Need help deciding what path to take...

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  1. What would you do?

    • 11
      Stay at the 4-year university
    • 14
      Go to the 2-year and go from there
    • 4
      Other- please explain

29 members have participated

So I've never posted on here, but I spend a lot of time on here reading! And now I need some advice. I am just finishing up my freshman year at a four year university, so im technically a pre-nursing student right now. I just dont know where i want to go from here. I love my school, and the college experience but the money is an issue. I dont get any financial aid and haven't been able to scoop up any scholarships, so loans are going to build up quickly. I guess my big question is should i go to community college or stick with the university. I've been thinking about getting my associates RN and then getting a job with that, and then apply for an RN to BSN program to get my bachelors degree. That way i could work and pay for school but i would also know if nursing was something that i actually want to further my education in. My ultimate goal is to get my masters degree and become a CNM, in case you guys want to know. what would you do?? they both have pros and cons. I just dont know what to do! Thanks in advance :)

I sent you an email!! :) Yolandaoz- I dont really want to do an LPN program. My mom is an LPN and we both think that its better that i just go for my RN.... Its just deciding which route to take to get there!

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Consider what jobs you can get with the intermediate degrees. Where I live hospitals pretty much only hire BSNs and there aren't so many spots for those either. I've heard rumors that in the next five years hospitals in my state will only hire BSNs. If you like/don't mind working in LTC while pursuing your BSN, sure go that route but it's far from being a midwife.

However, if you plan to pursue higher degrees that ultimately pay much better, not taking loans now but being in school much longer -- while getting a LTC job that won't be very applicable to your ultimate dream job-- may not be cheaper in the long run.

Also, I'd suggest contacting CNM programs and talking to their admission people. They may prefer applicants with a more traditional BSN than the 2year + bridge. I know PA programs take a very limited number of community college credits and you want to stay competitive to eventually get into a CNM program.

Good luck! Both ways have advantages and disadvantages, I'd just think about how the math of loans vs not being a BSN faster really works out.

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I didn't read all of the posts but here is my experience:

I did all of my pre reqs at a community college which were paid for fully with a federal pell grant so I didn't have to pay anything. I then transferred to a bsn program for my last 2 years. Of course its much more expensive, but its only half the loans I would have had to take out if I went to a 4 year university all 4 years.

Since you want to get your masters, I would go for a bsn. Where I'm at (texas), its only a year longer than an adn considering pre reqs. Also, most hospitals around here are requiring bsns (or at least they say they do...). And for me, I wouldn't want to do all the extra repeat stuff. For an adn you would have to do 1-2 years of nursing school then do that again for a bsn then another 2-3 years for a masters instead of just 2 years for bsn then 2-3 years for masters.

If you want to work for money, and experience, you can always do a cna or sitter part time/ pool. I am doing that right now and getting paid $13.5 an hr w/o differentials and can sometimes study while I am sitting. As pool, I get to make my own schedule and am only required to work once every two weeks which is great during nursing school. Just a thought.

In the end its your choice and decision. Good luck.

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Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

Have you checked to see if there's a wait list at the community college? I had to wait 2-3 yrs but that was a few years back. I did the ADN route and am currently working towards my BSN but there is no light at the end of the tunnel. I won't get an increase in pay, I'm already working as a nurse, and I like my current job. So my motivation is lagging. Take that into consideration as well. If there's nothing good at the end of the tunnel, you may not work as hard. I don't have any regrets though, just dragging my butt a bit.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

I would go the route that gets you done the quickest. If finishing the BSN program is quicker than applying to the ADN program and potentially waiting to start the program then I would go for it. I say apply to both and which ever one accepts you first go for that, unless of course your state has a tendency to hire BSNs over ADNs.

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If loans isn't what you want to do.. get the ADN and work your way through school. In 90% of cases that will be the cheapest route. Work and put yourself through school for BSN and MSN.

People will say you will struggle to find a job. You're going to struggle to find a job anyway, most likely. It's hard out here. ADN. BSN. MSN. New grads are struggling to find jobs in a lot of cases. Maybe you'll relocate for your MSN and that place will have jobs. There are so many factors- I wouldn't worry about jobs now.

But then you have to ask yourself if you want to work and go to school? Can you function like that? If not you should go for the BSN.

I chose to do the cheapest route I could find that would allow me to work the fastest. I have a bachelors so I could have went into an accelerated program for a year. But 42,000 in more loans didn't seem like a good deal for me or my situation. I chose a 4,000 LPN program. Eventually I will get to my BSN- but where I'm at in my life.. I don't want to overextend myself financially. Good luck with what you decide!

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I think you need to stay at the four-year. I am in the same boat. I just finished my sophmore year at a four-year and am starting nursing school in August. I do not have scholarship, can't afford to pay out of pocket, and am only getting loans. Just as a personal opinion, I am okay with racking up the loans to stay here. To me, it will be worth it. Here in Alabama, specifically the Birmingham area, it is becoming extremely difficult to find work as a nurse without your BSN. Some hospitals will not interview you unless you have a Bachelors. I don't know if that is also happening in your area, but it influenced me to stay here so that I can finish faster and have a Bachelors degree in the end. It will be MUCH MUCH easier to find work with your Bachelors degree. Also, I don't know how good of a nursing school your University has, but most of the nurses here get a job out of their preceptorship and the others usually have jobs within a month of graduation.

I do not know the cost of your university, but sticking it out at a four-year is worth it to me.

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Another issue is that most ADN programs take 3 years. There are a lot of requirements before you can even apply for nursing programs at community colleges. I would take the prereqs at community college and then decide on next best step.

Like others have advised, find out if you can get a job with ADN (just look in you local newspaper's want ads or at local hospitals's websites). Then meet with an academic advisor (preferably someone in the nursing program) at the cc and university and find out exactly how long it will take.

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Thanks for your responses everyone!! :)

Im definately going to go for BSN. At this point it is the most logical step because I already have a year of pre-reqs out of the way and it doesnt make much sense to do a three year program for my ADN and then another two for my BSN when Im already this far in.

I just need to figure out the time line for staying at the 4-year versus going to a 2-year to finish the pre-reqs. At the four year I have 2 years left..... But the 2-year has a different schedule. So Im going to talk to them and see what my timeline is at CC, and then go from there.

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