OTAs and ADNs: How long did it take you to complete school?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello, all. I'm heading back to school for a long-overdue career change, either OTA or ADN. By "how long" I mean not semesters, but the total time it took you from start to finish.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

It depends on how quickly you complete the prerequisite coursework, as well as having the good fortune to secure acceptance into a program on the first attempt.

Both programs are about two years, and can be as long as three years when including the time it typically takes to complete the prerequisite coursework sequence.

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Thanks. Yes, 2-3 years is the usual estimate. I'd like to hear about people's personal experience - how long it took them personally from start to finish. (My original post was poorly worded so I modified it for clarity.)

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
i'd like to hear about people's personal experience - how long it took them personally from start to finish.
As for me, school has had to be interwoven into the rest of life's obligations, such as full-time employment and so forth. Here's a rough timeline...

  • LVN/LPN program - 10/2004 to 10/2005, earned a diploma of vocational nursing and licensure to practice as an LVN (licensed vocational nurse)
  • LPN-to-ASN bridge program - 1/2009 to 3/2010, resulted in an associate of science degree in nursing and licensure to practice as an RN
  • RN-to-BSN completion program - 5/2014 to 3/2015, resulted in conferral of a baccalaureate degree in nursing
  • MSN program, 8/2015 to current...still attending. Expected date of graduation is mid-2017.

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Thanks. The course plan my counselor at the community college came up with is a light load, roughly six to nine hours per semester. As written it would take four years to complete (including a semester of prerequisites).

I'd intended to take a full course load with the goal of finishing within five semesters, six at most. I thought it doable based on info in the course catalog, as well as others' reported experiences. But eight semesters? Ye cats. Seems well outside the norm based on what I've read.

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I just got accepted to nursing school, so assuming I make it through in 4 straight semesters, it will have taken me four years to get a "two year" ADN. I had a BS before starting at my current school (in a TOTALLY different field) and still ended up taking three semesters of co-req courses and a semester off before I got in. I probably could have gotten in without that 3rd semester of co-reqs, but then it would have still taken me 4 years. I would have just had a whole year off instead of just one semester.

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It took me 6 years, from start to finish. Granted, I was only going half time the first 4 years d/t work and kids.

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It took me four years to get an ASN, but I went part time through the prerequisites and took some classes during the summer, too. I had a very irregular route.

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If things continue as planned, it will take me 3 years total for my ADN.

Applied and was accepted after 1 semester of prerequisites, while in the middle of my 2nd semester. I'll be finishing my first year of my ADN program next week (2nd year of community college). Graduate next year (3rd year).

And, if all goes as planned (knock on wood) I will complete my RN to BSN online in a year after I graduate, so I will be hopefully getting a BSN in 4 years anyway.

I've been working part-time with 2 kids.

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