New nursing students-the ADN and BSN discussion pre-req

[Redfoot]

No disrespect to the many, many threads on the subject but...

I wish to present a possibly different perspective here. I feel like I have been a tape recorder for the following information way too many times recently.

My background is guy studying to become a BSN back in 1997. I quickly found that full time status and working 50+ hours a week was not conducive to a proper learning environment.

Flash forward to right now. I spent 6 years in the USAF as a medical technician, tested out of my LVn in 2008, and spent the last 1.5 years retaking sciences to get into nursing school, and I have just been accepted into CSU Chico. I was attracted to the program because the nursing staff (actually dept head) actually responded to my inquiries 2 years before I even became a wildcat, unlike every other program within a 80 mile radius (i.e. pay enrollment fees, meet with a general counselor, and take a class here before we will talk to you). But I digress...

While taking a bunch of these classes at local community classes I had the opportunity to speak with students from many different professional and educational backgrounds. They have enlightened me, and vise versa.

Here is what I have to say. Prep for the BSN requirements for the schools in your state or region. Why? Well, in northern California, the ADN programs were much more impacted than the BSN programs, in some cases by a longshot. Many ADN schools have gone to a lottery system, meaning that GPA was barely a factor as long as you met the minimum requirements, so you may be waiting a few years before getting a chance to get into the program. In the states I have gone to school in, the difference in classes required to get into BSN vs ADN programs was Organic Chem (my nemesis), another 3 credits of psychology, and statistics. Take it upon yourself to look over the degree catalogs so you have documentation and exact class codes. DO NOT trust a counselor's opinion as gold until you are in the program (many members of URI class of 2001 would attest to this).

Once accepted, both programs were 2 years from start to finish. I have seen and worked with quite a few people that were waiting for acceptance into the local ADN program, while they could easily have made themselves eligible for the BSN programs as well, giving them 2-3 more schools to to apply to and perhaps gained acceptance sooner.

Financial aid is out of the scope of this discussion, and I know that school costs money, so be it. Take the subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans, and whatever other aid that you can. You will be making enough money, and in some cases get the loans forgiven. We are students. We accumulate debt. That is the way of the world.

Finally, speak with students that attend the program that you are interested in. There was an ADN school near me that I would not even bother applying to for the simple fact that they required LVN students to jump through way too many hoops, take 6 credits of non-transferable nursing classes just to be considered, and had the reputation for failing students at an alarming rate for dubious subjective reasons-and few of these students I have known to go on to be successful at other programs.

I guess what I want prospective students to take from this is that it is not a ADN vs. BSN issue. It is a nursing school issue. Difference in pay is negligible, with a slight upper hand given to BSN in the realm of career enhancement. We all want the best possible education we can get. But we also have to understand that historically when the economy takes a dump, people go into health care. Add to that the fact that nursing has been in the top ten jobs to have as far as growth for the last 15 years minimum, there is a lot of competition out there, many just as dedicated and caring as yourself, and some with advanced degrees. We are all looking for the perfect school and whatnot, but eventually we just need a paycheck and experience. Upgrading your degree is always an option, and in many cases is done part time and online.

In my opinion, it is wisest to fullfill the requirements for the BSN programs in your state by taking community college classes whenever possible as well as interfacing with current students and staff in the programs that you are seeking enrollment in order to make the best possible decision and afford you the most options possible. Especially if you are dead set on CNA or NP in your future, you owe it to yourself.

Good luck everyone.

-Redfoot

P.S. When I did a tour at Baltimore Shock Trauma in 2004, the head nurse in the ER was a diploma nurse, and one of the smartest and kindest people I have ever met. We all are nurses first, and the additional acronyms second.