ADN or BSN?

[ginaw623]

Hello everyone. I currently already hold a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development & Family Science. I graduated in 2010 and now I am thinking I want to go back to school to become an RN. Now my dilemna is whether to enroll in community college for cheap and get that ADN in one year or less so I can sit for the NCLEX and work for awhile...OR to just go for one of those accelerated BSN programs (expensive as crap) which would take 1-2 years. I already have 60k loan debt from my first degree, so the cheap ADN route is appealing to me. But my ultimate goal is to become an NP, so maybe getting the BSN now and not bothering with the ADN would be best. My plan was to get the ADN and get employment (hopefully) at the hospital so they will pay for me to go through the BSN-MSN program as I work as an RN. This plan would save lots of money and then my BSN-MSN would take a total of 3 years. Is this the best plan, or will it be difficult to obtain an RN job with the ADN? I am trying to make the most financially smart decision based on all the debt I already have and the fact that I am young (23) and have time. Thanks!

[maccheese]

Is there not a state school in your area that has a BSN program? They are usually lower in cost. To me, an ADN and an accelerated BSN take the same amount of time. As far as obtaining a job with an ADN, it really depends on your market. You may want to start asking around at hospitals. I know a lot of hospitals in my area are going for Magnet status so they highly prefer BSN, but there are also plenty of other hospitals that are still hiring ADN's. It depends on where you want to work.

[FitMommyRN]

I'm not sure I've heard of an ADN program that takes one year or less. The program I'm in is four semesters back-to-back. Usually nursing programs are around 4-5 semesters of nursing coursework not including any pre-reqs you may have to pick up first. I would suggest the cheapest route with 60K already in student loan debt. I already had my bachelor's and master's degrees in another field and took out loans to get me through grad school. I didn't feel I could justify adding a whole lot more to that debt with a university or private school.

[knittygrittyRN, MSN, RN]

Most ADN programs are about 2 years or more, so I don't know why a school is posting it in your area for less (unless its for some other nursing degree and not an RN).

If you want to become an NP then yes you might as well get a BSN (not to mention this is more attractive to hospitals since most want nurses with this degree).

You can get an ADN and work however most of the hospitals in my area require that you work for almost 10 years before they'll pay for any further education. You'll have to look into this but if you really want to wait that long before you get a Master's it might be a more attractive option.

Another option is I know Yale offers a Master's entry into nursing for students with a Bachelors degree. This way you'll earn a Master's degree in Nursing and become an RN. (This however doesn't make you an NP its basically just providing a BSN level education at a higher degree you'll need a Post Masters certification to be an NP).