AS vs BSN (?)

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Hi,

Great board........Very glad I found it.

I wanted to know what some of the differences are in getting an Associates vs. Bachelors? When it comes to the RN programs.

I can only guess that there may be a difference in pay but other than that I need to turn to you folks to help me out.

Any info you can give is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again

Rob

I original was going to first get my RN then my BSN, then my NP. Well, that charged about three days ago. My wife was at a leadership con, and a NP was hosting a lecture. When my wife talked to the NP, she was excited by my going into nursing. She stated that made little sense to go the original way, and just to become a BSN from the start. :eek:

The more I looked into it, I like the idea of getting a four-year degree. This thread helped!:D

I was worried that a RN program would go at warp-speed, and the BSN degree seemed to be more relexed. Well, for a nursing program!:p

My wife is a grad of TCU, and I think it would that it be nice for us to be from the same school.

So, is this the best way, if the the money and time are inline for either a RN or BSN?

old-master has spoken.....

:cool:

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I am a firm advocate of ADN education. ADN education offers sound nursing curriculua, based on knowledge necessary to function as a Registered Professional Nurse. ADN students out score BSN students on the licensure exam, and have for about the last 15 years.

There is no difference in pay once you begin work in the hospital. In fact once you are employed most hospitals will pay for you to advance your degree. In West Virginia, WVU has an ADN to MSN program in place. You by-pass the BSN and in three years you receive your MSN. You can receive the MSN with an option in Education, Nurse Practitioner, or Administration.

In my opinion this would be the way to go. Begin at a good community college in your area. Pass the licensure exam on the first try, as most ADN students do, then let your employer pay for an ADN-MSN program. Good Luck!

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Originally posted by pama

I am a firm advocate of ADN education. ADN education offers sound nursing curriculua, based on knowledge necessary to function as a Registered Professional Nurse. ADN students out score BSN students on the licensure exam, and have for about the last 15 years.

There is no difference in pay once you begin work in the hospital. In fact once you are employed most hospitals will pay for you to advance your degree. In West Virginia, WVU has an ADN to MSN program in place. You by-pass the BSN and in three years you receive your MSN. You can receive the MSN with an option in Education, Nurse Practitioner, or Administration.

In my opinion this would be the way to go. Begin at a good community college in your area. Pass the licensure exam on the first try, as most ADN students do, then let your employer pay for an ADN-MSN program. Good Luck!

lalalalalalalalalalalalalaal come on Pama come up with something more original same than the same old BS. ADN students outscore BSN students on the NCLEX and how does art appriciation make me a better nurse are the standard answers to this everytime it comes up. the type of program you choose should be based on whatsa best for the individual. I did the ADN then BSN completion thing, while I do not regret my education I wish I would have went the BSN route to begin with. I realize now how much valuable information I missed out on like, microbiology, biochemistry, pharmacology at a much more indepth level. pathophysiology, ethics, and genetics. Just to name a few. while all these things contribute to me being a better bedside nurse. The single biggest thing that i got from all this was that I understand why I am doing things instead of just going through the motions I was programmmed to. Do not get me wrong there are plenty of ADN's and diploma nurses who know why there doing things, but in my experiances they are few and far between. It does all come down to what works best for the individual.

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Sorry I cut myself off. The adn-msn programs do not bypass the BSN education. You get your bsn by taking and passing the required curriculum as part of the process. It is not Oh you have an ADN so you can just skip onpast and you can work on your masters. If it were that easy alot more individuals would be MSN's.

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gpip,

I was trying to give Rob an option, a good option. The reason more people do not go from ADN to MSN is because there are very few of these programs nationwide, I believe there are less than 20 and WVU's program has only been in existance for a couple of years. Yes, you are awarded a BSN half way through the program, however in West Virginia this had more to do with advanced practice than anything else.

If the ADN to MSN option had been around when I went back to school don't think I would not have done it in a heart beat. Let's see, 2 years for my ADN, 2 years for my BSN and 3 years for my MSN, I believe that makes 7 years, as opposed to 2 years for an ADN and 3 years for an MSN. The last time I had a math course 5 was less than 7!

ADN students ARE taught why they are doing procedures. It really makes me angry when I hear that ADN students do not have the same education. Everything you listed, with the exception of genetics, is taught in our ADN curriculum.

