Considering nursing career.....ADN or BSN??

Sheri257 · Jun 7, 2005

You may not have much of a choice. Most schools have waiting lists and, at least in my state, 70 percent of the programs are ADN. You basically go with the program you can get into and that usually means ADN, just because there are more of those programs, although once you get the ADN, you can do the BSN online.

:coollook:

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2005

Welcome. This is a very good question that many do ask.

Fresh out of school, you won't notice a difference. Both will get you an RN after taking the same NCLEX exam, and an entry level position as an RN in a variety of settings, at pretty much the same pay. In some areas due to the abundance RNs many hospitals promote ADN nurses to positions in management.

The BSN will offer more opportunities in education, public and community health, management, drug reps, etc. Plus if you'd like to go on to teach or CRNA you need a BSN.

The agrument mainly stems over who is the better nurse, and I won't even go there.

I've been an ADN graduate for 15 years and have decided to do an RN to BSN program, which is always an option for you. I work in a hospital and area that ADN are used primarily at the bedside, in charge nurse positions, etc. and are rarely moved into administrative/education/management positions. Considering I have 20 to 30 years left to work, I'm not sure I can handle bedside nursing that long and want to have some options as I age. There are many positions that are "BSN-preferred" meaning those applicants with a BSN will get preferrential consideration.

Good luck to you. If you have the opportunity to get the BSN now, I say go for it and get it out of the way. You won't regret it.

sunnyjohn · Jun 7, 2005

Students choose between the ADN and BSN for many reason; location of school, waitlists, money, family, time, previous education, work experiences, educational goals, personal satisfaction.

From what I've culled from my own research and posts here at allnurses, the differences are minimal during the first few years of your career. In certain locations BSN-educated professionals receive an increased pay rate over the ADN-educated professional.

Management positions may be easier to obtain as a BSN-educated professional (with a few years experience), but many, many ADN-educated professionals hold management positions across the nation.

You can pursue the ADN, begin your career and then use your employer's tuition reimbursement plan to finish the BSN. Many ADN-professionals do this. It allows them to continue their education while advancing their careers and tending to financial matters. With the advent of accredited online BSN programs, this is a popular and convenient route.

You can also directly pursue the BSN. This way you can complete the Bachelor's degree you have long been working on. Many do this for the same reasons. If you have the ability, you may want to consider this route.

Advanced education, for those who wish to pursue it, is never a bad thing.

Their are many ADN-BSN, ADN-MSN and of course BSN-MSN education programs. Keep your options open; consider your circumstances and you will be able to make the best choice for your situation.

Smarter persons than I will soon post and add their view on the opportunities available with each degree!

Agape

RoxanRN · Jun 7, 2005

The only thing I might add is ADN generally takes 2-3 years of school (community college) whereas BSN is general 4 years (university). I know many of my classmates who graduated with their ADN and went right into a 1-year RN-BSN program. If it makes any difference, my ADN class was 98% non-traditional students with the oldest nearing 50.

In my area (Kansas), the only thing BSN gets you are better shots at management positions (if that is where you want to go). ADN and BSN are paid the same and work the same units side by side.

My :twocents:

cdm369 · Jun 7, 2005

Welcome. This is a very good question that many do ask.
Fresh out of school, you won't notice a difference. Both will get you an RN after taking the same NCLEX exam, and an entry level position as an RN in a variety of settings, at pretty much the same pay. In some areas due to the abundance RNs many hospitals promote ADN nurses to positions in management.
The BSN will offer more opportunities in education, public and community health, management, drug reps, etc. Plus if you'd like to go on to teach or CRNA you need a BSN.
The agrument mainly stems over who is the better nurse, and I won't even go there.
I've been an ADN graduate for 15 years and have decided to do an RN to BSN program, which is always an option for you. I work in a hospital and area that ADN are used primarily at the bedside, in charge nurse positions, etc. and are rarely moved into administrative/education/management positions. Considering I have 20 to 30 years left to work, I'm not sure I can handle bedside nursing that long and want to have some options as I age. There are many positions that are "BSN-preferred" meaning those applicants with a BSN will get preferrential consideration.
Good luck to you. If you have the opportunity to get the BSN now, I say go for it and get it out of the way. You won't regret it.

