ADN or BSN...that is the question!!!

[NewB07]

This year will be my second year in college, but I will still be classified as a freshman:jester:(my first yr I farted around and wasnt serious). But besides that, I am considering the ASN program because of the time frame and financial situations. I believe that if I do well this year and get a scholarship then I might get into the 4 yr program, but Im not sure. I really like the idea of being able to work in the field that Im studying. I want to get my ASN, sign a contract at a hospital that will pay for my school, and then get my BSN. Later on my Masters, but I need opinions on which route I should take.

Thanx in advance

[llg, PhD, RN]

If you do a search of this website, you will find lots of threads answering the identical question for other people. You'll also find that about half of the members will tell you to choose the ADN first and the other half will tell you to get your BSN right away. I would recommend you get your BSN first if you can because you will already have at least 2 years of college coursework completed before you start your nursing studies. Many of those courses would count towards your BSN -- making the difference between your ADN and BSN requirements relatively small.

Also, unless you choose your courses correctly for this coming year, you may have to take additional pre-requisites to qualify for admissions to an ADN program. If you are going to take that many courses beofre entering the ADN program, you may as well apply them to the BSN and get it done at the same time.

If you want to read everyone's detailed opinions of the advantages of each route, do a search. But keep in mind that you have to investigate the particular program requirements of the programs you are considering to make a good decision because the requirements and the options vary. What was true for someone else in another part of the country might NOT be true for you and the programs you are looking at.

Finally, you may find that your local ADN programs have long waiting lists and/or only take students with exceptionally high GPA's in their prerequisite coursework and your goofing off last year may come back to haunt you. It may not be as easy to get accepted there as you may think. So ... investigate the specifics of those programs.

1. Buckle down and get serious about your schoolwork this year to give yourself the best chance of being accepted into a nursing program. The competition for the better programs is fierce.

2. Investigate the specific admissions requirements of each of the programs you are considering -- as well as the courses you will need to take to graduate. This will allow you to make a good comparison of your choices. The BSN might not take any longer or be any more expensive -- but it maight be. You won't know until you compare the specifics of each side-by-side.

3. Do a search of this site to read the many threads that address this topic to hear more opinions -- some of which are excellent and unbiased -- but recognize that some of them are not.

Good luck to you!

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Good luck in whatever you do!