Nursing as a Second Career

I also had a bachelor's degree when I switched to nursing as a second career. I went the ADN route because it was only 7 quarters. I worked full-time during nursing school--hard but can be done--many have done it. Having a BSN doesn't make a huge difference in your nursing opportunities unless you want to go into management. Some places pay a little more for a BSN but it is usually not a huge difference and many places don't pay any more for a BSN. You can always do an RN to BSN bridge program once you're out of nursing school if that's the route you want to go. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.

I asked almost the same question a few days ago. You might want to search for it because I got a lot of good advice. I'm going to do the ADN route because it's more flexible. I also can't quit my job to go to school so the ADN will let me take classes at night and keep my job. All the BSN programs where I live require taking classes during the day. If I decide I want to go for the BSN or MSN, I can get that later without too much trouble.

If you already have a Bachelor's, why not look into an accelerated BSN degree? It's over in a year, and then you have your Bachelor's in case you may want to complete your Master's at some point.

There are many of us who are second career nurses. I was in the criminal justice field as my first career, then I was a stay-at-home mom. I know of a veterinarian, a lawer, a spanish teacher, a social worker, a sociologist, and a police officer (just to name a few) who are second career nurses, who work at my hospital.

I went to ADN route and will be pursuing my BSN within the next couple of years (I'm no hurry, at this point).

I think those of us who have had previous degree/career have an advantage when we go to nursing school and eventually become nurses. I know I was a much better student the second time around.

Good luck to you.
Robinbird

I am a second degree student. I had a BS in Legal Studies and then I pursue nursing....I went the BSN route because why peddle backwards. If you find a BSN program do it.....I use my first degree as leverage with all the liberal arts crap.....and then the BSN took me directly 2 years to complete.....most hospitals will ask for a BSN because of the current economy....its hard for nurses to find jobs....dont believe the hype of nursing shortage......if you look at the people right here(on this website) that have been searching for months to some a whole year before they pick something up ore still searching....its ridic. I am been searching for 3 months now to no avail....not even a call or an interview. You would think i was a terrible student.....far from the case.....I am about to go look for a paralegal position where I have experience because my expensive student loans will be due soon.....don't mean to scare you but think wisely each step because you are a family person.

I am pursuing nursing as a second career. I also have a BA in another field (Psychology) and an MBA in Finance. I came to hate the finance/legal fields! I got an administrative job in a hospital, and I attend an Evening/Saturday Associate degree program. This new job enables me to leave at 5:00PM! I would have loved to do an Accelerated BSN program, but I could not afford to stop working (and pay tuition) for a year. Once I have finished the ADN(Dec 2010) I will first take the NCLEX, get my license, get a nursing job, and start going for the BSN which you can do much of online, then I will decide about the MSN!

I am 57 years old!

I just graduated from an ADN program, passed the boards in July. I am currently working as a nutritionist and a Registered Nurse. I did the ADN because it was more flexible. I could not afford to not work and pay for tuition for 3 years. I did the part time nursing program. Since I already have a BS, I can go straight to the Masters Program and be done in 2 years or less. Most jobs pay for tuition reimbursement, so even if you get the ADN, you can easily take classes online and be done at a reasonable time. Good luck to you!!!

I have a bachelor's degree in journalism. I quit my job three years ago to go back to school full-time so that I could complete my pre-requisites and then an accelerated BSN. If I had it all to do again, I'd do the same thing. The accelerated BSN program was only four semesters, albeit four intense semesters. I was able to relieve some of the pressure by doing requisites at the same time as the pre-reqs.

I considered three routes: ADN, BSN and direct-entry master's. Since I knew I wanted to work in a hospital setting, and it was unlikely that I would be hired to work at the NP level with no experience, I eliminated the MSN option. The accelerated BSN was faster to complete than the ADN, didn't cost much more, and reduced the amount of time I would have to spend outside the workforce.

The idea that the BSN is not worth more at the entry level than the ADN is no longer true in some parts of the country. Some hospitals do pay BSNs more than ADNs (albeit the difference is not always great). Others strongly prefer to hire BSNs only -- you'll find plenty of posts on this forum regarding hospitals in Boston, for example. Ultimately, the BSN affords more job opportunities in the future no matter where you work. Hospitals that have achieved magnet accreditation, for example, have pledged not to promote nurses without bachelor's degrees. As an older student with perhaps 20 years left to work, I need to keep my options open, so the BSN made the most sense. Since you've already got a BA, you should go into the profession at the highest educational level.

Hi, I'm a career changer like so many people in this thread. I already have a B.A. in Information Technology & Informatics. I decided to go the Accelerated BSN route because financially I'm able to survive without a job during those 15 months it would take to complete the program. I'm currently taking the prerequisite courses but plan to start (if I get accepted) Fall 2010 for the program. I would advise anyone to go the ABSN route, however, if you can't afford to quit your job, then take the ADN route, as I heard it's more flexible. Unfortunately for the ABSN program, it's VERY difficult to balance the work load along with holding down a job. Good luck with your decision.

After I get the BSN, I plan to go for the MSN on a part-time basis while gaining at least 1 year experience as a Nurse in order to go for the FNP license.