Question about alternative degrees other than ADN/BSN

[Liberal]

Hey all,

I have been reading this site almost daily for well over two years and after much internal deliberation, have decided that nursing is the right career for me.

I just turned 25 and am a holder of an Associate of Science degree in Business Administration. At this point, I have two options with regards to a nursing degree...

Option A) Finish up a general studies bachelors degree in 1.5 years and tailor it to fulfill a nursing program's pre-reqs (either ADN or second career BSN) so I can immediately jump into an ADN or BSN program upon Gen Studies completion. The gen studies bachelors degree will be majorly covered with scholarships, so the financial issue is not as much of an issue right now, although by no means is money not tight.

Option B) Bypass the general studies BS degree and instead finish up pre-reqs for the local community college ADN which will at the very earliest allow me to enter the nursing program in 1 year.

So, I realize this is a choice I need to ultimately make for myself, but would appreciate any input from you all. Will the "gen ed" bachelors degree benefit me professionally on down the line even though it is outside of nursing, or in your experience have nursing administrators placed more of an emphasis on ASN/BSN over other previously earned degrees? I would like to get my BSN, no matter which way I go, but am placing my focus on earning the RN over *how quickly* I get the BSN.

So, what would you do in this case? Sorry for such a long post, but I do not personally know anyone in the nursing profession and truly value the people who are "in the trenches" so to speak and know what they are talking about professionally speaking. Thank you!:)

[UVA Grad Nursing]

You have a third option as well: apply as a transfer student to a BSN program.

Many of the BSN programs in the US are conducted on a 2+2 format: two years of general education/prereqs, then two years of nursing classes only. Here in my state there are several BSN programs that accept transfers into the junior year.

[jjjoy, LPN]

I think if you can afford it, might as well finish up the bachelor's degree while knocking off nursing school pre-reqs. It'll probably take you more than a year to finish the pre-reqs and be accepted into a nursing program anyway, so why not pick up the bachelor's along the way? If something comes up preventing you from starting nursing school in the next few years, a bachelor's degree could be better than no degree.

[CuriousMe]

One aspect to keep in mind is that getting financial aid (aside from loans) for an undergrad degree after you have a bachelors is very difficult.