Worth it to get ADN as a second degree?

[mrd2689a]

Hello everyone,

I have been browsing through and reading many posts and articles on this awesome websites, including some focused on what I'm going to ask you about, but I wanted to get some more answers and that's why I'm asking!

I have a bachelors degree from a reputable public university in Spanish and Pre-Medicine, and I'm considering going into nursing. At first I was looking into going into a direct-to-masters accelerated program, because I believe that I am one of those people who would be interested in being a NP some day, but I was turned off by the extremely restrictive/competitive admission requirements and pre-requisites.

Since then I have been looking into accelerated BNSs, and now I am starting to consider an ANS because of how cheap they are (credit-hour-wise) compared to the BNSs!!!

So I am looking for your opinions regarding several points. These days, is the ANS still a good degree to get a job in a hospital (I speak fluent Spanish, btw)? Also, what is the deal with going directly from an ANS to a masters (or even possibly doctorate), if I already have a BA in another field? I read on some older posts from 2005 that there are some programs that do allow you to do this, others that REQUIRE that you have a BNS, and yet others that allow you to if you have a few years of work experience, but I couldn't get a feel for how many programs there exist like these proportionately, and especially currently.

Finally, anyone have any knowledge regarding other perks/negatives of having the ANS, such as your salary compared to that of a BNS?

I know that this a long and invovled post, so I very much appreciate the time that you have taken to read it and respond to me! I'm looking forward to reading everyones' response, and I thank you in advance!

Matt

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

I don't know a whole lot about your particular situation... but I do know that at least in my area, ABSN programs are pretty pricey. If you have all of your nursing prerequisites done, if you're considering applying to a "traditional" ADN program, you might also consider applying to a traditional BSN program. The length of the two programs is usually very similar, if not identical.

I might have been in a similar position as you, except that my local university wasn't admitting any 2nd Bachelor's students into any of their programs. The semester that I was accepted into my ADN program was the same semester that I found out that the university had recently re-opened the door to 2nd Bachelor's students to the nursing program there. It would have taken me at least another year to knock out their O-Chem requirement in order to apply there. So, I looked at their requirement to upgrade to BSN from them and found that it would take me only about a year AFTER I graduated with my BSN to complete the BSN requirements, and only 1 semester to complete any prerequisites I'd need for entry to any of their MSN programs.

So, I guess the point is that you should consider traditional BSN programs if you're going to consider ADN programs. ABSN programs are fast, but they're going to be a whole lot more expensive. Another thing to consider is the possibility of student aid. As you have a Bachelor's Degree already, you may not be eligible for many grants and loans if you're going into an ADN program. You might still be eligible for that stuff for 2nd Bachelor's... if it's traditional-length.

[SoCalGalRN]

I thought that a second bachelor's would be a huge waste of time and an associate's was unthinkable. I went to an accelerated RN-MSN program. I'll be done with my program in August and have a MSN as well as one year of acute care nursing experience.