Am I making the right choice?

[silverwatch]

My background: I have a bachelor's in business. I am 30, married and mother of 2 babies.

I have all the prerequisites finished for either a BSN at a University or an accelerated ADN at a Community College.

The difference is BSN is $16,000 and it's 2 full years full time, whereas the accelerated ADN is $4,000 and it's a 13 month program. I would be paying out of pocket either way.

The BSN would be a more leisurely pace - summers off etc so I could spend time with my children. The ADN would have me in school straight through winter and summers for those 13 months.

My husband is also wanting to quit his job ASAP to go back to school and of course we have a mortgage and bills to consider while I'm in school.

I'm definitely leaning toward the ADN. I think I want to continue on to get my MSN - is it setting me back too far to just get my ADN now? Will it be relatively easy to finish a BSN while I am working as a nurse? Would a hospital help pay for that?

So many things to take into consideration, my head is spinning!

[cclem1]

Hi,

Well, I'm in a very similar situation; I am also married with two young children and want to go back to nursing school as a second degree. I live in Massachusetts and there are many nursing programs here; accelerated BSN, direct entry MSN and ASN. I applied and was accepted to a program that was a two year accelerated BSN but with a price tag of $27,000/YEAR. So, in the end I turned it down b/c it was too expensive. I am applying now to an ASN program that is also two year (I wish there were one that was 13 months) b/c it's cheaper and is evening/weekend since I don't have any help with the kids. Honestly, it does feel like I'm back tracking, but I have to think about what's best for my family right now. Eventually I want to be an NP and there are programs out here that allow for entry into master's programs with as ASN + BS in another field...so that is the route I was thinking. I think you have to decide what your long term goals are and know there are MANY ASN-BSN programs out there that can be done online and in as little as one year. I think overall the BSN will allow you with more opportunity in the long run and may be more marketable to potential employers. But really, I don't think you can go wrong either way. You need to do what's best for you and your family. I think both situations you suggest are win-win either way!

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Cheaper and quicker is also the most difficult.

The main thing to consider that the accelerated program is tough and demanding. Nursing school un-accellerated is demanding. You are going to have to sacrifice a lot of time, and without your husband stepping up to the plate to help with the house and kids it's going to be impossible with two babies. You're going to need a lot of study time at an accelerated program.

If you can do this then yes, you can then go back at get your BSN at any number of RN to BSN programs out there while working full time. Almost all hospitals have some sort of tuition reimbursement program, but not all pay 100% of tuition. For example, in my RN to BSN program, my employer paid $2200.00 per year, but since it was a private school, I still had some out-of-pocket expense. Almost all RN to BSN programs are designed for the working nurse.