Bachelor or Master

digitiminimi · Oct 27, 2010

I also have a degree in Communication and am going back to school for nursing. I ended up going for another Bachelor's because I had the pre-requisites already finished and the school was close to my house, plus it was a short program. If I had more time and had prepared better, I would have gone for a Master's entry program. They're usually two-year programs. By the way, if you decide to pursue a BSN, it will not be four years because you already have many of the general ed done from your first Bachelors degree. It will most likely be 2 years. Good luck!

SummitRN, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2010

If you have all your prereqs, you can do an accelerated BSN in 1 year.

I really don't know anything about direct entry MSN programs.

Ryden25 · Oct 28, 2010

I might be misunderstanding your post. Are you currently an RN? If your not already an RN you will have to get your RN before you can get into a nursing masters program. Most RN programs are a minimum of 2 years. Again maybe I am misunderstanding your post.

weluv3 · Oct 28, 2010

I'm swaying towards doing an accelerated BSN as I do not hold an RN but have a bachelors in marketing communication.

The accelerated program I am going to try and do is one year in length.

There are entry level masters programs if you don't have a BSN, those are usually 2 years in length.

leenak · Oct 28, 2010

I think you may need to do some more research.

Accelerated Second degree BSNs are under 2 years, so its not 4 years.

One of the schools I'm looking at offers a Direct entry Clinical Nurse Leader Masters. When looking at that and considering my goals are to be a NP, does going the CNL route make sense? Maybe, maybe not. Do you want to be a CNL? If so, I'd say look at the CNL program. If not, I'd recommend you look at other programs.

thmpr · Oct 28, 2010

Hi Midim, I'm glad you found your way to nursing! Here's my Opinion:

I'm sure you know that nobody pops out of nursing school as a seasoned nurse. There are many levels of transition after you graduate & finding the right program can make a huge difference in this process.

Those who lack preparation prior to employment are more vulnerable to cognitive dissonance. There are numerous studies showing the retention rates of new graduate nurses. I recommend doin some research & deciding what is right for you on the basis of what preparation you need, as opposed to what seems to be the easiest or quickest way to get the degree. ANA website has some good articles.

The traditional BSN program is three years (which includes liberal arts and coreqs). If your prior degree satisfies some of those requirements it doesn't shorten the duration of the program. A second degree student in this program usually has the advantage of taking less units per semester; thus allowing time to work & study.

Two year post baccalaureate BSN programs are generally the same as the traditional program except the course load is heavier per semester or quarter. They usually only meet the minimum requirements for clinical hours. I think this program was right for me because I had clinical experience prior to starting the program. Those who didn't fell behind often.

If you are not already working as an RN, a one year BSN program is preposterous. If the program does not require an RN for admission it is probably not accredited.

I have seen numerous BSN adds online claiming their program is all online. There is no way to become an RN online without clinical hours.

Be sure to look at your state board of nursing for accredited nursing programs. There is also a link to see what the NCLEX passing rate is for each school. Have a look at the course curriculums for the schools who are scoring high vs lows. You will notice a pattern.

Find out what hospital a program sends you to for your clinical hours. Try to do clinicals at a hospital where you want to get hired. It would also be to your advantage to work in an ancillary capacity at a hospital where you are interested in starting your career.

And as for jumping into a masters program in nursing: I think its a really bad idea. How can anyone master something they have never done? Don't sell yourself short. Wait until you are really ready & the piece of paper in the end will mean more to you.

If you have the opportunity for education, get the very best! Don't settle for a crappy azz program. Three years goes by fast.

:nuke:

wee_oneRN · Oct 28, 2010

I might be misunderstanding your post. Are you currently an RN? If your not already an RN you will have to get your RN before you can get into a nursing masters program. Most RN programs are a minimum of 2 years. Again maybe I am misunderstanding your post.

You do not need to be an RN for the direct-entry Master's programs. These programs are tailored for people with non-nursing Bachelor's, and you will become an RN as part of the program.

ccoombs · Oct 28, 2010

If you are sure of where your future interests lie then I say go for the D-E Masters, but this is true of very few nursing students. I am currently in a 14 month accelerated BSN program for second degree students and it has been a great experience. It leaves little time for anything other than nursing school but I feel like we are getting as good of an education as the traditional program and as good if not better clinical experience. The students in the accelerated cohort are generally highly motivated and have established study skills, as a result students come well prepared, didactic and clinical both run efficiently and retention rates and NCLEX first time pass rates are greater than that of the traditional cohort.