Help! I'm not a quitter, but...

[nskoog]

I was wondering if anyone had any advice or knowledge that might be helpful to me.. I recently got accepted into two Entry-level MSN programs. I have a previous BA degree and I will start in the fall..

I need help deciding whether or not it is smart to quit after recieving the RN license or continuing. This might determine which school I choose..

The first school awards a second BSN after 14 months and we are able to sit for the NCLEX. After passing, we continue another 16 months and recieve a MSN and are termed "Clinical Nurse Specialist." The second DOES NOT award a second BSN, but we sit for the NCLEX after 18 months, and continue another 18 months for the MSN after passing the NCLEX. We also are a CNS after completion.

My problem is, I want to stay a bedside nurse for awhile. I know there is going to be no difference in pay when I graduate b/w an ADN, BSN, or generic MSN degree.. I love school #2 and the faculty is awesome. I think that is really important. However, they do not award a second BSN. If I were to choose not to continue with the rest of the program, work for several years, then decide what I want to specialize in...would that hurt me because I don't specifically have a BSN but will have an RN and BA from another field????

I am desperate to know if it matters, otherwise, would it be smart to accept school #1 and recieve a second BSN and then work??? I have never been a quitter, but I would like to possibly prevent myself from any extra schooling.. As of right now, I don't know what I will do when the time comes. I have never been a nurse, but I have heard from MANY people that a generic MSN will do me no good. I do not want to become an administrator or teacher.

Sorry so long! Any advice would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!! :)

[Bonnie Nurse]

Well, this looks simpler the more you look at it. School #1 = 30 months with BSN midway. If life throws you a curve, you can do MANY things with the RN BSN you will have at that time. You may find your perfect niche at bedside or elsewhere, but there's no doubt that you'll get more mileage from the BSN than from just the RN, should you have to stop along the way. 30 months is a LONG TIME. You may decide that you want a different type of MSN by the time you finish these first 18 months or so. You may decide you don't even need this MSN. School #2 just seems, in my humble opinion, to be fraught with opportunities for derailment. #1: money/time investment for the extended time in school. Remember real cost is the cost of school AND your lost income while you are in school. Add that up and then mix yourself a martini because you'll need it. I also completed a second degree program. It was 18 months long and it will take me almost 8 years to make up the lost income. I don't regret it at all, but those are the undeniable financial facts. #2 This second school where the faculty is so nice may be great, but the fact remains that when you finish half the program, your RN is still below the BSN. The BSN might open doors for you that the plain RN won't. And why can't they manage to grant the BSN in about the same amout of time that the other school does? Could it be that they hope for more, hmmm..... REVENUE!!!!! So, my vote is to go with school #1. Get a bigger bang for your buck halfway through and then still have choices!