Hospital Based Diploma vs Associates Degree before going for BSN?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hello!

I hope I can explain this correctly (I'm still trying to figure out all the programs available!). I have an end goal of obtaining my BSN and am trying to figure out which way to get started. I already have a degree in a non nursing related field and while I'm still considering it, I don't know if a ABSN program is the route for me. I was planning on going for my ADN and then doing a bridge program to obtain my BSN while working as an RN (hopefully, as I have been reading about how hard it is to get a job!). However, I met with an advisor today and she basically told me that it would be very hard to get into an ADN program anytime soon and that I should look into a Hospital Based Diploma program and do a bridge program from there. I'm just now starting to look into these programs and what it takes to get accepted into them.

Is going for the diploma over the ADN a better "first step"?

What are the pros / cons of each?

I would still be working towards by BSN either way, anybody do it one of these ways?

Any insight would be great! Thanks!

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

ADN vs diploma depends on the schools. I would compare NCLEX pass rates and retention rates as well as percentage of grads that found jobs. I went to an amazing diploma-RN program that had one of the highest pass rates in my city. Either way make sure the school is accredited so that your credits will transfer to a RN-BSN program.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Hmm -interesting. I didn't realize that there were still diploma programs going on these days. The last ones in my state converted to ADN a while ago.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
Hmm -interesting. I didn't realize that there were still diploma programs going on these days. The last ones in my state converted to ADN a while ago.

there are approximately 100 RN diploma programs left in the U.S. They seem to be bigger in some states, as the city in PA that I attended school had at least 6 different diploma programs.

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ADN vs diploma depends on the schools. I would compare NCLEX pass rates and retention rates as well as percentage of grads that found jobs. I went to an amazing diploma-RN program that had one of the highest pass rates in my city. Either way make sure the school is accredited so that your credits will transfer to a RN-BSN program.
where would you go to find out the percentage of grads in an ADN program that found jobs?
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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
where would you go to find out the percentage of grads in an ADN program that found jobs?

Some schools keep this information. You just ask.

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Thank you for responding! I am from PA and did notice that we had the majority of the diploma programs but a few had closed / converted to ADN programs over the last few years. It's a bit confusing since the both seem to take the same amount of time and require the same prerequisites? I think what I'm loosely planning on doing right now is taking my 8 or so perquisites part time over the next year (no way I would get into any of the fall 2014 programs so why waste the money applying!) and then apply to any and all programs within an hr or so radius of me. So I would apply to Diploma, ADN, BSN and ABSN prgrams and see if I hopefully get accepted to at least one of them for 2015!

On another note is it as hard to get accepted into a program across the country? The CC near me has a rate of 600+ applying for only 100 spots, and that seems to be about average. Yikes! :nailbiting: I'm wondering if relocating after my prerequisites for a program and working afterwards would be worth looking into.

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