Right now I am a pre-nursing at my local Nashville community college, but I am making great grades, a high A (98) in my A & P, A in my First Aid & CPR, A in my chemistry, A in psychology, and a high C in math (I suck I know). I plan on studying my butt off and doing whatever it takes short of killing a man to make the grades and impress the schools so that I will hopefully have a choice of nursing school to choose from, knock on wood we'll see!
Anyways, to my point:
A relative of mine (who shall remain nameless out of respect) thinks it is okay to go to ANY college, the cheaper the better and the quicker the better. He says the degree doesn't really matter so long as it says RN, the college you go to doesn't make a difference so long as it's accredited, and really the grades don't even matter so much so long as you pass with decent ones.
I feel like I am going to be the one taking out the student loan, so I obviously have to make the final call...but I am leaning more towards a full college experience (academically speaking) at a state university, MTSU if you really wanna know. I know it will cost me a lot more in student loans because I would want to live on campus, the drive from Nashville to Murfreesboro would cost too much in gas. Plus I would be getting a BSN in the SAME amount of time it would take me to get an ASN (I already have previous college experience)!
In all I would be looking at taking out around 21k in student loans to finish out my last two years and get a BSN, that includes room and board, utilities, gas money, a meal plan, tuition, and estimated book cost.
If I chose to keep living at mom and dad's for free and try for an ASN, it would still take me two years but it would only cost about 10 to 12k.
It does not matter about the school and no one is going to ask what your grade average was on a job interview. I have been a RN for six years and in the nursing field for 16 (practical nurse for ten). You can always get the job to reimburse with tution reimbursement and now you can deduct it from your taxes. It is not worth the loan you have to pay back. There is such a nursing shortage you will always get a job, that is why you see so many foreign nurses in the hospitals. The need is there and always will be. Women have more options now and take them. Everyone does not want to be nurse. When you finish don't run and get a job in a specialty take the one year of med surg you will need it.... no matter what you decide to specialize in, everything is based on it. It will not kill you to empty bed pans and foleys for a year....
With great respect to the poster, this advice is not accurate. I suggest you look at the graduate nurse forums on this site and look at the current trend of hiring new grads. Also, many hospitals are canceling tuition reimbursement programs.
p.s. I just found out that due to the current economy, California state schools will no longer let an ADN student with a previous bachelors get another bachelors. We are being pushed into MSN.
I was in a similar situation... either I go for the BSN and go for 2 1/2 years and pay more, or go with an ADN and wait on a list for 6 months, then go for 2 years. I chose to go for the BSN, simply because I know that in the long run, it will be worth it! I hope to go on and earn my PhD... so if you plan to go beyond RN to something else, definitely plan on BSN. Otherwise you have to go through a ADN to BSN program that will take at least 18 months... why not just get the BSN now? The extra money in loans? Small price to pay for a quality education. Make sure you choose the school that is going to fulfill your expectations though, too. Personally, I say go for BSN :)
I would take into consideration any possibilities of a graduate degree. If you plan to go for a Master's or PhD then definitely go for a BSN now, if you never plan to go back to school or be in management then a community college is just fine.
I was looking into this for myself. I have found that you can go from adn to msn if you already have a bachelor's degree in another field.
True. I have a BBA in Computer Systems. I later went back and have a AAS in Nursing, RN. I was told to go straight into an MSN program. Since I have ALL of the same first two year general courses required for a BSN, and then some, it would be a complete waste of my time (and money) to go for a BSN. That's true. I remember taking a lot of those courses with students who later split off into nursing courses when I split off into higher level computer courses, statistics and calculus.
Here's what you need to consider, and base your decision on what is best for you:
1) MOST IMPORTANT - the quality of the program. Go to the State Board of Nursing websites for the schools you are considering, and look at the NCLEX pass rates for each school. A high NCLEX pass rate will show you which schools are TEACHING and PREPARING their students. You may be surprised at what you find.
2) Consider what you may want to do later in your career. If the thought of management or advanced practice is even remotely there - you will, at some point, be required to have a BSN or greater.
3) Talk to nurses in the region and field in which you want to work - they can give you real feedback on the training quality of area schools.
4) If you know you want an MSN, which one? There may be an RN-MSN program available (many include the BSN in their curriculum.) Several have online options, and many do not require a previous BSN or career experience. Do your research.
Every area is different. For example, I have consistently heard from many professional sources that the nurses who graduate from our area community college are better nurses out of the gate than those from the prestigious state university in the same town. (The CC actually requires MORE clinical hours than the university!) So many nurses here get their ADN at the CC, then go on for their BSN and MSN later if they have further aspirations.
Another thing to consider - for any school, but especially if going on for BSN or higher, look at each school's individual requirements for their programs. Just because you have already taken many college courses, they may not be what a particular school requires for their prerequisites. And regardless of which route you go, you may be able to take a number of those prerequisites (many are the same for ADN or BSN) at the CC for much less. You can be getting those out of the way while waiting to get into whichever program you are considering.
For example - one university in our area requires about 15 more credits of non-nursing courses than another in the same region for the same degree.
