Nursing--Associates leading to RN or BSN?

Question

For those of you in nursing, would it be much better to get a BSN than an Associates degree? There is a community college less than half a mile from where I live that offers a 72-hour program in nursing. I have a BA so I wouldn't have to take all of the general ed classes. The cost is $852/semester, assuming 15 hours per semester.

There is also a 4-year state university that has a second degree program for people who already have a bachelor's degree. It is a 16-month program and costs $3700 per semester. I do have to take cost into consideration as I'm not likely to qualify for aid.

Is there a big difference in the quality of training? Am I likely to have fewer opportunities without a BSN? Could I go to grad school for nursing with the AAS in nursing and my current BA, or is the non-nursing BA not worth anything for this purpose? Thanks.

Answer 1

My wife is an RN who has a BSN. The getting BSN is not as important as the RN designation .. many hospitals don't even care about the BSN unless you are planning to become Director of Nurses. DON'T stop at being a LPN ..ie Licensed Practical Nurse .. go for the Registered Nurse .... you will EARN MORE and have many more opportunities. The Associates degree at the community college is probably a LPN. You could do that and then start working and then do the additional 2 years to get the BSN. There are some schools that train you to pass the RN exam without the BSN ... Hope that helps
Good luck in you career!

Answer 2

You can be licensed as a RN with either an Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) or with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing (BAN). If you want your BSN, you must first be admitted into a university, preferably one that has a nursing program so you don't have to change schools later. When you are accepted to the school, you start taking general education (non nursing) courses and your pre-requisites in biology, chemistry, etc. Usually you will then apply to the Nursing Program at that school during your sophomore year (or any other school that offers a nursing program, provided that your courses will transfer equally to another school). Once you are accepted into the nursing program - and you should know that admission is tough and very competative, so keep a high GPA, etc. - you start your nursing courses in your junior year. They will take you two years to complete, because they are sequenced courses. Many people choose the ADN route because tuition is cheaper, and if you get your pre-reqs done quickly you could graduate in as little as 2.5 years, meaning you get to work as an RN a full 1.5 years sooner than if you did the BSN. Also, when you have your ADN, you can later go to school to complete your BSN, and most employers will pay tuition reimbursement for you to finish your degree. Either way, you take the same exact licensing exam and as a new staff nurse you will make roughly the same amount of money. There is no benefit in having the BSN if you're just doing staff nursing. My hospital only pays $1 per hour more for BSN RNs. But later, when you have more experience, the BSN comes in handy if you want to move up into administrative or leadership positions. The difference in the ADN and BSN in terms of education is that you have many more general education courses / electives to take, and the extra nursing courses you will have as a BSN include Public Health (BSNs can be certified as Public Health Nurses), Nursing Research, and Nursing Leadership - these are the courses that make you more qualified for those leadership positions. You're always better off with the BSN in the long run, but there is nothing wrong with starting out as an ADN. I would suggest looking into several schools and their programs. Important questions to ask would be how many students apply to their nursing programs vs. how many they admit into their program. Find out their admissions criteria - how do they select students for the program? Do they weight the GPA most heavily? ACT / SAT scores? Number of completed general ed courses, etc? Good luck.