I am very undecided right now

[konp]

Hello all,

I am confused and don't know what decision to make right now, so any advise is welcome. I started an ADN program in Fall 2011 and dropped out of the program due to the stress and family problems in Fall 2012. I was in the middle of the maternity/newborn rotation. In addition, I was doing horribly in clinical to the point that I was on the verge of getting kicked out of the program. I was attending a very tough ADN program where clinical instructors were harsh and demanding during the eight hour shifts at the hospital and many students dropped out of the program due to how rigorous it is.

After dropping out, I started working full-time. I am currently working in an office job and though I have no patient contact, it taught me people skills how to be responsible for my own work and how to work with other people. I went straight from my undergraduate study to the ADN program so I have no people skill and work experience as many working adults have in my program; I am not saying that it is necessary to have work experience but my point is the lack of the life outside of school experience prevented me from succeeding in the ADN program. My current job allows me to interact with clients and staffs on a daily basis and I learned how to communicate and how to work with other people whom I know little about (I was raised in a very sheltered environment where I did not have the opportunity to meet different people).

I took many classes to help me be a better person and to fill up my free time outside of work. I retook the Interpersonal skill class to learn how to relate to other and be a better communicator. And currently, I am taking a medical terminology class. We went thought the terminologies for the different body systems. Next semester, I will take the second part of the medical terminology class which will cover other systems of the body. In addition, I will take the Medical Assistant Back Office class; the class will teach students how to get ready for a sterile field, injection, do urinary testing, and etc. I have been out of school for a year so the class will help me to remember the different skills that I learned during my first year in the ADN program. Plus, I want to get the medical assistant license so I can find a job at a clinic or a hospital.

I have been volunteering in a local hospital for almost a year. It is teaching hospital so it treats the volunteers very much like students. I was on the Med-Surge floor for six months observing what RNs do and recently I was in the ICU for three months. It is in the ICU that I finally understand the role of an RN. The ICU floor was small compared to the other floor, but I had the chance to work closely with multiple RNs and watched resident & attending physicians, respiratory therapists, lab technician, x-ray technicians, and etc working together as a unit to take care of the patients. I have a better understanding of an RN role now and for the first time in my life, I actually like the profession despite how hard and physically demanding the RNs work on the ICU. I had a chance to see the different procedures in medicine and the RN's role in them. For instance, I had the chance to observe a Central line, A-line, hemodialysis, PICC line insertion, CT scan procedure, heart ultrasound. Best of all, I had the chance to see RNS performed nursing skill such as putting in an IV line, put in and take out a foley catheter, giving medication, and etc. And I have to admit, for the first time, nursing did not seem as bad and hard as how the ADN program presented it.

I am ready to go back to nursing. My problem is I don't know if I should go back to the ADN program or start fresh at a BSN program. At where I live, employers are hiring BSN graduates over the ADN graduates due to the higher education they have. I am filling out the re-entry form for the ADN program and I don't know if I should go back; if I go back, I only have one year to complete it. The BSN program that I am looking at is a private school so the cost much higher than the ADN.

My concern is what if graduate schools or BSN programs don't like that I took a year off. My question is should I go back to the ADN program or get my BSN. I am still young and single and I have no dependents so I have the freedom to do whatever I want. Any advice is welcome! Thank you.

[Live.&.Learn]

You are half way through the ADN program, so personally I would just follow through with that, and then go for the BSN. You have obviously grown from the experience, and feel up for the challenge. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I don't think that the problem with a BSN program would be the fact that you "took a year off", but what your academic performance (GPA) was in your ADN program. If you were truly "on the verge of getting kicked out", this would be reflected in your transcript and would be a major barrier. PP is correct, it may be more feasible to apply for re-admission to your original program if you are eligible to do so.