Choosing a school, BSN vs ADN

paujos · Apr 10, 2014

I've actually answered my own question. After talking to many people, friends, and family that are nurses, I came to my decision. I am biting the bullet and going for a BSN. There is too much chatter in the air about hospitals not hiring ADN's anymore. In Florida, as of 2016, they will no longer keep ADN's unless they are enrolled in school for achieving their BSN. Here in our area, Lehigh Valley Hospital, will be no longer hiring RN's. If I am going to school for 2 straight years, it will be for a Bachelor's degree. I already have an AA in General Studies, and have all my prerequisites. I will start May 12th.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2014

Good day, paujos:

I agree with you on BSN. What I would suggest, however, is do take whatever you can take at an accredited community college. Often times the community colleges will have a list of what courses they offer match up with what BSN programs so you can be sure of credit transfers presuming you meet the grade requirements (typically a C or higher).

Thank you.

paujos · Apr 10, 2014

Thank you @pmabraham. I have already done that. I actually went to a local community college, and transferred to the college where I will get my BSN. It's a hard decision because the local community college I attended has a very well respected ADN program and was accepted out of almost 300 applicants. They only choose 35. When I heard hospitals were phasing out ADNs, I decided to go for the BSN. I took two classes at the new college, and start May 12. Both schools work together for transferring. I am still confused, though. The tuition for my BSN will be almost $50 thousand vs $16 thousand for the ADN. That's a huge difference. But, if it is a matter of being employable, then is it worth it? A friend of mine, who is a Nurse, explained that even though I won't be able to get a job at a hospital, I can get jobs at a clinic, and in other settings. There are so many clinics popping up all over. It's a big decision and as you can tell, I am still struggling with the decision. Thank you for your input.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Apr 11, 2014

There are a number of online BSN colleges that are accredited with lower costs; so you might want to research that option.

collorrn · Apr 15, 2014

I was in the same boat...but back in 1995. The ADN at community college was very cheap, but well-respected program. There was a 1 year waiting list I was on. That would have been 3 years of my life. Since I had ALL my prereq's,I applied to my local private college, which was only going to take me 3 years to complete my BSN. I went for the BSN--$35k later--NO REGRETS!! This was at a time that ADN's were hired easily in hospitals...but when I was hired (even back then) they were only hiring BSN grad's. I took out students loans but was ok with that since my pay as a new grad was 57K. It's VERY cumbersome to go back for your BSN after graduating with your ADN. Many of my friends went down that road, and they all wished they would have just done the BSN from the start. Good Luck!

paujos · Apr 15, 2014

@collorm Thank you for your response. I agree. I have decided to go the BSN route because when I look at how many classes, cost, plus time of an ADN to BSN, it became much clearer in which route to take. I start May 12th. Thank you again.

collorrn · Apr 15, 2014

paujos--Good luck to you! Nursing is a wonderful field to work in!!