For me, everything I learned about being a nurse was taught in my ADN program. My BSN program added to, but in no way taught me more than I had learned in the ADN program. ADN students begin from day one critical thinking, concept mapping, and care planning. This includes indepth pathophysiology, which is taught in nursing and in 8 additional hours of science, pharmacology, which is taught in nursing and in an additional course the last semester, an additional course of microbiology, which is also included in the nursing program, ethics,...get my point.

Again, I tried to give Rob an option. I never meant for this post to be the ADN vs. BSN. However, I will tell you I am the Dean of the #1 nursing program in West Virginia. Additionally, we are listed in the top 1% regionally and top 1% NATIONWIDE among ALL programs - Diploma, ADN, and BSN. So I believe I do know what I am talking about!

It's sad your ADN program left a lot to be desired. Don't judge all ADN programs by the very few that have poor standards and curriculum. If you check aroung you will see ADN education is Excellent!

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Pama, Please ignore GPIP. I for one am certainly not reading your emails as the old and continuous debate on this board of ASN vs. BSN. I am doing the ADN route for the very reasons you mentioned...

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Thanks Fulwood.

For so long WV has been in a recession and it has been difficult for students to come up with the money to get the ADN let alone a BSN or MSN. It is just smart to get the ADN and go to work and let the employer pay for the BSN or MSN.

The 2+2 programs are a lot more sensitive to working individuals and to those who have families. Traditional BSN programs are just that, traditional. They are used to dealing with a true freshman, 17-18 years old, usually from a family who had some idea of college, or there are other familiy members who have college educations.

That's fine. However, many individuals out in this world are not as fortunate. And as you see on this post many are returning to nursing after they have been in other careers.

Time is a motiviating factor in my life and if I can get an education in 2 years less time then great. That is what I will advocate, the ADN to MSN, with the MSN being paid for by the employer.

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..

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Will do.......Thanks.

I plan to get more info Friday when I am off.

All these courses etc are very confusing for me since it has been a long time since I was in college. For now the closest I have been to info about the differences between the two colleges (cc and U) is the websites for both. The info they have does nothing for me as I just sit there and stare at the screen....LOL....

I do have one question for you......I dont know what OCC is. I have been thinking about it saying to myself..........think, dont post what the heck is OCC you will look like a fool but I have no idea what it is :(

Again I thank all for the replies, they have helped alot. Thanks for the nice welcome also.

Rob

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Hi Rob, :)

Since the choices of whether to become an ADN or a BSN are still an option, I think the choice of which one to choose is simply a matter of personal preference. Whatever is financially feasible for a person, or whatever fits into a person's life schedule (i.e. kids, spouses, jobs, etc.) then that is what a person should go for.

I do agree that continued education is an added benefit to one's career choice, but there is no harm in reaching one's goals step by step. Better to reach one's goals the best way one knows how than to discourage someone from reaching their goals altogether just because they feel pressured to do so. ;)

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.
Originally posted by pama

ADN students begin from day one critical thinking, concept mapping, and care planning.

Concept mapping??? They teach you HOW to concept map? That is a Educational Psychology learning concept - among the theorists of David Ausubel as a method for nurses and teachers to use on how to TEACH patients/students.

Why would a nursing program teach YOU how to study?? They should be teaching YOU how to TEACH OTHERS to use concept maps. Concept mapping is taught to elementary school children. I'm really confused by your statement. Are you sure you are not using some buzz-word you picked up from somewhere? Not to be argumentative....

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Suzy K,

Yes I did mean Concept Mappping. This, along with care planning and the nursing process are taught from day one. Did you come into a nursing program already knowing these concepts?

Yes, we do need to teach students how to study. Many come to us after being out of school many years. Critical thinking is a skill that can and must be learned in order to be successful in a nursing program.

Our concept maps are indepth, used not only by the student as a learning tool, but also as a teaching tool for patient education. Perhaps this is not the concpets you were taugh, however, they have been extremely successful in our program, and as I have said before, I will use whatever works to help our students achieve success, even if it is "elementry school concepts" as you stated.

Besides, we must be doing something right, 100% passage on the NCLEX-RN proves that!

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