RN or BSN? Does it matter?

[foreversummer]

i currently have my ba in sociology and a minor in business. i have decided i want to go back to school and be a nurse because it recently occurred to me i would be a perfect nurse. i have always soak up healthcare info like a sponge, i enjoy taking care of people and have a strong nurturing side, and i am sick of trying to figure out what jobs my skill sets apply to, and what jobs out of the million postings sounds tolerable and not pure torture. nursing is so much more clear cut, straight shot into a career, but a career that is not limiting. i hate sitting inside at a desk all day. i love the idea that it is non-traditional scheduling but with good pay and benefits (what i like about the restaurant industry just better) i love the idea of being in a fast-paced environment dealing with new things around every corner

i do worry however it may be difficult to cope with being around sick and dying people all of the time; especially telling a family that their loved one is gone. i would hate to get my rn only to discover i couldn't handle it and it is totally not what i thought it would be. i know there are downsides to every job, but if all i ever see are people looking ill and deathly all the time, it could really put a cramp in my spirit. and the thing about volunteering is that the job your doing is not going to be the job i will be doing once i have my rn, and i fear that if it sucks i will get the wrong idea of what nursing is about.

i love the idea of doing surgeries and stitches on people and just taking their temperatures, putting in iv's, and working as part of a team to save someone's life. i currently work in a restaurant and i love the teamwork aspect when everyone is running around crazy trying to keep everyone happy, and we are helping each other in the heat of the moment.

now the big question is this....should i go to the community college and get my rn very quickly, easily with little to no application process where my classes will transfer over and make the 2 year program much shorter.

or: apply to get my bsn where i would need 3 recommendations, statement of purpose, resume, interview, competitive program plus complete 5 pre-req courses... would i be able to make a lot more money or have better opportunities? would it affect my resume at all that if i had only my rn but also my ba it would be closer to a bsn during promotions time??

or: apply to get into an alternate entry masters program where after a year i would have my rn, and after another year and half would have my masters of science in nursing and could be making $100 k as a nurse practitioner.

or: c. get my rn now, see where i want to go in the nursing would and then go back and get a higher degree later when i know more about what i want to do, or where i would want to go with this. another words, if i was seeing limitations in my career, i could go back to school to achieve what i wanted.

any advice/ words of wisdom much appreciated. thanks for listening.

[elkpark]

Welcome to allnurses! :balloons:

As a new graduate, there's not a lot of difference between ADN grads and BSN grads -- you pass the same exam to get licensed, and a "new grad" is a "new grad" as far as most employers are concerned. Most places offer v. little (if any!) extra pay for having a BSN. Some hospitals prefer or require a BSN degree, and won't employee ADN grads, but that's certainly not the norm. The added value of a BSN comes into play as you progress in your career -- over time, a BSN degree will open a wider range of professional opportunities that you wouldn't have with an ADN only.

However, there are a kazillion programs out there for diploma and ADN RNs to complete a BSN -- many of them completely on-line, and all of them much easier and cheaper than completing nursing school in the first place. It's perfectly reasonable to get licensed in the quickest, least expensive way available to you for now, and you can always complete a BSN later on if you want to.

Best wishes for your journey!