24 year old nursing student

[Lovely24]

Hi eveyrone. I am 24 years old and I am almost done with my general eds before applying to a nursing program. Questions for those who are already there. How is class time? Is it hands on, or books only? I also think I am just going to get my ADN instead of my BSN right now, because I am already 24 and I have a little girl and a husband. I heard that I can become and RN then, get hired at a hospital that will pay for my BSN degree, is this a good idea or no? thanks for the time, hope to hear back from anyone. :)

[scarykarrey]

Hi, Lovely24! This is an exciting time!

Your classroom experience is going to really depend on your individual school, since they can all be so different. I got my ADN at a community college, and class time involved lectures several days a week, as well as clinical rotations that started in the first semester and simulation labs with dummies each semester. I'm currently working on an RN-BSN program, although if I had it to do over again, I personally would have enrolled in a BSN program from the beginning.

Have you researched where you want to work once you're licensed as an RN? If you have an idea, you should probably check to see if they even have programs to pay for your BSN, as those types of programs can be uncommon in Iowa. They're more common in areas that have great nursing shortages, like big cities and the state of Florida overall.