Working during RN-BSN?

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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For those of you who did a bridge from RN to BSN, did you work while in school?

Im super fortunate that I didn't really have to work during my ADN, (I am done in September) and Im wondering if completing the BSN is as challenging as the ADN program.

Have you seen many people struggle with working and in a BSN at the same time? Is it like the ADN, where everyone tells you NOT to work at all??

Input from other programs as well! Did you work during your MSN, or PA, or ARNP or CRNA program?

Specializes in Hospice.

Wow......... This thread got a little cra-cra.:wacky:

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
What online program did u do? I'm looking at u of Texas Arlington...

I did Chamberlain College of Nursing. I was very happy with the school and how things went. Everything was predictable...which was nice. I'm now in grad school at University (so you can get into grad school after a BSN with Chamberlain) and I miss the predictability of Chamberlain. Chamberlain was set up in a way where expectations for each class were very similar...due dates for discussion boards, the times things were due. Now I'm at Drexel and sometimes something is due on Friday or Saturday or Sunday and it may be noon or midnight or 8 pm. So ever class is very different with very different rules. I liked that Chamberlain was...predictable. It really helped plan my life while doing school and working and having a family.

My husband is working on his RN and plans to do Chamberlain for his BSN and possibly his MSN too!

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Specializes in CVICU, CRNA.

I did Chamberlain College of Nursing. I was very happy with the school and how things went. Everything was predictable...which was nice. I'm now in grad school at Drexel University (so you can get into grad school after a BSN with Chamberlain) and I miss the predictability of Chamberlain. Chamberlain was set up in a way where expectations for each class were very similar...due dates for discussion boards, the times things were due. Now I'm at Drexel and sometimes something is due on Friday or Saturday or Sunday and it may be noon or midnight or 8 pm. So ever class is very different with very different rules. I liked that Chamberlain was...predictable. It really helped plan my life while doing school and working and having a family.

My husband is working on his RN and plans to do Chamberlain for his BSN and possibly his MSN too!

Sounds like you had a really good experience! I also looked at chamberlain but I found through different links that I cannot attend the school because I live in Washington state. Too bad!! I am debating between wsu-Vancouver and UT-Arlington. Save about 6-7k going to UTA and they have no clinicals. Anyway sorry to ramble on and thanks for sharing your experience!!

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I am doing an online RN to BSN program, and it is completely doable for me working full time nights. But if I was doing a classroom program requiring face to face time, that might be a different story. I worked during my ADN too and it was rough but I made it.

Do you mind sharing how you were able to work and do the ADN program? I'm always looking to hear stories like that for inspiration and encouragement.

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I teach in an RN-BSN program. I also work in a hospital and have several friends who are in RN-BSN programs.

The fact is that some schools are more rigorous than others and require more commitment on the part of the student. If a program requires a level of work and commitment equal to a traditional, high-quality education ... a "full time" student should expect to work the number of hours equivalent to a "full time" job -- 35-40 hours per week. With such a program, it is almost impossible to do a good job if you both work full time and go to school full time. However, it would be possible to do one (work or school) full time while doing the other on a part time basis. It would also be possible to do both on a part time basis. Most of the people I know do one (either work or school) full time and the other on a part time basis. In other words, they either work full time and take 1 or 2 courses per semester ... or they go to school full time and only work part time.

However, there are a lot of RN-BSN programs out there that are not all that rigorous. They may require a lot of "busy-work" to complete, but they don't require the deep intellectual work that necessitates you spend 10 hours per course per week. If that's the type of program you are planning to attend, then you may be able to handle more working and/or more courses per semester.

Any pointers for this? What should I look for to determine academic rigor? Thanks :)

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I worked on a oncology med-surg unit full-time while I went to GMU online. I would take either 2 or 3 classes and finished the program in 5 semesters (1.5 years total). My husband helped a lot of with the kids so I could study.

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I'm in my RN-BSN program now taking 9 credits and working 36 hours a week. I also have a 4 year old and really supportive husband and am paying as I go. It is totally doable doing it the way I have been doing it. I'm taking 9 credits every summer too until I finish. I will admit it is difficult sometimes to balance everything, and paying as I go does make money tight sometimes but what I always tell myself is that for me, it's now or never. The bridge program, so far, is nowhere near as stressful as the ADN program. If I were you I would just jump in and do it. I don't think we will ever regret just jumping in and finishing it. I will have mine completely finished in just over a year. What's just a little more commitment? You can do it!

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