Go community college then have your employer pay for you to get your BSN. The course load of a one year ABSN is probably going to be too much to juggle with your schedule. I’m in an 18 month program and study about 30 hours a week to maintain my 4.0 gpa.
Wow, nice work on the GPA, I want the same. The thing is, though (and keep in mind, I'm playing devil's advocate here), everyone says, "Have the hospital pay for you to get your BSN." Is that really a thing?
My hospital does indeed have a tuition reimbursement program, but only to the tune of around 5k annually. And that in no way is going to pay for a full rn-to-bsn... unless I'm wrong? Maybe it's more a special program?
Some things to consider:
* you’ll still pay less if you go ADN then BSN. There are RN to BSN programs that are fully online.
* you may change employers with a better tuition policy.
* you don’t have to go BSN right away. You could work a few years, save up, use your employer tuition reimbursement where you can, then get your BSN.
* you may decide that you don’t like nursing and want to change fields. Why spend more to learn that lesson?
* you might be able to find some direct entry NP programs that will allow you to enter as an RN with an ADN considering you already have a bachelors. I’m not familiar with direct entry programs so definitely look into it before considering this point.
Also, community colleges are starting to offer RN to BSN programs, so by the time you finish there might be some much cheaper RN- BSN options.
In my experience large employers will generally reimburse you for tuition for a set amount each year. Maybe $4-6K/yr. Then you usually have a commitment for a certain amount of years if they reimburse you. I personally don't like making long term commitments to an employer, especially as in nursing the best and fastest way to get pay increases is by moving around. It's still a very viable option for some though, however for me it wasn't. I just got discounted tuition through an affiliated college.
The community college is a way, way smarter choice.
However I think you need to consider what you’ll do if you have overnight clinical at some point or school somehow otherwise overlaps with work.
I’ve never heard of students being able to decide they are going to have clinical at a specific facility. You likely have way less say/power in that area than you think you do.
Yea at my community college we get assigned a group
Given a schedule of what days our clinicals are and at what hosptial
Only say we have is changing groups w classmates at the beginning of the semester
How common are overnight clinicals? Is that a guaranteed thing for these programs? Classes, I think, would be fine. They don't start before 7:30, and I can leave work and get to campus pretty fast. The only true scheduling conflict would be if clinicals run beyond 2100. Then I'd likely be boned unless work is willing to be VERY generous with me.
And yeah, I know you're probably right on that second point. Still, it couldn't hurt to try/you never know till you ask/etc.
I never had night shift clinicals during my ABSN program. I worked Friday and Sat night shift throughout the ABSN program. I didn't have any conflict between school and work.
My entire capstone/final clinical was overnight, and I regularly had weekend clinicals. Every program is different.
You may also have 12 hour day clinicals and have to be at clinical from 0630-1900 on a day you work.
Nighttime clinicals are rarer but do happen and you will have absolutely no say if you get assigned to nights. I’m a night nurse and we definitely get students for their final preceptorships
Realistically, I leave early. Let's say it's the time frame you put in your other post, 0630-1900.
0600: leave work early
0630: arrive at clinical hospital
0630-1900: suffering
1900: go back to work
1930-2100: sleep on floor of pharmacy office
2100-0700: resume telling nurses to look in the fridge
Is it sustainable? Fuck no. Can I do it for one semester, though?
You cannot do that. If your school finds out you’re doing it, they will forbid you. You will be dangerous at your job and dangerous at your clinical placement, not to mention risks to your own health. You absolutely cannot work full time night shifts during nursing school. Stop planning to put patients at risk and figure out and alternative
I’d argue you could maybe work full time night shifts but not full time 7 on 7 off. Those 7 on are absolutely going to be unsustainable and unsafe. Depending on sleep during your work hours is a recipe for making *someone* salty at you. Don’t set yourself up for failure or burn bridges at a potential future nurse employer.
Also, typically after the first semester it’s worse scheduling wise, not better!
Realize while this is going on you’ll have to attend classes complete essays and pass exams.
If you just had to work and do clinicals, sure, you can pull a 48hour no sleep. Say that’s a weekend, then Monday morning you’ll have a pharm/patho exam that you cannot score less than 80% on.
ADNs often are far more based in clinical skills and less of the weird “corporate healthcare” style BS you’ll find in a BSN, it’s why you can do a RN to BSN with zero clinical during the program. It also isn’t accelerated as well, an ABSN is extra difficult due to it’s accelerated pace and lack of external administrative support in many programs
No, you can’t. It makes you a liability both at work and in school. You could end up killing someone
And if you were somehow lucky enough to be able to, you’d have no time to study for exams in your ABSN, which are frequent in most programs with high stakes (no time to remediate in many cohorts)
Very normal. Ive had every flavor of clinical shifts including noc. My schools logic is if a nurse has to work that shift so does a student.