Thank you Tweety. I live near one of the university health and science center's, that offer a BSN without any nursing background. They do not have a waiting list, but rather take applicants every semester and only admit 100. Last semester there were 800 applicants :eek: . The good news is they determine the 100 by GPA and mine is currently 3.89. The cutoff for last semester was 3.51. So, in other words, if you don't pull a 3.5 or higher your likelihood of being accepted is very slim. I feel like this is a good opportunity. I still need to complete my science pre-requisites, which I can get done this fall, the spring, and summer. So I would be looking at entering the school in the fall of 06''. The biggest challenge for me is getting out of debt. I really want to tackle it and go fulltime, so I need to be completely out-of-debt in order to support my family while doing school fulltime.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2005

Thank you Tweety. I live near one of the university health and science center's, that offer a BSN without any nursing background. They do not have a waiting list, but rather take applicants every semester and only admit 100. Last semester there were 800 applicants . The good news is they determine the 100 by GPA and mine is currently 3.89. The cutoff for last semester was 3.51. So, in other words, if you don't pull a 3.5 or higher your likelihood of being accepted is very slim. I feel like this is a good opportunity. I still need to complete my science pre-requisites, which I can get done this fall, the spring, and summer. So I would be looking at entering the school in the fall of 06''. The biggest challenge for me is getting out of debt. I really want to tackle it and go fulltime, so I need to be completely out-of-debt in order to support my family while doing school fulltime.

Good luck at getting out of debt between now and Fall '06. Kudos on the good grades. Best wishes.

cdm369 · Jun 7, 2005

The only thing I might add is ADN generally takes 2-3 years of school (community college) whereas BSN is general 4 years (university). I know many of my classmates who graduated with their ADN and went right into a 1-year RN-BSN program. If it makes any difference, my ADN class was 98% non-traditional students with the oldest nearing 50.
In my area (Kansas), the only thing BSN gets you are better shots at management positions (if that is where you want to go). ADN and BSN are paid the same and work the same units side by side.
My

As far as the time factor is concerned. I have taken so much of my core for a Bachelor's that the difference between ADN classes and BSN is not much, mainly the convenience differs. At this point, there are about 3-4 more classes I need to take in order to earn my BSN vs ADN. I say that, however, that is just referring to classes outside of the school nursing program. I'm sure the programs themselves differ between the ADN and BSN. The biggest advantage of the ADN route is I can remain working fulltime and take night classes, however that would take me about 4-5 years to finish. If I take the BSN route I would have to quite my fulltime job, because the program is a fulltime 2 year program.

cckrn · Jun 10, 2005

:) I was an LPN for 20 yrs.I decided to go for it and got my BSN. The BSN basically has management and research classes which the ADN program does not(I looked into an AD program prior to getting my BSN). I just decided to get it over with. CCKRN

2bnurseguy_2005 · Jun 17, 2005

I am also considering an ADN program at a local community college. I work in the IT industry full time and am trying to make the transistion into health.

I am reading that the BSN would give you better chances at management opportunities. I have a Bachelor of Business Admin in Management and also some coursework in a MBA. Would I still need an BSN if I want to advance?

The ADN for me is cheaper and quicker.

RoxanRN · Jun 17, 2005

I am also considering an ADN program at a local community college. I work in the IT industry full time and am trying to make the transistion into health.
I am reading that the BSN would give you better chances at management opportunities. I have a Bachelor of Business Admin in Management and also some coursework in a MBA. Would I still need an BSN if I want to advance?
The ADN for me is cheaper and quicker.

Depends on your facility and the requirements at the time.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2005

I am also considering an ADN program at a local community college. I work in the IT industry full time and am trying to make the transistion into health.
I am reading that the BSN would give you better chances at management opportunities. I have a Bachelor of Business Admin in Management and also some coursework in a MBA. Would I still need an BSN if I want to advance?
The ADN for me is cheaper and quicker.

As was stated above, it depends on the facility and the job applicants they receive for the position. At my facility, an ADN graduate advanced into management with a business degree and prior management experience in the business world. He took another job in another city as a director of nursing over their ER and other areas.

So a degree in another area can help, along with experience.

Good luck.