Four years for an associates?

birdgardner · Nov 24, 2007

One reason I didn't go the community college route and save a gazillion bucks, is first you complete your prereqs, then you go on the waiting list, and two years later you START on your ADN. They're so oversubscribed they don't mind making you wait.

You'll have to ask, but can you complete A&P this summer, either at another college or on line, and start nursing classes this fall?

And if you do have to wait, take classes that interest you and will be accepted as transfer credits at your state four-year colleges - you may want a BA/BS in something else, some day.

Lovely_RN, MSN · Nov 24, 2007

This is typical of most impacted CCs and this is the part that they never put in those brochures that tell you that you can be a nurse in only 2.5 years!

Why spend 4 years to get the ADN? For that you might as well transfer to a 4 year college...if your state has public university that is even better because the tuition will not be too much more than the CC.

I firmly believe that the only way to get your ADN in 2 or 2.5 years is to go the private school route but that is usually expensive.

pirap · Nov 24, 2007

Do you have all the requirements needed to graduate from a Community College-except for the core curriculum of nursing? What I mean is that you need so many credits in English/Lit, math, fine arts, history, science, etc that you should be quite busy now. If you are done or don't plan on moving onto a higher education-BSN/MSN-try taking something to expand your mind or learn a new language. Spanish speaking nurses are in demand-why not learn why you "wait?"

laurainri · Nov 24, 2007

when you go to a CC they do not tell you how long the wait list is. It took me 5 years to complete my ADN. Sad huh. If I had known I would have transferred to a BSN.

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 24, 2007

I agree with birdgardner.

Also ... I think this trend is one of the most scandalous things in nursing today. As ADN programs have tried to "upgrade" their prograsm so that they can be considered "equal to" a BSN, they have added so many course requirements and hoops to jump through that it takes as long (or almost as long) as getting a BSN. Then the ADN graduate has to go back to school to get a BSN to qualify for the broader career opportunities that she will want in a few years. Rather than maintain a difference between the 2 entry levels of nursing by making the ADN requirements less and acknowledge a difference in the preparation of their graduates, some ADN programs have continually added content and requirements to their programs so that they can say they are "equal to" a BSN at the expense of their students. I think it is both an ego thing and a money thing.

Any way you look at it, it's a rip-off ... and the people who benefit are the Community Colleges who collect the money from the ADN students. ADN students and graduates should be angry about this, but most seem more proud of how rigorous their education was rather than angry that their "2-year Associate's Degree" took 3 or 4 years and a lot more money than other "2-year Associate's Degrees."

Before starting on a 4-year plan to get an ADN ... look long and hard at getting a BSN to begin with. It might mean taking out a student loan, etc. but that's not the end of the world. In the end, you may end up ahead as you will be further along in your professional career at a younger age. Many ADN grads plan to go back to school for their BSN's, but have trouble actually doing that later as they acquire financial responsibilities, families to support, etc. and get used to not being a student anymore.

If a BSN is really not possible for you, and you HAVE to do the 4-year ADN, use the time wisely and get an Associate's Degree along the way in something else that interest's you so that you can either incorporate it into your nursing career later (such as business, or IT, or psychology, etc.) or be started towards another career that would interest you in case nursing doesn't work out for you.

Also explore the options of taking some of those requirements at other schools in your area and/or online. Talk with the ADN program and see what courses they would accept as substitutes for the ones they offer.

Edit: As I was typing my rather long response, other posters have added to this thread. I am happy to see that other people are beginning to speak up on the lunacy of spending 4 years in school (full time or nearly full time) to get an Associate's Degree.

