phaerie

When faced with the same choice, I went with the ADN. My main reasons were money (now that i'm done, I'm completely debt free) and quality of life. The ADN program took me 3 years -- for the first year, I was working part time and taking a few pre-requisite courses; for the second 2 years I was a full time student in the program and was still able to work a per-diem schedule. If I had gone with the ABSN program, I could have been done in as little as two years (a year of part time pre-requisites plus a 12-month accelerated BSN program; the other ABSN options were 15 and 18 months). I think I would have been miserable though -- the schedule for the ABSN programs were intense, you're in class or clinical for 8 or more hours a day each day of the week, with barely any time to go home, do your reading and get back the next day. I would never have seen my husband, or my friends. The ADN program was intense (and much more difficult than my first BA degree), but I still had some time to myself. I know many ADN students (including many of my classmates) are having trouble finding jobs, so I know that is a big issue to consider. I was one of the lucky ones to get a job right away (working per diem as an ER clerk during school was a HUGE help); otherwise I might be regretting my choice today. But now I'm working on my BSN and it is being paid for (mostly) by my employer so I'll still be debt free by the time I finish that a few years from now. It's a much longer road, but I'm glad I made the choice I did.

I have a BA and MA from very well respected 4-year schools. I recently went back to school and got my ADN at a community college. I have to say that the CC nursing program was, by far, the most academically challenging thing that I have ever done. Plus, now that I'm working, I'm making nearly twice the salary with an associate's degree than I was previously making with my master's.

Also curious -- my first day is Thursday! :)

Thanks! I actually haven't started yet (was just hired today! :)), so will have to get back to you in a few weeks to let you know about my experience. I'm both nervous and very excited to get started. This is my second career, so I've worked elsewhere before, but this will be my first job out of nursing school.

Unfortunately, I can't help you here, but I am also curious to hear what people have to say. I am a new grad and was just hired to an oncology med/surg floor -- would love to know more about your experience so far!

Hi BB, Thanks for your message! I'm not sure how to respond privately, but everything is okay. I've been mostly lurking the past few days because i've been doing some very serious internal debating about whether to accept admission or not... I was all set to go to CNR, but also found out that I was accepted to a very good and VERY affordable 2-year ADN program. I don't think that I can pass up the chance to do this completely debt-free & with a much less stressful schedule that leaves me time to keep working part time and to focus on my marriage. I do want the BSN (and, eventually, my MSN), but think the best path for me is to wait and do a bridge program down the road (& hopefully have my employer pay for it!). So, sadly, I don't think I'll be meeting any of you either over the summer or in the fall. Best of luck to you all!

Congrats Goingthere! & good luck to everyone who's still waiting!!

small envelope. There's not too much too it.. letter of acceptance plus info on the deposit (due 2 weeks from the date of the letter, so by May 20th), info on the health requirements (there's a health assessment form on immunizations/titers/etc that has to be completed by June 8th; and we've got to have CPR training--the school offers it), and a note about financial aid (basically all we're eligible for are federal loans because we've already got bachelor's degrees--so no pell grants/school grants/or merit scholarships :icon_roll). Once our deposit is in, we've got to set up an appointment to "review your transcripts and to register for your classes in the Summer Session II semester."

got mine today!

Agreed! This is starting to cut things a bit short.. Does anyone know how the schedule for the accelerated program is organized? Which classes get taken over the summer, and in each semester?

MzAmerykah- How do you like the 2nd degree program so far? pros/cons, etc.

it can be done--i'm taking all three of those classes this semester (& doing well in all three). however, i'm only working a few hours a week and my husband has been INCREDIBLE about taking on most of the cooking/cleaning..