Nursing By Which Route?

[land64shark]

I need some opinions. I want to be an RN. I am currently on the wait list for LPN school and will most likely be able to start in August. It is a 15 month program. I am currently taking A&P 1 and Psyche. I will take A&P 2 and College Algebra over the summer. This is in preparation for the LPN to RN bridge program. I will have all of the pre-req's and co-req's out of the way except for micro and ethics before LPN school. I believe you have to physically have your LPN license before you can register for the bridge program, so I would probably be looking at an entry of May 2007 for that. (I don't think I could make it into the Jan. session.) The LPN to RN bridge program is a 3 semester program. Sooooo, I'd actually graduate with my ADN in May of 2008.

There is a 2-3 year waiting list AFTER you have completed A&P 1 and 2 for the regular ADN program at the community college. So I can't even get on that list until the end of the summer. It is not a grades based selection. It is first come, first served with the minimum qualifications.

Now I'm wondering if I should think about trying for the upper division BSN at U of South Florida. I have 120 miscellaneous college credits from previous lives (2 associate degrees) with a total cum of about 3.4. USF requires 60 transferable credits with the appropriate prereq's and a cum of 3.0 for application to their upper division BSN. Their office said that if you have over a 3.3 GPA, you should get in. The pre-req's I still need for the BSN are A&P2, micro, college algebra, chemistry, nutrition, lifecycle and ethics. USF does not do a wait list. If I applied next February for the May 2006 admission, I could have MOST of those pre-req's done and the rest would be underway during that semester. If they don't take me then because I don't have all of my pre-req's, I could re-apply WITH all of them complete in May for the fall of 2006 admission. I would then graduate with a BSN in May 2008 for either entry date (I think). Oh yeah, I would also need 2 semesters of a language before graduation.

Hmmm...I've never sat down and figured out the timelines of each way before now. It almost sounds like a no-brainer to go for the BSN if it will ultimately take the exact same time to completion as the ADN. I did have plans to go on to get my BSN after the RN anyway, perhaps even further.

Here's my problem. I live in Clearwater. The Tech school for the LPN is 5 minutes from my house and the Community College for the bridge program is 15 minutes. The clinicals on this side of the bay would also all be handy. USF is on the far side of Tampa, a traffic nightmare from here. It's 35 minutes at the lowest of traffic lows. That NEVER happens during rush hour, EVER! Clinicals would obviously be over in Tampa also. Did I mention I'm 42 and have 3 kids? I haven't looked into it yet, but I imagine tuition at USF will be more than the public tech school and community college. I'm also scared to turn down my spot in line for the LPN school. That is something concrete, I'd be in the system with a definate path to follow. (There is no wait list for the bridge program.) Does that make sense? I'd actually be IN a nursing program. It would seem more real. The BSN is almost a gamble, isn't it?

I suppose I could put myself on the 2-3 year waiting list for the regular ADN at the CC after I complete A&P2 this summer. Then if for some reason the USF thing doesn't work out, I could fall back on that. But I want to get on with it! I want to be IN a program, started on a nursing career. I hate uncertainty! If I knew FOR CERTAIN that I would be accepted into the BSN program, I wouldn't be so wishy-washy. But then again, why wouldn't they take me? I've got good grades.

I need someone to tell me objectively what they think. Go ahead, knock some sense into me. Any takers?

[WhatToDo]

I think you have thought this through carefully. From what you said it seems the BSN program is a no brainer, you'd get to be a nurse in the same amount of time as you would with the ASN degree, but you would already have the BSN. I would apply for the BSN program (by the way, the more pre-reqs you have completed when you apply, the better your chances for getting in) and also put yourself on the waiting list for the ASN program. Something will come through.

Also, the LVN program sounds like it might be a good option if you plan to work part-time during the rest of your schooling, then at least you can get some experience and make an LVN's salary.