4 years to complete an ADN?!?!

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I just found out today that by going to the community college to get my ADN, it is going to take 4 years for me to finish. What the heck is that all about?? I don't understand that because why would I want to waste all that time. I thought it was supposed to be 2 years, not 4. That's a fricken BSN. Is this normal?? This is how it adds up (if you care to follow along): 1st semester is pre-reqs that you have to do (A&P 1 w/lab, English Comp, Intro to Sociology, College Algebra). Then they just added that you also have to complete Microbiology w/ lab and A&P w/ lab the next semester before you can even apply to the nursing program. By the time you complete all of these required pre-reqs, you will have missed the application deadline for fall admission to the nursing program. So you have to apply for Spring admission into the nursing program. Add that all up and that comes to 3 full semesters before I can even start the nursing program itself. The nursing program is then another 5 semesters (no way around that).

What kind of crap is this?? Plus, I'll have to fill up my schedule with a bunch of meaningless courses so that I can stay full-time for financial aid purposes. Is this what everybody goes through for an ADN???

can i pulease ask ... how in the world are you paying for school???? lol i mean i have no other choice but loans.. and to search my heart out for scholarships!!

I work on-call at the hospital and make decent money there. I am able to work graveyard or wierd hours in between class. Some days I go over 24 hours without any sleep! Also, I am married with no children. So any money we make is ours (not the daycare's money or anything like that). :)

Community College ADN program wasn't that expensive. 6 years ago it was $11 a unit plus your books. Very doable. I was a stay-at-home mom before going back to school. I only worked in the summer. I didn't have any loans and got one decent scholarship. Check into scholarships, there are literally thousands that no one applies for every year (all kinds - not just nursing).

steph

Specializes in Emergency Room.

when i originally applied to nursing school i wanted to go through the adn program because it was cheaper and less time consuming. or so i thought. when i consulted with an academic counselor on the two year program it was going to actually take me the same amount of time to get a bsn and i was already accepted in a 4 year school so i just went for it. it took me exactly 3 years to get the bsn and i don't regret it. in every nursing program whether it be adn or bsn the nursing part is two years. bsn programs add on 3-4 more nursing classes that adn programs don't have. usually those classes are pathophysiology, nursing statistics and research, community/public health and an elective nursing class like parish nursing, nursing informatics or something else you may be interested in. other than that the programs are similar. i don't know anyone that finished an adn in two years so if you have the financial resources/aid just get the bsn over with.

Our ADN course outline has us taking the first two semesters of pre-reqs and then the last four semesters taking nurses classes. After graduation, you can go one year longer to get your BSN, what they don't tell you is that all of the classes aren't offered as they have outlined, and you end up having to go a couple of extra semesters just to get the pre-reqs.

To the OP: Yes, 4 years does sound like a long time when you are just starting your journey. But believe me when I tell you...IT GOES BY SOOOOOO FAST!! I cannot believe this is almost over for me.

"4 years will go by even if you are not in school...might as well just do it" my mom's famous last words when I was deciding whether or not to go back to school for nursing!! It goes by so fast your head will spin :) . Good luck to you and I hope you follow your heart :)

Specializes in ER.

Yup for those who do not have pre reqs done first it can be that long!!! The ADN program at the CC has the option of you taking non nursing classes with Nursing classes but my college where I am doing my pre reqs at does NOT recommend it AT ALL!!!! The ADN program is so challenging that they want you to focus on nursing classes ONLY. I was lucky to have had alot of my pre reqs done previously but I will be at my cc for 3 semesters before starting my ADN.

So this is actually a pretty normal thing? Huh, I never would have thought. So, I can either spend 4 years at community and get my ADN or spend 4 years at university and get my BSN? Well, I really don't like the university here in this area. I tried that school for a bit and it was miserable. I really like this community college, plus I got my son into their daycare. I wonder if taking the ADN route will be any easier. I went to university full-time and that was pretty intense. I was always studying or working on some assignment. I never had any time for my son. That is definitely not what I want again.

Is the BSN any more intense than the ADN? Does it require more work? Or is the cost of the two programs the only thing that differs?

I'm just trying to decide if getting my ADN is the right thing to do. I mean I really don't think that pursuing my MSN is very feasible at this point in my life. But, if they are practically the same... then why not? Am I wrong? :uhoh21:

I am so confused and aggravated. I thought I had everything figured out, but now I don't know.

