HELP! RN-BSN or straight to BSN?

Published

Hello everyone!

I'm a 20-year-old college student living in San Diego. I'm very confused on which route to go :(

I was originally going to school straight for my BSN, but after some research, I feel that there are a lot more schools and programs available for those going RN-BSN.

How many years does it take to achieve an ADN, & then going for BSN as opposed to going straight for the BSN? Is there an advantage to doing RN-BSN over going straight for the BSN? Do you need prerequisite classes finished before going to any nursing program, no matter if it's for an ADN or BSN? Would it be a waste of time to change my route?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

You might the following threads helpful in making your decision.

Entry into RN Practice (Part 1): Associate Degree Nursing (ADN)

Entry into Practice (Part 2) - Baccalaureate Programs in Nursing (BSN)

RN-BSN Completion Programs

The best of luck to you on your journey to become a nurse.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

You are most welcome!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

If you can afford to do the BSN right away, do so. You will definitely save time and money in the long run as well as make yourself more competitive in this very difficult job market.

Personally, I did the ADN route and graduated when I was twenty. In all honesty, I look back and realize that I did not have the maturity or the life experience to handle that sort of responsibility at that age. Going through the ADN program helped me to mature and it truly made me the nurse---the person---that I am today but it was very rough. I definitely regretted not getting a "real" college experience and I think that I might not have had such a tough time my first couple of years as a nurse had I gone the BSN route right away. I did go back for my BSN about a year and a half after I finished my ADN---I worked while going to school and again, while the experience matured me, I still felt I missed out on something important.

Since you are currently a college student, maybe your experience would be different from mine.

Hope this helps! And best to you, whatever you decide!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.

I actually conducted research for my allied health class. My results showed that if two pre-nursing students who both have the goal of achieving a MSN eneter two different programs one an A.D.N program the other a BSN program, consedring the average length of most a.d.n to bsn programs and a.d.n to msn programs the A.D.N student would finish a year earlier than the bsn student.

You must remeber it is also considerate upon how many prereqs the programs have and how many hours each student takes a semester.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Moogie,

Thanks for sharing your life experience. Nursing is definitely a challenging career, especially since we are responsible for vitals and personal care for a variety of people, all with different conditions and needs. Although you feel that you missed out on the college experience, I'm glad you feel that from graduating at age 20, you've matured and grown into the person you are now. :)

PatMac,

Thanks for your response! I guess a year doesn't make too much of a difference, and I'm not losing anything by going straight for my BSN.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Just be sure to choose your BSRN program carefully, so that it is vocationally oriented and offers adequate clinical and hands-on experience. I looked through the catalogs of several area colleges' BSRNs, and some of them are outdated and stuffed full of Liberal Arts classes while lightweight on the actual nurse training.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion