Am I doing the right thing?

Published

First of all before I go on, I'd like to introduce myself as a first time poster. I've been looking on the net for some time and browsing through various forums and have just recently discovered allnurses.com and I have to say I am glad I came across this website!

Be prepared for a semi long read, but I'll try to keep it as short and as detailed as possible. Also please excuse any grammatical or punctuation errors in this post, it's pretty late here and I am tired heh.

I am currently a student at a community college, and have been for about 3 years now (on and off between some semesters though if you want to get technical). I did not start looking into nursing as a potential path until late last year and if I had been focused and upfront about what I wanted to do from the start I could have done wonders for myself and probably could have had my BSN by now, but the past is past now and I can't change that, the only power I have to steer for is the future and I plan to do just that. I recently got admitted into a University, but after speaking with the school's pre nursing advisor, I've started to consider other options and alternatives.

Firstly, I don't have very many pre-requisites for the nursing program done. I have around two or three classes done, and I have done quite well in almost all of them. Secondly, the pre-requisite classes at the university have already been filled with the exception of biology which I was only able to snag only because there were so many seats available. All of the other classes such as human anatomy and physiology, nutrition, statistics, and early childhood development were either full to the brim (with waiting lists) or not offered during the fall semester. This became increasingly frustrating for me because I did not want to jeopardize myself by taking classes that I just would not need nor would I care for. Because of this, I decided to look and research for some alternatives and I found out that my community college's main campus has a nursing program. So, I went to speak with an advisor regarding this and she gave me a list of pre-requisites that must be completed in order to apply for the program and also emphasized that as long as you get a B or above on the two A&P courses you will be eligible to apply for the program.

Now, after days of research, and talking with some people, I am trying to find all of the flaws I can in deciding to stay at the community college in pursuit of the nursing program there, but for the life of me I cannot honestly tell myself that it would be a better idea to go to the University and dump this chance. There is one major drawback to staying with the community college nursing program and that's the fact that there is a waiting list until spring of 2011, however the advisor told me that people come and go and that the waiting list varies. I've heard stories about the validity of the waiting lists and have been told that as long as you can show that you possess the grades, the determination, and the experience you can maneuver your way around the waiting list. I am not sure if this is true or not. But that one flaw is not enough to damper the many advantages. For one, staying at the CC will be much cheaper, the classes will be smaller (which can be a good or bad thing), it's not as competitive as the University's nursing program, doing my pre requisites there may yield me to other opportunities as well.

And now, so as to avoid dragging this story out any longer, I will ask some questions, I am sure atleast one of these questions has been asked before so I apologize beforehand if it's beaten to a bloody pulp.

Am I doing the right thing by rejecting admission to the University and opting to do my pre-requisites at the CC?

Obviously, by going to the CC I will only be able to obtain an Associate's degree in Nursing, now is this going to hamper my abilities career wise? (I do plan on getting my Bachelor's degree within a year after I finish my associate's)

Why would employers hire a nurse with an ADN as opposed to a nurse with a BSN?

For those who got their ADN first, how hard/easy was it for you to get a job? Were you treated differently in the workplace because of it or not?

That's pretty much it for now, I will have more to post in the morning but just thought I'd leave this out there. Any input that anyone has would be greatly appreciated and trust me I'll read them all.

Thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Am I doing the right thing by rejecting admission to the University and opting to do my pre-requisites at the CC?

You're going to get lots of different takes on this from different people. The only person who can answer this question for you is you. We can help you break down the pros and cons of the individual variables involved in each choice (cost, wait time, etc.), but the overall choice is going to be unique to you.

Obviously, by going to the CC I will only be able to obtain an Associate's degree in Nursing, now is this going to hamper my abilities career wise? (I do plan on getting my Bachelor's degree within a year after I finish my associate's)

What do you want to do with your career? Right now things are a little tight for ADNs in some places, because jobs are scarce and all other things being equal hospitals may pick a BSN new grad over an ADN. By the time you're done that may very well not be an issue though. Since you plan on going back and getting a BSN anyways, I wouldn't worry about it.

Why would employers hire a nurse with an ADN as opposed to a nurse with a BSN?

Your educational background isn't going to be the only thing they look at. When they take into account the whole picture (prior experience, interview, references) an ADN can be a stronger candidate overall than a BSN.

For those who got their ADN first, how hard/easy was it for you to get a job? Were you treated differently in the workplace because of it or not?

I got my BSN first, so I'll pass on this one.

When I made my nursing school decision, it was based primarily on time. With the circumstances I was facing I could complete a BSN in less time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have been an RN with an ADN only for the past 10 years. I have worked in multiple areas from ICU to cardiology PCU to Dialysis, Home Health and Labor and Delivery. I have never been not hired for a job that I applied. I was married with 2 kids when I decided to go to nursing school and actually started school the day my oldest son started kindergarten. I also live in a rural setting in which the closest university with a nursing program is at least an hour commute, whereas there is a community college 3 miles from my home. I have never been "treated" differently because I don't have a bachelor's degree and as a matter of fact, in my 10 years of practice, I have NEVER, EVER had anyone ask me in a job interview if I have my BSN, why I don't have it, or if I plan to get it. The health system that I currently work for actually owns/operates a college and I can get my BSN tuition free (in a year for year commitment agreement) however, I have felt absolutely no need whatsoever to do so. I may eventually want to get my Bachelor's degree, but I can tell you one thing for certain... it won't be in nursing. Marketing, possibly, but not nursing... they can keep the .50/hr that they pay for having a BSN. Just my:twocents:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Okay, read some of the responses and I'd like to add more.

Basically how it breaks down is this way. If I stay at the CC, and if I finish all of my pre-requisites by let's say spring of 2010, I can apply to the other nearby schools and universities (of which have nursing programs). The pre-requisites for the CC and these other schools are nearly identical. The biggest issue and concern is, that I have to absolutely bring my GPA up to at least a 3.3 which I think will put me in an okay position to get accepted into these schools. I can and I will be able to bring my gpa up to that (I am taking summer courses now which is going to help bump me up a little bit).

I am just mainly concerned that if I don't get into the three nursing schools that I am thinking of applying to, what options do I have, or what am I going to do for a whole year until spring of 2011 when I can finally be admitted into the nursing program at my CC? I suppose I could get a job as a CNA and work for a semester, or even retake some classes that I did horribly on initially and opt for a better grade, but I am not sure how nursing schools in general would feel about an individual retaking some classes.

For those who were hit with a waiting list, is there really anyway to get around it? Or is it pretty much set in stone that you must wait regardless?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It is a good idea to take your req's at CC b/c they are the pretty much the same as the university, except maybe for chem and some other support courses.

What you may consider doing is to take A&P and the other core science reqs you need for the CC NS, and apply to get yourself on the waiting list.

Then you can finish any other classes you need for the university, and apply there.

This would be a good backup plan for yourself in case you can't get into the university.

I only wish that I had done this . . . I instead transfered to my university before my req's were done, and ended up having to wait a semester before I could even take them b/c they were so full.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion