ADN program compared to NP school

Specialties NP

Published

Hi everyone!

I just graduated from an ADN program 2 months ago. Wow was that tough! I did well (3.5 gpa), but it was just exhausting. I decided somewhere around 3rd semester that I wanted to become an NP. I will be starting an accererated RN to BSN program this fall (18 mo). We were told by almost all of our instructors that this ADN program was the most difficult program compared to the BSN or graduate programs if we would decide to pursue them. Just wondering if you NPs agreed with this. I am thinking that NP school will be very difficult and very comparable to the initial ADN program. Is it as long and grueling as the ADN? Thanks for any responses!!

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Hi there and congrats on graduation! I think I can speak to this subject as I did the LPN, ADN, BSN, MSN, post-MSN CNS certificate. I can honestly say my ADN was rigorous because I was learning new material. However, my MSN and post-MSN education was more rigorous because of the advanced knowledge you must acquire. It is very daunting to be at the top of the food chain so to speak. As an APN, I am responsible for medical management of 200 chronic hemodialysis patients. The buck stops with me for the most part. (I do have collaborating physicians of course, but I am expected to only bug them when I can't figure it out).

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Hi there,

Congrats on finishing up your ADN program. I was in the same situation when I graduated from my ADN program back in 2002, and now I just graduated from my NP program in May, just passed my boards a few weeks ago.

When studying for the boards, I always remembered the difficult exams that I had to take in my ADN program in community college. To me they seemed kind of difficult ..possibly because everything was so new. So when I was studying for tests for NP school..the tests didn't seem so bad..possibly becuase I had few years of nursing under my belt.

As for my experience, the big difference between NP school and nursing school is that in my Master's program...its was just more (as in quantity) of what they expect from me as a student. The tests weren't any harder, we just had to do more papers, presentations, and case studies. And most of my instructors were very nitpicky on details, details..hope this helps

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Good points Butch! Congrats on your graduation and passing boards.

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Congrats on graduation!! I, too went the ADN route for my RN. I was also told my program was as difficult if not more than the local BSN programs, as we had much more clinical time involved. I waited a year after graduating with my RN before going back for my NP. I was in an accelerated ADN to MSN program. I had to do a number of BSN classes, but not all of them prior to my starting the NP program here in Michigan. As hard as my ADN program was, I really thought my NP program was equally difficult. I was the only psycho one in my NP program that continued to work full time while in the program full time, also (keep that in mind!). I think it's all relative as far as the difficulty level goes. Np school was hard because you are again learning the primary care/provider piece of the healthcare system, and for me I felt much more pressure knowing that it was ME who now had to make the final decisions on orders, patient care, etc. I have been working as a NP now for just a year and love it, of course so it's all worth the work. Don't let the other staff nurses criticize you for going back to school! Despite what they say it is worth all the work to become a normal person again after working nights, weekends, holidays.........I could go on and on!!! Good luck!!:lol2:

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