High School Senior+ADN or BSN?

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I am a New Jersey high school senior. I have applied to 4 colleges: Fairleigh Dickinson (Metro Area), Richard Stockton, William Pat and UCC. My SAT scores were low so idk if id get into any of these nursing majors at these colleges because I sent my apps about a month ago and they are still reviewing them.

Anyways, this opportunity came along for several of my classmates who were interested and I am highly interested as well. It is a grant program that pays for your schooling and books. You can become a CNA at first and then an LPN and hopefully an RN. Anyways, you take your pre req. courses at a community college I believe and then once you graduate and get your ADN from the program, they place you in a hospital to work at and you make money while also continuing your education with their program.

I am looking up online if its better to get your BSN or ADN and it seems like BSN would be the better way to go because you make more money and have better opportunities. The thing is I dont have any money for college so I think the ADN course fits me right now. Unless I were to do my pre req. at a community college for 2 years and then transfer to a 4 year college and finish my 2 years.

My parents really like the ADN program because its the most reasonable and they place you with a job but Im not sure which I would be better off doing.

Also is there a way that once i get my ADN, that I can get my bachelors somewhere or is that not possible? Wouldnt it be more schooling if i got my ADN and then went back to school to get my bachelors?

Im a confused HS senior and not sure which road to take. someone give me advice please =/

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Specializes in Orthopedics/Med-Surg, LDRP.

I really don't recommend the CNA, LPN, RN route because that will take you upwards of 5 years to do and you could have graduated as an RN before that. Yes, you'd be working all though it, but why not just struggle through a couple of years and come out with the RN at the end? You can still work as a unit secretary or nurses aid or in transport at a hospital while you're a nursing student and you get your foot in the door. I have an ADN and it took me 4 years to get because I worked full time and went to school part time to start. If i didn't do that I would have finished in 3 which is a year quicker than an BSN. Not all BSN's make more money than ADN's. At the hospital I work in, there's no difference in pay. At the hospital I used to work at, the BSN's got about $1.00 more an hour. We're not talking tens of thousands of dollars in difference here. Plus most hospitals have tuition reimbursement for their RN's so once you graduate with your ADN you can then have the hospital pay for your BSN/MSN if you so choose to. It's really a personal choice. I chose the ADN because I was married and had a small child and a BSN was just not financially possible for me at the time. Now my job is paying for it. Good luck!

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I really don't recommend the CNA, LPN, RN route because that will take you upwards of 5 years to do and you could have graduated as an RN before that. Yes, you'd be working all though it, but why not just struggle through a couple of years and come out with the RN at the end? You can still work as a unit secretary or nurses aid or in transport at a hospital while you're a nursing student and you get your foot in the door. I have an ADN and it took me 4 years to get because I worked full time and went to school part time to start. If i didn't do that I would have finished in 3 which is a year quicker than an BSN. Not all BSN's make more money than ADN's. At the hospital I work in, there's no difference in pay. At the hospital I used to work at, the BSN's got about $1.00 more an hour. We're not talking tens of thousands of dollars in difference here. Plus most hospitals have tuition reimbursement for their RN's so once you graduate with your ADN you can then have the hospital pay for your BSN/MSN if you so choose to. It's really a personal choice. I chose the ADN because I was married and had a small child and a BSN was just not financially possible for me at the time. Now my job is paying for it. Good luck!

yeah I was considering doing the ADN because right now I dont really have any money for a university and once I get my ADN then I figured I would go back to school and get my BSN so I could potentially have my job help pay for my classes. I just dont know if I would be better off trying to get into a university and pay all this money and be in debt or to start with my ADN which I dont have to pay for and get a job that way. it really is a tricky situation =/

and from what I understand, you are telling me to go the ADN way or not? because I saw you arguing both sides for and opposing both sides.. jw.

and I see that you work in maternity. I think I may highly catch an interest in that field

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I did LPN program coming out of High School which was great I was making money and I knew i wasnt going to stay as LPN but i became difficult to go back to school and you have to keep in mind the more money you make the less chance you have to get any kind of financial aid, grants, you could still get private loans. I guess what i am saying is you are fresh out of High School was is a few more years at college, once you get your RN you will be making really good money and with a BSN you do have more opportunity to further your career. If you need to work while in school I suggest doing your CNA that way you have some healthcare experience , I knew a lot of nursing stundents that left the nursing program because they couldnt handle direct patient care. Remember the fundamentals of nursing is patient care , if you can do that you should be able to do the nursing program. Go straight into RN-BSN

