RN to BSN or simply BSN?

[Dylan C]

Good evening, my name is Dylan Clark. I am 29 years old and I am a CNA, CMA, CHHA, CPT, and CET and I am also working as an ER Technician. I am planning on returning to nursing school next year, however.  This is my question. Say I decided to attend a 4 year BSN program at a University. Would I then have to attend RN school to become a licensed Registered Nurse upon completion of my BSN first? Or would I be eligible to sit for my NCLEX-RN upon completion of my BSN? 

I guess what I am asking is this. If I were to earn my BSN instead of going to RN school first, would that be sufficient for me to work as a nurse? Or would I still have to attend RN school even after that?

Thank you for your time and understanding.

With regards,

Dylan Clark

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

A BSN program is RN school and makes you eligible to sit for NCLEX as long as the program is approved by the state BON. The RN career has multiple entry points:

• Diploma (many have closed or converted to ADN or BSN)
• Associate degree (commonly referred to as ADN)
• Bachelors degree (commonly referred to as BSN)
• Entry level masters degree

Any program that you are looking at should include a review of:

• State BON status 
  • Programs with less than acceptable NCLEX pass rates can be placed into provisional status
  • Approval of the program by the BON is what makes graduates eligible to sit for NCLEX following graduation; however, it is not required to be accepted by other states (as is being seen with several Florida schools whose graduates are seeking licensure in another state)
• National nursing program accreditation
  • ACEN or CCNE accredit programs specifically for nursing; this is a voluntary step by the school to obtain. However, it is not uncommon for employers to require graduation from an accredited program- they are specifically looking for nursing program accreditation
• NCLEX pass rates
  • Are they in line with, above, or below the national average? That can tell you how well their graduates are prepared to pass the minimum competency to become licensed as an RN

[Lipoma, BSN, RN]

A BSN allows you take the NCLEX-RN upon graduation which grants you practice authority.