Need Advice DESPERATELY : AS or BS

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Hello,

My name is Nicole and I'm a student that just switched from the business field into the nursing field. My dilemma is somewhat complicated because there are 2 schools in my area that offer nursing programs. One is much cheaper than the other and offers a 2 year associates degree in nursing and the other offers a 2 year compressed bachelors in nursing but my dilemma is that I must complete all of the prerequisites for the bachelors before November to be considered for the 2012 nursing program or I would have to wait another year which I do not want to do. Both schools are competitive in their selection process and I am wondering if I should just get the associates degree (if I am accepted and is less expensive) and go back for my bachelors; or I can basically kill myself for the next 2 semesters with 18 credits including statistics, chemistry, anatomy 1 and 2, Microbiology all squished into 2 semesters including some core classes. I am thinking I should get the AS and start working and go back to school but I am not certain they will accept me into the program which is the hardest part; not knowing if you will be accepted. I also can apply to both programs and see which accepts me but it will cost me a lot of money and much can be wasted.

I'D APPRECIATE ANY HELP ANYONE HAS TO OFFER; I AM ALREADY REGISTERED AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO AND WHO TO TALK TO, PLEASE HELP =)

Confused Nicole

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I would say it depends. Are ADN nurses hired in your area or are BSN nurses given preference? Do you have children and/or a spouse? If so, the classes you will need to take in order to get the BSN will be nearly impossible to handle and keep your sanity and marriage. Are you depending on student loans and grants or will you be able to pay as you go? If ADN's are readily hired and you are having to foot the bill yourself or depend on loans I would go the ADN route and later get the BSN if so desired. If money is not an issue and you have no children or spouse then go for the BSN.

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Thank u for replying- no I'm not married and no kids - I just hope my grades for the prereqs won't suffer bc of how many I'm taking a semester-

And AS do get hired in my area but BS do get preference so basically it's either taking the easy or hard route-

Thank u for ur advice!

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Like the person above said, definitely look around your area to see what the hiring trends are. I know where I am BSN's are practically required for most of the big hospitals (at least as a new grad), especially for specialty units. ADN's can find jobs as new grads, but it is a bit more difficult.

I'd also look at your long term career goals. If your goal is to pursue a graduate level degree as an advanced practice nurse or in education, I'd recommend the BSN, even if it takes a little longer. After you get the relevant experience needed, you'll be able to apply for whatever graduate program you want. Why not just go ahead and get the BSN if you are going to have to do it in the future either way? The same goes for if you want to pursue management in the future.

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Thanks for the advice- the only reason I am questioning doing the bachelors is because to be eligible next year, I have many prerequisites to take to even be considered which means taking anatomy 2 and microbiology along with 4 other classes in 1 semester so I don't want to sacrifice my grades and my mind to get into the program and I need to get out of where I am workin now asap so I didn't know what to do but I am going to try to take all the prereqs and see how it goes and apply to both the AS and Bs program ( which r both very competitive) and see Which I get accepted into, hopefully one at least- thank u both for Ur advice and I'm definitely going to try for the BS first as long as I'm accepted into the program for 2012

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Actually you have three semesters to get the classes done, Spring 2011, then summer 1 and summer 2011. I think it depends on what is better for you financially. An AS followed by an RN-BSN is usually the less expensive route to go (that's what I'm doing, so that I don't have to take on debt) but if you can afford the 2-year BSN then that's going to be a more convenient way to complete your education.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Rehab.

There is nothing wrong with going for the Associates degree, getting your license and then working toward the BSN. It sounds like shooting for the BSN will entail quite a bit of work and risk if you don't do as well as you might hope. I had to complete A&P 1 and 2 back to back and took a Micro course as well the final semester to complete my pre-reqs, and it was heavy duty. And I squeaked by in Micro with a C (it was good enough grade for a pre-req), but it got me in.

If you are young and have many years of a nursing career ahead of you, by all means work toward a BSN. But it doesn't have to be a sprint, it can be accomplished at a pace that lets you learn and gain experience over time. And if you can keep your student loans to a minimum, you will be much better off when you have to pay them back on a nurses salary. Good Luck.

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Thank you, Bob ~ I'm starting to feel the same way, I'm going to see how the semester goes but if it is too much I am going to just apply to the associates and go back for my bachelors and many hospitals in my area have tuition reimbursement so that works even better. In the summer I am also taking Anatomy II and Micro along with 3 other classes so I'm worried, thats why I am going to see how this semester goes. Plus I have a 3.9 GPA going and I dont want to let my grades suffer especially because the programs are selective and competitive, they dont HAVE to let you in if you have a C in every prereq so I dunno but thank you for your advice.

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CatLady ~ Our schools are prob different because I dont have 2 semesters in the summer. I must have all prereqs done in SPring 2011 and Summer 2011, there is no 3rd semester within there although I really wish there was! lol

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Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.
I would say it depends. Are ADN nurses hired in your area or are BSN nurses given preference? Do you have children and/or a spouse? If so, the classes you will need to take in order to get the BSN will be nearly impossible to handle and keep your sanity and marriage. Are you depending on student loans and grants or will you be able to pay as you go? If ADN's are readily hired and you are having to foot the bill yourself or depend on loans I would go the ADN route and later get the BSN if so desired. If money is not an issue and you have no children or spouse then go for the BSN.

all valid points to think about, but I must say that ABSNs do not automatically doom marriages. I am just now graduating from an direct entry/accelerated Masters program (2 years) and while intense and extremely time consuming, my marriage has been just fine. And I finished up the last two semesters pregnant. Just call me an overachiever. :lol2:

OP I would consider the market in your area, what your long term goals are (for me, I want to go even further and get into advanced practice eventually, so a Masters was a must), and the amount of money you are willing to pay/take out in loans if thats how you have to finance this.

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Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.
Thanks for the advice- the only reason I am questioning doing the bachelors is because to be eligible next year, I have many prerequisites to take to even be considered which means taking anatomy 2 and microbiology along with 4 other classes in 1 semester so I don't want to sacrifice my grades and my mind to get into the program and I need to get out of where I am workin now asap so I didn't know what to do but I am going to try to take all the prereqs and see how it goes and apply to both the AS and Bs program ( which r both very competitive) and see Which I get accepted into, hopefully one at least- thank u both for Ur advice and I'm definitely going to try for the BS first as long as I'm accepted into the program for 2012

actually I think taking that many classes at once will help you learn good time management skills, all of which are needed in a nursing program-associates or bachelors.

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Well, the ASN is great, so is the BSN. I would've liked the ASN but like a previous poster said, some hospitals prefer the BSN (such as magnet hospitals) and I figured I don't want to be in school after graduation!

Also, clinical locations can be a deal breaker. There are shorter programs around my area, but the clinicals were quite far and I wanted to be safe. Driving a long distance after clinicals can be something!

Other posters have given you cool advice, so I wish you good luck with your decision.

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