Clinicals: BSN vs ADN

[Fraggle]

I'm in the RN program at a community college. We have 8 hrs of clinicals each week (2 days), plus 2 lectures each week. How are clinicals different for a typical BSN program? I didn't pursue BSN b/c I alrady have a BS and plenty of mgmt courses. A 2nd BS degree program wasn't an option. A relative was telling me how lucky I am to have the clinical program at the community college. Which confuses me. I already feel like I don't have enough clinicals at this school. I'd go 3 times a week or more if it were up to me! Practice makes perfect. Do BSN programs have fewer clinical sessions? Do you have them every semester?

[MaggieJo]

I'm in a BSN program. Our Junior year, we had two eight hour clinicals(16hrs.) a week. Our Senior year, we have two twelve hour clinicals(24hrs.) a week. We're the first class to have this many hours. One of the nurses that I work with told me that when she went to school, they only had one eight hour clinical each week. I still wish we had more hours, though. I'm doing my preceptorship, and that's great. I've learned more these few weeks than I ever learned the past two years. Personally, I think that a diploma school is probably the best nursing degree. We do not have one around here, but I know some nurses that came out of diploma schools. Their clinical hours were unreal, but ya know, they knew how to be nurses when they got out! Just my personal opinion, but the more clinical hours you have, the better.

-Maggie

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

Most states have a minimum requirement for clinical experience and the ADN/BSN programs do not vary much. I graduated with ADN then had two clinicals in BSN: Leadership and Community Health. I also had lab with Health Assessment. The BSN program was flexible enough to schedule around while I worked full time.

[heartICU]

My BSN program started clinicals the first week of school, freshman year. We had clinicals all four years, each year progressively getting more and more. By the time we graduated, we had over 1600 hours, in addition to our research hours and optional externships. I don't know anyone who did an ADN or diploma program, so I have no basis for comparison.

[mariedoreen]

That's about how it is with me. People who don't know me wonder why I won't go to Med school. HELLO! I DONT WANT TO BE A DR!!!!!!!!!!

I also think that around my area, very rural, a nurse is seen as an 'easy job' or something for dumb folks. But when people find out how hard it is to get into nursing school (my family didn't even know that it was something you had to apply for!!) and everything that envolves they change there tune quick.

I just finished up my first term in nursing school and obviously spent weeks and weeks feeling pretty overwhelmed and working pretty hard. My mom couldn't understand it, she's like, "What's so hard about being a nurse, you just do what the doctor tells you to do!" One day when she stopped by to visit I had her quiz me with my flashcards on everything we had to know about different antibiotics. She was amazed and said, "My gosh, they expect you to know things a doctor knows!!"

Now when I say I have a lot to do and that I'm overwhelmed etc.. she believes me!