Catch 22 making me take a year off between ADN and BSN!

Skeletor · Jan 16, 2008

Hello,

I also would not make the application deadline for my prospective BSN program being in the same roundabout situation as yours. My alternative is to wait until the following January when I can enter the Spring program. That would just postpone my degree by 4 months...that's not terribly inconveniencing though since I will be employed. Good luck with your educational goals.

MIA-RN · Jan 17, 2008

Maybe you can look at it positively----by next time you are eligible to enter the BSN program, you might have an employer with tuition benefits!

kukukajoo, LPN · Jan 17, 2008

I already have a choice between two jobs and both have tuition benefits.

I don't want to lose any time at all in attending school, I want the momentum I have to continue moving forward.

I am curious to see if ALL schools have this requirement. I have emailed the dean to see if there is a solution. I have also written to several other schools which offer RN-BSN degrees.

I have contacted NH BON to see if there are ways to expedite getting a date to sit for boards. I see I can apply for the fingerprinting and crim up to 120 days prior to testing so that may help some.......

I am compiling this information to share with my fellow students and faculty of the program I am attending. I don't think any of us thought this would be an issue.

Just keeping my fingers crossed that there is a solution here somewhere.

whipping girl in 07, RN · Jan 17, 2008

I understand about not wanting to lose momentum...thank God I got the BSN from the get-go, or I probably would still only have an ADN as there's no way I can see myself back in school. Getting motivated to start my MBA or MHCA is very hard right now...

Can you take a class, either online or at a community college, that will keep you in the swing of studying and going to school if they won't bend the rules to let you start earlier? Maybe it would even count toward your degree? If not, maybe you could take something that's just really interesting to you but you couldn't take during nursing school because you either didn't have time or couldn't schedule it around nursing classes (lit, history, creative writing, a language...)

Good luck to you, and

Congratuations!

:w00t:

andre · Jan 17, 2008

I graduated in NH (NHCTC Stratham) in May of 2005. Took my boards June 7th, 2005. Could have tested sooner but I wanted a few more days to study. It is do-able, IMHO.

Andrea

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Jan 17, 2008

Wyoming accepts RN-BSN students every semester - you wouldn't have to take off a whole year, just one semester. I understand that you don't want to lose any time, but they have a really good program (admittedly biased opinion - I graduated from Wyoming ). I wouldn't turn them down over a one semester delay. :twocents:

RavenAngel · Jan 17, 2008

Hi there, I know exactly how you feel. I spent so much time trying to make sure I had all my ducks in a row, and I knew that I wanted to start my RN/BSN program right after I graduated and go full-time. Here in Oregon, you can see your RN license online in less than a week, and I had my license in my mail in about 5 days after I had passed the N-CLEX (Sorry, that not all states are that quick )

My RN-BSN program let us be "provisionally admitted", as there were two new grads in our co-hort. I was the only one who was going to go full-time though. Then, we gained "full-admission" as soon as we sent a copy of our licenses to the school.

Have you actually talked to the dean of the program, or just the admissions office?

Good luck- It can be done :-) I started my RN/BSN program in Sept of 05, and Finished in May of 06, after completing my ADN in June of 05. I'm now in my second semester of a WHNP program

I graduate May 17th with my ADN. To sit for the boards, the process takes 30-60 days here in NH. I want to transfer into a RN-BSN program and the one I am interested in (University of Wyoming) states you must have the RN license in hand to apply. BUT... Their application deadline is June 15th. I KNOW it will take longer than 28 days to get my license. They won't make an exception or accept on contignecy, which leaves me unable to attend for the fall!! Evidently MANY programs are like this.
Has anyone heard of this roadblock? It just does not make ANY sense to me and has me really, really frustrated and sad.
What do you all think of this? Has anyone else encountered this and if so, are they any ways around or through this?
Thanks everyone!!!

FNimuaeMae · Jan 17, 2008

I went the ADN route, did the extra classes and got into an RN-BSN bridge program at UMass that only took one year. I was the only one in my class who hadn't passed boards that first semester when we started. You HAD to have passed boards by the end of the first semester, or you couldn't continue on. It was nerve wracking til that test was done and passed, I tell ya! Perhaps you just need to see if they have these sort of contingencies at whatever school you want to go to?

Missy:specs:

casi, ASN, RN · Jan 17, 2008

Your first year of working as a nurse is going to have a huge learning curve and lots of momentum.

kukukajoo, LPN · Jan 17, 2008

Well I thought I would share what I have found out so far. MOST RN-BSN programs require you to already be licensed. It can be a law in some cases evidently.

I am still looking at schools and U MASS is a consideration. Where I have 109 credits, I am mostly there.

I am still waiting on word back as I had a few questions for U of W that have not yet been answered.

It looks I will be applying as a pre-nursing major (sounds funny since I will have my ADN!) and take a few gen eds I will need to graduate. Then in the spring I can enroll in the nursing program and be well on my way. This way I will still be on forward momentum and not taking really hard classes while learning in my position. I will be able to get into a routine of work and online classes.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!