Go for the BSN if you can. I just read in a nursing journal that some states are considering BSN nurses only. http://news.nurse.com/article/20100222/NJ01/302220003 It may be more specific to certain areas of the country so keep that in mind, however, it sounds like the climate is changing. I live in the Philadelphia suburbs and one of the major hospital chains here just shut down to BSN students only leaving all of us ADN student nurses with super slim pickins. They are also making their current nurses without BSN's finish their degrees within a set number of years much like the article above and any management level BSN's have to go for their Master's. Best of luck in whatever you choose!
I graduated from a 2 year nursing program at an accredited community college. I was told numerous times by different nurses in different hospitals and nursing homes who had their BSN, MSN, nurse practitioner and higher that starting out as an ADN and going through a 2 year program (depending on the school), you get more clinical experience and many department managers are more willing to hire ADN's because of their more hands-on experience. I have also noticed as an ADN, that some of the newer nurses who graduated with a BSN only have one more thing that I don't have as an ADN and that is an attitude problem. We all have to take the same NCLEX, so I don't understand what the attitude is for. What makes the BSN program longer? Prerequisites and coorifices on management from my understanding. I will be starting the extra classes this fall to get my BSN. I was told to expect no more than maybe 1 or 2 dollars extra an hour. I am only doing it because most specialty nursing areas require it, and I would like to work as an oncology nurse after I spend a few years on a med/surg floor. Only you can decide what is right for you. Good luck on deciding!
I graduated from a 2 year nursing program at an accredited community college. I was told numerous times by different nurses in different hospitals and nursing homes who had their BSN, MSN, nurse practitioner and higher that starting out as an ADN and going through a 2 year program (depending on the school), you get more clinical experience and many department managers are more willing to hire ADN's because of their more hands-on experience. I have also noticed as an ADN, that some of the newer nurses who graduated with a BSN only have one more thing that I don't have as an ADN and that is an attitude problem. We all have to take the same NCLEX, so I don't understand what the attitude is for. What makes the BSN program longer? Prerequisites and coorifices on management from my understanding. I will be starting the extra classes this fall to get my BSN. I was told to expect no more than maybe 1 or 2 dollars extra an hour. I am only doing it because most specialty nursing areas require it, and I would like to work as an oncology nurse after I spend a few years on a med/surg floor. Only you can decide what is right for you. Good luck on deciding!
Each program has their positives and negatives, and each are individual with what they require. For instance, my BS program is three years, as opposed to a the local ADN program which is 2 years. Which means of course that we have three years of clinicals instead of 2. We do take one nursing leadership class, but one of the main differences between the local ADN and our BS program is that the BS program gets a 6 month preceptorship (30 hrs a week with an RN) where the ADN gets a 3 month preceptorship.
Sweeping generalizations about the content of programs doesn't really serve anyone, as each programs is so very different.
To the OP, I'd look at the two programs in question and compare how you'll spend your time in each one.
I have been an LPN for about 5 years. Slowly but surely I have taken the classes needed to complete my degree but I pay cash for them. Right now as an lpn my income is around 44,000 a year. If I were to take a ton of loans just to make a little more money.....look at the extra made each month vs what the loan payment would be.
Maybe if you stayed at your parents.....got the ADN then worked at a hospital where you could get tuition assistance for the RN-BSN that would make more financial sense?
The last thing you want to do in todays economy is start your new career in debt. I don't know what area you are in but in the Philadelphia region girls are coming out with their BSN and can not get jobs....because they have no exp and they have loans to pay. Some of them have gotten pool positions in long term care. (not exactly what they aspired to be)
Just a thought....I would never encourage anyone to go into debt for school.
With great respect to the poster, this advice is not accurate. I suggest you look at the graduate nurse forums on this site and look at the current trend of hiring new grads. Also, many hospitals are canceling tuition reimbursement programs.
p.s. I just found out that due to the current economy, California state schools will no longer let an ADN student with a previous bachelors get another bachelors. We are being pushed into MSN.
Again, best of luck!
I live on the east coast and the hospitals here still have it. I just did my taxes and got back the same amount paid for tutiton. Everyone can not afford to stop and go through the four years in one sitting. Some people have families that depend on their financial support, and going the shorter route is easier. And once again no patient is going to ask you what college you went to when you are caring for them. The salary is not going to be any higher for you either whether you graduate from Princeton, Yale or the Community college. Or maybe a quarter, statistically the majority of RN's working are ADN graduates.Whatever works for you. If you have future goals for administration or teaching I would suggest to go immediately for the bachelors. But this is my personal opinion.The economy is not the greatest right now for anyone. Do what you can afford, you will always have a job as a nurse...
I'd go straight for the BSN. You never know when you might need it and $9000 extra in loans is not really that much in the grand scheme of things. It may pay off in the end if you are able to advance in your job, and it will definately save you time, as you won't have to go back later for some reason to get your BSN.
freeflowchi
63 Posts
With great respect to the poster, this advice is not accurate. I suggest you look at the graduate nurse forums on this site and look at the current trend of hiring new grads. Also, many hospitals are canceling tuition reimbursement programs.
p.s. I just found out that due to the current economy, California state schools will no longer let an ADN student with a previous bachelors get another bachelors. We are being pushed into MSN.
Again, best of luck!