Potential Nursing student in the dark

Dogen · Jul 7, 2015

Okay, everyone gave you good advice. You have to have an associates (ADN or ASN) or a bachelors (BSN) before you sit for the NCLEX. If you were a nurse with an associates then you could go to an RN-BSN program because employers, especially in competitive areas, want the higher degree.

To be kind, I googled your state schools. I have no idea where you live, but this is just to show you what to look for:

Blue Ridge Community College Associates in Nursing

Atlanta Tech ASN in Nursing

Georgia State University BSN programs. The top one (traditional) is primarily for people who don't have a bachelors degree in some other field, and is probably the most applicable to you.

Now go google community colleges or universities in your area and go and talk to an admissions adviser. State schools will be cheaper, and admissions advisers at state schools will hopefully be more informative (because they're not paid to talk you into enrolling). They should be able to answer all of your questions.

Edit: Oh, and good luck. Good on ya for asking. :)

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2015

You can train to become a nurse by several methods: diploma, associate degree, bachelor's degree or entry level masters degree. Once you complete the training, you can take the test to become licensed as a nurse, also called the NCLEX.

This is fingernails on the chalkboard. Could you consider changing this to schooling or education and leave training to dogs?

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Jul 7, 2015

This is fingernails on the chalkboard. Could you consider changing this to schooling or education and leave training to dogs?

LOL In England (where I trained) we call it training. However, now everything has been elevated beyond diploma status to university level, I see your point. I still slip into saying trained more often than not. Habit!

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Jul 7, 2015

Stop looking at for-profit schools. That's my first and foremost advice!

College School of Nursing told me this. Chamberlain College of Nursing informed this similarity to me, Kaplan University said it as well, University of Phoenix for Nursing, said the same thing. They have BSN (RN~BSN) only. I cant be too much unclear because I called them on a 3wy conversation and they too said the same thing to a friend of mine. None of this makes sense, why would they tell me that I need to be a licensed RN or a LPN in order to get the ADN. ADN should come first?...So at least I thought.
I contacted the colleges that I mentioned because I am residing in a city that is 2hr drive to go to a community and a technical campus in which isn't worth the drive and unfortunately they don't provide an online for Associates in Nursing, which sucks.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 7, 2015

Welcome to allnurses.com

Thread moved to Pre-Nursing forum.

AngelKissed857, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2015

Save yourself a ton of grief and even more expense, make an appt with a counselor at your local Community College that offers an ADN (that means Associate Degree of Nursing). If you have ever attended college, bring copies of transcripts, they don't need to be official at this point, just a print off from the computer or old report cards, whatever will do. The counselor will be able to tell you exactly what classes you need to take and in what order to get your ADN. You're smart for thinking about a BSN. Ask your counselor if their school has a concurrent BSN program agreement with a local 4 year school to get your BSN.

I'm in an excellent ADN program at a community college in California, and my school has an agreement with the local California State University, it's called C-Post, (don't ask, I can never remember what it stands for). You apply at the beginning of your second semester. If you get in, then you take summer classes the summer between First and Second year at the community college, and the summer after your graduate from the CC with your ADN. Then you do one more year at the CSU to complete your BSN. So, after your pre-reqs (which are no joke), you will have 2 years in the CC ADN program, and then 1-2 years in the BSN program.

Here's the thing- there are no shortcuts to becoming an RN or BSN. We ALL have to do the pre-reqs, which seem to take freakin' forever!And then-all of a sudden-bam, pre-reqs are done and you can apply to programs. Being a nurse is HARD work, and BECOMING a nurse is HARD work, and doing the pre-reqs is HARD work. But if you were in critical condition in an ED, would you want nurses assessing you, giving you meds, making crucial decisions about what you need, when and how you need it , to be the nurses who worked their tails off to get to where they are, or a nurse who just wanted to it the fast and easy way?

