I am once again questioning and possibily changing my plans. I keep going back and forth. I am now thinking about (as I had originally planned) going straight for the BSN instead of going through the ADN. The only problem is that if I do decide on going straight for the BSN I will have to commute two hours (one way) to school. There are no local schools here that offer a Bachelor's in Nursing and moving is not an option. What do you guys think about the driving time? Does it sound doable? I know I would probably get sick of it really quick, but I think the payoff in the end would be worth it. If I go straight for the BSN it will take less the time than getting an ADN and then doing the RN to BSN transition. Please let me know what you guys think you would do if you were faced with this decision.
Thanks, Linda
Jan 8, '03
I regret not initially getting my BSN. I graduated with an ADN in '94 and will graduate this May with my BSN. A friend of mine who is now a CRNA said he wished he would have gotten his ADN first, then worked his year of critical care while fast tracking RN-BSN, that way when he finished his BSN, he would have had his experience and finished anesthesia a year sooner. Kinda makes sense. Guess your route should be driven by your ultimate motivation.
Jan 8, '03
I think the quickest route is the best one. The drive will be bad but if you use time management skills, you can do it. Do you have someone you can carpool with?? That might make it more bareable.
Jan 8, '03
Hmm, this is really a toughie. Are you sure moving is not an option? I say go with the BSN so you don't have to go back to school later, but make sure you have a reliable car!!
Jan 8, '03
My 2 cents... from my experience
ADN all the way!!! Here's my story: graduated in May 02 w/ ADN, got right into an ICU, worked and did a RN-BSN, graduated Dec 02 w/ BSN, just finished interviewing @ 3 CRNA programs accepted to 2 alternate to the other. I will start CRNA school in Aug 03... for me if I would have done the BSN route I would not even get my RN till May 03. plus the hospital paid for my RN-BSN (my ADN was also paid for by the hospital gotta love that tuition reimbursement!!). It was a lot of work, its been a very very busy year, but I am married an have a kid and am anxious to get going to my final career goal.
Your situation may be different, the RN-BSN program may be longer than the 9 month one I got into. But I guess it comes down to you and how fast do you want to get done and start practicing as a CRNA. I just know I am not getting any younger I should say i did have a lot of Science courses, I changed majors an got into the ADN program.
If your BSN program gets you done faster go that route
Good luck
Jan 8, '03
Now for the other side of the coin. It all depends on how long the RN/BSN program is and where will you have to commute to go to one. If you can find one that is a year or less then it sounds like a good idea. However, if it is going to take 2-3 years to complete, I would go straight through the first time. I base this advice on my journey, which was an ADN 1998 and a 2 1/2 year time frame to complete my RN/BSN. I did sit out a year before going back but it still took 2 1/2 years. The other reason I recommend going for the BSN route is that many of my ADN classmates spoke of going back and using it as stepping stone, however most never did go back and are now stuck at the bedside. You may be the exception, but seriously most are still talking about it and very few actually went back and did it. The main reason is probably because it is very time consuming working full-time and going to school part-time, it can be done but it is easier said than done. Good luck on whatever route you choose.
Jan 9, '03
Do not forget the online RN to BSN route. I chose this option and was very happy with the program. I only had to attend clinical for one semester which was my final semester, and literally did the program at home. My employer paid for the program and during that time I was getting my ICU experience. I graduated from a very reputable university and would highly recommed this route to others especially if you are like me working full time and juggling the family and school at the same time.
Jan 9, '03
As a person who commuted for several years I hated it. You could always get your ADN, work and get your BSN or BS with a distance program. I got my BS distance and am almost done with my MS program. It is so flexible.
renerian
Jan 9, '03
My input...no way in Heck would I commute 2 hours to nursing school. The schools are so rigid about being on time and all, and with that long of a drive, there are a zillion things that could go wrong. Would you really want to spend 4 hours 4-5 days every week driving? That's a LOT of study time. What about those early morning clinicals? Even if they start at 7:30 (most are earlier) you would have to leave your house no later than 5:30 to get there. nope, wouldn't do it.
