Confusion

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 27, 2014

You are in California according to the tags on your post. Since California has an estimated 43 percent unemployment rate for newer RNs who have graduated in the past 18 months, you'll need a BSN degree to render yourself competitive in your local employment market.

However, if you're planning to relocate to a less competitive state after graduation, the ASN degree will serve you just fine in most cases.

NCLEX is not that hard if you prepare sufficiently prior to taking it. In fact, 85 percent of US-educated nursing grads pass it on the first attempt.

The BSN program is about four years. The ASN program is about three years (1+ years of prerequisite coursework and about 2 years of nursing courses).

In addition, since California's nursing programs are impacted, the majority of applicants are not accepted to the nursing program on their first attempts. Getting admitted into a nursing program in CA usually requires several rounds of applications submitted at several different schools to increase your odds. The major exceptions are the investor-owned nursing programs at schools.

dorkypanda · Oct 27, 2014

You complete all preq courses 1-2 years then you apply to adn and or BSN programs. Adn program is 2 years long. BSN programs could be around 2 or 3 years after transferring into. Adn programs are in the cheaper side while BSN is somewhat more expensive. Depending on your area adn can find work or not, BSN may be the minimum requirement for hospitals. BSN programs may be hard to get into depending on where you are. Look at nursing programs requirements and their school NCLEX rates too. I've read and seen that some people do and do not pass the NCLEX their first try.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Oct 27, 2014

Hi, and welcome to AN :)

The reason you cannot find a 'straight forward answer' is because there IS none. "It Depends" is most applicable in most circumstances.

So, let's start at the top. To say it's "better" to get an ASN instead of a BSN because of lack of pay incentive is incredibly misleading. In most areas of this country, you will not be even considered for employment without having a Bachelor's in nursing, rather than an Associates. That is NOT to say that ADN/ASN prepared new grad nurses WON'T find employment, just that in most areas of the country that is preferable for hiring. And since there's really no shortage of new graduates in nursing, employers can 'cherry-pick' from quite a list of applicants.

Next: how long are RN programs? Well.....here it comes....."it depends" :)

Most nursing programs have pre-requisite courses for applicants to successfully complete PRIOR to being considered for admission into the school's core nursing program. Typically, this takes a year or so; it can be done faster if you happen to have the time and finances (and ability) but frequently it takes a good year or more.

Once IN the nursing program, two years of clinical and core classwork and labs is standard. So, if you expect your education to take somewhere between 3-5 years, you'd be correct.

How hard it is to pass the national licensing exam depends on the student. Of course it's "hard"; it's a professional license! But that doesn't mean you won't be prepared for it well by your school, in which case you might not think it's much of a big deal. Most, however, do hate it

Choose your school carefully. Look for accreditation, and NCLEX-RN pass rates to be excellent. Choosing a school that isn't accredited, or fails to have a very high percentage of graduates pass, is a red flag to avoid.

Hope this helped :)

ramosyasmin16 · Oct 28, 2014

Thank you! The thought of going to school for that long scares me. I think that it will all be a waste of time because I don't concentrate when I try to study. And I don't have the best grades. I'm still a little confused though, are rn's with associate degrees hired in hospitals? Is it rare? I just turned 17 two weeks ago, how old do you think I'll be when I try applying for a job?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2014

Thank you! The thought of going to school for that long scares me. I think that it will all be a waste of time because I don't concentrate when I try to study. And I don't have the best grades.

Look at it this way: You're going to be 30 one day, although it doesn't seem like it when you're a teenager. You can be working as a nurse at age 30, or you can be working in a dead-end job that doesn't require and education or good grades and doesn't pay a high enough salary to pay the bills.

I'm still a little confused though, are rn's with associate degrees hired in hospitals? Is it rare? I just turned 17 two weeks ago, how old do you think I'll be when I try applying for a job?

There are many, many RNs with associate degrees working in hospitals. I'm an RN with an associate degree and I work at a hospital.

However, many local employment markets became saturated with too many new RNs about five years ago, so some hospitals started demanding that applicants be educated at the BSN degree level before applying. When too many people are applying for jobs, corporations can reduce the number of people who apply by making a higher degree mandatory. This is especially true in your state of California.

dorkypanda · Oct 28, 2014

Technically speaking yes, once you graduate from an adn program and pass the NCLEX test you are literally an RN. finding a hospital job with an associates I'm not so sure how successful that is. I think it all depends on the area you're at and if they do accept associates degree grads. I would think that BSN grads would have an edge for hospital jobs more so.

after 1-2 years prereq you can apply to adn or BSN programs by then you'll be 19-20 when applying so you'll be around 22-23 when done with the adn program. if you do BSN you may be 23-24 years old which isn't that old compared to someone whose been in college already and decided to switch majors/ career change in their early 20's. Whichever way you go you're still young.

RunBabyRN · Oct 28, 2014

Thank you! The thought of going to school for that long scares me. I think that it will all be a waste of time because I don't concentrate when I try to study. And I don't have the best grades. I'm still a little confused though, are rn's with associate degrees hired in hospitals? Is it rare? I just turned 17 two weeks ago, how old do you think I'll be when I try applying for a job?

If your grades aren't that good and you have a hard time studying, nursing may not be the right path for you. In California, we have the most competitive market in the US. Most people getting into nursing school have AT LEAST a 3.5 (usually higher) in their general ed and prerequisite courses. Nursing school requires A LOT of studying. Sift through the General Nursing Student forum to get a sense of what I'm talking about. You NEED to learn how to study, what works for you, and how to manage your time effectively.

Also, in CA, you can add a year (or more) to those timelines. CA has more prereqs and general ed requirements than most states, and classes are EXTREMELY impacted, meaning it's almost impossible to register for them.

In some states, you can get hired with your ADN. No hospitals in CA seems to hire nurses without a BSN, and even then, trying to get a hospital job without RN hospital experience is like pulling teeth. To give you a sense of what I mean, I have been applying EVERYWHERE within a 5+ hour radius of where I live (Bay Area). I have about 10+ years of healthcare experience, including first responder, phlebotomy, and Navy hospital corpsman. I have put in over 1500 applications since March. I have not been offered a hospital job. Most ADN nurses in CA work in home health, prisons or long term care facilities (nursing homes).

Try getting your CNA certification, and see how the work is for you (I believe you need to be 18 to work as a CNA). In the meantime, get your study skills under control, and DO NOT risk your GPA until you have this down, or you'll spend YEARS trying to fix it like some of us have had to do.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Oct 28, 2014

I am elated that there are still 17-year-olds who are seriously engaged in planning for their future careers. YOU GO ramosyasmin16!!!

Now for the reality check. By the time you complete nursing school, the likelihood of being able to obtain a hospital (acute care) job without a BSN will be very slim. With an ADN, you will be able to obtain non-hospital jobs. Be sure to take this into account when you plan your education.

There really aren't any shortcuts. Nursing education is based upon a cumulative curriculum... you have to master a lot of basic knowledge before you are eligible to enroll in (clinical) nursing courses. We all began at the same place that you are now. If you want to be an RN, you have to make the same educational journey that we did. Four years may seem like an eternity to you, but it will pass quickly. And - four years from now, you can still be moaning about "what might have been" or you could be getting ready to graduate and take NCLEX. Your choice.