My daughter wants to be a nurse

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My daughter wants to go to nursing school. She's finishing high school this year. She wants to go to a community college and do the associates degree nursing program. She says that after she gets the RN she wants to do the bachelors. I would like her to go directly to a bacholer degree program. What would be better? I've heard that going to an LPN program and then go for the BS in nursing is also good. Any inputs? Thanks

Specializes in Neurosurg ICU, CVICU, Float ICU.

My opinion is that LPN programs are obsolete in today's job market, the only place available to work in my local area as an LPN is a nursing home or jail. I personally completed my ADN first, started making money, and then used my employees tuition benefits to assist me with my BSN I also plan to complete my Masters. Due to financial reasons the benefit of early professional exposure I feel that the ADN-BSN route was perfect for me and may be for others as well. But completing a tradition BSN program is generally done in less time. It all depends on what she cares about most...Good Luck to her!

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Encourage her to explore the available programs and to do comparisons in her planning. She will most likely do what most people do: apply to several, or all, of the nearby programs, then choose, from those that accept her, or attend the one program that does accept her. All she needs is one program to accept her in order to succeed at nursing school and become a nurse. That program will help determine her path afterward. Support her in her decisions.

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Well, as a new BSN grad in a market that has NO jobs for new grads - even BSN's, I would encourage the BSN. But, maybe you live in a better place where the market isn't so tight. (One of the big hospital systems announced 400 FTE layoffs last month and the other hospitals want at least 9 months experience even for med surg jobs... it's horrible out there for new grads.)

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I know, I really feel bad for new grads now. I graduated in 1999 and at that time I could leave a job and find another one the next day. My cousin graduated a year ago with an ADN and it took her 9 months to find a job. She's 47 years old. She's working now as a psych nurse and she hates it. Would like to work in med-surg, but nobody would hire her because she doesn't have experience.

I hope by the time my daughter graduates, things are going to be different.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

Not a great student? Hummm... BSN straight out of highschool is hard to come by acceptance wise. However, going the CC route and transferring over to the University later RN-BSN may be a better option to start. CC level is 1 cheaper, 2 she has to get all of those pre-reqs out of the any way. She's young so going the ADN to BSN track is probably a very good option for her. She could potentially graduate with a BSN the same time she would have if going directly to the 4 year University anyway.

Of course then there are the other options.... waitlist for a public RN program or no waitlist for a private?

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Specializes in Orthopedics, Rehab, LTC.

I originally went straight to BSN, but due to lack of space in the nursing program at my university, the local tech school opened spots for BSN students to come in and get their ADN first and then be "grandfathered" back into the university to finish their BSN. I LOVED getting my LPN (since it was just the first part of the ADN program and I could sit for boards) and then ADN first. I was able to get a nursing job in an LTC facility and work/gain nursing experience while I was finishing my BSN. That way, when I did finish with my BSN, I didn't have to take my boards again and I then got a job in a hospital setting due to my nursing experience I already had.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense (things usually don't at 0245 in the morning) :)

But I would recommend this way to anyone going into nursing. the hands on experience while going to school is priceless.

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Pursuing the associate degree followed by a BSN with tuition reimbursement from an employer would be economical. On the other hand, some schools have better preceptor placements (towards end of school) that expose students to better employers. In my area, I noticed that the BSN schools had preceptor placements in the better hospitals compared to the associate degree schools. Is there a wait period to enter some of the schools?

I think it might be worth it for your daughter to contact potential employers now to inquire about their degree preference and new-grad programs. She should also look at employer reputations, too. As a new grad, she won't necessarily get her top choice of employers. She should consider working at long-term care facilities (and other subacute facilities) as well as hospitals. If possible, she should try for a part-time job in health care (this might help her landing her first job, etc.)

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Specializes in PCU.

Tell her to go straight for the bachelor's if she can afford to do so. This way it is over and done with and she can always continue onward toward getting higher certification. Although the ASN and BSN nurses do the same kind of jobs, the BSN has better opportunities when it comes to working upward in their chosen field and has more opportunity for advancement in management of others. A lot of places are encouraging BSNs now and some places are fazing out the ASN over a period of time, giving those nurses the opportunity to earn their BSN within a certain amount of time.

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The plan is to have 80% of all RNs in the USA with their BSN by 2020. It is a lofty goal since the percentage in 2010 was around 40%! RN-to-BSN is not all that difficult. 6 months - 12 months of pain, just make sure it is an accredited program (CCNE or NLNAC).

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Not a great student? Hummm... BSN straight out of highschool is hard to come by acceptance wise. However, going the CC route and transferring over to the University later RN-BSN may be a better option to start. CC level is 1 cheaper, 2 she has to get all of those pre-reqs out of the any way. She's young so going the ADN to BSN track is probably a very good option for her. She could potentially graduate with a BSN the same time she would have if going directly to the 4 year University anyway.

Actually, this is a good idea. Doing the General Ed at a CC for cheaper (not cheap) has always been something I agree with.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
I have an ADN, but now a lot of hospitals hire only BSN.

Doesn't that fact really answer the question for you? Don't you want her to have the best chances of getting her career off to a good start? If both the ADN and the BSN option are available to her, why not help her get the preferred credential to begin with?

I work for a popular hospital that hires very few ADN's. There are a lot of disappointed ADN students and new ADN grads in my community who didn't realize they wouldn't get the job of their dreams when they chose the ADN route. Yes, the ADN route is the best option for many people ... but if your local hospitals are not hiring ADN grads, why set her up for disappointment?

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

Obviously, this is matter of personal choice, not to mention financial situation. Therefore, if your daughter is certain that nursing is what she wants, then she should go for the BSN from the start. However, if she has never been exposed to patients nor a hospital setting is best to begin with the LPN and work herself up to the RN. In addition, some of us like myself began from LPN, to RN, then BSN etc. and with the bridge programs out there, she shouldn't have any problem in pursuing her goal...wishing her & you the very best always... Ciao~

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