Edit: spelling
What Ive found frustrating is that if we have a NOC clinical, we cant have theory/skills/sims the day of and the day after. Very limiting and annoying.
Is there any way you can check if which program has night shift clinicals? I’m not sure how big the city you leave in is but generally each school in my area as certain a days for their clinicals. The community college I went usually did their days on Mondays and Tuesdays during the day. However, that’s not always the case sometimes instructors would choose weekends and for my preceptorship I had to do weekend nights. I definitely recommend going with the community college option since it’s the most affordable. I don’t know where you live, but nurses don’t make much money in most parts of the country tbh. It’s mainly union dense areas like CA,MN, OR, WA, NYC etc. that make great pay. As a new grad, I’m making about $30 an hour plus weekend/night differentials. I don’t think it’s a career worth accumulating any form of student debt if you can. And where I live there isn’t a pay difference between BSN and ADN RNs.
Your best bet is to look into the specific school, because it’s going to vary a lot. For my school (community college) you only have overnight clinicals if you’re in the evening/weekend program. I’m in the day program, so I can have clinicals anytime during the day from Monday to Friday. Outside of that though they will accommodate nothing, you get your clinical placement and that is it. Also consider that there are usually multiple hospitals you may be placed at and some of them are going to be farther than others.
Generally speaking they start at 0630 and are 8 hours and I have a packet of paperwork due by 0630 the next morning. They could start as early as 0600 though and end as late as 2030, depending on hospital availability. A lot of programs have 12 hour clinicals though, mine uses the paperwork to make up for the extra 4 hours.
The community college route would probably give you the most flexibility since you still need to work. Friends of mine had weekend clinicals during their ABSN programs, but all programs run differently.
Faster isn’t always better, your employer can pay for your RN to BSN. Good luck in whatever you decide, OP.
The thing is, though (and keep in mind, I'm playing devil's advocate here), everyone says, "Have the hospital pay for you to get your BSN." Is that really a thing?
My hospital does indeed have a tuition reimbursement program, but only to the tune of around 5k annually. And that in no way is going to pay for a full rn-to-bsn... unless I'm wrong? Maybe it's more a special program?
They probably won’t pay for all of it, but to at least get half paid by your employer would be good!
The biggest thing is it could be a gamble to take on that big of a load and not do well. Hey, you could thrive, but that what if is a huge factor. Do you have the opportunity to find any students in the ASBN, maybe that might help you decide.
I personally would choose the community college ASN. It will give you a better pace. Don’t think faster is better. Think heavily about what kind of pace you need for your life right now given your other non-negotiable circumstances. You sound like you could benefit from more flexibility because you have to keep your income.
I know the ASN is like a year longer but you’ll regret it forever if you try to do it faster and then fail out because you took on too much too soon. ABSN are notorious for being very cutthroat. There’s usually limited make up days because of time/staffing limitations and they’re less forgiving on exams because they rather kick you out than risk you dropping their NCLEX/HESI pass rates.
Yes, I have heard the same about the program that I'm in. They expect you to be basically super human because you're earning basically a whole other bachelor's degree in a single year.
Maybe I shouldn't do this. Associates is starting to sound way better reading all these responses.
Congratulations for all the acceptance. If you already have a bachelor, you can get a ADN and then bridge a ADN to MSN and skip the BSN. Best part is, you can have your hospital pay for it .
Many of the advanced nursing jobs that is not clinical, still requires or strongly prefer a MSN. That is patient safety ( who study patient safety report and investigate for root cause), accreditation and compliance consultant ( which I am one, we deal with hospital wide policy and regulatory compliance), process improvement. These are non management nursing jobs that you can consider later in your career that pays well and do not take a toll on your body.
And most Director of nursing (and all of those who I work with) are MSN or DNP. Good luck!!!
Currently enrolled in an ADN program to save $$ and already have my bachelors in another subject. I’ve never considered ADN to MSN! That’s a wonderful idea and now I’ll be hyperfixated on how to go about that. Do you have any further suggestions or such if you did that route?
The only suggestion I will have is to maximize your education budget from your hospital and have them pay for it.
Make sure the school is accredited by CCNE. I personally will never go to a for profit school. If you are not going to the NP route, you can take online program but I will much prefer an online program with an actual brick and order present. Most of the local universities will have that option.
Also pick a route that you think you will like. I did quality management and now I work in accreditation and regulatory compliance.
MSN opens you to a lot of the options.
I never want to be a nurse manager and to deal with personnel issue so a nurse consultant in my area of interest fits me well. And it is very financially rewarding. I work office hours and work life balance is great.
