Associates degree RN or Diploma RN

tokmom, BSN, RN · Jan 1, 2012

Are their diploma programs?

Tell her to go for her BSN if she can afford to do so. If not, get the ADN and then bridge to a BSN. IMO anyway.

heartnursing · Jan 1, 2012

My wife is wanting to obtain her RN and I was wondering which is better? Associates or Diploma RN? She is a LPN with several years exp in ltc if that matters. My apolgies if this is posted in the wrong area.

In the states im pretty sure its called an associates, In canada any two year program is a college program which is a diploma. We dont have any programs here called associates

In Canada there is no such thing as a two year RN program.. So I think associates is the American form of a diploma?

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jan 1, 2012

in the us, a diploma program is a hospital school of nursing. an associate's degree is from a junior or community college, and takes two years if you're getting it in english or something, but more than three in nursing because the two years of the nursing program doesn't start until you have taken about a year and a half of prerequisites. this is why i always tell people to go direct for the bsn even though they think they can get the other faster/cheaper and then work to earn money while studying at leisure for the bsn. hah. nursing school is hard work and trying to do it while full-time employed is very, very hard.

the bsn also opens many more doors-- if all she ever, ever, ever wants to do is be staff in a hospital or snf, the asn is fine. but if she might ever want to get into staff education, cardiac rehab, public health, school nursing, or case management, to mention just a few, or be certified in a number of specialty areas in nursing, she'll have to have the bsn. do her a favor, if you can, and help her make that possible. :twocents:

ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2012

im in a diploma program and its very good. you get a lot more clinical time and diploma programs are associated with a hospital so many times they will hire their grads over others. you can still bridge to a BSN with a diploma, i plan on doing so soon after i graduate. ive talked to a couple schools and i will only need an additional 8 or 9 classes to get my BSN. i personally chose my program because 1. they started their next class in January, when all the CC started in August. 2. They go through the summer so id be done faster 3. i like that hospital and hope to get a job their when i graduate.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 3, 2012

Both programs will result in the same nursing license being awarded (after she passes the NCLEX, of course). Either way she will be a RN.

Diploma programs are generally but not always faster overall than associates programs.

As far as whether diploma programs are better than associates programs and vice versa, there's no set answer as nursing schools and their programs can vary widely in quality and experiences gained.

wyogypsy, RN · Jan 3, 2012

I have an Associates Degree and am a Registered Nurse. I have been a staff nurse, shift supervisor, weekend supervisor, Director of Nursing, and Health Administrator. It is not true that you can 'only' be a staff nurse in long term care if you have an associates. In this state there are nurses with associates degrees that work as school nurses and as public health nurses.

IF she wishes to move on to management, and wants a higher degree than Associates, then I would recommend getting a Bachelor's Degree in business or management. This gives her two degrees and makes her much more valuable than a BSN. The exception would be if she wanted to be a nursing instructor.

There is nothing wrong with getting a BSN or a Master's Degree in Nursing. It just isn't necessary for everyone.

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jan 3, 2012

The hospital diploma programs were once the primary - and in many areas the only - route to becoming an RN. In the 1940's, the community colleges responded to the need for nurses and shortly overtook the diploma programs in terms of being the primary source of RN's and this is still the case.

Sometime around 2007 however, the supply of new nurses began to exceed the demand, a situation made worse with the continuing recession. While some mostly rural parts of the US continue to experience a shortage of nurses, in most areas, the demand for new nurses has declined significantly and the competition for nursing jobs is intense. As a result, employers now commonly require the BSN as the minimum educational credential for new hires, and many are in the process of requiring their ADN or diploma RN's to return to school or risk dismissal.

None of this is to say that diploma (or associates degree) nurses are in any way inferior to BSN's. On the contrary, diploma nurses tend to be the most technically proficient and consistently have the highest first-time NCLEX pass rates. The high performance of ADN's in the nursing workplace is also well-documented. The fact is however that hospital diploma nursing programs are an anachronism that is rapidly becoming unique to the US (they no longer exist in most other countries and continue to be phased out in the US). Ironically, the community college nursing programs continue to attract large and even increasing numbers of students at the same time as the job prospects for their graduates appear to be diminishing. (Full disclosure: I am an associate degree RN)

I would strongly encourage two things for anyone considering a career nursing. The first is: Be certain that nursing is what you really want to do because the employment prospects for new nurses are nowhere near as good as they have been in the recent past. The second is to keep in mind that if you do choose nursing, the BSN will significantly enhance your chances of employment upon graduation.

Kittypower123, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2012

I believe it depends on where you are at. I live in the Houston area and could not even get an interview for a job with just my ADN. I finally managed to find a home health company that would give me some work and went for my BSN while working there. Once I got my BSN, I was working in a facility within three weeks. You may need to network with some newer nurses in your area to find out what it's like there. I know if I had been in a different area, finding a job with my ADN wouldn't have been a problem.

NurseNicky · Jan 4, 2012

what is the best CNOR textbook to use as a resource? I heard that Alexander's is great, but I'm not sure of the whole name of the book? Does anyone have input? Thank you.