I've read a lot of the threads already in the Pre-Nursing Student Forum and understand that "an RN is an RN" and that an RN degree can be earned at a community college or a 4-year college or university, but that a nurse earns more with a BSN. My question is since I already have a BA in non-nursing area (I'm almost done with an MA actually), would it be better for me salary-wise (a higher salary in my first job and subsequently) to earn a BSN instead of an RN? The reason that I ask is that I could earn an RN at a community college near me or I could take the pre-req's there and apply for the BSN at the 4-year university where I'm finishing up my master's at. If I completed an RN at a community college, would an RN + a BA be treated the same as a BSN? I can transfer all applicable credits for an RN at a community college or a BSN at 4-year college, so that's would be the same either way. I am aware that there are Accelerated BSN and Second Degree programs for people who have a BA in a non-nursing area, but my state doesn't have them. I'm set on attending a public college no matter what for the lower-tuition cost. In terms of time to completion, it would take me 5 semesters after completion of pre-reqs in either case including completing a master's in clinical nurse leadership, which I am not interested in b/c it costs nearly doubled that of undergraduate tuition and from what I've read on this website and in researching areas and specialities of nursing, you are not compensated for. (Maybe that will change in the future, but I don't want to count on "maybes"). I've accumulated a lot of student loan debt already, so I have to be very cognizant of how much I would be charged for tuition, fees, books and supplies for nursing degree.
Any information, advice would be much appreciated -- thank you ahead of time! :)
Yeah, if I had a choice of RN, BSN, or ABSN in my state (I think a for-profit or a private, non-profit college offers a ABSN in my state), I'd still choose the RN or BSN. I think the ABSN programs sound like they pack too much into a short period of time and I would be concerned about being adequately prepared.
My only advice to you is look into whether the MSN programs you're most likely to apply to except RN + BA. Someone else who responded to my question said that some MSN programs only take the BSN. Not sure how common that is, though, b/c it seems ridiculous since it is the same education altogether, you probably have already investigated this though. I'm going to check out some MSN in the states where I'd like to live someday to see if they care.
Thanks for your response. I looked into the admissions for both the RN and BSN programs I'll be applying to (one community college and one 4-year public) and there are no waiting lists per say. At the CC, I have to take the "Teas" test and the top 25 students are admitted. This CC just implemented that test this semester and 25 were accepted out of 27 and this CC accepts three times a year. At the 4-year public, I think it is around 50 percent that are accepted. I can't remember if they accept once or twice a year. I'm also going to check out the other publics in my state. I can easily move and there must be other public RN programs in my state.
Some other thoughts: There have been a lot of postings in this forum about whether students in associate degree programs are cheated because many really take three years, not two, once all the pre-requisites are factored in. Tweety, one of the moderators here, has a lot to say about that. If you already have all the pre-reqs done, it's not a problem; but if you don't, why go to school for three years to walk away with an associate's degree when you already have a bachelor's degree?
Second, consider the school's yield, not only the acceptance rate; that is, the percentage of students who accept a particular school's offer of enrollment. For example, if the four-year school you're eyeing accepts 50 percent of applicants, there's no way that all of those accepted enrolled; however, if more accept the offer than anticipated, they often wind up on waiting lists anyway. You should know what the policy is before you set your strategy. Some of my classmates wound up waiting for three months to find out whether they'd have seats even after they'd been accepted.
Freedom42, those are good points. I don't have any of the science pre-requisites completed, so what I am thinking is that I will complete them at the community college near me and apply for the BSN at the 4-year public near me for the BSN. I'm also looking into other 4-year publics in my state that have a nursing program.
Freedom42, I searched using the discovernursing.com website and there's only 1 4-year public university that has a nursing program, so I'll have to pursue that and see what happens.
