Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing vs Accelerated Option Bachelor of Science in Nursing

[SpiritOfFire]

Hello everyone!

I usually lurk but I've been reading through a few threads about DE-MSN programs and see that they're not well liked in the nursing community (which is unfortunate in my opinion) but I wanted to get some thoughts on my situation and whether y'all think I should re-consider pursuing an Direct Entry MSN.

I have a Bachelors in another field of study and I will be finishing up my final four pre-reqs in the Spring, I have applied to an AOBSN program and in-person DE-MSN program for the Fall of 25 and I'm waiting for the decisions but in the meantime I'm going back and forth with myself on which one is the best option based off my situation. Here are some of the pros and cons that I've been weighing...

DE-MSN Pros:

In-Person program which I think I would prefer, having that face-to-face interaction suits me better now than it did when I obtained my first bachelors 10+ years ago.

I understand that DE-MSN programs are looked down upon because it's an MSN program with no prior bedside RN experience, but I still see it as a career progression for myself having a master's instead of obtaining another bachelor, ultimately the two programs achieve the same goal which is sitting for the NCLEX but for some stupid reason I feel like obtaining another bachelor's seems redundant.

I'm have over 5 years in emergency medicine which I do understand doesn't completely equate to bedside nursing but to me (some will fight me tooth and nail on it) there are some similarities between the two within certain context.

As far as I know, it is NOT a program that grants you the ability to sit for the NP exam which is absolutely what I did not want in a program because that is not what I wanted to gain out getting an MSN instead of a BSN. The long term plan for myself is to work in an ICU for a few years then, once my loans have been paid down and I've gained enough experience, go back to school for a DNP. So, I hope that it's clear that I still want a handful of years of bedside practice before going for a DNP.

Speaking of loans, that's essentially the driving factor behind applying to the DE-MSN program. It's considered a graduate program therefore I can use graduate-level federal loans which I haven't touched yet whereas I'm 10k away from exhausting my undergraduate federal loan limit which has been adding another level of stress for me.

This program contracts with multiple hospital systems in my area, one of them being the system that I would like to work for after school.

DE-MSN Cons:

No other way to put it, it's expensive LOL about $15,000 more expensive than the AOBSN program I applied to but again with it being a graduate level of program it does remove a bit of the stress of being able to pay for it right away.

I am still going to work through the program, I don't have a choice as I have financial responsibilities and a family to care for. I am going to put forth the effort to grind through it while working but because it's an in-person program vs online it will add some challenges of schedule conflicts where I will have to call in a lot of favors at work LOL. Thankfully though I have decent flexibility with my employer to make time accommodations for school.

AOBSN Pros:

As mentioned before, it would be cheaper for me but I'm close to exhausting my undergraduate loan limit so it's not that much of a positive, I guess.

With the classroom aspect being online and asynchronous it would allow me to have ample time to be able review pre-reordered lectures during my off time.

AOBSN Cons:

The asynchronous online environment has been nice so far, but I think that might be a downfall for me when it comes to the upper division courses where there is quite a bit of interaction between the classroom, lab and clinical environments.

This program only contracts with one hospital system in my area and it's the one system I'm not entirely fond of.

One last thing I should mention is the NCLEX Pass Rates for the two programs which are DE-MSN at 97% and AOBSN at 93%

I know I've thought up more pros and cons for both programs than I've written above but so far that's the bulk of it, it might seem like I'm leaning towards the MSN program but I truly am at about 50/50 for both and honestly what's stopping me from going full-throttle with the DE-MSN program is the fact that I'm a little concerned that DE-MSN programs are not well liked by nurses in the field and I don't want that to be a reason I'm potentially "written off" as a candidate when applying for jobs (that's assuming that even occurs, which I did read on another website LOL).

Thank you for any opinions or advice y'all may have! 🙂