Are you getting a ADN or going straight to BSN ?

ADN here. I earned my previous Bachelor's degree back in '97. It did fulfill quite a bit of the pre-req requirements for the ADN program at my school. Here's my reasons why I chose the ADN over the BSN/Accelerated BSN:

1: I'll be out in the workplace much sooner--earning $. In my area at least, pay does not differ between ADN and BSN graduate nurses.

2: Most hospitals will help you pay/pay completely for the ADN to BSN bridge (at least in my area). Why not let someone else pay/help pay for part of my education? Sounds good to me.

3: Financially, it made more sense to me. I do not qualify for any financial aid, so I'm cash pay. $9K for the ADN is a bargain.

4: The school which I have chosen has the best NCLEX pass rates and retention rates out of any school in my area, even including the BSN programs. I also like that the ADN programs are usually a bit smaller than BSN programs so more one-on-one.

5. I'm a Mommy first, student/nurse second. It's important that I am around as much as possible for my little ones while they are still little (2 and a 4 year old).

Long term, I want to become a Nurse Anesthetist. I will have to see if they will accept my Bachelor's as is (some schools don't require a BSN per se, but an applicable Bachelor of Science--which I have--may suffice). I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I also want to wait until my kiddos are a bit older, since that is one tough degree to earn. One day at a time....

Excellent post B2B. It's amazing how much your plans and mine are pretty much exactly alike.