Should I get my ADN or BSN based on my life goals?

nursemichelle80, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

Employers are starting want to hire more and more BSN's. I would go straight for the BSN. I am working on mine now and WISH that I had gone into a 4 year program from the start.

Tait, MSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

Nursing needs to increase its education value if it wants to progress along with the rest of medicine. I am a very proud ADN but as I progress through my bridge to MSN I am really seeing the value education brings not only to nursing but to my patients as well. BSN does not mean you have to be a manager, and to be honest I wish they would leave the BSN's at the bedside so they can use the additional education to benefit the patients.

BSN education is not perfect by any means at this point in time either but I do feel now that if you have the means to do so, go for as much education as you can get your hands on.

For me the ADN->BSN->MSN track in stages worked best for me.

I am reading an interesting book on the reformation of nursing education by Patricia Benner et al., called Educating Nurses: A Call for Radical Transformation. What I like about this book so far is that it doesn't discredit any level of nursing currently in practice and seems to be heading towards the idea of combining a lot of the curricular elements of ADN/diploma/BSN into a new form of nursing education.

You might want to check it out if you have time. It is a very straightforward and non-jargon laden book.

Best of luck!

Tait

laceface24 · Nov 8, 2011

First I have to point out:"nursing is a simple career" Please please don't ever get that idea, that is the furthest from the truth. I am still a nursing student so I still don't know half of what RNs go through on a daily basis in their jobs, but I do know "simple" will cause an uproar. Just my opinion...anyways...

I am currently in my final year of an ADN program, which will have taken me 6 years to complete. I want to make sure you understand that an ADN is NOT a 2 year deal. You have to take many prerequisites before you can even apply to an nursing program. In my case, my school takes 2-3 years for just the prereqs alone. I took 3 years because on top of the prereqs, I took transfer classes because I know eventually I am going to need my BSN. Then if you get into the nursing program right away, that takes another 2-3 years, depending on the school you are at. My program is a 3 year program...you are eligible to sit fr your NCLEX-PN boards after two, and the NCLEX-RN after the last year. So that is 6 years MINIMUM, that does not include being wait listed or denied from the program.

Although I LOVE my schooling, and have had the greatest experience, I sometimes wish I would have gone the BSN route. The reason I went to my local community college is because my parents could not afford to send me to a university, but they make just above the cut-off amount for financial aid. You want my honest opinion? Research universities around you that have a BSN program, and find out all prereqs they require. DO THEM ALL at your local community college. This way, you save a ton of money on basic classes such as english, math, sciences (lots of sciences). Then when you have all your ducks in a row, you can apply as a transfer BSN student.

You say you dont want to go into management. Think of it this way: You get your ADN, you work for a few years, then BAM! You hurt your back. You can no longer work bedside care. Yes, there are many ADN positions that you dont need to do hands-on care for patients, but if you have that BSN, your doors are open more than if you just have an ADN.

I know not all hospitals are going this way, but a lot are starting to require at least a BSN. WHen I graduate in May with my ADN, there are many hospitals around my area (bay area in CA) that I can't apply to their new grad program because I won't have my BSN. Ex: Stanford, Lucille Packard, which I have dreamed of working at. I have applied to the RN-BSN program at a state universiy by me for Fall 2012, and if I go full time, it will take another year and a half. That is 7 1/2 years to get a BSN! And that is me working my butt off with over full-time units in school every semester for 15 semesters.

Do you understand where I am going with this? Nursing school is hard, VERY VERY hard. You will have no time for family, friends, let alone your future bf/hubby. It takes pure dedication and commitment. If you're saying you don't like school, you might want to reconsider not going to nursing school, because it is school full speed ahead. Although your Mom sounds like she is trying to help you, there are NO JOBS right now for new grads. Maybe by the time you are finished, the economy will turn around, but people need to get off the idea that hospitals are screaming for nurses and pounding down new grad doors because that is NOT reality.

Please don't let this deter you from your dreams. If nursing is truly your passion, I wish nothing but the best for you!

livelaughlovenurse · Nov 8, 2011

I would go for your BSN I am starting my BSN program in January. It will take you four years total if you go full time. Once you start in a school it is usually required that you go full time to stay with the class you started with. It may vary but that is the way it is in Kansas. It has been a hard road getting my associates and yes, I did have time for my husband, children, etc. Its all about how you spend your time and focus on studying first then you will do fine. Go as far as you can go with your education while you are still young and have no kids.

FutureOBNurse2118 · Nov 8, 2011

In my opinion, I would say go for you ADN first, then get your Bachelor's degree. I only say this because nursing school for 2 years is stressful enough, by the time your halfway mark comes up in a 4 year program, your gonna wish you would've bridged instead. At least that way, you get the the two years of hell over, and then you can always get your BSN online. Thats what I am doing, and I am glad I did.

