BSN or Associates

Published

Hi all,

Please Help!!! This is my first visit to this site and love it allready. I am in my 40's with a family and want to go back to school for nursing, I am not sure which route to take. Some people say to get my BSN because I would be hired on at a hospital much easier. Others say no need for a BSN unless I want to work in the business end of nursing or I want to get a higher degree. I understand that the local community tech schools are much less expensive but I also know that IU has an amazing program for medicine and is very well known and excepted. My goal for now is to become an RN and work in the OR. Please help!! I am totally confused to which way to go.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Welcome to Allnurses!

Both advice is incorrect to an extent.

You can get an OR job as a nurse with an Associates Degree. ADN nurses enjoy a wide variety of entry level positions, the same as BSN.

Don't rule out the BSN however. The BSN will get you jobs later on down the line as you age in nursing. At what age are you hoping to retire? I got a BSN at age 48 because unless I marry rich or win the lottery I'm still looking at 20 more years of working and I'm doubting I can do bedside nursing that long without burning our or physically not being able to handle the demands, so it's good to have the BSN for options.

The BSN can get you jobs in eduction, research, quality control and other areas that aren't necessarily the business end or management end of things.

Another option is one that I did, and that is get the RN through the community college, and then work until you're ready to go back and do an RN to BSN program, which is a part-time gig.

Good luck in whatever you do. Feel free to ask any questions at all. I moved your post to this forum where such questions are considered.

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Specializes in Critical Care/OR/Education.

Go for your Associate's Degree to start with, you will be able to start working sooner and you can continue part time for your Bachelor's Degree if you so desire. (I guess i'm partial since I was initally an ADN and now teach in an ADN program)

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