AD VS BSN to start off...

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So I have searched through the boards and I have not seen this post... So if it is there and I am missing it I am sorry... :saint:

So I have decided on a college for my BSN that I feel is the best fit for me. My husband and I are going round for round on how to approach this. He would like me to go to a community college to get an AD and then transfer to finish the remaining curriculum to get my BSN. This will be a more cost effective approach but is it the best approach.

Can anyone please provide their experience and advice on this? Do you FEEL as though going into a two year program to get an associate's degree and then transfer to a 4 year college to finish off the BSN is a good and effective approach? Or did you find going straight to a four year college was a better approach? Can I please get personal opinions and thoughts on the two?

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If all your stars are perfectly aligned and you get into all schools you apply to and money isn't an issue and you don't need to work ASAP.. I would go for the BSN. You can get it over and done with as opposed to getting an ADN then having the issue of needing to go back, finding a place to go, dealing with competitive admissions or waitlists. You may have to take more pre reqs. I'm in the process of applying and school A requires this, this and this. School B doesnt require that, but they require this. I seriously wish I would have gone for the BSN out the gate. Not to mention, it's competitive. There are so many ADN's out there wanting to be BSN's- If you can get a spot in an affordable BSN program out the gate, I'd go running. I can't say anything bad about the ADN, but if you don't need to work your way through school or work right away- I'd go BSN.

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

https://allnurses.com/gsearch.php?cx=partner-pub-9350112648257122%3Avaz70l-mgo9&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=ADN+vs+BSN&sa=search

Pages upon pages of thread on this topic. If low cost is your priority, RN-BSN may be the best choice for you. If you want to avoid jumping through hoops to get your BSN, or you're concerned about the ADN job market, BSN might be the best choice.

I hate debt. I chose the ADN route, and our program has an early acceptance agreement with a major BSN program in the area, so there are no hoops to jump through. Graduate in May, start BSN program in June. It'll takean extra year, but it's worth it to me. I'm hoping to find a job with my ADN that will have tuition reimbursement, but if not, we're saving now for it. Should be about $7000. It's all about priorities!

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If you already have your bachelors degree, you can get your associates (it's cheaper), you can go back (online) to get your masters. Most accredited masters nursing programs are online and accept a bachelor degree & associates credits. It's easier & cheaper! Thats what I plan on doing!

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I am working as a new-grad ADN right now, planning to start an RN-BSN bridge this coming school year. I did a cost analysis to compare the 2 options. To accurately assess the extra "cost" of a BSN program over and against ADN first and then BSN bridge, you not only need to consider the higher BSN tuition, but you also need to consider the "opportunity cost" of the lost RN wages you miss out on during the final 2 years of BSN school (when you could otherwise be working as an ADN nurse) compared to the minimum wage college job you would otherwise have. After totalling all of this up, I calculated that I came out about $100,000 ahead doing the ADN first and then a BSN bridge program instead of BSN right away. The real figure would actually be higher if I included the tuition reimbursement I can get from my job for my BSN bridge program. Another note - I am finding that it is not difficult at all to get into an RN-BSN bridge after you already have an ADN RN license. The fierce competition to get into school tends to be non-nurses applying to traditional programs. There is tons of room in BSN bridge programs - especially since many of them are all (or mostly) online. Having said all of that, the one reason you might want to consider BSN as your initial step is the job market. Because of lobbying and political manipulation, many hospitals are requiring the BSN degree for new grad nurses. Many of these same hospitals flip flop back and forth on this requirement as the job market changes in and out of their favor, but it does appear that the BSN mandate is growing increasingly popular.

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You have a bachelors now? why not look into the accelerated BSN programs.

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You have a bachelors now? why not look into the accelerated BSN programs.

I am, I would prefer to go to a private college that does BSN and RN-BSN bridge. Because of my other degrees some of the credits will transfer over. With the BSN I will be finished in two years. If I do the RN at the community college that will take one year (fast track) and then transfer to the college of choice which will take a little over the year.

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Google Search Results for ADN vs BSN

Pages upon pages of thread on this topic. If low cost is your priority, RN-BSN may be the best choice for you. If you want to avoid jumping through hoops to get your BSN, or you're concerned about the ADN job market, BSN might be the best choice.

I hate debt. I chose the ADN route, and our program has an early acceptance agreement with a major BSN program in the area, so there are no hoops to jump through. Graduate in May, start BSN program in June. It'll takean extra year, but it's worth it to me. I'm hoping to find a job with my ADN that will have tuition reimbursement, but if not, we're saving now for it. Should be about $7000. It's all about priorities!

Right and I saw these. I do not care about the job market while in school. I will not be working and the threads that I viewed (and I viewed pages) were people asking the difference between job functions and pay. My question is more an educational route since I will not be working during this time.

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My decision to go BSN was based on the fact that no matter what I couldn't start until this upcoming fall (2012), so when I decided to apply to schools in fall 2011 I looked at my credits. I was 5 classes from meeting all the BSN requirements and 1 class from the ADN requirements. I chose BSN because I was so close to finishing its pre-reqs and BOTH programs take 2 years (4 semesters) of core nursing classes. I figured why spend 2 years getting an ADN only to turn around and spend another year in an RN-BSN bride program down the road? This way if I decide to go back, I'm working on my Master's degree and not just a BSN.

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

Right and I saw these. I do not care about the job market while in school. I will not be working and the threads that I viewed (and I viewed pages) were people asking the difference between job functions and pay. My question is more an educational route since I will not be working during this time.

The education routes aren't much different. The ADN is basically the clinical "meaty" stuff, while the additional BSN courses are theory based. So, if you're looking at the ADN-BSN accelerated route, you'd be a registered nurse after a year and then taking classes like community health for your BSN, which a lot of people do online. The BSN would just be the two put together, and you'd be a RN after the two years.

I don't think I'd bother with the extra cost of the BSN if you have an accelerated one year ADN option. Not any benefit that I can see.

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