Does it matter if I start off at a community college to become an RN?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I want to become an RN and my problem is that, does it really matter if I start off at a prenursing community college to get my ADN and then transfer to a university to complete my BSN?

I think that starting off and finishing up at a 4 year university would look more appealing on my resume AND land me a better pay, because I didn't have to take the "easy" route and start off at a community college.

The only thing that bothers me is that. That what if because I started "low" it'll make my resume, education, and experience seem terrible? That my future employers won't give me a pay I'd be satisfied with because I attended community college first? I'm aiming to AT LEAST get a $25-30 pay right after I graduate and get my degree(s)

The only reason why I haven't even thought about attending a university first off is because it's just way too expensive from where i live (HI) I don't want to do loans and I got rejected from FAFSA because my parents' pay are overqualified. I've also been out of school for a year due to family issues so I don't know what to expect.

At first, I thought it didn't matter if I started at a CC or UNI because I'll become an RN with a BSN either way! But I've read things on these forums and it's making me worried, like how universities looks better than community colleges, even if you transferred.

It would help me if there are nurses out there who started off from the "bottom" and made their way back up. Or didn't start off the way they'd like to and still ended up reaching their goal to become whatever they wanted to be WITH a satisfying pay!

My dream goal is to at least make $80,000 or higher a year!

Easy route? The classes are cheaper at CC, but where is it easier?

Specializes in Pediatrics.

Wow....um is your goal only to make money?

You do know that hospitals just want the BSN, they don't care how you got it?

Never have I heard of......well you went to a CC = lower pay.....only liscense and BSN

So I did my pre-reqs at a Community College. Got my ADN work in SNFs while getting my BSN

Now work at a level 1 trauma center in the Children's ED

I get a whole .20 cents more per hour for that BSN....and I could be charge nurse for a whole $1 more per hour.

Now we are going to BSN required by 2018.

I work with both ADN and BSN and even a few MSN prepared nurses.

Guess what our pay scale is based on years of experience not where you went to school

So the resident nurses they just hired some were ADN and most BSN all started at $31 an hour

As for me...this last year with 5 yrs experience picking up at least 1 extra shift a month plus all the shift differentials I made 100k this year

And I got my start at a community college

Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

I work in a Magnet hospital. They don't distinguish between RN's who had their ADN's before BSN's, and RN's who graduated with their BSN's before taking boards.

They don't even care if you have your MSN and no BSN. As long as you have a BSN "or higher", they will "hire". ;)

Does. Not. Matter. In. The. Least.

As long as you're not an RN who expects to get hired without a BSN, the facility could care less.

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