2 year or 4 year?

[cazman]

Hello All,

I am a 36 male living in Minneapolis, MN. I have talked to several different friends that are nurses and several nurses at the clinic in which I work. I have heard that going for the two year RN program would be just fine to get a job and then work on the 4 year. I have also heard that it is very difficult to get a job without a 4 year and to just go ahead and get the 4 year out of the way right away. I will be attending school part time as I need to work as close to fulltime as possible to pay for school and monthly bills. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Thank you and best of luck to all Pre-Nursing students out there!

[melc0305]

There are a lot of factors to consider...Find out if ADN RNs are being hired in your area. It won't do you much good to get the 2 year degree if no one is hiring. From what I understand, some areas are more likely to hire ADN RNs and some lean toward BSN RNs. Depends on the competition in your area.

An ADN program will most likely cost less, and take less time. Another advantage is you may be able to work while pursuing your BSN down the road.

If you already have a Bachelor's degree in another field, an accelerated BSN program may work for you. That is the route I am taking currently. It takes about the same amount of time as the ADN, but you get a BSN.

It really depends on the hiring situation in your area, your finances, time, etc. Good luck!

[cazman]

Thanks! I will be starting from scratch. I know from what I have been finding is that depending on where you want to work (Hospital, nursing home, ect.) You can find a job with either the ADN or BSN. My thought is to get the ADN and then find a job and work on my BSN. So far most people I have talked to around Minneapolis seem to agree that will work out just fine.

Thanks again!

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

Im elegible to apply for either program...In an ideal world I would really love to just get my BSN right away, however I am the main bread winner , I have to work somehow parttime and a BSN is too much to work and go to school, so unless I drown myself in loans, I am slowly coming to reality that the BSN just will have to wait. I am still going to apply to it anyways just to see what the competition is like...I have also heard, and this is from a female nurse friend, that men are getting hired easier in this field since we are a minority, so it is to our advantage, even with the ADN...sorry ladies.