Community College vs. University

MurseMikeD · Jun 12, 2009

A BSN can give you an edge in applying for jobs, and if affords you the option of continuing on to a masters degree and advanced practice.

AragornSkywalker · Jun 12, 2009

From what Ive heard about the hiring in Florida, I would move.

ZanatuBelmont · Jun 12, 2009

My question is whether there is a difference between attending a community college or a university to become an RN, in Florida. Is a degree a degree, or will you get better job opportunities with a degree from university?
The comm. college is accredited and all that. Lake Sumter Community College for you floridians.
I appreciate any and all help, thanks

Nursing is a profession where a higher degree does not give you higher pay. For instance, a floor nurse RN with his/her ADN (Associate Degree Nursing) will make the same money as a floor nurse RN with his/her Doctorate degree. The higher pay comes in when you use your degrees to enter management, but you are looking more at the long-term rather than the short-term. I personally have no interest in doing floor nursing my entire life, so I am going for at least my Bachelor degree in nursing so I can enter management.

The other difference is community college is a hell of a lot cheaper than a university. It is wise to get all your prereqs at a community college and complete your core at a university (since you usually have no option BUT to complete core studies at the university).

And finally, as with all higher degrees, your BSN will give you a SLIGHT edge over a person with his/her RN-ADN. Of course, this rule really only applies to new graduates - the HR will most likely hire the RN-ADN with 5 years experience and skip the RN-BSN newgrad. Eventually, it just comes down to who has more experience (years) than the other in bedside nursing.

Good luck.

swirlything · Jun 12, 2009

In Florida, a BSN will get you $0.50 - $1.00 more per hour over an ADN. Because jobs are not plentiful in Florida TODAY, a BSN may give you an advantage in getting hired. That being said, I know plenty of ADN new grads who are getting jobs right now (I'm one of them). A few years from now, the job market may or may not be different.

As far as what jobs you can get, having a BSN will facillitate your getting into a management position eventually. I have heard of other nursing positions that require a BSN, some hospice agency and public health jobs.

You might also look at getting your ADN then doing an RN-BSN bridge with UCF. The program is pretty much entirely online. Some community colleges even have a concurrent program with UCF where you can do your BSN classes at the same time as your ADN classes; you finish your BSN 6 months after finishing your ADN.

sktr021 · Jun 12, 2009

Thanks for all the answers. the college im going to attend does have direct connect to UCF, where once you get your A.A in any field, your guranteed admission to the university, so ill look into that.

if theres anyone who happened to attend lscc please chime in with your experience there

thanks,

Brandon

caliotter3 · Jun 12, 2009

Over the course of a career, at some point you would find it advantageous to have a BSN. However, most people will attend a community college for about two years then transfer to a four year school to save money. Others will graduate from a community college with an ASN and enter the workforce at that time. Often the criteria for determining which program one attends depends upon which program accepts the applicant. If you apply to five programs and only one accepts you, you attend that program. Or if the waiting list for two programs averages two years in length and a third program accepts one after one semester of waiting, then that is the program to attend. All a matter of timing and available funds. As far as which is better, almost all of the time employers are interested in your experience and the fact that you have a clear license, when you seek regular staff nurse positions.

sktr021 · Jun 13, 2009

Ive also read that most hospitals will pay you to attend school. You sign a contract with them, that you will work for them for x amount of time and they pay for school for x amount of time. Wouldnt that save me quite a bit of money? I havent really got alot of information from the school yet on waiting list times, but i know ill be doing quite a bit of prereqs anyways.

caliotter3 · Jun 13, 2009

Employer sponsorship is not as widespread lately due to the economy. There are some students who are sponsored by employers and find there are no positions available when they graduate, yet the prospective employer still requires the sponsorship be repaid. That would be a rough situation. The only trick to getting around waiting lists is to apply to as many programs as possible, thus maximizing your chances (of course, the better your academic record, the better your chances).

Ellean55 · Jun 13, 2009

Hello Hi. My personal opinion would be to study nursing at university rather than community college. In terms of qualification and entereing the job market, its best to get a degree from university as opposed to community college. You may consider working overseas (when things get better) I dont know if that would be a goal of yours, but its also better to have a degree in that respect.

JustinTJ, ADN, BSN · Jun 20, 2009

Going to CC and getting my ADN with the summers off and taking University classes for my RN-BSN over the summer will end up being quicker than going to University and getting a BSN by about a year. I can work that year, which is the main reason I did it that way.