RN and BSN??

Acosmo27 · Aug 24, 2008

This is all new to me, so please bear with me!
I am a 3.5 student and will be receiving my Associates degree in Social Science (Psychology) this coming Spring. Before I wasn't serious about my education (hence my GPA), but now I know I want to work towards becoming a CRNA, and as quickly as possible. Can I go for my Bachelors in Nursing immediately following? Or must I get my Associates in Nursing first?
My community college offers a 2-year Nursing program to become an RN... but what is this degree called, is it considered an Associates of Science in Nursing?? And if so, then what is an LPN?
I know the CRNA is someone who has a Masters in nursing. But can someone please explaing to me how to get there from where I am at? I would greatly appreciate it.. thank you..

Hm, I guess im a bit confused. Can you go for your BSN immediately following.. what?

If you mean can you get your BSN following your Associate psych degree, then yes. But obviously you have to complete the prereqs prior to applying to nursing school which is going to take a little while in itself.

An ASN is usually a 2 year degree, mostly at community colleges I think, vs the BSN that is normally at 4 year universities. The main difference is you have to take a few more GE classess basically for the BSN. And maybe a few more theory/management classes for the BSN. I dont know, really. I only am familiar with the BSN side of things considering thats what Im doing. Others can correct me, or add info.

And I think an LPN is kind of like a LVN, which is too a nurse. But I will not comment further becaue I dont know much about that program either.

If your future plans include becoming a CRNA, then getting your BSN is your best bet if you want a more direct route.

Good luck and congrats on your decision to be a nurse! :redbeathe

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Aug 24, 2008

2 year "RN degrees" are typically Associate degrees. Once you get the ADN, you can do an RN to BSN bridge.

LPN and LVN are the same thing, just regionally different usage.

WindyhillBSN · Aug 24, 2008

LPN/LVN Licensed practical/vocational nurse, is a certificate program. RN-ADN/ASN is an associate's degree/associate of science in nursing. If you want to be a CRNA, I'd go for the RN-BSN. In most schools for that, you will need the bachelor's degree in nursing anyway.

meyun06 · Aug 24, 2008

Hi

I also want to be a crna. A Lpn (license practical nurse) license is accomplished in one year. They are nurses without college degrees. You can start off as a lpn and apply for the lpn-rn bridge program. It usually takes one year to complete. Some schools require you to work at least one year as a lpn before applying to the program. You can also become an rn with an associates degree which is about two to three years. Another nurse or nursing student could probably explain that option better because I think you have to sit for the nclex. You can do the rn-bsn option also. To become a crna, you have to have a beachelors degree and at least one year of acute or critical care experience as a registered nurse. Then you can apply for the crna program. I hope this info. helps. If I gave any wrong info., im sure someone would correct me because Im kind of new to this nursing stuff too. :)

PartyofOne1 · Aug 24, 2008

Hm, I guess im a bit confused. Can you go for your BSN immediately following.. what?
If you mean can you get your BSN following your Associate psych degree, then yes. But obviously you have to complete the prereqs prior to applying to nursing school which is going to take a little while in itself.
An ASN is usually a 2 year degree, mostly at community colleges I think, vs the BSN that is normally at 4 year universities. The main difference is you have to take a few more GE classess basically for the BSN. And maybe a few more theory/management classes for the BSN. I dont know, really. I only am familiar with the BSN side of things considering thats what Im doing. Others can correct me, or add info.
And I think an LPN is kind of like a LVN, which is too a nurse. But I will not comment further becaue I dont know much about that program either.
If your future plans include becoming a CRNA, then getting your BSN is your best bet if you want a more direct route.
Good luck and congrats on your decision to be a nurse! :redbeathe

Right, I want to go for my BSN right after graduating with my AA in Psychology.

I guess I should have figured out what I wanted to be sooner.. so it looks like I have to get my ASN in the 2-yr program to become an RN, then my 2-yr BSN to certify for the 2-yr CRNA program= 6 yrs total.

I think I'm more clear now, thank you!

PICNICRN, BSN, RN · Aug 24, 2008

Yes, you must have a BSN to apply to a CRNA program. But don't plan on just going to school for 6 years and your done. I applied and was accepted into a CRNA program in Chicago years ago(I decided to have a baby instead:D) and they required 5 years of critical care experience before you could apply- along with a post graduate stats class(yuck).

I would encourage you to get your RN and start working in a critical care area then go from there.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Aug 24, 2008

If any of your classes already taken are compatible with a BSN, you can knock some time off the total. Also, you don't have to get the ADN in order to do a BSN. CRNA is, I believe, considered a Masters degree.