BTW, if you did go to a for-profit school (all the schools you've talked to) you will come out with probably close $150k in student debt. And many of your credits will NOT be transferrable to an MSN program if you chose to go that route. I have a close friend who graduated with her BA in marketing from Phoenix University 2 years ago- it cost her over $100k, and she can't get a job. When I'm done with my BSN, my total investment, from pre-reqs to graduating with my BSN (including books) will be under $30k, all paid for along the way-no debt. Choose wisely, but I beg you- stay away from the for profit schools.

DISCLAIMER: No offense intended to ANY-ONE, the cost is just so high, and I've spoken to so many people who regretted having made that choice, it's just MY opinion-please don't flame me.

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2015

What I think you are confusing are the associate degree and some bachelor's degree programs. Some nurses get an associates degree, pass the NCLEX, and then go back to school to get a bachelor's degree. That bachelor's degree program is often referred to as a RN-to-BSN program or BSN bridge program. Many of these programs are online. You have to have passed the NCLEX to attend. The programs you contacted are this kind of program.
A program that will allow you to take the NCLEX will not be online. You can take the many or perhaps all of the prerequisites (except labs, probably) online, but the actual nursing classes will require attendance for class, labs and clinical.
I hope that helps!

Sorry beekee, you caught me in a mood with my previous comment. The main point of your post is very helpful and a thing of beauty.

OP continue with your research. Don't sell your soul to the for-profits unless you absolutely have to. The debt ($150,000 : 10 years, 6% = $1660/month) is real and inescapable. Even declaring bankruptcy will not relieve you of your obligation to pay the money back for the rest of your career.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Jul 8, 2015

Hi Hon!! It sounds like you've only looked at private schools. In my area, not GA, the private schools a require Lvn then offer bridges to the RN.

But the community and state colleges do offer straight RN degrees. With the addition of a few more classes, a person will graduate with an Associates Degree in nursing AND be eligible to take the NCLEX-rn.

The trick, er, caveat, is that the private schools are quicker than the community colleges in my area.

For example, you can become an Lvn in private school in 1 yr and then take a "bridge pre req" program in 6-9 months of online (so you can work full time) then the RN portion takes 6-9 months. This is less than 3 yrs.

Conversely, the public community colleges and state schools require a ton of prereqs that must be taken in a prescribed order (gen Chem or bio than A&P 1 then A&P2) plus there are other really hard prereqs such as micro, English, speech, psychology, nutrition and sometimes a math or 2. If you are a super star, you could potentially knock these out in a year and a half. But the Lvn program is impacted as is the RN program, therefore it takes most students several years to complete prereqs and then a few applications to get into the RN program. As for me, it will take 7 yrs. I'm currently in the 1 yr long bridge to RN program.

I hope this makes sense--time versus money. And debt!!

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2015

Start here:

Nursing - Georgia Board of Nursing

That might help make things a little more clear as well.

So will this:

http://sos.ga.gov/PLB/acrobat/Forms/38%20Reference%20-%20Nursing%20Education%20Programs.pdf

It's a list of ALL the accredited schools that offer either ADN or BSN.

If I may, why do you not want to get your BSN?

AJJKRN · Jul 8, 2015

If I may, why do you not want to get your BSN?

Could the answer to this question not be that the OP needs to research what educational paths and commitment that it really takes to become a nurse, which is why they posted on AN in this first place? No matter what educational route you take OP, whether it's a practical nurse program, associate program, diploma program, bachelors program, or masters program...you will not be able to circumvent the basic requirements of each level of schooling. And after all that hard work to graduate, you can not work nor call yourself an LPN or RN without passing the NCLEX first. It's a lot of information and my advice would be to look up the basics of each degree and corresponding educational requirements and then start comparing colleges or university programs to make the most informed decision you possibly can before taking the path to nursing! Don't forget to learn about accreditation first!

pct333 · Jul 19, 2015

I don't know why but I don't believe that a school told you some non sense like that... did you even ask the school?? Heck google could have given you better answers smh:no: