Nursing as second career...ADN or BSN?

bcandygurl · Apr 9, 2012

You can do that route..however from what I have heard most hospitals in NY require you to have a BSN now to work..given your GPA though that will probably be your best best and you def going to have to retake those prereqs as many schools require them to be within a 5 year time period..you can't erase your past GPA..you can only get As in your prereqs and get some healthcare experience and hope for the best..wish you the best!!

StJohnRiver · Apr 18, 2012

I was in a similar spot -- what you need to do is get your pre-reqs done and ace them. The accelerated BSN program I got into calculates only the relevant pre-reqs (A&P, micro, etc.) for the GPA, so you could have a 4.0 and get in with that. The cutoff for my class was 3.78, and my overall GPA was closer to 3.0.

Use the ADN as a backup. I got accepted into a community college and started there before I got accepted into the BSN program. BSN will end up saving you time and money.

Merlyn · Apr 18, 2012

You never know who will except you and who wouldn't. I would go for the BSN myself. Although I was told when I was on unemployment in Jersey that they would pay for me to get an ADN. Me, like the idiot that I am, said no.

furysmom · Apr 20, 2012

I also went back to nursing as a second career. I was accepted into an ADN program first so chose that. I am now completing my BSN several years later in an RN to BSN program. The future of nursing is BSN prepared nurses and it should help you in the competitive job market after school.

There were a few people in my ADN program that were locked out of the local state university's BSN program for already having a BA. What the university offers instead is an general masters program--they do all of the classes with the BSN program and then have extra work and classes at the master's level.

With just a few weeks left before my BSN (yay!) I would strongly encourage you to get your BSN either right away or soon after--there is a focus on nursing growing as a profession and in the job market employers want the BSN. While having a bachelor's degree in something else may be all that is required for employers, the BSN classes focus on important issues facing our profession. We just don't get those classes or have those conversations in an ADN program.

Hope this helps.

Dear All,
Need advice. I already have a BA and am interested in Nursing as a second career.
I'm torn between pursuing a ADN or BSN.
Many have suggested an accelerated BSN program being that I already have a BA. However, my BA is close to 10 years-old and my GPA was only 2.5.
Seeing that many BSN programs are extremely competitive, I doubt I would be accepted, so would pursuing a ADN be the logical choice?
And if so, would I be able to take the prerequisite courses again if my previous grade for those classes were under C+?
In other words, if I pursued an ADN would I be able to start from scratch?
I might add that I'm in NYC if that makes any difference.
Thanks in advance for any pointers!

~PedsRN~, BSN, RN · Apr 30, 2012

You can always do both. :) I knew my goal was a BSN, but I also knew I wanted to get my foot in the door and start working. Nursing is more about hands on WORK than theory, honestly.... you can take all the classes in the world and you still don't know jack until you hit the floor. :) I graduated with my ASN, then applied and started with my BSN courses shortly after. If all goes to plan I will have a four year degree over 3 years.

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Apr 30, 2012

Dear All,
Need advice. I already have a BA and am interested in Nursing as a second career.
I'm torn between pursuing a ADN or BSN.
Many have suggested an accelerated BSN program being that I already have a BA. However, my BA is close to 10 years-old and my GPA was only 2.5.
Seeing that many BSN programs are extremely competitive, I doubt I would be accepted, so would pursuing a ADN be the logical choice?
And if so, would I be able to take the prerequisite courses again if my previous grade for those classes were under C+?
In other words, if I pursued an ADN would I be able to start from scratch?
I might add that I'm in NYC if that makes any difference.
Thanks in advance for any pointers!

I was in a somewhat similar position (previous baccalaureate and master's degrees) and opted to go the ADN route, primarily for cost reasons. I'm now in an on-line RN-BSN program and will finish in the Fall with the total cost for everything (ADN + BSN, all fees & books) under $12k.

It is likely that since you are in the NYC area, you will face some difficulty in getting a nursing job with "only" an ADN, so my advice would be to plan from the outset on getting the BSN. You can get the ADN, pass the boards,then start an on-line RN-BSN program and start applying for jobs, which may give you a leg up in the market.

Some of the questions you ask would be better directed to the admissions staff at the college you are thinking of attending. Most programs will accept anything C or above but only the college you're thinking of attending can say for sure. In my part of the world, the ADN programs at CC's are more competitive than some of the BSN programs (because they are much less expensive and have far more applicants than they can accomodate). My own CC really didn't factor in your academic record and admitted those with the highest scores on the standardized tests (it was the NET when I went, I understand it's now the TEAS). You should check with your local CC's on this. Even if they do consider your previous academic record, you could always do your nursing prereqs at CC - you'll probably need a semester or two of Bio & Chem, probably a couple of Math, definitely one or two Soc and at probably three Psych (usually Intro, Developmental & Abnormal), maybe Micro and Nutrition and of course, A&P 1 and 2. Getting good grades in these prereqs would increase your odds of admission anywhere.

One other caution: Make sure nursing is really what you want to do. The job market for new nursing grads is very tough. It would really suck to put so much time and effort into getting a nursing degree only to face months or even years of un or underemployment before finding a position. There are a number of other health-related jobs that are in higher demand, often pay more and usually have much better working conditions that you could also consider, such as Physical or Occupational Therapy. These generally require master's degrees but there are a lot of combined BS/MS programs out there.

Good luck with whatever your choose.