AS in RN to BS?

Or just do prereqs and do BSN to start with? If not, go with the ADN.

If I go for BSN, that's even longer working this lower paying job; that's my hang-up.

Thank you for your input. :)

keep your eye on the prize. five years from now you'll be sorrier'n'heck that you didn't just go right for the bsn when you could have.

do not waste your time on the intermediate steps, especially the lpn thang. i really have no idea at all why anyone with any academic ability at all would even bother with that.lpn is a dead-end job in a nursing home or office, with no chance of meaningful advancement and low pay scales. i know the temptation to get the lpn and work and some kind of income, but reality is that some of your credits won't transfer and it will take you the a longer length of time to get where you want to be if you do that. you'll be working a lot of years; the wage differential will pay for itself fast, and you'll have better job security and many more open doors ahead of you.

been around a long time, seen a lot of places, taught in a lot of schools, worked as a staff development person in hospitals orienting and teaching staff, and believe me when i say again: do not waste your time. bsn straight away is the way to go. it's your future.

GrnTea, thank you much for your opinion.

I am thinking this as well... It just may be the better deal. I would be an idiot to disregard someone with as much experience as it sounds like you have. The credits from the ASN school transfer to Boise State, but BSN is probably best...

I just submitted my FAFSA and forgot to include Boise State University in my list of schools. >.

I have a question for you - hopefully you are following this topic...

I hope to go to school full time. I currently work 9-5 M-F, however, I used to work the 5p-9a 4 on 3 off schedule when I attended school for Massage. This worked great. Awake for about five hours of the shift. So I would have time to study and what-not as well. Do you think this would be a good shift for full-time schooling at a traditional university such as BSU? I would really rather not spend more than five years in college. As it is, I will be 29 when I get out if I start next year. Still young, I know, but that is just that much longer that I have to keep my family living in this house (w/ mother, father [who aren't so bad] and my delinquent older brother]) and in this God-awful area. But I really want to do what is best for my career. On days that classes interrupt my work schedule, I will most likely be able to have someone come in early for me.

Anyways, thank you - your reply is just what I needed. :)

not sure what you mean about working 5p to 9a and being awake for 5 hours of the shift. if i could have had a job when i was a student that paid me for sleep time i would have been be soooo there!

as to whether it would work for school, that will depend on a lot of factors-- for example, what about clinical hours? many schools will have you in clinical a couple of days a week, maybe weekends, on evenings, and if not, certainly day shift begins before 9a. if your job is flexible enough to let you swap days around, it could work from that standpoint. since i don't know what kind of work it is or how much it takes out of you, i can't begin to tell you whether it would be something you could reasonably continue as a nursing student, though.

you will have a ton of studying to do, and will need the time to put into that, as well as more school hours than most people (think labs, clinicals). can you get in touch with some students in the programs you're pursuing and ask them? i guess you will just have to see how it goes, and have a good plan b (and a plan c) in case it doesn't work for you. let us know how it goes! good luck!

Definitely go for the ASN. Not only is a lot (a lot!) cheaper, but if Idaho is anything like Indiana, a lot of schools are phasing out their LPN-RN transition programs. That school I go to, which happens to be Indiana's only public community college system, is beginning to. You may also find yourself having trouble finding a job as an LPN that pays what you're looking for. While you're working on your RN you can always look for a job as a student nurse extern or patient care tech.

GrnTea, I work with developmentally disabled adults in an apartment.

I am still considering the ASN, as Salary.com shows that 43% of RN's have an ASN, while 49% have a BSN. So would it really be that bad for me to get my ASN and then get my BSN at a later date?

GrnTea, I work with developmentally disabled adults in an apartment.

I am still considering the ASN, as Salary.com shows that 43% of RN's have an ASN, while 49% have a BSN. So would it really be that bad for me to get my ASN and then get my BSN at a later date?

I personally don't think so. A BSN is becoming a more and more valuable and sometimes necessary asset to have as a nurse in today's market; however, there is a plethora of RN-BSN programs out there. Many of them are designed so that you can work as an RN while you complete your degree. Best of luck with whatever option you choose.

Okay, CWI (ASN) is not accredited. Carrington, however, is. Anyways, I am still on the fence... I just don't know what the best route is - and how it will all work with me working 3 on, 4 off nights/week.

I am applying at BSU this week for. I don't know how traditional universities work, so it's pretty strange to me. Like, not knowing the class schedule before even going to orientation, not knowing exactly which classes I will take, etc. Anyways...

I am a little discouraged. A coworker of mine applied multiple times to the nursing program at BSU, and never got in. She said she had a 4.0 and high entrance exam scores. She gave up applying to nursing, and graduated with a BS in Psychology.

Does not sound good. "/