What's the Difference??

U.S.A. Tennessee

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Hello everyone, I am inquiring about the Nursing programs available in Tn. I want to go to school to be a nurse, but I am not sure what kind of degree program to pursue. What is the difference between an A.A.S. degree in nursing and the B.S.N. degree? I know the first is a two year degree and the Bachelor is typically a 3-4 yr. degree. Are there differences in the salaries based on which degree you have? Which would you suggest? Thanks so much for your input!!

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Specializes in Float.

Hi Hotpink!

Your BSN is gonna have about I think it's about 35 more gen ed hours, and about 30 more nursing hours...something close to that. I am in an ADN program (Associate Degree Nursing) and will have taken umm 8 semesters if you count part time summers. Now of course I will have taken all but 9 hrs of my gen ed stuff.. but I recommend NOT trying to complete an associate degree in 2 years. At least plan on one-two extra semesters and get as many prereqs done as you can because nursing classes are very hard and you don't wanna be taking something like A&P II or Microbiology with them. I got all my sciences done before starting nursing classes. Not saying it can't be done..but I have seen many struggle trying to take too heavy a courseload.

Anyway - as far as career options: at this point in time it doesn't really matter IF your goal is to be a floor type nurse. If your goal is to become an advanced practice nurse such as FNP, CNM, CRNA etc (anything with a masters or beyond) then yea you are going to need your BSN. There is also limits to management opportunities if you don't have a BSN. But pay for a floor nurse will likely be the same or maybe like .25/hr difference. It's nominal.

Not sure what part of TN you are in - but there are SEVERAL universities that offer ONLINE rn-bsn programs... so that is my plan. I know university of memphis offers it, I think also UT-Memphis, possibly ETSU and TSU.. but it really doesn't matter where you live i guess because if you are in TN it's gonna be instate tuition and you are doing it online.

But either degree will allow you to sit for the RN-NCLEX exam! Personally for me I need to be in the working force ASAP so i chose the ADN then RN-BSN option. It really doesn't extend your schooling - you get credit for all your associate coursework as opposed to LPN-RN.

With an LPN you don't get a degree ... you go to a technical school for 1 year. But you only get one semester out of an RN program credit..and you STILL have to take all the gen ed stuff.. so that track DOES add to your school time.

Hope this helps some - if you have more questions feel free to ask!

Mommy

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Hi Mommy!

Thanks so much for your response. The information you provided has been certainly helpful. I had been considering the ADN degree because I am 25 yrs. old and wanted to work as soon as possible. However, I think I may go ahead and start a BSN program because I am really interested in becoming an advanced practice nurse. This choice may be a better one and save me some time.

I made this post to get others' perspective on the degrees. I did not know if there were huge salary differences between the ADN and the BSN. I really did not know that the differences were so nominal.

Again, thank you for your help. If I come up with any more questions, I will definitely ask you as long as you do not mind. Any advice or information you may want to share with me will always be appreciated!! Feel free to ask me anything as well, though I may not be near as much help. Thanks so much and Good Luck to you!!

HotPink

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Specializes in Float.

one other to keep in mind is figuring out when the various programs admit students. You usually have to apply very very early in the year like Feb to get in for the fall. Does the programs in your area admit twice a year? Is there a waiting list?

Have you taken any classes at all? I would probably start with as much as you can handle this fall and spend a few months trying to find out what the admission deadlines and stuff are.. and get as much under your belt as you can while you are working on applying...

Mommy

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Specializes in none, still looking.

Go ahead for the BSN, why not

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I would say that a good share (if not all) of nurses chose their educational paths based on their life situations and abilities to complete a particular program.

I started in LPN school because the ADN and BSN programs had waiting lists a mile long. Then I got my ADN, now in a BSN program.

But that's not the best way to go about it, IMHO, if you are in a position financially and otherwise to go straight through a BSN program from the start.

When you take the career ladder approach like I did, you will end up being in school a lot longer and possibly be paying for more tuition, fees and books depending on employer reimbursements.

Like another poster pointed out, LPN programs are a full time year minimum if not longer, yet the majority, if not all ADN and BSN programs only give one semester of advanced placement credit for LPN's.

So the LPN to RN student ends up taking a lot more coursework meaning more time and money than the straight through ADN or BSN student.

In my BSN program, many of us had to complete a considerable amount of prereq's before actually starting the program. So even though you can complete a BSN in 4 semesters while working full time as an RN, many are still completing chemistry, statistics, world religions, or whatever wasn't required of them in their ADN programs. Hence, more school, more money, more time.

If you are in a position to complete a BSN right off the bat as your basic nursing education, go for it.

The longer you wait, school only gets more expensive as tuition at most schools increase just about every year, and the older you get, the more complicated your life gets in terms of fitting school into the picture.

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Specializes in none, still looking.

there are loans a person can get , go for the BSN, ADN is not free, i'm sure

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You have alot of good information here. I would like to add a bit to it. It all depends on the institution that you are going too. Like the posters above said if you are wanting quick money I would say go the LPN route than from here go through the LPN to RN fast track. I'm 22yrs old and I wish I would of went this route. I had a horrible ACT score so my only option was really to go to a ADN program. Since I was under 21 to take a compass test they made me take a pile load of remedials which took a year to complete and was a waste of money. Now 2yrs later I have my 3 sciences which can take from 3 semester to 2 semesters. Also you have to take a NLN(enterance exit exam) and have a good score of 100 or above. Coming in as a LPN you dont have to take a enterance exam and more than likely you also you get 7 credits knocked off atleast at my school. Other LPN-RN programs maybe faster. What I'm getting at is if you have to go through all these reguirements your best take is to go to a BSN program if you can get accepted. The only thing is with this you may have to be on a waiting list. Since at uni's their is always more students. My opinion though is I would of went the LPN-RN route than do about a year for my BSN. Since it would of secured me more financially and gave me a indication on what to expect in Nursing school for a RN. In a nutshell though you can't rush NS and most of all of us get lost in the fact of not knowing when we are going to graduate or if we are freshmans,sophomores or seniors. I truely don't want to discourage you. I'm just giving you the big picture. Atleast this is from my situation. Wish you all the luck in your journey!

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Also I wanted to note its easier to get into a BSN program if you have a ADN degree compared to no college credit and low ACT or highschool GPA scores. I'm proud to know that I have a 3.6 GPA with only 33 credit hours. Oh how it makes it so much easier to transfer to a BSN program from a CC and probably have a better change of having a higher GPA for gradschool admissions. And to get accepted quicker into NS with having your pre-reqs.

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Thank you all for the information. I did not realize that there are so many options. I will be seeing a Nursing advisor at UTK very soon to inquire about the BSN degree. I already have a BA degree so I have been told that I will only need to take about 16 hours of classes before I can apply to the nursing program there. I am hoping that the advisor confirms this. This will help make my decision much easier. Again, thanks so much for all of the information. It has been GREATLY appreciated.

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