Career Change, Please Advise

[JamesStacy]

Hello everyone! I would appreciate any and all advice on how best to approach a career in nursing. I am married with 2 children and work in an industry that is to dependant on the health of the economy. After 10 years of hard work there layoffs are still a regular issue at certain times of the year.

I want to give my family a better life and will be starting school this fall to begin the process of becoming a RN. My question is should I pursue the ASN or BSN before going to work as a nurse? Is the starting pay different?

My current job won't be too demanding while I go to school and I eventually would like to get a Masters. So I'm not sure if I should get the ASN, go to work and then pursue the BSN or just go ahead and get the BSN first? What would be the pros and cons of each?

Also wondering if there are some jobs in the meantime that would be beneficial to my education. Maybe an Aide of some sort. I have no idea how the medical industry works so any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time! :loveya:

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

[TazziRN, RN]

The pay won't be any different. Whether or not you should go for a BSN or ADN will be a heated subject, you might want to do a search here about similar threads. Nursing ability-wise there is no difference between the two. Having a BSN will open more doors for you in some places but in others you can do the same jobs with an ADN.

My recommendation: get your ADN and if you want to go after your BSN later you can do it while working as an RN.

Yes, a job in the field will help, both by opening doors and by giving you the opportunity to see what it's all about. The most common job would be a CNA.

[Turtle in scrubs]

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the "best" path and found that it is different for each person. Pros to an A.D.N. that I see are decreased time in school, lower cost of education, and it will get you working sooner. The BSN may open more doors down the road depending on where you want to go. There is no distinction b/n, and no pay difference at the hospital I work in. With a few exceptions I don't even know the educational background of the nurses I work with. Education is a benefit, but experience seems to trump all in the position I'm in as a staff nurse. This may be different in other settings.

If you have a degree already, or any college credits, I would recommend checking into what BSN programs are available in your area and see how your credits may apply. There are some "second career programs" for those who already have a degree that only take a year. For myself I had some credits but no degree, and went for a BSN that took just a bit longer than if I went for an A.D.N.

Since you mentioned eventually getting a Masters degree, whatever program/school you choose I would recommend that you make sure it will apply to your next step. Meaning that some programs/schools are more accepting of credits than others. The program I opted for accepted many of my previous credits while the other university in the area wouldn't accept hardly any and I would have had to repeat most of my basics.

Getting a job as an Aide/Tech is helpful in many ways. Best of luck to you - enjoy the journey.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Nowadays in the age of "pre-reqs" it takes about three years to get your ADN, which might be the same length of time it takes you to get your BSN. Usually however, the BSN costs more since it's university prices. Your long term goal includes a Masters, so having the BSN helps you towards that goal. Factor in 3 years getting a ADN and another two going ADN to BSN and you might be further from your goal. If time is the biggest factor over cost, then get the BSN now and get it over with.

There are "accellerated BSN programs" for those with other degrees, but you would have to quit work to attend that and having young kids might make it hard.

Getting the ADN though might be cheaper, and then you can work on your BSN part-time while getting some tuition reimbursement from your employer.

Salary-wise some employers pay a little bit more for the BSN. Both ADN and BSN nurses come out on equal footing to being entry-level bedside positions. The advantage of the BSN would be later on in your career as you look to work away from the bedside, perhaps to teach, do research, management and other areas that are BSN-required or BSN-preferred. So definately keep that as a goal.

Good luck in all that you do.