I have a dilemma. I am going to be starting a BSN program next may. Since I haven't started actual nursing school yet (currently taking stats, chem, A&P, etc..), much less started working, I don't know where my interests will lie 4 or 5 years down the road, but I am planning on getting a Masters degree in some area of nursing after getting a couple years of experience. From what I understand, nurse anesthesiology programs are the most competitive to get into (and most challenging once you get in). I am not necessarily saying I want to go to CRNA school (still way to early to tell), but I do know that I am definitely open to the idea (i have no reason not to be at this point).
So here it is. I have the option of doing the traditional program (24 months) or the accelerated program (15 months -- i have a bachelors degree in an unrelated field). The classes and material is exactly the same for the two programs, the accelerated is just very condensed. Obviously a program that it 9 months shorter sounds like a better deal because it means you can actually start working that much sooner, but here are some pros and cons to each that I could come up with.
Accelerated:
- lower cost b/c it's two semesters shorter
- 9 months shorter, so I could actually be working making money and gaining experience for that much longer
- it would much more demanding of my time (I am getting married next july, so it would mean less time with my wife)
- my grades might not be as good as they could be b/c I won't have as much time to learn the material
Traditional:
- takes longer and would end up costing more (although not significantly more)
- I would have more time to devote to classes/clinicals, so I could learn the material better and get better grades
- I would have the summer after my first year off from classes, so I could do an additional clinical externship
- as a future newlywed, it would be nice to have more time to spend with my wife
I am not afraid of hard work, but I don't want to do anything at all that will compromise my chances of getting into CRNA school if that's what I end up wanting to do later on down the road. I want to take all the necessary steps, so that if 4 or 5 years from now CRNA school sounds good to me, I have that option of pursuing that. If i decide that I hate critical care and that anesthesia doesn't appeal to me, that's fine, i won't do it.
Basically it boils down to this. I want to learn as much as I possibly can and do as well as I can in nursing school. I want to be the best nurse I can be regardless of where I end up working. Sure getting done sooner sounds great, but I don't want to do that if it means I would get B's instead of A's because that alone would make a big difference on an application.
Does that make sense? Any thoughts, comments, or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure you really want my opinion. I have an ADN. At my age, I don't think I'll go any further. All I have is experience in working with nurses or students from the accelerated programs. They seem less prepared and don't seem to have a good grasp of disease procesess and patient care. I think an accelerated program can work, but you need to be very determined to go further than what is taught in school. You might have to do more reading on your own or learning on the side.
pednursedeb
100 Posts
Not sure you really want my opinion. I have an ADN. At my age, I don't think I'll go any further. All I have is experience in working with nurses or students from the accelerated programs. They seem less prepared and don't seem to have a good grasp of disease procesess and patient care. I think an accelerated program can work, but you need to be very determined to go further than what is taught in school. You might have to do more reading on your own or learning on the side.
A lot of it just depends on the person.