Your opinion on degrees.

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Would you please give me advice?

Do you believe it is a better decision to just get a bachelor's degree or to earn an associates, become an RN and then find a job and hopefully receive tuition assistance from the hospital to earn your bsn while working?

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

It depends on where you live and where you would like to work. In some areas jobs are readily available with an ADN, in other areas if you want to work, especially in acute care i.e. the hospital setting you need a BSN to even get a foot in the door.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I saved approximately $40,000 in tuition and made about $100,000 in the two years working as a nurse while going from my ADN to BSN. That is a nice chunk of change, imo.

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I got my ADN and worked at a magnet hospital while getting my BSN. I went to Walden U online . Some people may consider it a diploma mill or Mcdegree but I worked pretty hard for my BSN and proud of my degree.

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If you are able to go straight for a BSN degree, certainly go for it.

But it's naive to assume every student has the financial resources to do so.

Where I live, the ADN program at the local community college is ridiculously cheaper compared to any of the local four-year universities on a per-credit basis. I am able to attend CC while working as a LPN, and I have been able to pay as I go. No loans.

Now, if I entered directly into a BSN program, I would be forced to take out substantial student loans. As a childless, single male who makes over 50k a year, my financial aide options are not exactly robust. I took out an absurdly large loan out for my PN program six years ago, and I am never going down that road again, for any reason.

And let's stop equating not being able to work in a hospital with not being able to work as a nurse period. Yes, many, if not most, ADN grads will not get a job in a hospital. But most areas of this country are full of other places that will just as happy to hire an ADN RN as they would be to hire a BSN. We all know this is true, so why be coy about it?

I think going directly into a BSN program is the best choice for many. Maybe even the best choice for most. But telling everyone they should attend a BSN program, regardless of their financial realities, is decidedly ill-advised.

Indeed! :yes:

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

I don't think anyone is saying not to do an ADN to BSN or LPN to BSN, just for the OP to keep the BSN in their crosshairs. Doing the ADN route first, then getting the BSN, was by far the best option for me but job security in today's market pretty much requires one to get the BSN regardless these days!

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Specializes in Emergency/Critical Care.

Definitely depends on the market! I started with my associates because I didn't want to miss out on a few years salary and valuable nursing experience. ADN and BSN new grads are equally desired where I'm from and I did just fine in the area that I graduated in. I wanted to go straight into an RN-BSN program for personal fulfillment, which served me well, as I am now in an area where the market is saturated with new grads and the BSN has become the standard. Who knows what the market will be like in a few more years. If you choose the ADN route be sure that it will be possible to secure employment in your area or be open to relocating to find work.

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Specializes in PICU.

Depends on the area you live. In large cities the preference is BSN. If you have the resources do the BSN. Take a look at the hospitals or places you want to work and see what the requirements are. If you decide the ADN route over BSN, some place may not offer to pay for you to complete the BSN, many do, but times are changing. I know of places that paid for all of the MSN programs, now only pay for one or two classes a year.

Be careful of the mindset "I can do it later" Once you start working, the 12 or 8 hour shifts are lng and hard. If you do three 12's, you will be exhausted when you are off. family, home and other life "stuff" may take priority of finishing the BSN.

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What would happen if you do not get hired in acute care?

Many places outside of acute care DO NOT provide tuition reimbursement.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Your local job market can play a big part in that decision. In a lot of areas, employers prefer or even require a BSN minimum, so if you were to get an ADN or diploma, you'd put yourself at a severe disadvantage. It doesn't mean you definitely won't get hired, but the odds are not in your favor. On the other hand, many rural or smaller job markets would be very happy to hire on a ADN/diploma. Just something to keep in mind.

Myself? I didn't have the time nor the finances to get the BSN, and the local diploma program actually cost more than the ADN program did, so I went for the ADN first. I got hired within three months after graduation and started the pre-reqs for the BSN program immediately. Of course, this was before I moved to California...had I tried to job hunt as a new grad without a BSN in Southern California, I'd probably still be looking.

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i think the best idea is to get an rn wherever you can considering the following:

how much debt are you going to accumulate!

i had friends who refused to wait around and got there bsn from a for-profit school and ended up paying 135k for a bsn. now that is just ridiculous because when you come out of there, you are no more likely to get a job. trust me! a lot of them ended up in home health while they waited a year for a new grad program...

meanwhile, i was lucky enough to get into an ADN program in my first try. the school was amazing! free of tuition, books and materials were free since they practically give away money due to them being an ADN program and a public school. i literally paid nothing for my degree. now I'm an RN at a huge hospital with my buddies the bsn that cost as much as a house in some states. and guess what, while they pay over a thousand a year in school bills, i get to keep that money. I am getting my msn but that is free because my hospital will pay for it!

and I'm in cali, bsn, and or whatever does not matter as much as experience. you will wait a year to get the job you really want no matter what.

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For me, due to already having a 4 yr degree, an ADN and BSN were both going to take about 2 years so it was a no-brainer. But if you are starting from scratch, an ADN to BSN program would make more sense. You may also want to ask about loans such as the Perkins loan where rather than pay back the loan in cash, you pay it back by working in your state for a set # of years. I'm not sure if the Perkins loan is available in other states (I live in GA) but it's something worth looking into. There may also be similar loans available in other states. All I had to do was verify that I was working in GA FT for 5 yrs and my loan was "paid off".

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Specializes in public health.

I don't understand the point of associate degrees in any fields in this day and age. You can find some pretty affordable BSN programs in the country. I understand cost is a factor when you choose a program but you also need to think in the long run "is getting an associate degree allowing me to do what I want to do and getting paid a decent wage?" Personally I don't want to spend more time in school than necessary. If you have the money and time, sure, go back to school to get a BSN later. But personally when I work I just want to work, I don't want to think about writing a paper or preparing for an exam when I am not working. :)

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