about $3000 per year vs $30,000. I did not want to incur that much debt before I started my graduate program. I also wanted to be working in a hospital asap to figure out if I wanted to be an CNS, NP or CRNA.

I will be getting my BSN through an online program and will begin that as soon as I pass the NCLEX -- with tuition reimbursement from my employer. I work very well in the online formatm and this route is the best for me.

It may work for you to go the ADN route, it may be better to go directly to the BSN -- but look at all your options.

My best advice is don't mess around with an ADN, go straight to a four-year BSN program or as stated perviously an anccelerated BSN program. Upon grad I went to a four year program and finished before a peer did for a 2yr ADN program, why, she had to take all the pre reqs, apply for the program, get put on a waiting list b/c the program had too many applicants "pre-nursing" students and not enough slots (low amt of instructors, clinical sites, etc) to accomidate qualified applicants.

That is why I would recommend to anyone that ask for my advice, is that if you are thinking of doing advance practice nursing (CRNA, CNS, NP) got straight for the BSN don't waste your time with the ADN.

Don't miss read my point, I'm not downgrading any ADN or Diploma RN, it simply makes since to get the degree requirement out of the way asap. Because it opens so many doors for you, management, education, further advance practice, etc. However alot of times, reality determines what education and pathway we take to get where we want to go.

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I have to disagree about the ADN route. It may make perfect sense to take this as an initial path to APN, including CRNA, depending on your personal situation. I applied to and was accepted to a variety of Direct Entry MSN, accel and traditional BSN and ADN programs in my area, and ended up going the ADN route to get my RN. The primary motivators for doing so are that I will be an RN in the same or less amount of time as the other programs, after considering application/program cycles, and I would spend about $3000 per year vs $30,000. I did not want to incur that much debt before I started my graduate program. I also wanted to be working in a hospital asap to figure out if I wanted to be an CNS, NP or CRNA.

I will be getting my BSN through an online program and will begin that as soon as I pass the NCLEX -- with tuition reimbursement from my employer. I work very well in the online formatm and this route is the best for me.

It may work for you to go the ADN route, it may be better to go directly to the BSN -- but look at all your options.

I am so glad you said that because I was really thinking about doing that. I am still in debt from my BS in Marketing. Why not save money, go to the community college, get my ADN, find a job that has tuition reinbursement and then work towards the BSN after being in the "industry" Great advice. I was glad to hear someone else took that path. I was thinking about it but didn't know if it would be actually feasible. You made me feel a lot better about my thoughts! (Thanks because they have been EVERYWHERE lately, just have felt so lost!) :confused:

Thanks again! :yelclap:

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Paula,

I too have a previous BS in Business with a large amount of debt from private school education. I took the accelerated BSN route b/c for me it was quicker and cheaper. The accelerated program gave us scholarships and a great deal of support. The program accepted only a small group (10) so the professors really wanted us to succeed. The students really bonded and helped each other out. I finished in May and now I'm in my first nursing job in the ICU. This route has worked great for me. If I had gone the ADN route I would still be in school for another year.

There is a nurse on my unit who is doing what you talked about. He has his ADN and probably 6 years of ICU experience. He is now working toward his BSN for CRNA school. There are so many routes so just look at it as different paths to where you want to be. Don't worry about the best path. Just look for the one that is the best for you and your situation. You can do it!

I am so glad you said that because I was really thinking about doing that. I am still in debt from my BS in Marketing. Why not save money, go to the community college, get my ADN, find a job that has tuition reinbursement and then work towards the BSN after being in the "industry" Great advice. I was glad to hear someone else took that path. I was thinking about it but didn't know if it would be actually feasible. You made me feel a lot better about my thoughts! (Thanks because they have been EVERYWHERE lately, just have felt so lost!) :confused:

Thanks again! :yelclap:

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paula,

i too have a previous bs in business with a large amount of debt from private school education. i took the accelerated bsn route b/c for me it was quicker and cheaper. the accelerated program gave us scholarships and a great deal of support. the program accepted only a small group (10) so the professors really wanted us to succeed. the students really bonded and helped each other out. i finished in may and now i'm in my first nursing job in the icu. this route has worked great for me. if i had gone the adn route i would still be in school for another year.

there is a nurse on my unit who is doing what you talked about. he has his adn and probably 6 years of icu experience. he is now working toward his bsn for crna school. there are so many routes so just look at it as different paths to where you want to be. don't worry about the best path. just look for the one that is the best for you and your situation. you can do it!

thanks bella rose. i am a bit confused because i was researching bsn programs and many said you must be a rn before applying?? doesn't leave me many options in that sense.

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thanks bella rose. i am a bit confused because i was researching bsn programs and many said you must be a rn before applying?? doesn't leave me many options in that sense.

paula, those programs that require an rn are called rn to bsn programs and most are about a year long. that is what you would go to if you already had your adn. some universities will have many different programs such as rn to bsn programs as well as regular bsn programs and accelerated bsn programs. have you asked around at the communtiy college to see where the pre-nursing students are applying? i took pre-reqs at a community college and many of those students were applying to the community college for the nursing program and bsn programs too.

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paula, those programs that require an rn are called rn to bsn programs and most are about a year long. that is what you would go to if you already had your adn. some universities will have many different programs such as rn to bsn programs as well as regular bsn programs and accelerated bsn programs. have you asked around at the communtiy college to see where the pre-nursing students are applying? i took pre-reqs at a community college and many of those students were applying to the community college for the nursing program and bsn programs too.

i will ask around, good pointer thanks.

well i just applied for the ms program at my old school. (that's what they recommed that students who already have a bs in an unrelated field) i just kinda applied in the hopes that it will lead me in the right direction. they disucss gre scores? what are those?

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i will ask around, good pointer thanks.

well i just applied for the ms program at my old school. (that's what they recommed that students who already have a bs in an unrelated field) i just kinda applied in the hopes that it will lead me in the right direction. they disucss gre scores? what are those?

that is the graduate record exam. it is a standardized test for some graduate schools. it is kinda like the sat. is the ms program in nursing?

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