Advice what route should I take (Non-Nursing Bachelors, Currently Clinical Trials Assistant)

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Hello! First time post but I wanted to get some advice on what I should do in my current situation. First off, I have a Bachelors in a non-nursing field and I am currently a clinical trials assistant. I do have some patient experience in a clinical setting but patient contact is somewhat minimal given the other paper work that goes into research that I have to do. Being on this job made me realize how much I really enjoy patient interaction and made me push to becoming a nurse! As of right now, my goal is to get my BSN but before I do that I would like to get my ADN first (cheaper route, LOL). I was thinking of becoming a CNA and possibly landing a hospital job would give more more patient experience and hopefully finding an RN job more easily after my getting my ADN and working into my BSN. I also still need to do some nursing pre-reqs so I plan on doing those online while I work as a CNA.

I was kinda wondering if you all think hospitals would hire a new grad CNA with my current clinical experience and given that I do currently hold a bachelors in science. Please share me your thoughts and ideas and if even being a CNA is a bit of an overkill seeing that I am already working in a clinical setting.

Also, if you are a CNA and doing pre-reqs how is it going for you? I would love to know!

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If you are looking to go the most economical route, then ADN would be wise and you can later bridge to a BSN. Some schools even have programs which do this concurrently, but you would have to check w/ the school you'll be applying to and see what they recommend there.

Honestly, with your background I think you're wasting your time doing CNA and ADN. You should probably be shooting for an ABSN (Accelerated BSN) or regular BSN. Of course, unless your undergrad grades are horrendous, a BSN is the way to go. There are also entry-level master's degrees in nursing too so you may want to look at those. Yes, they cost a bit more but there are state schools that offer these so the cost isn't too bad.

Why a BSN and not ADN? In some states, the larger or magnet hospitals only hire BSN and above. This is starting to become more commonplace across the US though.

You already have work experience in a health/science related field. I think you're solid.

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Specializes in Cardio.

I am currently a teacher and have a Bachelor's and Master's in another area. I am going the ASN route with an accelerated evening and weekend program. The program is 4 semesters (after pre-reqs) that consists of two evening classes and weekend clinicals. It is a long commute for me, but it is worth it given the tuition cost (community college) and non-traditional option. After getting one bachelor's degree I do not want any school debt! After I graduate, I will continue to a RN to BSN program while working as a nurse.

I had a lot of friends who encouraged me to go the BSN or accelerated BSN route. There are a lot of pros for the BSN route: 1) More hiring options, 2) "Just getting it over with" and 3) Focusing on school full-time but they are also 1) Longer and 2) More expensive and 3) More school debt from not working. They also suggested the accelerated Masters but there were only two in my state and they were a long ways from me and really expensive. The link below allows you to search for the school programs in your state.

https://www.aacnnursing.org/About-AACN/Who-We-Are/Member-Schools

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8 hours ago, Mergirlc said:

If you are looking to go the most economical route, then ADN would be wise and you can later bridge to a BSN. Some schools even have programs which do this concurrently, but you would have to check w/ the school you'll be applying to and see what they recommend there.

Honestly, with your background I think you're wasting your time doing CNA and ADN. You should probably be shooting for an ABSN (Accelerated BSN) or regular BSN. Of course, unless your undergrad grades are horrendous, a BSN is the way to go. There are also entry-level master's degrees in nursing too so you may want to look at those. Yes, they cost a bit more but there are state schools that offer these so the cost isn't too bad.

Why a BSN and not ADN? In some states, the larger or magnet hospitals only hire BSN and above. This is starting to become more commonplace across the US though.

You already have work experience in a health/science related field. I think you're solid.

Unfortunately my grades aren't the best (below 3.0) and I don't think I would qualify for an ABSN even if I did well in my pre reqs due to my undergrad GPA. But in my area there are hospitals that hire ADNs if they have acute experience which is why I wanted to also do the CNA route as well.

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1 hour ago, juliacq said:

Unfortunately my grades aren't the best (below 3.0) and I don't think I would qualify for an ABSN even if I did well in my pre reqs due to my undergrad GPA. But in my area there are hospitals that hire ADNs if they have acute experience which is why I wanted to also do the CNA route as well.

Hmmmm, I'll agree - that undergrad GPA probably would not have gotten you into any BSN/ABSN program. Hopefully the ADN programs in your area only take into account your Prereqs and HESI or TEAS scores. In that case....it might be wise to get CNA or Volunteer experience since you need as many points as you can get to get in. As long as your undergrad GPA doesn't come into play, you do have good solid clinical trial experience and that has to count for something!

Good luck to you and I wish you the best!

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