ABSN route or ADN plus RN-BSN?

[clkruse]

Hi everyone!

I am just about to be finished up with all of my nursing school pre-reqs, and am trying to decide if I should go the ABSN route or get my ADN, and then go right in to an online bridge program for RN-BSN.

I would love to hear from anyone who has had the same dilemma, and am also curious what route you decided to go and why.

A little bit about myself and my current situation:

I have an undergraduate degree in journalism and photography, and just turned 30 years old. I decided to go back for my RN license because what I want out of life has changed as I've gotten older. I now crave stability over adventure, but would still like to have a job/career that is meaningful. I am applying for the ABSN offered at CSUSM which costs about $55K (not including living expenses, I may even need to take out additional student loans for that unless I can survive two years of nursing school while living under my mother's roof). The other option I am considering is getting my ADN at MiraCosta Community College which will cost about $6K in total, and will allow me to work at least part-time. The CC program will take roughly 4 semesters, and I will have summers off to work more and perhaps even have some kind of social life. (Important because I am still single, but keeping an eye out for my husband-to-be :)) Based on research I have done most RN-BSN bridge programs cost about $15k-$17K, take about 15 months to complete, and can be done part-time as well as online. The downside is that this route would take me roughly 3.5 years to complete vs. the ABSN program which will take only 2 years. I have also considered the opportunity cost of not earning a California RN income for that extra 1.5 year difference, but am having a hard time figuring out just how much I would be able to pay back in student loans over that period of time. Lastly, I should also add that I currently have about $15k in student loan debt from my first undergraduate degree.

Has anyone gone the ABSN route and regretted it because of the major debt incurred? Or has anyone gone the longer ADN plus RN-BSN route and regretted it for any reason?

I keep going back and forth between both options and can't seem to make a solid decision!! Any help or advice at all would be very greatly appreciated!!!!!

[shibaowner, MSN, RN, NP]

Only you know the answer. You have to decide if time or money is more important to you at this point.

I did an ABSN and am happy with that choice.

You can get financial aid for an ABSN that is not just loans. There are HRSA and Nurse Corps scholarships and loan repayment and forgiveness programs from the feds. The State of California also has similar programs for State residents. These typically are full ride scholarships that also pay a small stipend. There are also a plethora of scholarships that you can apply for.

While ADN to BSN seems cheaper, you need to determine how easy it is to get a job with an ADN around here (I also live in North County). There is a big push for BSN RNs in general.

As for your social life, nursing school is hard. Focus on getting through nursing school and you will have the rest of your life to worry about your social life.

[paisling]

I chose an ABSN because after 2 years of doing pre-reqs, i still needed MORE classes to apply to the local ADN programs. 2+ years of pre-reqs, plus 2 years of the ADN program (assuming i got in right away), plus another year to bridge to RN... 5 years to get a ADN was too long for me, even if it was going to save me money.

[verene, MSN]

I applied to both ADN and ABSN programs. I ultimately went with a ABSN program because 1) they accepted me and I needed to make a decision before the ADN programs would provide final decisions and my prospects of being accepted to the local ADN programs were not good (barely had minimum points, point scale based solely on pre-req GPA/TEAS score. ABSN was holistic and took into account both professional and life experience, prior academic success and GRE score - all of which were much stronger). 2) The job market for new grad RNs was a) better in general for BSN prepared RNs, and b) substantially better in the city with the ABSN program. 3) the ABSN program has a better reputation and more academic resources for students 4) the ABSN program offered me a substantial scholarship to attend making total cost roughly equivalent to paying for ADN+RN/BSN program.

[Tajin]

Don't worry, you're not alone. I'm in a similar predicament. Like others have said, it's up to you to decide if time or money is more important.

I spoke to several CSUSM ABSN graduates from different cohorts and they all really enjoyed their time in the program. I was told by one girl that everyone in her Fall 2016 graduating class was able to secure a hospital job within 3-6 months. I asked her what the average GPA was for most students and she said it's something like 3.6+ GPA for a majority of her classmates. The reason why I asked was because a friend of mine that is at a local ADN program told me that the average GPA is something like a 3.0-3.3 GPA for their program. What I'm trying to get at is the ADN program didn't care if people failed out or not because the tuition was heavily subsidized by the government whereas at CSUSM they want you to succeed because they need your $$$. It's something you might want to think about if you're deciding to become a nurse practitioner or CRNA.

Something else to think about is magnet status thing. I was told that a majority of the hospitals in the San Diego area are requiring BSNs to apply now. We can't really predict how the job market will be like for RNs in 2020, but I have a feeling it'll be even tougher to lock down a new grad position with just an ADN. With that being said, if you don't mind working in a SNF or something similar then the ADN to RN-BSN isn't a bad idea because you'll save money while you work on your BSN.