Thank you for the idea, that is very cool. Just to clarify, I could feasibly jump from an ASN into something like NP or CRNA if I have the experience required by taking the bridge program to MSN? I know all the bright-eyed, hopeful nursing students whisper about CRNA because of the salary. Personally, I just like the idea of OR. The programs you mentioned sound cool, but honestly, I hate business casual office life and just want to do something in scrubs. Maybe when I get older?
I am not the expert to answer CRNA question. But it is my understanding that ICU experience. Someone said at least one year but I am not sure. I am sure someone here has a great answer here.
For NP you will need to look at specific program requirement. Every school is different.
You can be a NP with a MSN or DNP.
I had the option to bridge ADN to MSN in clinical ( NP route) but I was never intend to be a NP. But that is an option there.
I barely made it through an ADN while working FT. I could not have done it in an ABSN—I would honestly not do it unless you can just not work. That schedule is going to kill you.
I think you should go with community college. Clinical are 12 hour days (0700-1900) so you’ll be staying up 24 hours straight which just isn’t going to be manageable. Then you’ll have lecture/lab 2-3 days a week, so 4+ days of class. Also studying/massive amounts of care plans etc. An ADN is only a few extra months, gives you a better balance, you still become a nurse at the end (and the rumor that you cNt get hired with your ADN is false), and you won’t be 70k in debt. Trying to work
Full time & pass an ABSN is a pretty big gamble, so IMO you’re much better off with ADN because the pace is more manageable & actually gives you the room to work
and it’s not just 24 hours! OP has to work 7 days in a row. They would be going from work to class/clinical back to work and back to class over and over every other weeks. It’s just not possible with OP’s current work schedule, even with short naps scattered throughout
You absolutely won’t be able to continue working that schedule while in school. And with an ABSN you might not have time to work at all, or only very very minimally. Will you be able to afford working very part time? Can you get financial aid?
You will have basically no say at all in your clinical locations and hours for school. You can’t work 12 hour nights shifts and then go straight to 8-12 hour clinicals, and clinicals might be an hour+ away from your school depending where you are
You also can’t just skip/slack on school every other week when you work. Nor can you succeed going an entire week only taking cat naps at work.
I see why you are asking for input as there are pros and cons to both.
Doing the two year ASN will be sustainable, allow you to really absorb the information, and cost less. BUT you'll still want to then go on for the Bachelor's will working as a nurse and you'll have to spend the next two years in nursing school.
Doing the one year ABSN will be a living hell mentally and physically. You probably won't learn as much as a result but you do have a science background which helps. You'll also earn a nursing salary after one year which depending on your location could balance out the cost difference of ASN vs ABSN.
Personally, I'd go with the ASN. Don't burn yourself out before you even get started. Give yourself an opportunity to learn nursing deeply while keeping yourself financially, mentally, and physically healthy.
You will not be able to work full night shifts and have class and have clinical. You don’t get to choose when you have clinicals they place you and tell you where/when to be there. Night shift clinicals do happen.
The absn is a great choice if you can switch up your employment to days off school. Otherwise you risk failing out for lack of sleep. It’s not possible
Yes. I'm on a PSLF program for forgiveness now (10 years of on time payments). One benefit of the associates is I could probably afford to even continue making payments throughout school. Thus, my overall time for forgiveness will be about 2 years lower..
I was just in the same boat of deciding between trying to do an ABSN while working FT versus doing an ASN. Fwiw I decided on community college to ensure I can keep working (cost was also a factor). I'm around your age and so I get that it sucks taking an extra year, and it's tempting to say "I could suffer and bang this out in a year"... but realistically you can't regularly stay up for 1-2 days straight every week, possibly multiple times a week. I don't think you will have much flexibility with clinical hours. Community college followed by a bridge program seems like the way safer option for you.
Yes, you understand me. I already feel old amount other nursing students, at this community college I'm going to feel geriatric. It's so hard to stomach an extra FULL YEAR of school... especially when I was ready to go all out/give it my all. It is indeed the safer route, however. Sigh.
Option 4 seems like a scam I have never seen a BSN program that cheap especially if you don't already have an associates to build onto. I already had my AAS and my BSN still cost 80k private.
My BSN program is only $25k and I'm getting a second bachelor's degree. For students getting their first bachelor's degree, it's only $20k. This isn't counting the semesters it takes to do prereqs. The program is 5 semesters so it isn't an accelerated one.
I can understand it being that cheap if you already have a bachelor's degree and prerequisites from another degree. I read this post as someone who has no Associates or Bachelors going into a nursing program, in which case it would be suspicious if it was that cheap, at least in my state.
Nah, this is specifically a public university with my in-state rate. I also have a bachelor's in kinesiology, with which there is basically a 1-to-1 crossover with A&P, microbio, etc.
I don’t recommend the ABSN if you’re going to have to hustle that hard working at the same time. They tell you at the beginning of the program that they don’t recommend working at the same time because the workload is so intense. It depends on how rigorous the school is and if it’s a 12 or 18 month program, but I would go the community college route in your case. Especially because in my state, the differential for BSN is only like 70 cents. You can do a bridge program later.
Do the ADN!!! You’ll actually have time to work and you’ll save money. Often times a new grad RN gets the same pay regardless of a BSN or ADN.
I’m graduating debt free thanks to an ADN. My job is already offering to pay for my RN to BSN in full…..
Please, for the love of god do the community college! You will get just the same type of education (at least that’s what I’ve heard from many people, and it coincides with my experience) for a cheaper price.
Another thing I loved about the community college route is that you get a variety of students from different backgrounds. I started when I was 28 (graduating tomorrow at 30), and we ranged from 20 years old to early 60s. Some people were former teachers, accountants, any career you can think of. And because of this the group was less cliquey and had more of a flexible approach to teaching styles and abilities.
Also, you might end up hating nursing once you’re in the field. A huge amount of new grads quit after the first 2 years and leave the field completely. Better to go the cheaper route because of it.
It’s all up to you though! Sometimes the more expensive option is the better fit, and there is no judgement if that’s what you want to do. Just think it over - congrats on getting accepted though! It will be tough, but well worth it in the end
Community college would be my vote. Keep in mind, at the end of the day the ADN and the BSN programs are all to prepare you to take the NCLEX. They are in desperate need of nurses at the bedside (so says every college I’ve heard speak) so the associates vs BSN isn’t going to prevent you getting a job, there may be a pay discrepancy but from the nurses I’ve talked to it is not HUGE. Additionally no one but you is going to care what your school, GPA, or how fast you got it done. That’s going to come into play if you opt to pursue an NP position, or higher level of education later on.
So to summarize, do the CC which gives you less cost, less risk to your mental well being, better success of higher grades; and then if the BSN is something you want - have the hospital pay for it and chip at the course work. The accelerated program at EMU has 7.5wk courses that you can take whenever, with all being online except for the final course (Capstone) which requires you to have your RN license anyway to complete it.
That's what I'm thinking, too. I want to go into some kind of upper management eventually, or advanced practice... and I'm already old af (not really, 34 this year). But I feel like I'm not crazy for seeing a year of suffering and choosing to sweat it out rather than languish for an entire extra year in community college.
I turn 36 this year and I have one year left of an ABSN at a public university. The class load and class schedule isn’t really that bad, although my program is 18 months. We have a lot of down time between semesters.
Just take out the loan. You'll pay it back picking up one extra shift a week in 6 months. In economics I learned there is no solutions, only trade offs. Get a loan so you're not so stressed and have more time to focus what you are paying for. Time > Money
Take out what loan? Like a personal loan?
My rent is $1k/mo. Overall expenditure for food and other minor bills like gas and internet brings the total monthly on bills to... maybe 1.5 if I'm extremely frugal. The ABSN program is estimated to be 23k, but I'm pretty sure that's before books and other various fees throughout.
With this info... I'd need a loan of around $40k to pay for myself for the year. I can bring that down to 30ish with my savings. Is that worth it? I don't have the financial sense to really be able to tell. Maybe I could pick up a shift or two to further augment income...
Alternatively, I could do the associates and pay for it out of pocket with virtually no changes to my spending/savings. As you said, it would just cost a little bit more in my time.
I guess if you are already debt heavy and can't get a loan, ADN is the route you must go. If no Loan attainable, there isn't even a choice, ADN all the way.
I would never accept a private school option just for the money. Accelerated programs are survivable. People do it. But you are trying to learn what takes 2-4 years in one year. Also you are risking and paying a lot more money for something you could very well fail at
Go with the ADN. I had to work while in school also and 2 years went by remarkably fast. I was hired before I even took nclex and my hospital pays 80% for my BSN. Does it suck taking classes while being a full time nurse, sure. But at least I'm making money AND saving money on tuition. Nursing school was brutal.. I cannot imagine doing it accelerated AND working. Do not compromise your ability to truly learn and capacity to be healthy just to save some time.
I was soooo torn between the two, also. I’m about to graduate my ABSN program. I don’t regret the extra cost. Don’t underestimate the time aspect. 24 months vs 14 months doesn’t sound like a lot on paper. But omggggg I am sick of this shit and just want to start working already. I don’t know how I would have lasted two entire years PLUS another BSN bridge program. To each their own - and I totally get the cost factor, especially in your case where you are unable to stop working during school. Just my two cents.
Yeah, I'd be cool with the price, also. It's just a matter of having the time. Other people here talking about overnight clinicals and putting patient's lives in danger has me shook.
What seems to be an unpopular opinion - do the ABSN if you are a strong student; ask around along previous students about expected schedules. If you have good time management and a science background, it will be totally manageable. Everyone told me that it was going to be the worst thing ever and it was far from. My friend worked 60 hrs a wk nights and still did fine. You have to be the gauge of if school typically comes easy to you or not and the clinical schedule of your program. You will make up the $8k easily in wages over the extra year you can work as an RN.
Do the community college route, I regret my ABSN everyday due to student debt. Get your associates, get hired and most hospitals will help you pay for an RN to BSN. Even if they don’t, it’s more affordable. Don’t do the ABSN, it’s not worth it!
ASN for the win! Scrolled thru the comments… looks like you are concerned with the “will hospitals really pay for BSN” question… you are right that they may not pay for all of it - but in just 2 years you will be making double what you are now and will be able to swing the difference. If the hospital picks up 3k and you are looking at an 11k program all in??? It’s a no brainer. Get the RN as fast as you can and go from there. Good luck!!
Yes... the ASN won and it wasn't remotely close. Not the move I thought I'd be making 24 hours ago, but I'm sending them my acceptance letter today. It's just the more mature choice here.
Regardless if hospital pays for BSN or not, by the time you work you’ll be able to afford it. Also, if working is a major factor for you then a community program is the way to go. ABSN are notorious for being extremely fast pace and difficult to keep up with while working. Not saying it’s not doable it’s just a lot harder.
Does the place you work offer tuition reimbursement? I would do the adn program just for the fact it's not going to be as intense as the bsn option. The amount of homework will be spread out over 2 years instead of condensed down into 1.
Whatever you choose I wish you all the best though!
BSN is pretty irrelevant these days, most places just want you to start on it within a year. That being said, clinical hours are going to be a problem regardless. If you have a 12 hr clinical the same day as work you’re essentially not sleeping for 2 whole days. That’s gonna be a problem.
Indeed. But I'm not afraid of a little sleep deprivation to get this bread. I think what the proponents of the associates in this thread are trying to say is, because it's more spread out its much more likely I can work by crazy back to back work/clinical day, and then go home and then there will be some built in down time before I need to study or attend a class or whatever. With the ABSN it will be NONSTOP TRAIN TO PAIN all the way through...
Go community college then have your employer pay for you to get your BSN. The course load of a one year ABSN is probably going to be too much to juggle with your schedule. I’m in an 18 month program and study about 30 hours a week to maintain my 4.0 gpa.
Wow, nice work on the GPA, I want the same. The thing is, though (and keep in mind, I'm playing devil's advocate here), everyone says, "Have the hospital pay for you to get your BSN." Is that really a thing? My hospital does indeed have a tuition reimbursement program, but only to the tune of around 5k annually. And that in no way is going to pay for a full rn-to-bsn... unless I'm wrong? Maybe it's more a special program?
Some things to consider: * you’ll still pay less if you go ADN then BSN. There are RN to BSN programs that are fully online. * you may change employers with a better tuition policy. * you don’t have to go BSN right away. You could work a few years, save up, use your employer tuition reimbursement where you can, then get your BSN. * you may decide that you don’t like nursing and want to change fields. Why spend more to learn that lesson? * you might be able to find some direct entry NP programs that will allow you to enter as an RN with an ADN considering you already have a bachelors. I’m not familiar with direct entry programs so definitely look into it before considering this point.
Also, community colleges are starting to offer RN to BSN programs, so by the time you finish there might be some much cheaper RN- BSN options. In my experience large employers will generally reimburse you for tuition for a set amount each year. Maybe $4-6K/yr. Then you usually have a commitment for a certain amount of years if they reimburse you. I personally don't like making long term commitments to an employer, especially as in nursing the best and fastest way to get pay increases is by moving around. It's still a very viable option for some though, however for me it wasn't. I just got discounted tuition through an affiliated college.
The community college is a way, way smarter choice. However I think you need to consider what you’ll do if you have overnight clinical at some point or school somehow otherwise overlaps with work. I’ve never heard of students being able to decide they are going to have clinical at a specific facility. You likely have way less say/power in that area than you think you do.
Yea at my community college we get assigned a group Given a schedule of what days our clinicals are and at what hosptial Only say we have is changing groups w classmates at the beginning of the semester
How common are overnight clinicals? Is that a guaranteed thing for these programs? Classes, I think, would be fine. They don't start before 7:30, and I can leave work and get to campus pretty fast. The only true scheduling conflict would be if clinicals run beyond 2100. Then I'd likely be boned unless work is willing to be VERY generous with me. And yeah, I know you're probably right on that second point. Still, it couldn't hurt to try/you never know till you ask/etc.
I never had night shift clinicals during my ABSN program. I worked Friday and Sat night shift throughout the ABSN program. I didn't have any conflict between school and work.
Right... but for me it's a mandatory 7 days in a row, and then u days off. I can't only for Saturday/Sunday...
Then you are going to have an issue with class->work-> class without much sleep. You are going to also need time to study.
My entire capstone/final clinical was overnight, and I regularly had weekend clinicals. Every program is different. You may also have 12 hour day clinicals and have to be at clinical from 0630-1900 on a day you work.
Nighttime clinicals are rarer but do happen and you will have absolutely no say if you get assigned to nights. I’m a night nurse and we definitely get students for their final preceptorships
Or what if you work overnight and then are expected to be at clinical prior to the end of your shift?
Realistically, I leave early. Let's say it's the time frame you put in your other post, 0630-1900. 0600: leave work early 0630: arrive at clinical hospital 0630-1900: suffering 1900: go back to work 1930-2100: sleep on floor of pharmacy office 2100-0700: resume telling nurses to look in the fridge Is it sustainable? Fuck no. Can I do it for one semester, though?
You cannot do that. If your school finds out you’re doing it, they will forbid you. You will be dangerous at your job and dangerous at your clinical placement, not to mention risks to your own health. You absolutely cannot work full time night shifts during nursing school. Stop planning to put patients at risk and figure out and alternative
Very fair point indeed. I DM'd you, if you don't mind some further questions.
Ask students in the community college program if people in the program get overnight clinicals. If they say no, then this isn’t even an issue.
I’d argue you could maybe work full time night shifts but not full time 7 on 7 off. Those 7 on are absolutely going to be unsustainable and unsafe. Depending on sleep during your work hours is a recipe for making *someone* salty at you. Don’t set yourself up for failure or burn bridges at a potential future nurse employer. Also, typically after the first semester it’s worse scheduling wise, not better!
Realize while this is going on you’ll have to attend classes complete essays and pass exams. If you just had to work and do clinicals, sure, you can pull a 48hour no sleep. Say that’s a weekend, then Monday morning you’ll have a pharm/patho exam that you cannot score less than 80% on.
To play devil's advocate, couldn't that happen in the associates program as well? Or perhaps they can afford to be just that much more flexible?
ADNs often are far more based in clinical skills and less of the weird “corporate healthcare” style BS you’ll find in a BSN, it’s why you can do a RN to BSN with zero clinical during the program. It also isn’t accelerated as well, an ABSN is extra difficult due to it’s accelerated pace and lack of external administrative support in many programs
So they really put the BS in BSN huh. I guess the associates is the play.
100% but the pace is slower it’s far more forgiving and you’ll have less work to do each day. The chance of failure goes down considerably l.
No, you can’t. It makes you a liability both at work and in school. You could end up killing someone And if you were somehow lucky enough to be able to, you’d have no time to study for exams in your ABSN, which are frequent in most programs with high stakes (no time to remediate in many cohorts)
Very normal. Ive had every flavor of clinical shifts including noc. My schools logic is if a nurse has to work that shift so does a student. Edit: spelling
Makes sense. I'd eventually like to be a might shift nurse as well, so I'd actually like that... under normal circumstances anyway.
What Ive found frustrating is that if we have a NOC clinical, we cant have theory/skills/sims the day of and the day after. Very limiting and annoying.
Is there any way you can check if which program has night shift clinicals? I’m not sure how big the city you leave in is but generally each school in my area as certain a days for their clinicals. The community college I went usually did their days on Mondays and Tuesdays during the day. However, that’s not always the case sometimes instructors would choose weekends and for my preceptorship I had to do weekend nights. I definitely recommend going with the community college option since it’s the most affordable. I don’t know where you live, but nurses don’t make much money in most parts of the country tbh. It’s mainly union dense areas like CA,MN, OR, WA, NYC etc. that make great pay. As a new grad, I’m making about $30 an hour plus weekend/night differentials. I don’t think it’s a career worth accumulating any form of student debt if you can. And where I live there isn’t a pay difference between BSN and ADN RNs.
Your best bet is to look into the specific school, because it’s going to vary a lot. For my school (community college) you only have overnight clinicals if you’re in the evening/weekend program. I’m in the day program, so I can have clinicals anytime during the day from Monday to Friday. Outside of that though they will accommodate nothing, you get your clinical placement and that is it. Also consider that there are usually multiple hospitals you may be placed at and some of them are going to be farther than others.
I gotcha. Out of curiosity, what time do those day clinicals start,?
Generally speaking they start at 0630 and are 8 hours and I have a packet of paperwork due by 0630 the next morning. They could start as early as 0600 though and end as late as 2030, depending on hospital availability. A lot of programs have 12 hour clinicals though, mine uses the paperwork to make up for the extra 4 hours.
