How long should I wait to start a BSN program

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 11, 2010

Not long. There are 2 reasons why you might want to wait a little, though.

1. The role transition from student to professional can be tough. If you spend some time browsing this website, you will see that many new grads struggle with that first job. It's harder than they thought -- and can be VERY stressful. I recommend waiting to go back to school until after you get over that hump. It's not that you "can't" do both at the same time theoretically ... it's just that the transition is stressful enough without adding school work to your busy life. Use your time away from work on that first job to rest, relax, have some fun, etc. That should only take a few months -- a year at most. Then, once you are comfortable as a practicing nurse, the added work of school won't be so bad.

If you try to do too much at the same time, you may end up doing a bad job at both of them. I've seen several people make that mistake.

2. This might not apply to you ... but it does apply to some people. Some BSN completion programs are greared for students who have a little practice experience behind them. The class assignments assume you are a competent professional with experience to draw upon to help with completing those assignments, have connections in your workplace that you can use as resources, etc. If the BSN program you plan to attend is such a program, you would be at a great disadvantage if you have not yet settled into your job as you take those classes. Also, your classmates may all have experience and you may be at a disadvantage in class discussions and assignments because your work would simply not be based on the experience they have and bring to those discussions and assignments. Your work might not look as sophisticated or indepth and suffer a little in the grading process -- because you were basing it on "book knowledge" only and not incorporating "practice knowledge" like your classmates.

So ... while there is not technical reason why you have to wait at all -- I recommend that you invest at least a couple of months to get settled in a job before starting school. That investments of a few months may pay off big time as you get a good start to work as an RN (not overly stressed by biting off more than you can chew) and having the best possible school experience (by being able to combine the book learning with the experiential learning that your job will give you.)

Just my $.02 -- as someone who teaches in a BSN completion program -- and who has worked with dozens of new grads in hospital settings.