Get my associate degree in nursing or my bachelor degree in nursing?

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2014

I'd go for the BSN. You may not be able to get any federal aid for an associate degree by the way due to changes in financial aid laws.

MatrixRn · Feb 8, 2014

Go for the BSN. It will take longer but will pay off as far as job opportunities.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2014

BSN, no question.

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Caffeine_IV · Feb 8, 2014

BSN.....

Palliative Care, DNP · Feb 9, 2014

Why is this still a question? I advise anyone going back to school to get the BSN. Just look at all the posts asking about ADNs being phased out. BSN is going to become entry to practice eventually. It is easier to knock it out once than to have to return to school especially at your age.

MatrixRn · Feb 11, 2014

Another thing to consider is a ADN says it is only 2 yrs, but NO one finishes this in two years. There is at least one year of pre-regs before can even apply to the RN program. So, 3 years is the minimal needed to complete an ADN.

For a BSN, the pre-regs are done in year 1, and then nursing classes are done for the last 3 years.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Feb 11, 2014

Being that you have an AS degree now, I would suggest getting your prerequisites done for nursing school and go for a BSN. You'll spend about as much time getting a BSN as you would an ADN at this point, and you'll still be eligible for financial aid (grants & loans) because you're going for a Bachelor's. Honestly, for where you're at in your educational "life" there's really no question about it. Go for BSN. Just make sure that you go to a good program.

Because I already had a BS degree, a 2nd degree wasn't viable for me as the local universities weren't "open" to any new students going for a 2nd BS degree in any program. That limited my options to ADN (private or public schools) or an ABSN which was very cost-prohibitive. That degree alone would have been somewhere north of $60k and add in another $20k for housing/food/expenses, and I'd be looking at something very, very expensive to start with, and no guarantee of a job after graduation. Had a 2nd BS degree been an option (they opened it up the year I got accepted to 2 ADN programs) it still would have only taken me about 2 years to complete the program.

You're in a much better position. Depending upon the school you transfer to for a BSN degree, they may essentially state that your lower division GE is done and all you need to concentrate is your UDGE and program courses. In other words, you'll be done in 4-5 Semesters, you'll be more marketable, and (ideally) prepared to further your education at the Master's level. Where I'm at now, I could take another 4 courses as a post-grad student and be at the same point.

My recommendation is 100% to go for BSN because of where you're at in your educational career. I'm not saying to not apply to ADN programs, but BSN is the better path for a lot of reasons.