AASN vs ABSN

[Apollo85]

decisions decisions... i need help! i need more info and wisdom from you readers so i can choose wisely: aasn or absn?

i'm currently attending a community college, and i just got accepted to start their 2 yr nursing program which would give me an associates in applied science in nursing. its a very cheap and a great program with 85% of graduates passing their first nclex exam. all i need is 39 more or so credits (because i already have half of what's required) to graduate in 2 yrs so it gives me plenty of free time to have a social life and have a part time job.

but i'm wondering if i should hold out if i can get into a 15-month accelerated nursing program which would get me a bachelor of science in nursing. this would cost around $35000 and be extremely intense with only 15 months. i'm told i would have no social life or time to work. they also kick you from the program if u get more than 2 c's

some of the things i'm actually concerned about when making this decision are:

----which is more preferable when job hunting? r there plenty of jobs of aas graduates? i dont want to graduate and hunt for jobs only to get turned away because i didnt have the right degree. i'm told bsn get more opportunities to expand which is good but how much more do they get paid than asn?

----if i took the aas route, eventually i'd still want a bsn or msn within 4 yrs or less. are there anyone who got an associates in science, got a nursing (or nursing assistant) job, and went to school part time?? what was it like? hard to work and do schoolwork at same time? did you feel like you shouldve gotten all the school work done with at the same time?

----which is more economical? associates then bachelor's while working, or accelerated bachelors then get a job?

im a lil worried if i'll be able to make it in an accelerated program, i get a's but im more like a- b+ student: smart, quick to understand, pays attention...but i hate studying and i hate hate hate reading ahead. sometimes i end up cramming the day before a test but only for a few hours n just enough to get an above average. i guess im not a perfectionist in this because i reason that theres always gonna be something i miss anyways. ive read that one of the main reasons people think nursing school's first year is hard is changing the way you think, can anyone clarify this? because im a bit worried about this too.

not having a social life or time for a job doesnt bother me but im worried about the courseload, i dont wanna set myself up to fail...itll only mean months and money wasted. however, if i can do this in 15 months it seems worth it. the accelerated program would not only finish earlier but with a higher degree.

----but would 15 months of hell and torture for bsn give me a considerably higher salary than aasn???

pls help! :bowingpur:bowingpur:bowingpur:bowingpur:bowingpurim 24 and i wanna make enough money soon so i can start living on my own

[tfleuter, BSN, RN]

If it were me, I would go for the ABSN program, but I'm ok with the idea of intense study schedules in order to finish faster. If you are typically an A-/B+ average student, I would say you are intelligent enough to do an accelerated program, but motivation to put in the extra work required is whats going to be your biggest enemy.

As far as pay and opportunities for ASN vs. BSN, you'll want to find out for your area what the situation is. I know for my state, there is no difference in starting pay and employement opportunites seem to be about the same. Since you think you may want to advance on to MSN eventually, it would seem more efficient to take the ABSN route, but only if you can maintain good grades.

----but would 15 months of hell and torture for BSN give me a considerably higher salary than AASN???

No, but it would get you to your MSN faster which, in turn, would.