AJPV · Nov 8, 2011

You can save TONS of money if you get your ADN first and then bridge into a BSN program (ADN tuition is often $85/credit whereas BSN will run upwards of $300/credit). But do your homework ahead of time. Talk to lots of people currently working in the types of places (eg, hospitals, other facilities) in your area and find out if they in fact hire new graduate ADNs (some may hire ADN's, but not new grad ADNs). Different regions/cities vary a lot in terms of how ADNs are viewed. I live in a large metro area. In our city, there are a couple hospitals that have changed to "BSN only," but the funny thing is they are not the magnet status hospitals, nor are they the hospitals that are winning awards for quality of patient care, research or anything else really. They are simply looking for an easy way to "distinguish" themselves and they are taking advantage of the fact that we are currently in a job market that favors employers. A hiring manager at one of our hospitals that actually is an international leader in many specialities told me that the BSN-only mindset is extremely short-sited. This hospital hires ADN new-grads, but they do expect these new-hires to complete a bridge program within a specified time.

I'm about to graduate from an ADN program. Lots of us in my class are currently interviewing/accepting job offers. What I am observing is that plenty of us are getting hired at hospitals, but the only people who are even getting interviews or getting hired have healthcare experience (ie, work as a CNA/patient care tech). Those who are getting job offers are usually getting hired at the same facility where they currently work as a tech. Those who don't have this experience are not even getting called for interviews despite applying for dozens of jobs. I think the biggest advice nursing schools should be giving incoming freshman (whether ADN or BSN) is get a prn (which means "as needed" - it's a type of part-time status) tech job - preferably at a facility you would like to work at after graduation. I would go as far as to say don't allow yourself to finish school without getting this experience. If necessary, take time off of school to first nail down a tech job, then pick up school again and finish. Take the CNA class and get certified (that will make you eligible for tech jobs & also help you get into nursing school). Network like crazy to get into a tech position. Call hospitals, talk to nurse managers, ask if you could come and shadow a nurse (that will also help you really decide if nursing is for you). If you have any friends who know nurse managers, see if they can connect you. Then when you have some of those connections, ask the nurse managers if they would consider hiring you as a tech. Nurse managers love to hire new-grad RNs whom they have already observed for months as a patient tech. It is the best way to determine your work ethic, attitude, teamwork, the way you treat patients, etc. When you have a tech job, view every day as if it were a job interview for a future RN position. Work your tail off, help the nurses beyond the minimum expectations, attend all the unit meetings and participate, complete all of your mandatory trainings before the deadlines without needing to be reminded. If you do all of those things, you will be noticed - and hopefully hired!

FLArn · Nov 8, 2011

If you hate school, I would be hesitant to recommend going into nursing at all. The coursework and clinicals are VERY demanding. You will most likely have effectively NO social life outside of school for the duration of your training. Training for nursing can be very difficult on relationships unless your S.O. is very supportive. Also while nursing can be flexible in what shift you work, depending on your setting there will be requirements to work weekends and holidays. So outside of agency work there may be concessions your family will have to make.

Don't get me wrong nursing is very rewarding and I wouldn't do anything else; but it isn't exactly a 9 to5 weekdays only while the kids are in school job either.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

Honestly, it doesn't sound like nursing is a very good choice for your career goals. Nursing school is a big commitment and new grad nurses don't usually get the ideal shifts after graduating. There's a good chance you'll have to work nights for the first year or two after graduating. You'll have to work weekends and holidays if you

If you're looking for a career that will work best with a family, consider getting a degree in education and becoming a teacher. You can easily take time off after graduating. When your kids are old enough to be in school, you can work while they are in school, you get weekends, holidays, summers, school vacations and snow days off so you are always home when the kids are home.

If you're looking for a two year program, you can become certified as a teacher's aid or a special education technician. Honestly, teaching is a much better option for raising a family. Sometimes, when I think about how my kids are going to have to be in daycare and the holidays I will miss with them, I wonder if I made the right choice going into nursing. Just food for thought.

There is not a high demand for nurses right now. In fact, the nursing market is very competitive. Some nursing graduates can't find work for over a year. You'll definately have a better chance of getting a job is you get your bachelors. Especially if you take several years off after graduating, you might find it next to impossible to get a job when you try to go back, whether you have a BSN or not.

Also, an LPN is a different career choice. It's not a higher level of education that you get after your BSN. You can just get your ADN and then get a BSN, but that route will be more expensive and take longer.

nkochrn, RN · Nov 8, 2011

I have an ADN. I work in a rural hospital and my degree doesn't make a difference in the pay scale here. I worked nights for 6 years, but now I'm working in clinical IT for the better hours. I have looked into doing a bridge for my BSN and then possibly my MSN, but I can't justify the cost to do so. I was 'pre-engaged' when I graduated high school too, which probably drove me towards the ADN more, since I wanted to finish school before getting married.