Jan 15, '03
Another thing... some CRNA schools may possibly look less fondly on online BSN programs compared to schools you actually go to. I don't remember where I heard this, but it is something to think about.
Jan 17, '03
ADN all the way!!!
First, you will definitely hate commuting that amount of time everyday. I am not sure what your family situation is, but if you have a family, I would definitely not do the commute. Any extra time you have not in school, you will want to spend with them, not on the road. It is much less expensive to go to an ADN program than a BSN program. The major benefit of getting you ADN is you will get much more hands-on clinical experience than you will as a BSN. ADN programs prepare you to enter the nursing professsion to work as a bedside nurse. While you obtain your ICU experience, you can work and let your hospital pay for your BSN. The online programs offered are excellent, so you wouldn't have to commute then either. I initially got my ADN and I am very glad I went that route. Later, I went back to get my BSN. I graduated from a state supported university with a BSN where I completed the majority of the courses on-line. On your diploma from a university, it doesn't state you earned your degree on-line. I may be wrong, but a degree is pretty much a degree. There are certain standards that are required of all degrees no matter what program or school one attends, on-line or not. In my opinion, taking on-line courses shows a great deal of tenacity and self discipline. In fact, some of the on-line course work seemed to be much more demanding than some of the classes I took on campus. But, the best part of it was you can do the work whenever you felt like it as long as you met the deadlines and for a night shift nurse, that was a wonderful thing! I just started anesthesia school two weeks ago. Best of luck to you and hope this helps some.
Jan 18, '03
kkrnkk is absolutely right. If you do an online RN to BSN at a reputable univ. it does not say whether or not the degree was obtained online. I did exactly what kkrnkk described above, and yes it does show the individual to be very disciplined.
Jan 19, '03
I was in the same boat as you. The two local ADN programs both accepted me, but I decided to opt for the BSN program with the same kind of commute. I did as much of my prereqs (I had to repeat some stuff from the past) and gen ed stuff locally. But what happened to me was: the commute started to get to me at about the 3-4 yr mark. I was burning out b/c I was going to school full time, working a minimum of one full time job, and working as much part time as I could get scheduled for. I started to slow down and my house of cards (literally, my credit cards were paying for the educ) started to tumble. When my mortgage-paying full time job laid me off 8 weeks prior to grad, my world fell apart. I never finished and it is yrs later and I feel like a wall is in front of me. My one word of advice: if you choose the commute route: don't dilly-dally w/your credits. And don't overload yourself with too many jobs and responsibilities (I was single mom of teenage problem girl). If you can get to your school on a commuter train or bus, look into that. It really helps. Good luck.
Jan 8, '03Occupation: CRNA Joined: Dec '02; Posts: 75I regret not initially getting my BSN. I graduated with an ADN in '94 and will graduate this May with my BSN. A friend of mine who is now a CRNA said he wished he would have gotten his ADN first, then worked his year of critical care while fast tracking RN-BSN, that way when he finished his BSN, he would have had his experience and finished anesthesia a year sooner. Kinda makes sense. Guess your route should be driven by your ultimate motivation.
Jan 19, '03Joined: Aug '02; Posts: 38,000; Likes: 37,179I was in the same boat as you. The two local ADN programs both accepted me, but I decided to opt for the BSN program with the same kind of commute. I did as much of my prereqs (I had to repeat some stuff from the past) and gen ed stuff locally. But what happened to me was: the commute started to get to me at about the 3-4 yr mark. I was burning out b/c I was going to school full time, working a minimum of one full time job, and working as much part time as I could get scheduled for. I started to slow down and my house of cards (literally, my credit cards were paying for the educ) started to tumble. When my mortgage-paying full time job laid me off 8 weeks prior to grad, my world fell apart. I never finished and it is yrs later and I feel like a wall is in front of me. My one word of advice: if you choose the commute route: don't dilly-dally w/your credits. And don't overload yourself with too many jobs and responsibilities (I was single mom of teenage problem girl). If you can get to your school on a commuter train or bus, look into that. It really helps. Good luck.
