Which path am i better off taking?

GBC_Student, BSN, RN · Jun 19, 2019

I went the rpn to RN route. I think it definitely has pluses and minuses. You will end up paying more but you also have the advantage of working as an RPN while doing the rn program if you do the rpn first. I kind of wish I'd gone the straight rn route, but another nice thing about doing the rpn program first is you can apply things you're learning as an rn student to your rpn practice. If you do the rpn first it's a bit of a gamble that you'll get the grades needed to get into the bridging program. I personally found the rpn program to be a lot harder than the bridge and rn program. But on the up side the rn program was a lot easier for me because I'd already gone through hell with the rpn program.

If you can wait I'd personally suggest you wait and do the rn straight through. If it's going to take the same amount of time it's less of a gamble and probably cheaper.

Khow89 · Jun 19, 2019

Did you do any post secondary education because I think they will take that into account for the four year program.

GBC_Student, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2019

I did the pre-health, psw, psw to rpn bridge, rpn program and rpn to RN bridging program at GBC. I was able to use credits from the pre health program for the rpn program and use credits from the rpn program for the bridge.

Daniel DC · Jun 20, 2019

16 hours ago, Khow89 said:
Did you do any post secondary education because I think they will take that into account for the four year program.

Nope. did high school from 06-11, but only did college level courses (no science courses either) and did terribly in them regardless due to family issues and no motivation. Then for 2017-2019 upgraded in adult school doing uni level courses and the required and got a pretty good average which i feel is good enough to get in. No post secondary.

On 6/18/2019 at 9:01 PM, GBC_Student said:
I went the rpn to RN route. I think it definitely has pluses and minuses. You will end up paying more but you also have the advantage of working as an RPN while doing the rn program if you do the rpn first. I kind of wish I'd gone the straight rn route, but another nice thing about doing the rpn program first is you can apply things you're learning as an rn student to your rpn practice. If you do the rpn first it's a bit of a gamble that you'll get the grades needed to get into the bridging program. I personally found the rpn program to be a lot harder than the bridge and rn program. But on the up side the rn program was a lot easier for me because I'd already gone through hell with the rpn program.
If you can wait I'd personally suggest you wait and do the rn straight through. If it's going to take the same amount of time it's less of a gamble and probably cheaper.

I can wait yes. You make a great point about the rpn program preparing you for the workload in the rn program. Myself, having never done post secondary i am not sure how i will adjjust and the prospect of being overwhelmed does induce a little fear! Like you said i have also heard that getting into the bridging program is extremely competitive and even requires a casper test now. Im still holding out hope i will get off the waitlist for the upcoming year, but i seriously doubt it by now considering its almost july

GBC_Student, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2019

If you decide to go the straight RN route you could always take a few elective credits so when you start the program you have a lighter work load. If that appeals to you make sure to contact the rn programs academic advisor to make sure the electives you take will be accepted.

Khow89 · Jun 20, 2019

To me the 4 year program seem more competitive to get into than the bridging program. Having a 95% average and still being wait listed sounds rough. You can apply to other programs next year but there is not guarantee that you won't be wait listed again. Other programs may require you to write the casper test as well for the 4 year programs. I would suggest that you do the rpn first to see if you like nursing or not and continue with bridging later. If you are able to get 95% in high school I do not see why you are not able to get at least 3.0 gpa. Also College tuition is cheaper so if you decide that you do not like nursing, you don't lose as much when you change area.

Khow89 · Jun 20, 2019

Honestly school is school, as long as you're interested in the courses you're taking and put in the work, you'll be fine. The only different between high school and college/uni is that you are not required to attend lectures and there are no daily assigned homework. If you attend lectures, ask questions, participate in class and spend 1-2 hrs each day to go over what you learned (reading the textbook/doing questions) you'll only be worried about if you got a 95 or 92 on a test lol.

Daniel DC · Jun 21, 2019

21 hours ago, Khow89 said:
To me the 4 year program seem more competitive to get into than the bridging program. Having a 95% average and still being wait listed sounds rough. You can apply to other programs next year but there is not guarantee that you won't be wait listed again. Other programs may require you to write the casper test as well for the 4 year programs. I would suggest that you do the rpn first to see if you like nursing or not and continue with bridging later. If you are able to get 95% in high school I do not see why you are not able to get at least 3.0 gpa. Also College tuition is cheaper so if you decide that you do not like nursing, you don't lose as much when you change area.

Yes, but i applied in January on the last few days before equal consideration date. From what i have heard Ryerson operates under a first come first serve basis, so maybe if i apply come November i will have a much higher shot. I will also apply for other schools such as Brock and York this time. Also i made a mistake on my application and i feel this is the main reason why for waitlist.

I'm pretty confident i will enjoy nursing!

^^ and to your previous post what makes me worry is that in my adult school they only let you take 3 classes at a time and i spent a lot of time studying and it was still tough to stay on top of everything with all the homework and 2-3 tests every week. So when i see that george brown has 9 classes a semester and ryerson 6 i kinda wonder how its possible to stay on top of everything for each class and making notes from every textbook. In fairness though in adult schools the course is very condensed and sped up compared to normal high school as they need to fit a 12 week course into 8 weeks, so maybe this is why i sometimes struggled to stay on top of everything

Daniel DC · Jun 21, 2019

On 6/20/2019 at 12:49 PM, GBC_Student said:
If you decide to go the straight RN route you could always take a few elective credits so when you start the program you have a lighter work load. If that appeals to you make sure to contact the rn programs academic advisor to make sure the electives you take will be accepted.

Great idea. But isnt each individual course you take at a university around $1000. I remember when looking on the ryerson site to see if i can take individual courses over the summer the cost for each was around that.

Thanks to everyone for giving me such helpful responses in here!

GBC_Student, BSN, RN · Jun 21, 2019

I'd have to defer to your research on the cost. If it is that much it's a tough call, but I will say that not having to worry about one extra paper that's due at the same time as everything else from all of your other courses could be worth the money.

xokw, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2019

16 hours ago, Daniel DC said:
Great idea. But isnt each individual course you take at a university around $1000. I remember when looking on the ryerson site to see if i can take individual courses over the summer the cost for each was around that.
Thanks to everyone for giving me such helpful responses in here!

I bridged through Mac, our courses cost around $800-900, so it is pricey to take electives that way outside of your normal course schedule.