Is an RN an RN? Some would say yes. I would say no. Though entry-level RNs generally are paid the same, regardless of educational background, that's not always the case. You'll find posts on this forum that allude to hospitals paying entry-level nurses with BSNs a bit more (e.g., 5 percent more to start). More significantly, you'll see a lot of posts about hospitals in urban areas hiring only BSNs. In my relatively rural area, a lot of entry-level jobs are now labeled "BSN-preferred." So, no, an RN is not an RN when it comes to opportunities. It depends on where you want to work and what you want to do. If you don't know the answers yet, I personally think you should keep all options open.
True, but an RN with a BS or a BA is comparable to a BSN in qualifications; I mean, it's just general eds we're talking about here. I think, particularly for those who are interested in practice at the graduate level, a second bachelors isn't much more than a lateral move.
I completely forgot about the option of the BSN (vs ABSN)! I too have no financial aid available since I already used mine up on the BA. The ABSN is definitely instense so I don't plan on working full-time while in the program. (I've been telling people that I'll be upset if I don't get in but I'll be scared if I do!) I'm fortunate to have a fiance who is able to support us and family close by. He is looking at it as an investment in our future. I picked the ABSN over the BSN because of the time involved to get the degree. I had half of the pre-reqs done from the work I did during my other undergrad, and I took the remaining last year at the CC. I'm pretty sure all the pre-reqs necessary for the BSN program would evenutally need to be completed do get a higher degree after the ASN. I definitely recommend doing the pre-reqs at a CC. Much cheaper!
Can anyone answer this question though--- Is an RN who has a bachelor's degree in another field (lets say Psychology for arguments sake) equal to a BSN? If someone gets an ASN in nursing after they already have a B.A degree will they be treated the same in the workplace as someone with a BSN? Will they be able to potentially move into a charge nurse or managerial role? If all the hospital wants is a bachelor's degree and you have an BA PLUS an ASN isn't that somewhat equal to someone that has a BSN?
My understanding is no, BA in another field + ADN does not equal BSN. That said, you don't necessarily have to have a BSN to be a charge nurse. It depends on where you are working and what the policy is. Most nurses don't have higher degrees, anyway.
While ADN and BSN have the same license, I disagree that they have the same qualifications. In my state, ADNs do not complete pathophysiology, pharmacology, community health, community health clinicals, leadership and ethics, theory, and statistics. Those are not "general ed" courses.
Can anyone answer this question though--- Is an RN who has a bachelor's degree in another field (lets say Psychology for arguments sake) equal to a BSN? If someone gets an ASN in nursing after they already have a B.A degree will they be treated the same in the workplace as someone with a BSN? Will they be able to potentially move into a charge nurse or managerial role? If all the hospital wants is a bachelor's degree and you have an BA PLUS an ASN isn't that somewhat equal to someone that has a BSN?
Can anyone answer this question though--- Is an RN who has a bachelor's degree in another field (lets say Psychology for arguments sake) equal to a BSN? If someone gets an ASN in nursing after they already have a B.A degree will they be treated the same in the workplace as someone with a BSN? Will they be able to potentially move into a charge nurse or managerial role? If all the hospital wants is a bachelor's degree and you have an BA PLUS an ASN isn't that somewhat equal to someone that has a BSN?
Wouldn't you be at a great advantage to have a BS in nursing vs a BA if you wanted a head nurse or managerial role? I would think so but maybe someone with hospital insight has an answer....
lifeisaflowergarden
15 Posts
Yeah, if I had a choice of RN, BSN, or ABSN in my state (I think a for-profit or a private, non-profit college offers a ABSN in my state), I'd still choose the RN or BSN. I think the ABSN programs sound like they pack too much into a short period of time and I would be concerned about being adequately prepared.
My only advice to you is look into whether the MSN programs you're most likely to apply to except RN + BA. Someone else who responded to my question said that some MSN programs only take the BSN. Not sure how common that is, though, b/c it seems ridiculous since it is the same education altogether, you probably have already investigated this though. I'm going to check out some MSN in the states where I'd like to live someday to see if they care.