Education pathways for someone with previous BS

[dutchie000]

Hi all,

I am thinking about pursuing nursing school. I have a bachelor's degree already and have completed most of my nursing prerequisites (I took micro without lab in college), so I don't have much additional preparation I need to do before planning. However, I was wondering what kind of input people have on which path of education to take. I would like to eventually become a nurse practitioner.

I was wondering if it is worth it to look at community colleges for the sake of saving money and potentially being able to work part time during school and then doing a bridge to BSN, or if the benefit of obtaining a BSN immediately and faster during an accelerated program outweighs the cost benefits of attending a community college for an associate's degree. Lastly, what are your thoughts on BSN-MSN programs? Are they worth the time efficiency or is it better to complete the BSN and work for at least a year before the MSN?

Thanks!

[aknapp8]

I'm in the same boat- I have a prior BS in a completely unrelated field. Because you qualify for little to no financial aid with a prior BS, I've decided to go the community college route. I continued to work full time in my current field while taking prereqs, then switched to a part time position (I was lucky to find one in my current field!) And I start the nursing program next month. I like that it will let me continue to work part time to help pay for the program and have money to live on, and the cost of the ADN plus an RN to BSN program will still be less than an accelerated program. Good luck to you!

[BeachsideRN, ASN]

I have a BA and an MPH. I chose to go the ASN route because it was significantly less expensive (even after accounting for the bridge program costs) than BSN or ABSN and there were no DE-MSN programs in my area.

[vanilla bean]

Have you looked into the direct-entry route? MEPN/GEPN programs admit students with bachelor's degrees in fields other than nursing.

[dutchie000]

Are you talking about programs such as Columbia, etc? I have absolutely looked into them! I think at this point I will probably apply to local programs, associate and BSN, and see what works out. Are any of you planning on a masters?

[JaaaeyRN]

I have B.Ed. & M.Ed. I chose to do ADN. I graduated with no debt. I wanted to do accera ted program for those who have previous bachelor's but it would cost me over $600 credit hours in 2010. It is about $1000 for credit hour now.

I am gratefully that I did through my CC. Earned my title and starting my first RN job tomorrow as an oncology nurse.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

I was in the same situation. Like keylimsqueez, I chose to go the ADN route because of the cost. After my Bachelor's, I had plenty of loans to pay off already. For the ADN program, I'm able to pay out of pocket and graduate with no debt from that program.

I would check your area to see if facilities hire ADN graduates first. Some areas are geared towards more BSN-only or BSN-preferred, which may make finding a job after graduation a bit more challenging.