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Specializes in Orthopedics/Med-Surg, LDRP.
yeah I was considering doing the ADN because right now I dont really have any money for a university and once I get my ADN then I figured I would go back to school and get my BSN so I could potentially have my job help pay for my classes. I just dont know if I would be better off trying to get into a university and pay all this money and be in debt or to start with my ADN which I dont have to pay for and get a job that way. it really is a tricky situation =/

and from what I understand, you are telling me to go the ADN way or not? because I saw you arguing both sides for and opposing both sides.. jw.

and I see that you work in maternity. I think I may highly catch an interest in that field

I would go for the ADN, personally. I got Pell grants that paid for the whole thing. I did have to pay for books out of pocket, but when my tuition was paid, whatever was left of my Pell grant got refunded back to me and it was often enough if not MORE than what I paid for books. Go to fafsa.gov and fill out the stuff. It is part of the reason I quit my job when I went to nursing school. The less I made, the more money I got from the government to pay for my schooling. Now if I were to go and get my BSN at that same time I would of had to take out a student loan and that's what I was avoiding at ALL cost, if possible. Now I have my job paying for my BSN and I take my time with it. In all reality, some places PREFER a BSN, it's not required. I have never had a problem nor do I know anyone who was passed over a job because someone had a BSN and they had an ADN. I was even assistant manager and was chosen over people who had more experience than me and who had higher degrees than me, so really it's just a piece of paper. As long as you keep your nursing license clean and you do a superb job, it's all just semantics.

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I would go for the ADN, personally. I got Pell grants that paid for the whole thing. I did have to pay for books out of pocket, but when my tuition was paid, whatever was left of my Pell grant got refunded back to me and it was often enough if not MORE than what I paid for books. Go to fafsa.gov and fill out the stuff. It is part of the reason I quit my job when I went to nursing school. The less I made, the more money I got from the government to pay for my schooling. Now if I were to go and get my BSN at that same time I would of had to take out a student loan and that's what I was avoiding at ALL cost, if possible. Now I have my job paying for my BSN and I take my time with it. In all reality, some places PREFER a BSN, it's not required. I have never had a problem nor do I know anyone who was passed over a job because someone had a BSN and they had an ADN. I was even assistant manager and was chosen over people who had more experience than me and who had higher degrees than me, so really it's just a piece of paper. As long as you keep your nursing license clean and you do a superb job, it's all just semantics.

thank you very much for your advice :)

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Specializes in Case Managemnt, Utilization Review.

I would suggest BSN first. I understand the lure of making money sooner, but if you have a BSN, you have more career options. The magnet facilities and the hospitals that are trying to get magnet status, only hire BSN's for inpatient care.

I worked with a diploma of nursing as an RN for 18 yrs before I went back and got my BSN. I wish I did it the first time around. Pay is just about the same, just more career options. I wish someone would have told me the need for the BSN 20 yrs ago.

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I would suggest BSN first. I understand the lure of making money sooner, but if you have a BSN, you have more career options. The magnet facilities and the hospitals that are trying to get magnet status, only hire BSN's for inpatient care.

I worked with a diploma of nursing as an RN for 18 yrs before I went back and got my BSN. I wish I did it the first time around. Pay is just about the same, just more career options. I wish someone would have told me the need for the BSN 20 yrs ago.

well the thing is i dont financially have the money to go to a university so if i were to start with my ADN, then i could probably have my job at the time help pay for my schooling to BSN

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You are young, go for the BSN. I did the ASN program first which took 3 years full time and competition getting in is brutual, and it will take me 3yrs part time to get my BSN. Be careful of any program promissing you a job, many hospitals are not honoring many fellowships right now. There are a few colleges in PA, reading area that offer BSN and they don't have a huge waiting list to get in and they are still having a nursing shortage there.

Most of the PA hospitals want a BSN as a new grad or years of experience. I am working on my BSN and it is difficult to work and do both.

Apply to as many colleges as you can and see what offers you get.

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