[motherofgirls]

i am beyond confused. i absolutely cannot figure out whether to get a second degree bsn or an adn. in my area, two of the three schools that offer the adn do not require chemistry at all and do not require any kind of lab with a&p or micro, which of course seems rather appealing. their nclex pass rate is excellent. the two universities in my area which offer a bsn (for me it would be a second degree), require chem. with lab, anatomy with lab, phys with lab and micro with a lab, which seems like a whole lot harder to me. i am 46 years old and all this science scares me to death, but i want to do this the right way. why dont the adn degrees require the labs, which makes me question the quality of the education. i have looked at six schools in my area and every single one of them has different pre-reqs! so i really need to decide where i am going to try and go, before i start the pre-reqs, because they are all different. i would really love some opinions on the huge difference in all these science requirements. i would really like to pursure the bsn, but i am just scared i cant cut it with all the science. please dont think i am belittling the adn, because i know their science is hard also, just different and i very well may go that direction.

[Jul2bRN]

The science portion is hard in any program you go to especially w/lab. Most schools do require lab and as a safety I would take the classes w/lab so just in case you decide later on to go to another school, you would not have to go through the process of repeating these science courses. If you want your BSN go for it, don't let the science portion be your fear because I've learned as going through this process that every step I/we take to becoming a nurse we're always encountering new fears (new situations) and have learned to just do my best, take advantage of school and fellow classmates resources and just keep going.

It's hard going back to school with a family already intact, but I'm doing and you can too. GOOD LUCK.