I guess my main concern is: Will it be easier for me to get my ADN?? Will I have more time for my son by taking that route?

Around here it takes most people 4 years for the ADN, as well. Unless you are already a hospital employee and can get into the CC's faster program (they go through the summers) which takes a total of 18 months (this is AFTER the pre-reqs, so it is still almost 4 years).

This was one of the reasons I chose the BSN also...what is an extra year?? (our program takes a total of 5 years to complete).

They are right about the time going by quickly...I have now completed 3 years and have ONLY 2 left!!

(edited to add:)

Sorry, I didn't see your question down there about which program is easier. You know, I don't think that one is necessarily easier than the other. (I wouldn't know, since I never attended an ADN program...just a guess). The programs here are a little different...the ADN's get more clinical time than we do and have fewer courses...we BSN's get less clinical time, but more critical thinking, pharmacology (their's is built in to the course), pathophysiology (they do not get this at all), community/public health nursing, leadership, etc. The clinical "experience" can be picked up once you start working, but the critical thinking that they hammer into our heads should come in handy (at least that is what I have heard...)

The decision, of course, is up to you...and it also depends on what you want in the future.

So this is actually a pretty normal thing? Huh, I never would have thought. So, I can either spend 4 years at community and get my ADN or spend 4 years at university and get my BSN? Well, I really don't like the university here in this area. I tried that school for a bit and it was miserable. I really like this community college, plus I got my son into their daycare. I wonder if taking the ADN route will be any easier. I went to university full-time and that was pretty intense. I was always studying or working on some assignment. I never had any time for my son. That is definitely not what I want again.

Is the BSN any more intense than the ADN? Does it require more work? Or is the cost of the two programs the only thing that differs?

I'm just trying to decide if getting my ADN is the right thing to do. I mean I really don't think that pursuing my MSN is very feasible at this point in my life. But, if they are practically the same... then why not? Am I wrong? :uhoh21:

I am so confused and aggravated. I thought I had everything figured out, but now I don't know.

I guess my main concern is: Will it be easier for me to get my ADN?? Will I have more time for my son by taking that route?

They are both very challenging regardless of whether you are going the ADN or BSN route. Where I live (California), the ADN program is notorious for having more clinical hours put into its program. We go to clinicals 19 hours a week (2 days for 9.5 hours a day)...theory class is 2 or 3 days a week depending on which semester you are in. (You are in theory class sometimes up to 8 hours at a time depending on which semester).

In all honesty, you probably won't have much time for anything other than school if you want to keep your grades up. We have to keep above 70% in order to progress to the next level. There is alot of reading materials, studying, homework to be done. Not to bring a negative spin into this but, we have had several divorces in our class, due to the high stress (and lack of being able to spend time with significant others.) Everything in all our lives has been put on hold since starting nursing school. This is why I am soooooooo glad to finally be done. I will actually have time to do something fun, actually read a book FOR FUN, to go to the movies, to have a life again!! Don't let that discourage you though! Once it is finally over, you look back and just smile and be proud that you finally accomplished your goal of becoming an RN! :balloons:

it is annoying! i know at my school you have to have 1 semester human biology+ lab and all 3 semesters of a&p and 1 semester of chemistry completed BEFORE you even apply for the nursing program. you also can only apply in fall at a certain time and spring. then before the program starts you have to have english 101 psyc 211 speech 211 and cpr before you bign 1st year nursing. When all is said and done you are looking at 3/12 to 4 yrs if you are luck enough to get a nursing school start date that isn't 1 or 2 yrs in the future. sigh!....

i really dont think that the nursing portion of either program would be much easier, but i know that i decided to go for the bsn because i figured if it would take about the same amount of time, then why not. if you decide to go on to grad school eventually, you will already be prepared, or even if not, you will only have more opportunities with a bsn, such as management. maybe you could visit the university and community college nursing programs and tour the school and talk to the advisors, then decide.

Wow! Four years to complete an ADN! I agree with the other posters. If you've got to go full time for four years anyways, it may as well be for a BSN. I wonder why my school's policie's are different from the majority....hhhmmm...

Best of luck Lauren!

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