Question on accelerated BSN/MSN combined prgms

chiasmus100 · Jan 27, 2011

I find a lot of negativity pertaining to the ABSN or ABSN/MSN. I suspect negativity on part of RNs might be due to the fact they spent more time in school and resent a college graduate being able to receive a higher degree in less time.

iPink, BSN, RN · Jan 28, 2011

I haven't heard any negativity with ABSN or BSN/MSN programs. I'm in an ABSN program and plan to get my MSN/DNP after some experience, but have my employer pay for it. My aunt happened to turn down an offer from a hospital to pay for her DNP in lieu of 2-year commitment of service. I think this route is better, IMO.

Southern Magnolia · Jan 28, 2011

I guess it all depends on where you are and the details of the program.

I am a 2nd degree student planning to begin a traditional BSN program in the fall. There is also a direct entry MS program in my area for 2nd degree students but the cost is 45K vs 15K for the traditional program.

It will take me an extra year to do the BSN vs the MS BUT the cost for me is the issue. Also no one (including my friends that are nurses) can tell me how having an MS (or MSN without advanced practice certification) is that much more beneficial than having a BSN. The final straw for me was that when I started looking at what it would take to go on to a DNP program or NP program (if I got the MS) I discovered that I would be starting at the same point with the MS as a BSN prepared student.

My personal opinion is it's all about money. The particular direct entry program I'm referring to just switched their 2nd degree accelerated BSN to a direct entry MS program - when you start looking into it the two programs are nearly identical with a couple of more hours of theory thrown onto the end of the program so they can justify the master's designation.

I'm sure that some of these programs are worth it. I know some have direct entry that offer a clinical nurse leader designation. At least with those you actually GET something for your extra 30K or whatever it ends up being.

I certainly could be wrong and don't propose to be familiar with all the programs out there but in my area this is a joke.

chiasmus100 · Jan 28, 2011

I haven't heard any negativity with ABSN or BSN/MSN programs. I'm in an ABSN program and plan to get my MSN/DNP after some experience, but have my employer pay for it. My aunt happened to turn down an offer from a hospital to pay for her DNP in lieu of 2-year commitment of service. I think this route is better, IMO.

Sorry I did not mean negativity within the program. I meant negativity of working RNs towards ABSN programs and new hires with this degree. My sister is a nurse and I have spoken to other nurses who have said ABSN does not train students thoroughly.

chiasmus100 · Jan 28, 2011

Also, I have heard a lot of people say to avoid going into debt for an accelerated BSN program. In my area there are schools which have 100k programs and 30k programs. One persons aid it does not make sense to go into so much debt because "nursing is just not snobby". I have to agree. Many people also said to go to a less expensive school for the BSN and then go to a more prestigious school for the masters.

iPink, BSN, RN · Jan 28, 2011

chiasmus100, thanks for clearing in up but I still disagree with you. Your reasoning is certainly not the same everywhere else. My school is not "Ivy league" but has a great reputation as it is part one of the largest Hospitals in my area. In fact, other hospitals are more willing to hire the grads coming from my ABSN program then the from the Ivy league programs.

OP, $70k is steep for an ABSN program. As far as finances, there are also scholarships. My program had several scholarship I applied for as well and there are "non traditional student" scholarships.

ers375 · Aug 5, 2012

I've enjoyed reading this thread so far. I am currently doing prereqs (already have a BA in humanities - need the science and math credits!) to enter either an ABSN or an ABSN/MSN program. I am 37 years old and this will be a second career for me. I am currently unemployed (got laid off from a pharm sales job beginning of June), and am finally pursuing my passion for healthcare. My goal is to become a certified nurse midwife - as quickly and inexpensively as possible. I live near Atlanta, and Emory has a great -but expensive- ABSN/MSN program. I need financial aid to pay tuition but also to pay living expenses, so I am seriously considering an ABSN/MSN program right away so that I can have access to the grad school amount of money available right away. I do not foresee being able to work outside of school during the BSN program, so combining it with the MSN program makes sense to me, if only to be able to pay my rent and eat while I'm doing it. I also plan to apply for any scholarships I can, but I don't know about how hard these are to get, so I still need to plan for worst-case scenario. Anyway, any advice from those of you who are already in school or who have already gone through this would be very helpful. Thank you and best of luck to all of you!

allnurses Guide · Aug 5, 2012

chiasmus100, thanks for clearing in up but I still disagree with you. Your reasoning is certainly not the same everywhere else. My school is not "Ivy league" but has a great reputation as it is part one of the largest Hospitals in my area. In fact, other hospitals are more willing to hire the grads coming from my ABSN program then the from the Ivy league programs.
OP, $70k is steep for an ABSN program. As far as finances, there are also scholarships. My program had several scholarship I applied for as well and there are "non traditional student" scholarships.

My two cents.

I think that you are talking about hospital administration and the other poster is talking about staff nurses. Hospitals love hiring reputable ABSN grads, however, many of the staff nurses resent these hires. A lot of it is personality and varies by individual, but I would say on the whole there is some degree of skepticism by staff RNs re: accelerated programs (unless they are accelerated program grads themselves).

Stephalump · Aug 6, 2012

I think job prospects are dependent on a hospital's attitude toward accelerated programs, and that's about it. A new grad with an MSN is still a new grad, so I don't think that would help or hurt you, but if a facility has had a few bad experiences with accelerted graduates, they're likely to blame it on the "accelerated" variable, ie not enough time or clinical experience. True or not, hiring managers are humans who do human things like form biases. So maybe consider talking to places you'd be applying to.

To be honest, I would not pay that much for a program. You'll be doing the same job as a nurse with an undergrad degree but giving more of your paycheck back to the government. An MSN can open doors later, but now is not later. There are politics and ladders to climb to move up, and it's not entirely clear if/where/when you'll find your niche and what it will be. I'll have put about 10,000 into my degree after scholarships, and the hospitals around here like to "groom" employees into upper level positions and then pay for their schooling, so I see no point in jumping the gun.

godsplan · Oct 4, 2016

Hi ERS75

Did you enroll in Emory?

I need some advice in picking a good ABSN program.

Thanks