Good luck.

caliotter3 · Nov 24, 2007

I agree with what the others have said. And do not beat yourself up because you didn't take a required science course your first semester. You should continue to take the prerequisites for the ASN degree and at the same time start to add those courses that are required for a BSN, such as statistics. Find out the requirements for the BSN program that you would consider. And taking Spanish if you are in an area where that would be helpful is not a bad idea. You really should consider preparing for a BSN program. As so many others have stated on this website, in many posts, they could have completed a BSN program in the time it took them to get an ASN. Just don't get discouraged or keep all your eggs in one basket. Explore all the nursing programs in your area and figure out what it would take to be able to get accepted into all of them. Broaden your options. Good luck to you in your studies.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Nov 24, 2007

You do what you have to do. I took probably 4 years because for a while I took one class at a time because I worked full time.

But I wholeheartedly agree that it's scandous that ADNs nowadays are being required to go to school for three or more years and come out with an ADN. The ADN school here just added Statistics as a requirement. If I worked almost as long and hard as a BSN did and got awarded an ADN in some of these programs I would feel ripped off too. Mind you I'm a proud ADN graduate from a community college myself, so I'm not knocking my degree.

Good luck to you!

chocokitten · Nov 24, 2007

it took my 5 years to get my BSN. I went to school full time (albeit the minimum 12 credit hours to be at fulltime status) pretty much all year round, but I also obtained a minor in psychology at the same time. It rarely takes the short time schools advertise to graduate. I know many ADN nurses that took 3-4 years to get theirs though the school advertises 2. That's one reason I went straight for my BSN.

Good luck in school! I know it seems like a long time, but it will be over before you know it :)

LeavingTeaching4RN · Nov 24, 2007

AND vs BSN in four years?

It seems as if this thread has turned into a bash on ASN/AND programs.

It's simple math. If you take 3 or 4 credits a semester, it would take an eternity to finish any degree.

A BSN program in my area requires 53 credits in pre-reqs. Then, about 16 credits per semester during the 2 years that you're actually in the nursing program.

An ASN program in my area requires 20 credits in pre-reqs. Then, 10 credits per semester during the 18 month nursing program.

The BSN program simply requires more coursework during the same two year period.

To the original question posed, I would complete pre-reqs for the BSN program as well as fulfill the foreign language requirement in case you decide to pursue a bachelor's degree now or even in the future. Good Luck!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Nov 24, 2007

AND vs BSN in four years?
It seems as if this thread has turned into a bash on ASN/AND programs.
It's simple math. If you take 3 or 4 credits a semester, it would take an eternity to finish any degree.
A BSN program in my area requires 53 credits in pre-reqs. Then, about 16 credits per semester during the 2 years that you're actually in the nursing program.
An ASN program in my area requires 20 credits in pre-reqs. Then, 10 credits per semester during the 18 month nursing program.
The BSN program simply requires more coursework during the same two year period.
To the original question posed, I would complete pre-reqs for the BSN program as well as fulfill the foreign language requirement in case you decide to pursue a bachelor's degree now or even in the future. Good Luck!

I'm not bashing the quality of the ADN's education. Just that back in a day an ADN was a two year program and the BSN was a 4-year program. There were no "pre-reqs" that had to taken a year ahead of time, making the program three years. Over time more and more has been added to get the same ADN and that's a ripoff. But the qualitiy of education is excellent.

Here the BSN program is similar to you what you describe, only there's usually only 3 hours per semester difference between the ADN's final two and the BSN's. The BSN have added on research, community health, leadership, etc. So it is indeed more work to get a BSN, as it should be. My beef is that it's narrowed over the years.

Lovely_RN, MSN · Nov 24, 2007

I have nothing against the ADN but the truth is the truth and unless you are in a private 2 year program it does not take 2 or 2.5 years to complete the ADN program at most CCs.

You are made to believe that the pre-clinical sequence should only take one semester and the clinical will be completed in 2 years.

I'm not bashing CCs by stating what is merely the truth...you CANNOT finish in 2.5 years, it's not happening. I think that most students who enroll in CCs as pre-nursing students do not understand this and if they did they might make different choices.

Some people don't care how long they go to school but some people go the ADN route because they do not want to wait 4 years to start their nursing career. Well maybe it they knew up front that they will be in school for almost 4 years anyway they would choose differently is all that I am saying.