Published Sep 17, 2014
N_u_r_s_e
33 Posts
If i do the ADN program and already have a BA in another field, how much shorter will the program be? or will it still be 2 years?
Im a little confused if the 2 year ADN program is SOLELY nursing classes/clinicals, or if there are some general ed classes mixed in with it?
dorkypanda
671 Posts
Since you already have a bachelors degree you could technically do the accelerated nursing program or even apply to a BSN program. I would think that the adn program would be 2 years even if you have a bachelors degree in another field. I believe the associates program is mostly nursing and a little bit of GE if you haven't already completed it because maybe those GE are required for graduating for the program. You could check out the schools you may be interested in to see what their curriculum may look like.
NurseGirl525, ASN, RN
3,663 Posts
You will need to finish the prereqs then it's usually around 16 mos long. You will have to look at each individual program and see what they require.
akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P
3,523 Posts
If you have all the prerequisite courses done, the ADN and BSN program length should be about the same, if you've already earned a Bachelors degree in another field. By this I mean that the programs would take about 4-5 semesters from start to completion. This does not take into account any college/university specific educational requirements for graduation. Because I earned a Bachelors previously, I was only required to complete any "missing" prerequisite courses and the core nursing classes as the Bachelors degree was officially recognized and I was deemed to have met all GE requirements for graduation. Had I been able to attend the local university's BSN program, it would have largely been the same. There may have been one course that I would have had to take "in residence" at the university that wasn't nursing-related, but when the program is 5 semesters long, it's relatively easy to squeeze in a class or two.
If things had all been "open" to me, I could have been a qualified applicant to ADN, BSN, ABSN, and ELM programs because I'd already had a Bachelors degree. If I didn't have to work, I would have chosen the ABSN route, though it would have been a bit more expensive to do that.
vanilla bean
861 Posts
Check with the schools/programs you're interested in, but for the programs that I looked into, it still would've taken me 2 years to complete (even with already having my BA). You may not be required to take some of the general ed classes but the nursing courses may only be offered once a year meaning a lighter course load per semester for you, but the same length of time to complete all of the required course work. You could also look into accelerated BSN or MEPN programs in your area.
Everline
901 Posts
I already had my BA in another field and the nursing program is the same length as it is for everyone else—5 semesters. The difference was in the length of time it took for pre-reqs because I had most of them done already.