ADN, BSN or Entry-Level MSN?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 31, 2016

All other things being equal, I'd go straight for the BSN. Graduate credits are more expensive, and my experience as a preceptor has been that the ADN and BSN graduates make great nurses and fabulous co-workers, but the MSN graduates not so much. Of course that may be the quality of the local MSN as entry program. Still -- graduate credits are more expensive.

Investigate the cost of credits and add up the total cost for getting the degree -- it's possible that ADN will be less expensive and get you working faster and you can then get your BSN through a bridge program at the employer's expense. However, some of the best employers are hiring BSNs only these days, so again you're going to have to investigate the hiring practices in your area.

Summing it up, I'd recommend the BSN if possible. But after you've done your investigation, you may have good reason to take another direction.

hd124 · Oct 31, 2016

Thank you for your input Ruby Vee! There is a school I will be applying to that offers an ADN-BSN bridge program that is an additional year. I never thought about having an employer cover tuition for a BSN program. Thanks for the insight!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 31, 2016

Thank you for your input Ruby Vee! There is a school I will be applying to that offers an ADN-BSN bridge program that is an additional year. I never thought about having an employer cover tuition for a BSN program. Thanks for the insight!

Before you plan on that route, make sure there are employers in your area who offer tuition reimbursement.

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2016

Apply to a handful of ADN and BSN programs. I would recommend at least 3 but if you meet qualifications for 5, I would apply if possible. The reason is that not all programs will admit students in the same way. Back when we did a waiting list for my ADN program, multiple nurses went and completed a BSN before they were called to start the ADN clinical portion. That's crazy since that meant the waiting list was over 2 years long! I think the waiting list got to about 5 years on average before they decided to switch to a points system. I was fortunate to be accepted under the old criteria but when they were pushing the waiting list through meaning I was accepted within 1 or 2 semesters of applying.

hd124 · Nov 1, 2016

Good call, thank you!

hd124 · Nov 1, 2016

Thank you for your advice applesxoranges! I believe that most of the programs I am looking at do not have a rolling waitlist anymore so everyone has to reapply every year. I have 4 programs on my list right now, and am still researching 3 other programs.

It's crazy to hear how competitive these programs are, and how long people are waiting to get into programs!

adventure_rn, MSN, NP · Nov 3, 2016

It's crazy to hear how competitive these programs are, and how long people are waiting to get into programs!

It is for precisely this reason that I'd recommend a BSN over an ADN or a direct-entry MSN. Nursing is a competitive field: getting into nursing school is competitive, and getting your first job as a new grad is competitive. Hospitals would rather hire a BSN than an ADN, in part so that they don't have to pay for your ADN-to-BSN bridge. Medical groups would rather hire a traditionally prepared MSN with a few years of nursing experience than a direct-entry MSN, because employers in any field will always prefer candidates with experience over candidates without experience. A BSN sets you up to be ahead of your competition when job-seeking, especially for your first job; ADN and direct-entry MSN degrees do not. You can definitely get a job with these other two degrees, but it may take a while, and it may not be in the specialty/setting that you want.

A couple of additional thoughts: 1) An accelerated BSN program will actually take far less time than an ADN path; you can get your second-degree BSN done in 1.5 years, whereas an ADN will require 2 years of nursing school plus a 1 year bridge to get to the exact same point. 2) Regarding MSNs, besides the hirability issue, I would recommend against direct-entry MSN programs because you have to commit to a specialty before you actually get out into the field and find out what you truly love or detest. 3) No matter what you decide, use your CNA certificate to get a hospital job now. That will make it much easier for you to get into any of these programs, and for ADN/BSN it will make you a much better candidate for new grad jobs (especially as an internal applicant in your hospital system).

hd124 · Nov 3, 2016

It is for precisely this reason that I'd recommend a BSN over an ADN or a direct-entry MSN. Nursing is a competitive field: getting into nursing school is competitive, and getting your first job as a new grad is competitive. Hospitals would rather hire a BSN than an ADN, in part so that they don't have to pay for your ADN-to-BSN bridge. Medical groups would rather hire a traditionally prepared MSN with a few years of nursing experience than a direct-entry MSN, because employers in any field will always prefer candidates with experience over candidates without experience. A BSN sets you up to be ahead of your competition when job-seeking, especially for your first job; ADN and direct-entry MSN degrees do not. You can definitely get a job with these other two degrees, but it may take a while, and it may not be in the specialty/setting that you want.
A couple of additional thoughts: 1) An accelerated BSN program will actually take far less time than an ADN path; you can get your second-degree BSN done in 1.5 years, whereas an ADN will require 2 years of nursing school plus a 1 year bridge to get to the exact same point. 2) Regarding MSNs, besides the hirability issue, I would recommend against direct-entry MSN programs because you have to commit to a specialty before you actually get out into the field and find out what you truly love or detest. 3) No matter what you decide, use your CNA certificate to get a hospital job now. That will make it much easier for you to get into any of these programs, and for ADN/BSN it will make you a much better candidate for new grad jobs (especially as an internal applicant in your hospital system).

Thank you for your helpful advice and tips adventure_rn! I am a hands-on learner so I think more experience while in school would be best.

I have been researching more into BSN programs since I posted here and just learned that, for many schools, those who have a previous bachelors degrees are treated as transfer students into BSN programs. This information opens up many more programs as an option for me so thank you everyone!

adventure_rn, MSN, NP · Nov 4, 2016

Thank you for your helpful advice and tips adventure_rn! I am a hands-on learner so I think more experience while in school would be best.
I have been researching more into BSN programs since I posted here and just learned that, for many schools, those who have a previous bachelors degrees are treated as transfer students into BSN programs. This information opens up many more programs as an option for me so thank you everyone!

No worries! Many of the programs geared specifically toward people with prior bachelors degrees are called 'Accelerated BSN' programs, if that helps. They're accelerated because you don't have to complete a bunch of extra gen ed requirements to get the four year bachelors degree, so many are completed in less than two years. One nice thing about second-degree nursing programs is that you may feel a greater sense of camaraderie with your second-degree peers. They're adult learners, they've been in the work force, and they're motivated to work hard since they're leaving behind a paid job. My school had an accelerated and a traditional program; I knew a handful of second-degree students in the traditional program (mainly 20-year-old first-time college students having 'the college experience'), and they sometimes felt alienated.

I got my BSN through an accelerated program, and the main pitfall IMO is that it is very difficult to get CNA experience once you begin. The class schedule is compressed, and I was so busy studying that I didn't have time to take my CNA exam or get a CNA job. It was much easier for my friends who started the program as CNAs to simply continue to pick up shifts whenever they had time throughout the school year. Fortunately all of the people in my cohort got jobs, but it definitely happened earlier and more predictably for my friends who were CNAs since employers considered their applications as internal hires first before looking at the general population. CNA experience can also help you get a better sense for exactly what nurses do in various clinical settings, and it will make clinical rotations much easier because you'll be familiar with standard unit workflow and have the basic ADLs down. Speaking from experience, my clinical instructor thought I was incompetent when I was nervous to give my first bed bath, which was second-nature for my CNA friends.

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2016

To be honest, it depends on your area about the preferences. In my experience, none of my cohort had any issue finding jobs although handful did alternative jobs such as one was working in a prison (making great money) and a few were in skilled nursing facilities. However, those that worked in hospitals prior to a job had jobs waiting for them.