ASN vs BSN

Music in My Heart · Jan 15, 2013

Many hospitals preferentially (or only) hire BSN nurses. Given the difficulty of finding work as a new grad, I'd choose the aBSN route, unless the ASN was a public community college which was very inexpensive by comparison.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2013

I am looking at two programs. One is an ASN program at Everest College and the other is a BSN accelerated program at Brookline College. I am a bit concerned as these are not state schools. Does anyone have any recommendations on taking the RN to BSN route versus the BSN route and being marketable ? Also does anyone have any input regarding Everest College or Brookline College ?

Lots of people go to schools that aren't state schools. Honestly, even though I am not familiar with Brookline, the idea of going to Everest makes me more nervous. Research Everest and you will find it is a for profit school, meaning their goal is to make money, not to provide you with a high quality education. You will probably pay a pretty penny for Everest, more than that RN is worth.

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2013

While I must admit that there is a growing trend to hire candidates who hold a BSN, it is not unheard of a ASN graduate to get a position. Many hospital systems prefer to hire internal graduates as they are already in the system and work ethic can be easily accessed through previous yearly evaluations.

As for your school choices I would definitely not consider any for-profit schools. As someone else mentioned they are in the business of making money and may provide you with a substandard education. You want to research a school that is accredited by multiple independent agencies and has a high NCLEX pass rate (85% and up).

Music in My Heart · Jan 15, 2013

You want to research a school that ... has a high NCLEX pass rate (85% and up).

I personally disagree with this. The pass-rate is less reflective of the education and more reflective of the school's approach to recruiting and retention. For example, schools who admit by lottery generally have lower pass rates than do schools who have competitive admissions (based on a fairly small sample size of regional programs with which I'm familiar).

I'd be more interested in the school's on-schedule graduation rate. High NCLEX pass rates at some schools derive in part from a brutal weeding-out of students deemed less likely to pass on the first try.

soxgirl2008 · Jan 16, 2013

I go to a school that admits people through a lottery system and our NCLEX pass rate is higher than the the competitive BSN program in the area....so this isn't always the case.I also would stay away from for profit schools. Idk about the area you're in but most of the for profit schools around here don't have the best reputation

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Jan 30, 2013

Many "for profit" schools popped up when student loans became more plentiful and easier to get. Most are horribly expensive, and the education dubious at best. My stepdaughter attended such a school (non-nursing major) and a year and a half at this school cost her more than I paid for my bachelor's degree at a state university. The place claimed to give post-graduation employment assistance - which most people would take to mean that they hold job fairs, contact prospective employers who are hiring and so forth. In the case of this place, they simply handed graduates a list of companies who had hired their graduates in the past three years. The vast majority weren't hiring, and a couple of them had gone out of business.

pugmom79 · Jan 30, 2013

i went to a for profit school (not everest) and i got an excellent education. the clinical sites freely told us they preferred having us over the state school students because we were always more prepared. i graduated tops of my class by working my orifice off and i got 2 job offers within days of passing my boards, in an area that isn't the most friendly to new grads.

so while in general, i do agree for profit schools can be bad, there are exceptions to the rule. i am a second career mature student, and my classes were small. my dean and teachers really got to know me on a 1 on 1 fashion, and when i speak with other state college students in my area, i feel my education was comparable if not better. i even ensured that our curriculums matched before i enrolled.

however, these schools are not cheap. i was happy to get my ADN there and get into the work force ASAP. i do plan to get my BSN from a state school in an online rn-bsn program, and will use the tuition reimbursement my employer offers. this path was a great one for me, but it's not right for everyone. my school does have proactive career placement and often throws job fairs within the community, so it is better than what some other people mention above. they really do take an ownership in trying to place us.

do your research into the school and decide from there. a for profit school can be bad, sure. but it can also surprise you.