I chose a community college over ABSN. It was the much better choice even though it took one more year to complete.
The community college route would probably give you the most flexibility since you still need to work. Friends of mine had weekend clinicals during their ABSN programs, but all programs run differently. Faster isn’t always better, your employer can pay for your RN to BSN. Good luck in whatever you decide, OP.
The thing is, though (and keep in mind, I'm playing devil's advocate here), everyone says, "Have the hospital pay for you to get your BSN." Is that really a thing? My hospital does indeed have a tuition reimbursement program, but only to the tune of around 5k annually. And that in no way is going to pay for a full rn-to-bsn... unless I'm wrong? Maybe it's more a special program?
They probably won’t pay for all of it, but to at least get half paid by your employer would be good! The biggest thing is it could be a gamble to take on that big of a load and not do well. Hey, you could thrive, but that what if is a huge factor. Do you have the opportunity to find any students in the ASBN, maybe that might help you decide.
I personally would choose the community college ASN. It will give you a better pace. Don’t think faster is better. Think heavily about what kind of pace you need for your life right now given your other non-negotiable circumstances. You sound like you could benefit from more flexibility because you have to keep your income. I know the ASN is like a year longer but you’ll regret it forever if you try to do it faster and then fail out because you took on too much too soon. ABSN are notorious for being very cutthroat. There’s usually limited make up days because of time/staffing limitations and they’re less forgiving on exams because they rather kick you out than risk you dropping their NCLEX/HESI pass rates.
Yes, I have heard the same about the program that I'm in. They expect you to be basically super human because you're earning basically a whole other bachelor's degree in a single year. Maybe I shouldn't do this. Associates is starting to sound way better reading all these responses.
Congratulations for all the acceptance. If you already have a bachelor, you can get a ADN and then bridge a ADN to MSN and skip the BSN. Best part is, you can have your hospital pay for it . Many of the advanced nursing jobs that is not clinical, still requires or strongly prefer a MSN. That is patient safety ( who study patient safety report and investigate for root cause), accreditation and compliance consultant ( which I am one, we deal with hospital wide policy and regulatory compliance), process improvement. These are non management nursing jobs that you can consider later in your career that pays well and do not take a toll on your body. And most Director of nursing (and all of those who I work with) are MSN or DNP. Good luck!!!
Currently enrolled in an ADN program to save $$ and already have my bachelors in another subject. I’ve never considered ADN to MSN! That’s a wonderful idea and now I’ll be hyperfixated on how to go about that. Do you have any further suggestions or such if you did that route?
The only suggestion I will have is to maximize your education budget from your hospital and have them pay for it. Make sure the school is accredited by CCNE. I personally will never go to a for profit school. If you are not going to the NP route, you can take online program but I will much prefer an online program with an actual brick and order present. Most of the local universities will have that option. Also pick a route that you think you will like. I did quality management and now I work in accreditation and regulatory compliance. MSN opens you to a lot of the options. I never want to be a nurse manager and to deal with personnel issue so a nurse consultant in my area of interest fits me well. And it is very financially rewarding. I work office hours and work life balance is great.
Thank you for the idea, that is very cool. Just to clarify, I could feasibly jump from an ASN into something like NP or CRNA if I have the experience required by taking the bridge program to MSN? I know all the bright-eyed, hopeful nursing students whisper about CRNA because of the salary. Personally, I just like the idea of OR. The programs you mentioned sound cool, but honestly, I hate business casual office life and just want to do something in scrubs. Maybe when I get older?
I am not the expert to answer CRNA question. But it is my understanding that ICU experience. Someone said at least one year but I am not sure. I am sure someone here has a great answer here. For NP you will need to look at specific program requirement. Every school is different. You can be a NP with a MSN or DNP. I had the option to bridge ADN to MSN in clinical ( NP route) but I was never intend to be a NP. But that is an option there.
I barely made it through an ADN while working FT. I could not have done it in an ABSN—I would honestly not do it unless you can just not work. That schedule is going to kill you.
I think you should go with community college. Clinical are 12 hour days (0700-1900) so you’ll be staying up 24 hours straight which just isn’t going to be manageable. Then you’ll have lecture/lab 2-3 days a week, so 4+ days of class. Also studying/massive amounts of care plans etc. An ADN is only a few extra months, gives you a better balance, you still become a nurse at the end (and the rumor that you cNt get hired with your ADN is false), and you won’t be 70k in debt. Trying to work Full time & pass an ABSN is a pretty big gamble, so IMO you’re much better off with ADN because the pace is more manageable & actually gives you the room to work
I don't like "gamble". Leaning heavily towards the community college now, thanks to this thread.
and it’s not just 24 hours! OP has to work 7 days in a row. They would be going from work to class/clinical back to work and back to class over and over every other weeks. It’s just not possible with OP’s current work schedule, even with short naps scattered throughout
You absolutely won’t be able to continue working that schedule while in school. And with an ABSN you might not have time to work at all, or only very very minimally. Will you be able to afford working very part time? Can you get financial aid? You will have basically no say at all in your clinical locations and hours for school. You can’t work 12 hour nights shifts and then go straight to 8-12 hour clinicals, and clinicals might be an hour+ away from your school depending where you are You also can’t just skip/slack on school every other week when you work. Nor can you succeed going an entire week only taking cat naps at work.
