RN-BSN or straight BSN... pros and cons?

[NoSoyEnfAhora]

I am a high school junior who is considering different college options. I am pretty sure that I will major either in health science or nursing, as I am really interested in healthcare. Due to my weak freshman and sophomore year (GPA's ranging from a 2.7 to a 3.0 which resulted from sheer laziness and dismal study habits), I am seriously considering community college nursing programs as well as 4-year university ones. Keep in mind that I really shaped up my junior year (now) and got a 3.5. Now I now that a 3.5 is not extraordinary by any means, but I also plan to get a 4.33 next semester and am willing to work as hard as it takes. I am totally fine with going to a community college as I have no issues with prestige, and also the cost is much, much cheaper. However, my parents have said that they are not okay with community college and are willing to pay for me going to a lower-tier, possibly more expensive, 4-year university. Even though they are okay with paying more, I do not want them to have to pay too much for my education. I have also heard that RN-BSN programs are much less impacted than straight BSN programs at the California State Universities. I am a California, specifically Bay Area, resident. My parents are both highly educated (my dad has a PHD and my mom a bachelor's) and are afraid of the social stigma that comes with community college, as well as the possibility of not being able to transfer. They are also not completely on board with the idea of me majoring in nursing, but that's on a different thread :) ANYway, my plan to convince them to let me go to the more practical and less expensive community college (Either Las Positas or Ohlone or Chabot for me) is to make a slideshow/presentation/speech on the pros and cons of each program. The only problem is that I do not have too much information on the cons of RN-BSN programs, and would like to know about them so that I can prepare a thorough and supported counter-argument. Thank you!!

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

It all depends on how employers in your area regard ADNs vs. BSNs. Are you going to be able to be gainfully employed as an ADN prepared nurse while you complete your BSN? If so, it's a no-brainer to go the ADN route. You'll be done with school quicker and gain valuable experience as you work to complete your BSN, not to mention the cost savings.

However, if employers in your area don't regularly hire ADNs, then you should focus on getting in to a 4 year BSN program. You really need to talk to the hiring managers at the hospitals you're interested in working in to determine your best route of success.

There is a bit of "degree snobbery" when I hear "stigma of community college". There is absolutely nothing wrong with obtaining your RN at a community college. There are many programs where the community college actually has the better reputation of turning out competent bedside nurses over some BSN programs. Again, it all depends on your local area.

You mentioned that you're interested in healthcare or nursing in your post. What appeals to you about nursing? What other area of healthcare are you interested in if you don't get in to a nursing program?

Coming from high school, there are only a few who directly admit high school graduates straight in to the BSN program and most of those require a very high GPA and completion of courses, such as Anatomy, Physiology, etc. at the AP level in order to get accepted. In most cases, you will have to register as a pre-nursing student at either the community college or the 4 year university you choose to attend, complete all the nursing pre-requisites (which can take a year or more to complete) and then apply for acceptance to the actual nursing program. It usually takes 5 years to obtain a BSN degree due to the amount of pre-reqs required.

I can't speak for the schools in your area because I'm not familiar with them. I do know that where I live, ADNs are readily hired and that there are several brick-and-mortar universities that offer the RN-to-BSN. There are also the myriad of online schools to complete the RN-to-BSN as well (choose wisely, as these can vary greatly in quality). My point is, you have many options available to you. You need to see what the hiring climate is like in your area and then educate your parents on your options once you know for sure.

But first and foremost, determine what you *really* want to do. Don't go in to nursing just because you think it might pay well or it sounds exciting. It is exhausting, back-breaking work, and many times, it's a thankless job. It can be very personally rewarding, but you need to go in to this with your eyes wide open. See if you can job shadow a nurse for a while to get a feel for what they actually do. By all means, if you're not sure if you want nursing vs. another healthcare career, do not go in to nursing without sorting this out first.