What made you decide to go for ASN or BSN?

[Idiosyncratic]

Lately I've been contemplating what would make the most sense. I have all but 3 of my ASN pre reqs satisfied, and I'm not sure how many BSN. But I was set on getting my ASN then doing the bridge program - now I'm not too sure.

I'm currently taking chem, will be taking ap 1&2 in fall, as well as retaking political science, then microbiology and sociology in the spring. Ive thought about just going straight through. I do have two kids, not employed, and I'm just not sure lately.

What made you decide? Or more so helped you decide?

[priorities2]

I'm a traditional-age college student with no previous degrees, and come from a background where a 4-year degree is expected of me. Hence, BSN.

Had I thought about it more rationally, I might have chosen ASN straight out of HS, but in my city, only one or two hospital systems don't prefer BSN. Also, I didn't decide on nursing until my sophomore year of college was about to start anyway, so it made more sense to stay on the bachelor's track.

[Trenata]

I am applying for an ADN program because it is considerably less expensive and because they have clinical locations near my home, which gives me the opportunity to get my foot in the door at a local hospital. The clinical location for the majority of schools here are located in Dallas which would be a nightmare commute - but the commute in the opposite direction will be much more pleasant for me offered by the ADN program. So I chose local clinical locations and a pleasant less stressful commute with the option to bridge into a BSN - I have an associates degree already too. Also, the BSN programs I wanted to get into were so super competitive and I felt like I would have a better chance of getting into the ADN program.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

BSN: I was a traditional student, trying to get into the Army (they only accept BSN) and I had a college fund courtesy of my parents. No reason not to and every reason to go for the 4-year.

For me, I already hold baccalaureate degrees so I felt that an AA offered me nothing but the path to an RN license. It also turned out that the university programs were competitive admissions rather than lotto or waitlist so that was the fastest way to a license for me. Finally, I was mindful of the BSN-preferred tag that many of the local hospitals put on their postings.

[avaloncar, BSN, RN]

I just thought it would be better for me in the long run. I was trying to get into a ASNprogram but then after research and speaking to different people, I thought it would be better to do my BSN. I am happy I went this route because finding a job is hard enough and not having your BSN, just makes it worse.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I never considered going for an ADN. I graduated high school and went to college. That's about all there was to that decision.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

1. I needed fewer pre-reqs for the ADN program than I did for the BSN/ABSN program.

2. The BSN and ABSN programs cost 3 times as much as the ADN did. Even the local diploma program cost more than the ADN.

When I graduated, the area I was in wasn't really "BSN-preferred" so getting a job with an ADN was possible. That's changed now.

I should have the BSN finished this year. I'll admit that I have an appreciation for the classes I'm taking now...besides having actual nursing experience under my belt, it does help that no matter what happens in school, I'll still be a RN--they can't take it away from me. Nor do I have to worry about the NCLEX test looming in the distance.

[WideOpenHeart]

Well, I am still a student (actually just about to enter an LPN program), but it looks like I will bridge to RN- Associates, instead of RN- BSN.

I've made this (tentative) decision because I will be able to complete my RN, with the prerequisites I have now, while working, just a year after I finish my LPN next spring. To do my BSN would require two additional years, rather than one... and I don't see a pay-off for me with the BSN - as of now, anyway.

Bedside nursing is all that interests me (in nursing). It's what has captured my heart and mind, and the last thing I want to become is a case manager.

I don't want to teach nursing or be an administrator of any sort. I want to do active, moving bedside work as a nurse and run my own business (using my grad education and other skills) parallel to that work.

I'm just one of those people who are happiest juggling many projects and types of work, and I've always had energy to burn.

Where I live, and want to continue living, an ADN is fine for bedside nursing; I know this isn't the case in many parts of the country.

So, that is my thinking... it feels right to me right now; we'll see if that continues to be the case.

