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Discussion

General Nursing Question

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The best route to take is to find an "Accellerated BSN" program which after pre-reqs (most of which you probably already have if your major was Biology) it takes one more year, at a very quick and hard pace, to get your BSN.

Otherwise there's always the traditional BSN route, or the ADN route, or the LPN route than your LPN to RN route.

But your "best" route is the accllerated BSN, which only accepts persons with a degree in another field. Talk you your local school advisors.

Congrats on your graduation and good luck!

I agree with Tweety.

  • Expert

While I don't think Tweety is necessarily wrong, I would encourage you to talk to people at all the general/basic ("pre-licensure") nursing programs in your area (ADN, BSN, accelerated BSN (ABSN) or diploma programs if available), see what they each have to offer you (cost, length of time to complete, etc.), and then make a decision based on your particular needs and situation. An ABSN would certainly be your quickest option, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's your best option. There are too many individual variables to consider to make blanket statements about what is the best choice for any particular person or group of people. ABSN programs are extremely demanding, intense, and fast-paced; that may be a good choice for one person, but a poor choice for another. Also, they tend to be very expensive; if you have a lot of student debt from your current degree, you might prefer a program that takes a little longer but costs a lot less.

There are a number of threads here in which people who have completed ABSN programs discuss how well they feel they were prepared to practice as nurses, now that they're out in the "real world." I would encourage you to do a search for those threads and review them.

I'm not saying that you definitely shouldn't go into an ABSN program; just that I would encourage you not to assume that that is your best choice. Whichever route you pursue to nursing licensure, you're going to invest a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (not to mention $$$!) -- it would be well worth putting in the time and effort up front to make sure you're making the best choice for you, in your particular circumstances.

Even with a degree in biology, I can just about guarantee you'll have pre-reqs to take before any nursing program. If you didn't take 'Anatomy and Physiology', that would be a great place to start.

Accelerated programs can be brutal. They don't allow for stumbles...sick days, family crises or much life other than school and study. My program lost students to pregnancy, new love, a broken ankle and even a language barrier. There isn't time to accommodate much of any kind of problem. And as was said, they are very expensive. My 8K program in 1986 is now over 40K. For 1 year, no room or board included. Accelerated programs also have very limited aid available as the participants already have a degree. The president of my university calls the accelerated nursing program his "beloved cash cow". Essentially, people come, cash in hand.

Figure out whether time or money is the biggest driver. Also, think about what kind of student you are. Thre are so many programs out there today; it will help if you can identify what you need most from a program.

Best wishes!

Good points. I forget sometimes how expensive accellerated programs can be (but remember it's 2 years crammed into one, but expensive nonetheless because they are only offered at universities at university prices) and you have to be motivated and able to devote your entire life to your studies. So it's not the best option for everyone.

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