What to do

Mossback · Jun 19, 2011

I want to get my two year (associates) RN then take the Nclex. My dad says that more people pass the test if they have just the asn than the BSN -because the asn is strictly nursing but the bsn is mixed with alot of other general classes that usually aren't relevant to nursing so the brain space is spread so thin.

I hate to disagree with anybody's dad, especially on Father's Day, but the statistics appear to contradict the information you were given. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, which develops and revises the NCLEX, test takers with a BSN have a slightly higher pass rate than do those with an ASN. The difference isn't huge, amounting to only a couple of percentage points, but there is clearly no advantage to having an ASN instead of a BSN.

As you do your research concerning a nursing education, you might and to check out the NCSBN website (ncsbn.org).

Whether you choose an ASN or a BSN, you're entering an exciting and rewarding field. Best of luck!

ChattNurseHopeful · Jun 19, 2011

Where did you hear adn would not be hired after 2014?!

ddunnrn · Jun 19, 2011

I am also curious about the 2014 date. With the nursing shortage as it is, there is no way that any source of new nurses could be ignored, plus the fact that any currently licensed nurses would most likely have to be grandfathered in. Nonetheless, I have a different take on your situation than some of the people who have posted here. I would either go to a diploma school (where you get vastly better nursing experience) or to an ADN program (which, I hate to say, from discussions with people who have been thru them, seem to be focused on failing people rather than producing nurses).

Once you graduate and get a job, your further education is tax-deductible, and you also might be able to get your employer to subsidize it. You could also check into any governmental scholarships/subsidies, but you may be obligated to serve in their area after you graduate. It was many years ago, but one of my friends in nursing school got a community scholarship for her entire nursing education, except for the books.

Don't get caught up in the whole Diploma/ADN/BSN controversy--it's been going on for years, and there are still plenty of diploma nurses (like myself) and ADN nurses working. Despite so-called statistics, I still think you get a better nursing preparation at a diploma school, where the whole curriculum is nursing, not nursing with liberal arts tacked on like the ADN/BSN schools. By the way, I do have a degree in chemistry, so I feel I can speak about the value of different kinds of education.

Sorry for the rant, and good luck!

Dave Dunn, RN

AprilAnney · Jun 19, 2011

I honestly have never heard of the 2014 no more ADN nursing thing. If that were the case, most community colleges would probably eliminate their nursing program, no? I'm set to graduate at the end of 2013 assuming I get in the Spring '12 program at my school, so I'm right on the cusp if there's a 2014 cutoff of ADN nurses. I haven't heard anything about it.

Also, BSN degrees aren't filled with extra stuff that is not pertinent- they have more in-depth classes pertaining to theory, management, etc.

Now, for my opinion, from the research I've done- it's difficult to justify a BSN. An RN with an ADN can perform just as well and the same duties as an RN with a BSN. The pay scale difference is only around $2000/year. That's nothing that 5 overtime shifts won't make up for. And if you plan on getting in to management or be an NP, there are ADN to MSN bridge programs. The extra year or two in school and $10K spent on a BSN isn't really worth it, in my opinion- especially if you're considering doing an ADN to MSN bridge.

JNUR20 · Jun 20, 2011

It might just be specific to her location. I come from a small town, with only one local hospital (there are others between 1/2 hour to 45 minutes away), and that's where I wanted to end up. I'm nearly done with taking pre-reqs for the ADN program and I just found out from a current RN I'm friends with, that the local hospital is only accepting applications from RNs with a BSN. So.....I was discouraged, but am plugging along and plan on getting my RN, then working towards the BSN while I work at a doctors office or something...sigh.

magichospital · Jun 20, 2011

You can't base all your ideas on one person and it would be best to look up some more facts on nursing for yourself. You can't be sort of sure with nursing you have to be 100 percent if you are pursuing it. ADNs aren't going away anytime soon, because community colleges need their money and there's a lot of money in nursing. I have done some reasearch on and outside this site and they say that The only difference is you can pretty much go anywhere with a Bach. and you can go most places with a ADN. Depends on company preference.The advantages to being a LPN or ADN first are that get experience, can get to work sooner, and get tuition rembursement if you decide to continue your education. Plus, if you do ADN you can go straight to a MSN bridge program when you graduate.

JNUR20 · Jun 20, 2011

You can't base all your ideas on one person and it would be best to look up some more facts on nursing for yourself. You can't be sort of sure with nursing you have to be 100 percent if you are pursuing it. ADNs aren't going away anytime soon, because community colleges need their money and there's a lot of money in nursing. I have done some reasearch on and outside this site and they say that The only difference is you can pretty much go anywhere with a Bach. and you can go most places with a ADN. Depends on company preference.The advantages to being a LPN or ADN first are that get experience, can get to work sooner, and get tuition rembursement if you decide to continue your education. Plus, if you do ADN you can go straight to a MSN bridge program when you graduate.

Oh no....believe me, I don't just listen to one person :) Like I said, I'm still plugging away, and will see what happens when it's time, but that I have a plan to still persue the BSN to get the job I want. I was basically just saying that perhaps that's the situation in the opening post.

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Jun 20, 2011

Hello
I'm about to start applying to colleges. I guess I have a few questions about nursing, because I have decided that this is something that I want to do. (also please please correct me if something I am saying is the wrong information.) So to start off I want to get my two year (associates) RN then take the Nclex. My dad says that more people pass the test if they have just the asn than the BSN -because the asn is strictly nursing but the bsn is mixed with alot of other general classes that usually aren't relevant to nursing so the brain space is spread so thin.Even though afer 2014 they dont accept poeple to work as nurses with an asn I was wondering If I could take the Nclex after my asn anyway then go to my bsn. If I could do this I was also planning to take general classes at another school at the same time that I was going to school for my asn (even though I know it would be a double workload) That way I could go straight to my bsn and only have to do about a half a years worth of suff. because I'd have already had all my general courses out of the way and alot of my nursing classes. Please give me recomendations, comments and other helpful information.
Thnx

The pass rates vary by school more than ASN vs BSN. In MN, the NCLEX pass rate for Associate Degree programs from 2007-2010 is 83.9%. The pass rate for bachelor's and higher for the same period is 88.5%

Almost no difference. However, the rates vary greatly school to school. Associate program pass rates varied in 2010 from 70.8% to 93.8%.

Bachelor's and higher programs varied from 78.1% to 97.3%.

If NCLEX pass rate is one of your reasons for choosing schools (and it should be!) you cannot really tell anything simply by ADN vs BSN.