ADN or BSN. Which is better??

LuvofNursing, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 1, 2009

prickly pear made some very good points.

You have to know what will work best for you. Since I am an ADN nurse, i will tell you what I found to be the benefit of ADN first.

- Cost - community college is much cheaper

- time - i was able to complete my degree in less than two years, and I am getting my BSN on my own time while working fulltime. It makes understanding the material easier, in my opinion.

- bsn options - management positions, certain nursing positions (ie public health, school nurse, sometimes wound care, education nurse) will require a bsn. i did not plan on going into these specific careers at least initially, so it will give me the time to get my bsn.

I hope you find the option that works best for you, and remember, great nurses come from all different paths, so that is the most important thing!

Justa3mptysh3ll · Jul 11, 2011

Okokokok sooo I am new to this.. So here goes.

I am about to start college in 1 month.. I am choosing nursing as my major and I am scared outta my mind. I completed the paper work to do the classes for BSN in nursing. I will be the first person in my family to go to college. I was dumb and dropped out of high school in the 10th grade and while I was in high school I never payed much attention.. Due to this my knowledge in regards to "college" is very limited. I have been researching like a maniac for months on everything I need to do. Recently I read a few forums that stated that bsn or an associate degree make around the same money in this field. :/ !?!? Why. That's not right in my opinion. If you have more schooling and are trained better and cared enough to go for your bsn you would think that you would be compensated right!? Anyways I want to become a Travel Nurse and just travel the world helping people and enjoying life. What should I do? I eventually down the road want to become a dr and join doctors without boarders but that's many many years away.. Thanks for any help regarding my problem. Have a great day guys.

jlpsu · Jul 12, 2011

I'd say that while you may have more schooling - it does not necessarily follow that you are 'trained better'. In my city - many of the diploma programs have a much higher NCLEX pass rate than some of the univeristy BSN programs. I live in an area where diploma programs are still very very present and have a higher reputation among employers than the community college programs...and a higher percentage of students passing than the ADR programs and many, but not all, of the BSN programs.

A BSN and an associates or a diploma trained RN all take exactly the same test to become an RN. That is why many say the pay is the same. To advance in the field of nursing, it is generally recognized that you will need at the minimum a BSN. But that doesn't mean you are a 'better' nurse.

I am going back to school for nursing this fall. I have two B.S. degrees under my belt already. In my situation I am getting my RN license first at a well reputed diploma program (hopefully!), then going back for my RN-BSN. I'd rather start off in a program with over 1000 clinical hours in it, feel confident as a bedside nurse, and THEN go back and have the luxury of studying more theoretical or general nursing processes. I'll go back for my BSN eventually at some point, but until then I may be seen by many of the nurses with a BSN as lesser educated, which is a crock. Maybe I can have my name tag say B.S., B.S., RN. (that's a joke, people).

I'm new here....and I have to say I'm fairly surprised at the infighting among nurses as to the type of education one gets. I think as long as you are a great nurse, it shouldn't matter.

My mom was a nurse for 40 years....Diploma trained back when that's all they had. Worked her way up into Nursing Education and had a long beautiful career...all without taking one darn class in Presidential History or Poetry. A BSN is GREAT and a WONDERFUL accomplishment and everyone who has one should be proud. But it does NOT automatically follow that it makes you a better nurse. Period. It CAN make you a manager or an educator or put you on a path to being an NP...but that's as far as I'm willing to go....

ICU, RN, BSN, B.S. · Jul 18, 2011

This is my first post, so I hope I am doing it right!! Anyway, I just turned 35 and will be starting my prereq's in Jan when I get back from Iraq. I am looking to going into an ADN at a community college by next fall(2006). I am getting a little worried about my choice because it is coming up fast. So, is an ADN a good way to go to be an RN?? I have had good things about the program at the college I will be going to and it is very very convient for me to go there also.

BSN