PartyofOne1 · Aug 24, 2008

Yes, you must have a BSN to apply to a CRNA program. But don't plan on just going to school for 6 years and your done. I applied and was accepted into a CRNA program in Chicago years ago(I decided to have a baby instead:D) and they required 5 years of critical care experience before you could apply- along with a post graduate stats class(yuck).
I would encourage you to get your RN and start working in a critical care area then go from there.

Great advice, I appreciate it! :)

Acosmo27 · Aug 24, 2008

Right, I want to go for my BSN right after graduating with my AA in Psychology.
I guess I should have figured out what I wanted to be sooner.. so it looks like I have to get my ASN in the 2-yr program to become an RN, then my 2-yr BSN to certify for the 2-yr CRNA program= 6 yrs total.
I think I'm more clear now, thank you!

Why dont you just go straight into a BSN program rather than do the ASN then BSN... make it easier on yourself if you can. They are the same prereqs for the most part, depending on the schools.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Aug 24, 2008

This is all new to me, so please bear with me!
I am a 3.5 student and will be receiving my Associates degree in Social Science (Psychology) this coming Spring. Before I wasn't serious about my education (hence my GPA), but now I know I want to work towards becoming a CRNA, and as quickly as possible. Can I go for my Bachelors in Nursing immediately following? Or must I get my Associates in Nursing first?
My community college offers a 2-year Nursing program to become an RN... but what is this degree called, is it considered an Associates of Science in Nursing?? And if so, then what is an LPN?
I know the CRNA is someone who has a Masters in nursing. But can someone please explaing to me how to get there from where I am at? I would greatly appreciate it.. thank you..

Much depends on your finances and the options available to you in your geographic area (for nursing schools/school programs).

Many, if not most, nursing programs are quite competitive now, with applicants for seats far exceeding the number of seats available for enrollment. The least expensive route to an RN is the Associate's degree; the availability for placement in such a program varies considerably. Check with your college (the one you're in now) and see what the wait time is. BSN programs typically are a bit tougher to get into in that there are simply fewer of them than ADN /ASN programs. Since it's a Bachelor's degree, many find it to be a more expensive route to an RN. Still, price is only part of the factoring.

Regardless of the route you take, you need to have several pre-reqs out of the way prior to entering the nursing program wherever you go. Chances are, you have already met them with your first Associate's degree, but it really does depend on the wait list for the school: ones that can afford to accept students who already have all the sciences (A&P, microbiology, chemistry, etc) done usually ask for that first. Ones that have more leeway and are ok with you taking those courses along with the nursing components might let you do them that way. BSN programs typically expect that you're going to take them in the first part of your degree program, as it's a 4-yr education already.

Now that you've figured out how to get the degree that gets you to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensing exam , you will then decide about the CRNA.

As someone stated, critical care experience is a must, and the length of experience is determined by the program to which you apply. Don't expect that to be a matter of time+RN=CRNA placement; competition for those spots is high. Doesn't mean to not plan for it of course, just that you're going to need several years to work toward if AFTER becoming a nurse.

The LPN/LVN route is for those who wish to complete a basic nursing education in a year or less (usually). They do not receive a college degree (frequently not transferrable credits, either) but rather a certificate of completion. This allows them to sit for the NCLEX-PN, successful completion of which gets them the practical nurse license. Options for the LPN vary by region; most will find it easiest to get placement in nursing homes versus hospitals, but this varies considerably too. Some places will hire only RNs; some hire LPNs in the small numbers, and some will hire them almost interchangeably.

Hope this helped :)

GSSPN · Aug 24, 2008

Hi
I also want to be a crna. A Lpn (license practical nurse) license is accomplished in one year. They are nurses without college degrees. You can start off as a lpn and apply for the lpn-rn bridge program. It usually takes one year to complete. Some schools require you to work at least one year as a lpn before applying to the program. You can also become an rn with an associates degree which is about two to three years. Another nurse or nursing student could probably explain that option better because I think you have to sit for the nclex. You can do the rn-bsn option also. To become a crna, you have to have a beachelors degree and at least one year of acute or critical care experience as a registered nurse. Then you can apply for the crna program. I hope this info. helps. If I gave any wrong info., im sure someone would correct me because Im kind of new to this nursing stuff too. :)

I just want to clarify 2 statements...1) The LPN program is NOT necessarily accomplished in 1 year. It depends on your status in the program meaning whether you are attending as a full-time student or part-time. The program I completed was an accelerated 10 month (1 year, essentially) program. Some community colleges offer a part time option which would make the program 2 years. It all depends on the individual's responsibilities (ie. work, kids, spouse etc.) 2) It is completely erroneous to define a LPN as a "nurse without a college degree." There are plenty of LPN's who have degrees in other majors although the degree is not in nursing. It is the same w/RN's. There are RN's who do not have a college degree at all. Many aspire and do attain their BSN. In either case b4 you are licensed, you have to sit for the NCLEX. Once you are licensed you can go on to study for any other degrees in nursing.