Sick and tired of the AAS BSN debate

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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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.

se la vie

this is what i don't believe. is there a person here that can say they are a RN and got their RN in two years flat? i don't think so.

Where did my comment say that someone got their RN in two years flat?

I said the BSN is one to two years more of schoolwork than and ADN program.

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You quoted my two comments. I never said that the Accelerated program wasn't faster.

wow - i think you should go back and read. i have no idea WHAT you are talking about anymore. i am talking about people who have NO degree AT ALL doing the AS or the BSN - what's the difference? ONE semester. WHAT is the benefit besides that? is there one? :yawn:

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Where did my comment say that someone got their RN in two years flat?

I said the BSN is one to two years more of schoolwork than and ADN program.

you DO realize that a BSN takes four years, correct?

therefore, if the BSN is "one to two years more of schoolwork" you are implying that you can complete an AS degree in two years - three tops, and that's not the case.

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wow - i think you should go back and read. i have no idea WHAT you are talking about anymore. i am talking about people who have NO degree AT ALL doing the AS or the BSN - what's the difference? ONE semester. WHAT is the benefit besides that? is there one? :yawn:

There is more than one semester difference between a person who has no college trying to get an associates or a bachelors degree. I'm not sure why you keep saying this.

A bachelor's degree requires at least one more year of school, sometimes two more years of school.

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you DO realize that a BSN takes four years, correct?

therefore, if the BSN is "one to two years more of schoolwork" you are implying that you can complete an AS degree in two years - three tops, and that's not the case.

I'm not implying anything. I'm saying that the programs in my state are designed to be completed in three years. Maybe the programs in your area aren't designed to be completed in three years. But all the programs in my area are designed to be completed in three years. Not three and a half, not four.

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i got an associate's degree and it took two years (but it wasn't in nursing) and then i went on to get a bachelor's and it took me 2 more years for a total of 4.

the associate's for NURSING is different, however. the nursing courses alone take 2 years so you can NOT do all of your pre-reqs and the nursing courses and be a RN in two years, and i think it's safe to say it typically takes 3.5 years at least. this is the conclusion i've come to after researching schools, talking to people who have done AS programs, and then finally - emailing and asking the director of the AS program personally to which i posted her response.

if there is anyone who is a RN that finished school and started work within two or even less than three, raise your hand. that's what i'm looking for.

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i got an associate's degree and it took two years (but it wasn't in nursing) and then i went on to get a bachelor's and it took me 2 more years for a total of 4.

the associate's for NURSING is different, however. the nursing courses alone take 2 years so you can NOT do all of your pre-reqs and the nursing courses and be a RN in two years, and i think it's safe to say it typically takes 3.5 years at least. this is the conclusion i've come to after researching schools, talking to people who have done AS programs, and then finally - emailing and asking the director of the AS program personally to which i posted her response.

if there is anyone who is a RN that finished school and started work within two or even less than three, raise your hand. that's what i'm looking for.

Most of the students I did my pre-reqs with at a CC completed their ADN in three years. We went through our prereqs together, and started our programs at the same time.

I chose to get my BS. They finished exactly one year before me.

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the associate's for NURSING is different, however. the nursing courses alone take 2 years so you can NOT do all of your pre-reqs and the nursing courses and be a RN in two years, and i think it's safe to say it typically takes 3.5 years at least.

Ah, now I understand. The problem here is that you're simply misinformed. You're assuming that it takes a year and a half to do pre-req's for the ADN, which is most certainly NOT the norm. One year is the average. You do have other GenEd courses that you have to take during the program, but for the courses that you need to take before entering the program, it's a year. And that's only because schools require you to take A&P I & II (or separate Anatomy and Physiology courses, however it's set up) one semester at a time, and a Microbiology course that has A&P as a pre-req or co-requisite (and taking A&P and Micro in the same semester is setting most students up for failure). YMMV depending on the school, and there may be additional pre-req's on top of those.

So, it's just a matter of how the courses fall into place. It's not a year of full-time pre-req's.

For a student with no previous coursework, ADN = 3 years on average while BSN = 4 years at best, maybe longer. The ADN gets into the workforce a year faster and hooks up with an employer that will pay for BSN completion. Everyone wins, except those folks who are raging over why anyone would ever choose an ADN program over a BSN program. ;)

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raging? :yeah::smokin:

i simply asked what the benefit was, and of course - someone who got an AS has to get defensive and go off track.

it's a shame that everyone that goes to my local CC is being misinformed and nobody has alerted the director, however. :rolleyes:

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you DO realize that a BSN takes four years, correct?

therefore, if the BSN is "one to two years more of schoolwork" you are implying that you can complete an AS degree in two years - three tops, and that's not the case.

Then you do realize then that a BSN usually takes longer than 4 years and therefore, one to two years longer than an ASN is not implying that an ASN is only two years three years tops...if it takes about three years to get an ASN and one to two years more to get an BSN then a BSN is really 4-5 years....not four tops. There is two sides to everything

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raging? :yeah::smokin:

i simply asked what the benefit was, and of course - someone who got an AS has to get defensive and go off track.

it's a shame that everyone that goes to my local CC is being misinformed and nobody has alerted the director, however. :rolleyes:

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.

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Then you do realize then that a BSN usually takes longer than 4 years and therefore, one to two years longer than an ASN is not implying that an ASN is only two years flat...if it takes about three years to get an ASN and one to two years more to get an BSN then a BSN is really 4-5 years....not four tops. There is two sides to everything

a BSN does NOT take five years unless you fail classes.

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