I tried to do a search on this (to no avail), so forgive me if this has already been addressed...feel free to link me to a thread if it has.
My situation is this: I already have a bachelor's degree (psychology), and have been taking nursing pre-req's at Rio, MCC, GCC, and PC. I have about 2 semesters left before I can apply to the BSN program at ASU.
The reason I've geared myself toward the BSN is because it would take me about the same time to get my BSN (already having a bachelor's) as it would take me to get my ADN. At the time, it seemed to make sense to me to get the BSN if it took about the same amount of time.
Then recently I had a discussion w/ someone at work whose wife just graduated from Gateway (Banner program). He was like, "why do you want to get a bachelor's? my wife had a 3.7 and couldn't get into ASU. ASU offers no practical experience, only simulations." Needless to say, I took all of this in with a grain of salt. But it did spark my interest - I've been so focused down one path that others didn't really occur to me.
I guess what I'm wanting to know is if any of you are/were post-bacalaureate, pre-nursing and if so, what route did you take? My goal is to position myself well for both the short-term (by getting a good job, etc) and the long-term (some kind of graduate degree).
Any thoughts/insight would be tremendously appreciated!
Thanks everyone for your responses. I've met with an ASU advisor, so my pre-req path has been geared toward ASU - I don't know the difference between the pre-reqs for the ADN and the BSN. So, I think I'll meet with some advisors re: the ADN and then just see which fits best for me when the time comes (hopefully only 2 semesters after this one).
I'm married with no children right now and can afford not to work (although I have a part-time job right now), but my husband and I are also trying to start a family so my life situation may definitely change.
Thanks again, I really appreciate everyone taking time to respond and share your experiences!
I forgot to post this earlier...here is a link to the application for the ADN program. It lists all of the pre-reqs for you.....
Hah, I'm in the same boat as Thrash, I have a dual associate already (AA/AGS), but not much applied to nursing, so I'm taking the classes all over again lol :)
I chose ADN because it would be quicker for me to get into the job position. However, since I'm looking to eventually become a CRNA, I still have to get the BSN regardless. My thought process was that if I have a good 6 years of school ahead of me, that it may be best to go for a few years, become an RN and either go part time or take a semester off to work and get used to the roles.
After that, then back to school for the BSN and hopefully I'd have saved enough to just focus on the CRNA schooling.
My cousin's best friend is an RN with a BSN and she pretty much said the same about the simluations, etc. She said it's not hte same unless you're actually in the ether and soaking it all in.
Your mileage may vary, but I think it's a perfectly valid question. If I didn't have a family at home waiting for daddy, I'd probably just pound it all out, but some situations require a little extra forethought.
I chose ADN because it would be quicker for me to get into the job position. However, since I'm looking to eventually become a CRNA, I still have to get the BSN regardless. My thought process was that if I have a good 6 years of school ahead of me, that it may be best to go for a few years, become an RN and either go part time or take a semester off to work and get used to the roles.
Your mileage may vary, but I think it's a perfectly valid question. If I didn't have a family at home waiting for daddy, I'd probably just pound it all out, but some situations require a little extra forethought.
Thanks, GibertDaddy, this perspective does help...much appreciated!
You are not alone in that dilema. I have two degrees. When it came down to it - BSN required lots more pre-reqs that I could not take via distance learning. So it was a matter of quiting work, taking lots of pre-reqs, and then taking the chance ASU wouldn't take me to begin with. So I said "what the heck", and I'm going for the ADN. I just wanted the fastest route to getting some income. While I am in the ADN program (Phoenix College - starting in August 2006), I have already signed up for some of the BSN pre-reqs, so I can knock that degree off as soon as I am finished with the ADN, and then go for the FNP masters degree.
It really isn't a huge decision - just go with the program that takes you first.
I poked around and asked about the FNP career. I discovered FNPs burn out quick from heavy PT workloads. One of ASU's staff is an FNP and she teaches to try to avoid the burn out. Another FNP I talked to got out of the rat-race by working at a hospital in the organ transplant group.
mattsmom64
321 Posts
I forgot to post this earlier...here is a link to the application for the ADN program. It lists all of the pre-reqs for you.....
http://healthcare.maricopa.edu/pdfDocs/NursingApp.pdf