ADN is fine?

momof2RN · Apr 11, 2007

I went the ADN route and have never regretted it. After a two year break from school, I went back and completed my BSN totally online. My employer also paid for my BSN, so it was a win-win situation for me. I worked full-time (and had a newborn and toddler) while completing the program and never really had much problem. Luckily, I also have a fabulous husband who supported me every step of the way.

Good luck with whatever you decide on.

mtruland · Apr 11, 2007

Thanks for the reply. I really am up in arms about this whole situation. I really don't want to spend another 80,000 if it really isn't going to help me out that much...

Thanks,

Matt

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 11, 2007

Whether it's worth it depends on your goals. But it's a good investment in your future. Some ADNs have pre-reqs and waiting lists that wind up taking four years. But if you can truly become an RN 2 years from now, it's probably better to do that. Otherwise if it's more than two years, stick with the BSN if you can get it and get it out of the way.

I'm in an RN to BSN program and can do it while working full time. I'm relative sure it's going to be my ticket away from floor nursing when the stress and physical nature of the job gets to me as I age. Many say "I have not desire to get away from patients" and that's fine, but some of us are looking at having to work until age 65 and beyond and who is to say what I'm going to feel like 20 years from now after I've been a floor nurse for 40 years. I don't want to go into management for sure.

SICU Queen · Apr 11, 2007

Go for the ADN and get your employer to pay for your BSN. You can be getting experience and income while you complete your RN-BSN. There are a lot of quality online programs these days.

Good luck!

arciedee · Apr 11, 2007

I would apply to both (assuming you haven't already applied to UNH's program). If you check out the NH forum you'll see that there's lots of competition for the local ADN programs and lots of qualified people get rejected or waitlisted. So I would keep all your options open.

PMFB-RN, RN · Apr 12, 2007

At the risk of upsetting a bunch of people I can only think of 4 reasons a person should get a BSN as their qualifying degree.

1. They are a new high school grad and need the college experience.

2. You get a free ride scholarship.

3. The waiting list to a CC is longer than 1 year.

4. You already have a BS in another field and go the accelerated BSN rout.

Except for those reasons I think it's better to get an ADN. They are cheaper and if you can get one in 2 year as we can here in Wisconsin you could spend the next two years getting an online BSN with your hospital paying for it while making $50,000/year.

By going the ADN rout in four years you could have a free BSN, two years experience as an RN and would have made around $100K in those two years. By going traditional BSN rout in four years you will graduate as a new grad with student loans and won't have made any money and won't have any experience.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 12, 2007

At the risk of upsetting a bunch of people I can only think of 4 reasons a person should get a BSN as their qualifying degree.
1. They are a new high school grad and need the college experience.
2. You get a free ride scholarship.
3. The waiting list to a CC is longer than 1 year.
4. You already have a BS in another field and go the accelerated BSN rout.
Except for those reasons I think it's better to get an ADN. They are cheaper and if you can get one in 2 year as we can here in Wisconsin you could spend the next two years getting an online BSN with your hospital paying for it while making $50,000/year.
By going the ADN rout in four years you could have a free BSN, two years experience as an RN and would have made around $100K in those two years. By going traditional BSN rout in four years you will graduate as a new grad with student loans and won't have made any money and won't have any experience.

Good reasons all.

But just to clarify that in a lot of parts of the country it's not a "free BSN". Employers usually have a cap on what they pay. My employer pays $2300/year tuition reimbursement. Most other folks in my class have a similar cap. Depending on the school it may indeed be "free" but usually there's some out of pocket expenses, especially if you go the online route.

mtruland · Apr 12, 2007

This info is really helpful. I'm working on a resolution to my problem with some help with a local guidance counselor. Thanks guys! I think I'll go for the ADN, and then get a BSN later.

justme1972 · Apr 12, 2007

I went the ADN route and have never regretted it. After a two year break from school, I went back and completed my BSN totally online. My employer also paid for my BSN, so it was a win-win situation for me. I worked full-time (and had a newborn and toddler) while completing the program and never really had much problem. Luckily, I also have a fabulous husband who supported me every step of the way.
Good luck with whatever you decide on.

I am planning to go this route as well...my ADN will cost me about $5,000 total, and to get a BSN for free? You can't beat it!

PMFB-RN, RN · Apr 12, 2007

Good reasons all.
But just to clarify that in a lot of parts of the country it's not a "free BSN". Employers usually have a cap on what they pay. My employer pays $2300/year tuition reimbursement. Most other folks in my class have a similar cap. Depending on the school it may indeed be "free" but usually there's some out of pocket expenses, especially if you go the online route.

*** Yes, you make a good point. My hospital will pay $10,500 one time scholarship AND $1500/year in tuition. The $10,500 comes with a contract that you will work for them for 2.5 years, the $1500/year for tuition is an employment benefit without further obligation.

That comes to $13,500 in the two years, that's about $6,500 more than some RN to BSN programs like University of Wyoming.

I was more thinking about the person not currently in nursing and wanting to get into it and the options open to them who can pick and choose the hospital they will work for.

The fly in the ointment is that it would be hard to find a CC without a waiting list of several years. Here in Wisconsin you really can do an ADN in two years but most, if not all the technical colleges (what Wisconsin calls CC) have waiting lists from 1-5 years. It's a shame because the cost is very, very reasonable.

The exception is for those with an LPN license, no waiting list and can complete the ADN in two, 4 month semesters, I did.

I challenged the LVN boards in Ca based on my army medic experience then moved to Wisconsin with my license in hand and was able to enter the technical college without a wait and graduate in 9 months with a total of 32 earned college credits to my name. I have now found an online RN to BSN program that accepts an ADN from an accredited college as meeting all it's gen ed requirements regardless of what classes I actually took ,and an active RN license satisfies all the natural science requirements. It's an 18 month (3 semesters) program at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Not cheap but between my GI Bill, Army College Fund and the hospital's scholership program it won't cost me anything out of pocket. Nova is NLN accredited. So I should get my RN and BSN in a total of 5 semesters of college, three of them online.

I have been considering doing an RN to MSN progam that does not award a BSN instead. I could do it in 5 semesters online for family nurse practitioner through Frontier School of Nursing in Ky.

Lots and lots of exciting options out there for nurses these days.

mtruland · Apr 12, 2007

I totally agree with that pricepoint. UNH, where I am not to try and get a BSN, will cost me something like 80 grand to complete. That's on top of the 20 I spent this semester!