I am a new RN, graduated from one of the toughest nursing programs in the country.
I was lucky enough to land a job in this economy, even better in the department that I love the most!
Life is great, seriously..What could go wrong?!
Its another day in nursing orientation, a handful of us new nurses listening to lectures, performing skills, participating in work shops. FUN!
One day, for the head to toe assessment, a nursing instructor from a private school sits in with her clinical group to listen to the head to toe lecture.
She starts off by saying..
Congratulations you all have jobs!!!
Its because you all have your bachelors... be sure to tell that to all your friends who have their associates.
I was the only one in the group with an associates in nursing.
So I said, I have an associates, and last I checked I have a job.
I SOOOOOOOOO wanted to go on.
I wanted to ask her, with a genuinely dumb look on my face..
The nurses with their bachelors, do they take a different board exam from those associate nurses?
Wait for a response, then come back with EXACTLYYYYY!
I felt about 2 inches tall, but whatever. The school I went to had 1500 applicants, and I was the lucky person to be included in the 150 to get accepted ...of those 150, i was the lucky 70 to graduate on time (we had 90 something at pinning but we had about a dozen of LPNs and the rest were students who had to repeat a course)
Needless to say, I felt small. Was unable to concentrate, but I reminded myself of the little things..and began to feel better.
No student loans to pay back!! So my first paycheck, Im going to blow it and go shopping!!!
I am only making a whopping...drum roll please...50 cents less per hour than those with a higher degree.
I saved a ton of money by taking the NCLEX once and passing it on the first try, with 75 questions baby!
I am going back for my bachelors, my masters even (i would love to have that clinical instructor work for me one day) this time the place I work for is going to reimburse me for my tuition.
This post is not an invitation to flame and debate some more on why one is "better" than the other
This was an opportunity to share my experience, hopefully lift the spirits of someone who had a similar story.
You spoke to EVERYONE who that attends your local CC? Wow you have been busy.
Maybe at YOUR local CC, it's impossible to complete and ADN in three years. I don't think that's the norm.
I chose a BS over an ADN because I think there is great value in more education (which is the obvious benefit of a BS vs. and ADN). I graduate in June and I haven't been disappointed in my choice at all.
i'm not so much questioning it taking 3 years, although i think that's being generous - but taking two years? NO WAY!
when did i ever say i spoke to everyone at the local CC? i did "speak" to the director of the program through email, along with many people who are nurses (none of them graduating in 3 years or less). in fact, the only place i've seen that is ONLINE. maybe the university of phoenix!
a BSN does NOT take five years unless you fail classes.
Do you have one? And a BSN can take five; without failing, or four if you bust your butt. A BSN typically requires more nursing courses, GE, AND pre-reqs than the ASN. Plus, because the BSN uses merits to be accepted, unlike the ASN that only requires a 2.5 GPA, it is not as easy for the student planning the BSN route to cram their pre-reqs, GE, and transfer courses like the student planning the ASN route can.
Specializes in Emergency, Case Management, Informatics.
raging?
i simply asked what the benefit was, and of course - someone who got an AS has to get defensive and go off track.
*rechecking the last couple of pages*
Nope, looks like everything has stayed pretty much on-topic. No one seems to be on the defensive. Just a lot of confusion as to what your point was.
it's a shame that everyone that goes to my local CC is being misinformed and nobody has alerted the director, however.
If your local CC requires 1.5 years of pre-req's, then your local CC is the exception and not the rule. Just as you may find programs that require 1.5 years' worth of pre-req's, you may find programs that have no pre-req's, where the student may complete all coursework in a flat two years. Chamberlain College of Nursing has an on-campus ADN program that is two years flat, all coursework included. I'm sure that I could find other programs across the country that are similar in design, if I took the time to research the issue.
The average is one year of pre-req's. You've read several folks posts correcting your misstatement of typical ADN pre-req's. If you want to continue to argue that the average BSN program is only one semester over an ADN, then I would just be at a loss to rebut any further.
i'm not so much questioning it taking 3 years, although i think that's being generous - but taking two years? NO WAY!
I'm sure that all my former classmates will appreciate your generosity considering their three year ADN's.
When did I ever say someone could complete an ADN in two years?
when did i ever say i spoke to everyone at the local CC? i did "speak" to the director of the program through email, along with many people who are nurses (none of them graduating in 3 years or less). in fact, the only place i've seen that is ONLINE. maybe the university of phoenix!
In post number 104 you said:
it's a shame that everyone that goes to my local CC is being misinformed and nobody has alerted the director, however.
Specializes in Emergency, Case Management, Informatics.
no bachelor's degree takes 5 years! that's why people joke and say, "i'm on the 5 year plan."
joke, funny, haha. translates to, "i failed some classes."
You do realize that not everyone goes full-time for all of their pre-req's, right? A part-time student can easily spend three years on the coursework leading up to acceptance into the final two years of their BSN. To say that every BSN student completes their program in 4 years flat would be nonsense.
You do realize that not everyone goes full-time for all of their pre-req's, right? A part-time student can easily spend three years on the coursework leading up to acceptance into the final two years of their BSN. To say that every BSN student completes their program in 4 years flat would be nonsense.
you're grasping at straws now - sort of like with the "several people" comment.
and nooow we get the answer about the benefit of going that route!
i have a bachelor's degree - not a BSN that took four years.
now that i'm going back for my BSN, my two years of core classes + the two years of nursing classes will = 4 years. 3.5 years if i do the accelerated program. in no way (other than failing classes) should it take 5.
Specializes in Emergency, Case Management, Informatics.
you're grasping at straws now - sort of like with the "several people" comment.
To me, three can be considered several. Now you're just being silly with the semantics.
Grasping at straws? How is it grasping at straws to question your perception that all students go full-time for the first two years (the GenEd portion) of their BSN program?
If your definition of grasping at straws includes outright dismissal of fallacies, then I would agree that I am grasping at straws.
Specializes in Emergency, Case Management, Informatics.
and nooow we get the answer about the benefit of going that route!
Wow, really? You're attacking the fact that ADN's are less competitive for entry, which simply makes it a faster route to licensure for the student with no educational background? There is still the same requirement to successfully complete all of the nursing coursework with a C average, same as the BSN nursing courses. There is still the same requirement to perform competently in clinicals. There is still the same requirement for licensure -- that is, to pass the same NCLEX-RN that BSN's take.
now that i'm going back for my BSN, my two years of core classes + the two years of nursing classes will = 4 years. 3.5 years if i do the accelerated program. in no way (other than failing classes) should it take 5.
Please stay on point. You've forgotten that we've already agreed that we're discussing the benefit to students with no educational background. It's already been agreed that it would be stupid for a student with a BS in another area to not take an Accelerated BSN.
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CuriousMe
2,642 Posts
Again, that would depend on the program.