[christina731]

I picked ADN over BSN for a number of reasons:

-cost: my ADN program is considerably cheaper than the 3 BSN/ABSN programs in my area

-pre-reqs: when I finally changed majors to nursing, I only needed about 5 classes to apply to the ADN program that I'm in and the BSN would have taken me several years to complete at least 10 more pre-reqs

-reputation: my ADN program has a much better reputation in my area regarding clinical experience. The nurses at the facilities that I've rotated through tell me that the 1st semester students at my school have more clinical skills than the 3rd/4th semester BSN students that they get from the other schools.

-ability to secure a job after graduation: I have talked to several people that have graduated from BSN programs in the area and many people have had trouble getting jobs. Even though the job postings advertise "BSN Preferred", I rarely hear of grads from my ADN program with trouble getting a job unless they are super picky about a specialty.

With all of that being said, I do plan on completing an RN-BSN program online as soon as I can while working as an RN and I hope that I don't sound as though I'm bad-mouthing other programs. I just feel that the ADN first was the best choice for me given the options.

[NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

As a hospital LPN during the time when the economy folded, my shifts were being cancelled like crazy! I applied to other hospitals for supplemental work, or at least tried to, but I got the "you're just an LPN" more times than I could count. So, after 20+ years as an LPN, back into the classroom I went. However, that college wouldn't even allow me to apply to the LPN-RN bridge program because I had not taken A&P yet and/or maybe because I turned down an invitation to the honors program.

So, I sat there taking one class after another until I could figure out a Plan B. While doing that, I discovered an online ASN program that was perfect for me, except I couldn't use student loans for it. So, again, I sat in the classroom, taking meaningless classes until i figured out that I could use the loan refunds to pay for the online ASN program. Problem solved! But i can tell you that attending two colleges at once was not easy, especially when i had to work AND i was a member of the 40+ age group. Graduated, NCLEXed, and working decent hours with great pay, I could finally breathe again.

BUT, after an evaluation of all of those meaningless credits, I was informed that they all applied towards a BSN degree in such a way that it placed me in a more than halfway BSN completion position. So, here I am, four classes and 2 exams away from the BSN capstone! As much as I did NOT want to return to school, I just could not let those credits go to waste, especially since the trends are changing and gradually preferring BSN as entry-level into the hospital.

By the way, I never did quit my LPN hospital job while I was in school for fear of the new-grad job search. After passing boards, I simply went to human resources, they looked up my name on the BON of nursing, issued me a new badge, and I went on over into the hospital and picked up my same set of patients from the night before.

[NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

Well, I am still a student (actually just about to enter an LPN program), but it looks like I will bridge to RN- Associates, instead of RN- BSN.

I've made this (tentative) decision because I will be able to complete my RN, with the prerequisites I have now, while working, just a year after I finish my LPN next spring. To do my BSN would require two additional years, rather than one... and I don't see a pay-off for me with the BSN - as of now, anyway.

Bedside nursing is all that interests me (in nursing). It's what has captured my heart and mind, and the last thing I want to become is a case manager.

I don't want to teach nursing or be an administrator of any sort. I want to do active, moving bedside work as a nurse and run my own business (using my grad education and other skills) parallel to that work.

I'm just one of those people who are happiest juggling many projects and types of work, and I've always had energy to burn.

Where I live, and want to continue living, an ADN is fine for bedside nursing; I know this isn't the case in many parts of the country.

So, that is my thinking... it feels right to me right now; we'll see if that continues to be the case.

Congratulations on your starting point! Be forewarned, though. Trends in nursing have a way of 'convincing' us to change our viewpoints. You'll see. Good luck with your studies!

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I had a previous bachelor's degree, so I had pretty much exactly the same prerequisites left for either an ASN or BSN, so I decided to do some research. Local hospitals put BSN preferred on all of their job postings, and the one I landed a job at as a CNA makes any new hire ASN sign a contract to have their BSN within four years or be terminated. Since I'd have to have my BSN anyway, 4 years for ASN plus RN to BSN bridge, or 2 years for BSN? I picked the quickest way to make myself the most marketable and went for my BSN right off the bat. Also, going to school for a second undergraduate degree was bad enough, I didn't want three undergraduate degrees. :) Besides, I was tired of school - I figured the 2 years of BSN would give me less education burnout than ASN + RN to BSN.