If you want to make sure you have a job when you get out of school, I would NOT go into teaching. My sister had a TERRIBLE time finding a job after getting out of school as a teacher as did many of her classmates.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

If I were you I would not initially get the BSN. While it is true, as others have said, that the BSN is more hirable in many parts of the country, if you are planning on staying home once you have a family, the BSN may end up leaving you with a lot more student debt for you and your future husband to be left trying to pay off on one income. I would get an ADN or diploma RN and then once you are working as a RN, if you want your BSN, then go back and get it, utilizing an employer tuition assistance program.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

this is one of the most contentious issues in nursing: the level of education needed for a profession. as many of the an'rs know, i come down squarely on the side of a bs in nursing or bsn as entry-level educational preparation. when i had smaller kids and they asked me a question, i always asked them, "do you want the short answer or the long one?" since i can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times they ever said, "short" and still have enough left over for the boy scout salute, here it is again.

(disclaimer: have worked as a staff nurse, inservice/staff development, instructor, nclex prep course instructor, case manager in multiple settings, and other stuff too numerous to mention. in short, been around, seen that, done that.)

what's a profession? is nursing a profession? what's the basic educational prep for people you think of as professionals? would you want your chemistry research done by someone with an associate degree? your child taught high school math or english? your income tax advising? sure, there are good people with lower level education who succeed in life, but don't let that "we all have the same license and sit for the same exam" fool you. better education makes you better at what you do. there are any number of people who can give you examples of bsns or mns who don't know how to take a rectal temp (why does everyone focus on that and bedpans when they think of nursing, anyway?) and marvelous crusty old lpns who saved the resident's butt one dark and stormy night, but for every single one of those i will see your anecdote and raise you half a dozen godawful errors made by nurses who didn't take the coursework and didn't get exposed to the idea of autonomy in school.

time: the bachelor's degree takes four years. the associate's degree (as or asn) takes ... three and a half, once you count all the prerequisites you're going to have to take before they admit you into the nursing program. and those who say you can work on your bsn while you are working as an rn with an as don't tell you (and maybe don't know, to be charitable) that many of your course hours from the as program are not transferrable, so it won't just be a matter of a semester or two or three. and working as a nurse is hard, almost as hard as nursing school ... think you'll have the mental, physical, social, and financial energy for more education at the same time? oh, and in most jurisdictions you can't sit for the lpn exam and work as one while partway thru a as or bsn program anymore, either.

job opportunities: although the old a-nurse-is-a-nurse-is-a-nurse attitude is fortunately fading away, at entry level for new grads, about the same, and i realize that people who are just starting out have a very incomplete idea of what it means to be a nurse. however, go visit a hospital to look around the place and see who's working. are you planning to be older some day? do you see older nurses working in those entry-level staff or charge positions? if not, where did they all go? why do you care? you think you'll just be a sahm, right? hope that boyfriend of yours is independently wealthy, hon, cuz you'll be working.

well, suppose you work on a general medical floor and get entranced by cardiac rehabilitation after following a patient who did it. a job comes up in the department, hooray! oops, bsn only. or you find your heart drawn to helping underserved women in a public health clinic for high-risk pregnancy. sorry, bsn only in public health. after five or six years as a staff nurse you have become a resource to new hires and your peers and you realize you have a gift for teaching. you see that a position in staff development has come open, and you are first in line at hr to apply. you got it.... bsn is the minimum. school nursing? bsn. hurt your back and want to go for a job in case management? bsn. you discover you have a gift for asking, "why do we do it this way?" and are amazed to find you want to look into jobs in management or nursing research.....bsn minimum. you are starting to get the picture now. also, many, many practice settings give you a differential for bsn. no, i know, not all, but hey. one more factor.

growth: the questions in the licensure exams (nclex) are developed from errors made in the first year of practice by new grads, and regardless of pass rates from different level programs, anyone in practice can confirm the research: in the first year of work all new grads perform at about the same level as they get their feet under them and get used to the idea of working as an rn. but after that year, the bsns pull ahead in ways that are related to their higher level of education. why? because what we call in the ed biz "psychomotor skills," the things you do with your hands, can be done by anyone with enough practice. hell, we teach lay people how to do peritoneal dialysis at home or suction tracheostomies. but the understanding of why some things are as they are is something you get in better education: more science, more sociology, more psychology, more history, a basic statistics class, exposure to more clinical settings (i doubt if you'll get a full semester in peds, psych, ob, or any public health at all in any as program) give you the insight to ask better questions and make better decisions.

well, dear, if you really want to be a nurse, don't you want to find yourself in the camp of folks who are grateful they learned more, rather than the ones who find they had to for advancement or competence and wish they'd done it in the first place? my answer is clear.