debating whether or not to start the nursing school process

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hi all,

i just signed up to this site, hoping some people out there who have been there and done that can give me some advice. i am a 36-year-old stay home mom who does freelance photography on the side but has always regretted not pursuing something in my field (i have a psych background). however, over the last 5 years or so i have wondered about nursing too, and now i think that's really the route i'd love to take. i would love to do something in the pediatric field - i love working with kids and have been told by a handful of people that know me well that i have great kid skills and infinite patience (might have something to do with the fact that my 9-year-old has bipolar disorder - i've learned a few tricks along the way! :) what i want to know is where to start? do i start with a community college and then transfer to a local university? i think there's several in my area that would be great (i live in dallas, the oven of the south). is it better to get my ADN or RN? does it matter? keeping the costs down as much as possible will be imperative. there's just a lot of information out there and it's a little overwhelming - any advice from others in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated. thank you! :)

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Hi baby_ladybug! I'm in the Dallas area too. I'm going the ADN route and then later go with the RN - BSN program at TWU. I will be applying for the Fall 2012 enrollment at El Centro, but taking most classes at North Lake (El Centro's satellite campus).

The cost is what ultimately determined what I was going to do. Community college is the best choice for me at this time. So, if you are looking to keep the cost down, the community college is the way to go.

Also if you go for either an ADN or a BSN, you will be an RN when you're done.

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ADN is a degree that qualifies you to take the NCLEX to become an RN.You can also get a Bachelors of Science in Nursing or a diploma from a hospital school of nursing. All three allow you to take the NCLEX-RN.

There's a ton of info on the site here- it was invaluable to me when I was firat looking at school. It can be a confusing process, as schools have slightly different requirements and different regions have local preferences of degrees. In addition to the general nursing board you also might want to peruse the prenursing board and the Texas board.

Good luck in your journey : only you can decide if nursing is right for you. It's a

challenging path but a rewarding one.

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Hi baby ladybug and welcome!

You will most likely get a wide variety of answers to this question. I think the answer is really going to be what works best for you, given whatever constraints you have (time, money, etc). There are many who will argue that a BSN is the way forward and that many hospitals are only hiring BSN trained nurses. You would need to research in your area to see if that is the case. And that doesn't mean to suggest that there aren't some great ADN programs. It's probably politics, but there are some differences between ADN and BSN, generally speaking. (If you do some searches you can find lots of threads on that.) You can always do an RN-BSN program (after you have your RN) but that is more time and money. If you have a degree, then you may be able to do a BSN program and it is usually just two years, not including the time for pre-reqs. I would look up your State Board of Registered Nursing and find all of the programs that are approved, then you can start checking out the ones in your area. If you haven't done anatomy and physiology or microbiology, I would consider signing up for those at your local cc and you can then take some time to figure out the best program for you. There are so many paths to get in to nursing, which is great, but it can also be a little overwhelming to figure out the best one for your. Good luck and look around an, you will find some great resources and information!

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My dad has his BSN and when I decided to go to school for nursing he said that going for my ADN wasn't a bad idea at all. Not only will I spend less on the cost of education, but I will still be an "RN" once I pass the NCLEX. At my Dad's hospital in Michigan, having a BSN only gets you $0.50 - $1.00 more an hour. Again, you will have to research the hiring trend in your area though.

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You should check if there is an accelerated program near your area since you said you already have a background in psych!!!! :) good luck

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BSN, also allows you to the possibility of moving up to a managerial role. ASN would not afford you this possibility....something to think about. if I am wrong someone out there please correct me. I myself am going the ASN route because I have always wanted to be a nurse and time is not on my side. I am 37 and I am excited about finally getting a chance to do what I want to do. I have four children and they are finally of age where I can focus on school. Good luck to you and try to put some of your questions in the search engine on this site. Someone else may have had some of the same questions you have! :)))

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Wow this sounds like me!! Same age, same amount of children and the same goals.

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I'm doing the ADN route since it is quicker and cheaper, then the plan is to get a job with an employer who will help pay for me to get my BSN.

Either route....start with the basics and get any and all you possibly can out of the way before you start a nursing program.

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Hi and welcome! So many options...so many questions. I remember when I was contemplating going back to school for nursing, and now here I am. About to be done this upcoming semester. As others have said, I would pick the route that suits you the best. You can get either go the ADN or BSN route, and the pay difference isn't that much. For me, I chose the BSN route for a couple of reasons. Since I received pell and state grants, cost was not an issue for me. Secondly, it would have taken me the SAME amount of time to finish either ADN or BSN. How does that work? Years and years ago, I just so happen to finish all my general ed's for a bachelors degree back when I was young and couldn't decide what to do with my life. The prerequesite classes (classes you need to get INTO nursing school) were about one to two years long. In my area, ADN programs were an additional 2 years long, while my current BSN program is 2 1/2 years. So literally one semester difference.

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If you already have a bachelor's degree, you might be able to do a 2nd degree accelerated BSN program. The one (maybe two?) I plan on applying for are only 18 months long. That is probably about the same amount of time it would take to get an ADN. However, I hear it is pretty intense. If you are looking to go to school part-time or need to work while in school, ADN might be a good place to start.

Good luck!

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Wow, excellent thread! I am also in a similar situation but male, 30, no children, not married, and already have a B.S degree in Human Dev. & Family Studies.

I'm planning to take prereqs for a MSN program here in the midwest for the fall of 2013. In the meantime I'll also hope to be working PT (very minmal hours) and taking the course the become a CNA.

Seeing that I'll be a "non-degree seeking" student this fall taking prereqs at a 4-year uni, is anyone else in a similar situation? I have an appointment w/ the nursing program admissions advisor mid-August and am HOPING that I'll be eligible for enough loans to pay for tuition and misc. expenses (lodging, books, etc.).

Has anyone (in a similar, or not) received sufficient funds for prereq. courses? I know the amount of FA is different and contigent upon many factors; but does it also depend on the state? Not having sufficient funds for tuition will definitely pose problems :uhoh3:..

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