Need help Bachelor degree then ADN?

LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN · Jul 26, 2011

hello, everyone!
i need some tips from who had been in my situation before!
i failed out of nursing program after studying for 3 years. i had only one semester to graduate, but that doesn't matter anymore from this point! stuff happens; now on to plan b.
i want to be a nurse and i want to complete my studies with what i have so far.
i am a foreign citizen nursing student in texas, therefore, i really don't want to wait on another semester, while spending so much money for living. so, i decided to graduate with b.s in liberal studies first in december 2011.
okay, you will graduate with a bachelors in science. that means you have your gen ed done and your nursing prerequisites done. you are ahead of the game for anything you decide to do. however, once you graduate with a bachelors, you are no longer eligible for fee waivers (but if you are a foreign student, you may not get fee waivers).
with that, i am planning to enter adn program, however, with nursing courses i have completed with bloody efforts, i really want them to transfer, so that i can finish adn in a year.
you can transfer your gen ed and nursing prerequisites.
you cannot transfer nursing classes. nursing classes must be taken at the institution you attend.
this means you will not graduate from an adn program in less than 1.5 years. you will have to start your nursing classes over unless the school admits you to the last semester as an advanced nursing student. some schools allow this but often the admission is on a space available basis. check with the colleges to see if this program is available.
a lot of adn programs were mentioning transfer credits from either blocked or integrated curriculum. it looks like they can shorten to a year if i have many credits from integrated. what does that really mean? is normal bsn nursing program usually integrated? no idea--check with a college counselor.
also, i have seen from other nursing forums saying that if i have a bachelor degree in something then go for adn, a lot of hospitals consider you like bsn. i mean i am doubting about the statement, but is that possible? can somebody tell me from your experiences? adn or bsn - either way your are a registered nurse. adn and bsn rns have the same job descriptions. some bsn nurses have extra responsibilities such as administration. some hospitals want maginate status and the nurses must be bsn rn's.
do you think going to adn program is the best option to become a rn at this point?
how about i go to lvn program first then enter lvn to bsn program? would it be the same time span?
what ever you do, you must make the decision.
since you went to the 3rd semester of nursing school, check with your state board of nursing to see if you can challenge the lpn/lvn nclex. some states allow this and you do not need to go to lpn school. this may be a option, and then you could work. later on you could do a bridge adn program or a distant learning program (lpn to adn or lpn to bsn).
my primary factor to consider is time and money.
with my cultural background, i don't have much time. everybody expects you to finish as fast as you can, because with student visa we have, we are only limited to work only on campus for upto 20hr/ week and that is not enough to support my education, which means my family is my financial source for now.
i understand time is money. you need to do some research. can you get into an adn program as an advanced standing student and take only the last semester or can you challenge the lpn nclex and start working as an lpn..then decide if you want to go for your rn degree.
a lot of students in the forum say they will try as long as they can to become a nurse.
i don't have that option, but i have strong desire and motivation to stand up and try again to become a nurse.
i welcome all the comments and please help me continue my nursing education.

thank you very much!

best of luck to you.