Associates vs Bachelors degree - Which to choose??

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello all,

I posted this on the "introductions" forum as well...I hope someone here can point me in the right direction. A bit of background: I have a BA in journalism and am *seriously* looking into nursing (and thereby increasing the percentage of men in nursing). I live in the suburban Chicago area and there are several schools (universities & comm colleges) that all look good. My question is, which is better to get - an Associates degree or another Bachelors or Masters? Is one more limiting than the other as far as pay, promotional opportunities, etc? Is one more attractive to employers than the other? I can't afford to quit my job to attend school full-time, so part-time is the best or unless I win the Lotto. Could I get an Associates, get a job and have them pay for my continuing education? Any assistance and opinions are greatly appreciated, thx!

Specializes in OR.
An ADN is a 2 year program and the BSN at Rush is 2 years. That is why I mentioned Rush University as an option. They both require prerequisites that can be taken in the same amount of time. So my answer is you can get into the field just as quickly but with a higher degree. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that.[/quote

no apology needed. i just misunderstood your post and wanted to make sure the OP looked at all the options as they are. time to field, cost, and marketability at completion are the driving factors, as i see them, if all these are otherwise equal then a higher degree is better than a lower one. if these things are not otherwise equal, the individual has to weigh options and make priorities. in my situation the priority was gettinginto the field quickly and at lower total cost (program cost + lost wages).

Yeah, money is one of the key factors. I believe Rush is a bit expensive compared to, say, a community college ADN program. I also believe it is full time. But it is worth looking into, because if after weighing the options they can deal with putting out some money now (by way of loans and lost wages, etc.) and invest the same amount of time but come out with a higher degree - they just might go for it. Getting your BSN right off the bat is a good reason to accumulate student loans and eat mac and cheese for dinner for a while. As for marketability, Rush is one of the better colleges to come out of. I am in the same situation as you are, I chose the college that started me into the program first (for an ADN). It also happened to be the cheapest! Lucky for me.

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can a person get into nursing school right out of high school

Yes.................they may have rpe-reqs to take but it is not impossible.

Look into hospital based programs.

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You cannot get in directly out of high school, you have to take the prerequisites first which can be taken at any community college.

WRONG..............You can go into a hospital based Diploma program just out of high school. Many do not have prequisite requirements.............

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

The ADN program I was in was designed to be taken fresh out of high school, as long as the student had chemistry and algerbra in high school. It was on a first-come first serve basis, so there usually were waiting lists, but we had one person get in at the last minute fresh from high school. There were no pre-reqs (as long as chemistry and algerbra were taken, and a placement test scores were adequate). But the poor thing had to take Nursing, Sociology, A&P and English her first quarter (we were on quarter systems) but she survived. This was an ADN program. BSN programs of course require two years of pre-reqs.

Many ADN schools have gone to a pre-req system since then, and because of the waiting lists most people are taking the co-reqs as before hand.

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Specializes in OR.
WRONG..............You can go into a hospital based Diploma program just out of high school. Many do not have prequisite requirements.............

You have a delicate way of speaking, Suzanne4. I think you could have gotten your point across without screaming your first word. According to this site: http://www.pahealthcareers.org/careerdirectory/career_directory_nursediploma.asp "Schools Providing Education to Receive Diploma in Nursing

Students who complete a course of study at a hospital-based program receive a diploma in nursing. Generally, most diploma programs can be completed over a period of 2-3 years. Hospital based schools of nursing generally require completion of college level science and art courses either as a prerequisite for entry into the program or concurrently with nursing education courses. In many instances, the hospital-based school will have arrangements with one or more colleges or universities to provide those college courses." So, I suppose they could be WRONG too and you are right, but it is good information to have. Also, there are 22 hospital based diploma programs that I found in Pennsylvania (see http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/cwp/view.asp?A=1104&Q=433268&pp=0) however, there are far more community colleges that offer an ADN and you need a degree to advance in nursing. So, if that one website is correct and you need to take the prerequisites anyway, might as well go for the degree.

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Specializes in ICU, CCU, Trauma, neuro, Geriatrics.

Right now you get paid the same and work just as hard with associate degree or bachelors degree. If you prefer to be an administrative pawn then go for the bachelors and quickly advance it to a masters or Phd. Don't get me wrong as there are many wonderful ADONs and DONs but many are tossed after 2 years of 'sweeping, tossing and rearranging'; what most do might as well be the 5th wife in the same house.

Pick your direction and do it and love it.

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hi!

may i suggest rush university http://www.rushu.rush.edu/nursing/ they have a two year bachelor degree, you do need prerequisites for it but i hear it is a very good program.

also, since you have a degree already, you could get an accelerated bsn.

as for paying for school - you could try to work in a hospital or medical center and they would help pay. or you could bite the bullet, quit your job, get loans and get it done faster and full time. i know that is not an option for everyone, but there are hospitals that will then help you pay off your loans when you get out.

good luck!

hello inspir8tion,

thanks for the reply and the rush info. they look like a really good school. my first order of business will be to start my science prereqs and bring up my gpa, most likely at my local cc. wish me luck!

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Specializes in OR.
Hello inspir8tion,

Thanks for the reply and the RUSH info. They look like a really good school. My first order of business will be to start my science prereqs and bring up my GPA, most likely at my local CC. Wish me luck!

I am so happy you answered. Good luck! Keep me posted ;)

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