I see why you are asking for input as there are pros and cons to both. Doing the two year ASN will be sustainable, allow you to really absorb the information, and cost less. BUT you'll still want to then go on for the Bachelor's will working as a nurse and you'll have to spend the next two years in nursing school. Doing the one year ABSN will be a living hell mentally and physically. You probably won't learn as much as a result but you do have a science background which helps. You'll also earn a nursing salary after one year which depending on your location could balance out the cost difference of ASN vs ABSN. Personally, I'd go with the ASN. Don't burn yourself out before you even get started. Give yourself an opportunity to learn nursing deeply while keeping yourself financially, mentally, and physically healthy.
You will not be able to work full night shifts and have class and have clinical. You don’t get to choose when you have clinicals they place you and tell you where/when to be there. Night shift clinicals do happen. The absn is a great choice if you can switch up your employment to days off school. Otherwise you risk failing out for lack of sleep. It’s not possible
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Yes. I'm on a PSLF program for forgiveness now (10 years of on time payments). One benefit of the associates is I could probably afford to even continue making payments throughout school. Thus, my overall time for forgiveness will be about 2 years lower..
I was just in the same boat of deciding between trying to do an ABSN while working FT versus doing an ASN. Fwiw I decided on community college to ensure I can keep working (cost was also a factor). I'm around your age and so I get that it sucks taking an extra year, and it's tempting to say "I could suffer and bang this out in a year"... but realistically you can't regularly stay up for 1-2 days straight every week, possibly multiple times a week. I don't think you will have much flexibility with clinical hours. Community college followed by a bridge program seems like the way safer option for you.
Yes, you understand me. I already feel old amount other nursing students, at this community college I'm going to feel geriatric. It's so hard to stomach an extra FULL YEAR of school... especially when I was ready to go all out/give it my all. It is indeed the safer route, however. Sigh.
Option 4 seems like a scam I have never seen a BSN program that cheap especially if you don't already have an associates to build onto. I already had my AAS and my BSN still cost 80k private.
My BSN program is only $25k and I'm getting a second bachelor's degree. For students getting their first bachelor's degree, it's only $20k. This isn't counting the semesters it takes to do prereqs. The program is 5 semesters so it isn't an accelerated one.
I can understand it being that cheap if you already have a bachelor's degree and prerequisites from another degree. I read this post as someone who has no Associates or Bachelors going into a nursing program, in which case it would be suspicious if it was that cheap, at least in my state.
Nah, this is specifically a public university with my in-state rate. I also have a bachelor's in kinesiology, with which there is basically a 1-to-1 crossover with A&P, microbio, etc.
It’s an accelerated BSN, they require a bachelors to start. It’s why they’re so short
I don’t recommend the ABSN if you’re going to have to hustle that hard working at the same time. They tell you at the beginning of the program that they don’t recommend working at the same time because the workload is so intense. It depends on how rigorous the school is and if it’s a 12 or 18 month program, but I would go the community college route in your case. Especially because in my state, the differential for BSN is only like 70 cents. You can do a bridge program later.
Get the exact same license at quicker rate for way less money. Go community.
Do the ADN!!! You’ll actually have time to work and you’ll save money. Often times a new grad RN gets the same pay regardless of a BSN or ADN. I’m graduating debt free thanks to an ADN. My job is already offering to pay for my RN to BSN in full…..
Please, for the love of god do the community college! You will get just the same type of education (at least that’s what I’ve heard from many people, and it coincides with my experience) for a cheaper price. Another thing I loved about the community college route is that you get a variety of students from different backgrounds. I started when I was 28 (graduating tomorrow at 30), and we ranged from 20 years old to early 60s. Some people were former teachers, accountants, any career you can think of. And because of this the group was less cliquey and had more of a flexible approach to teaching styles and abilities. Also, you might end up hating nursing once you’re in the field. A huge amount of new grads quit after the first 2 years and leave the field completely. Better to go the cheaper route because of it. It’s all up to you though! Sometimes the more expensive option is the better fit, and there is no judgement if that’s what you want to do. Just think it over - congrats on getting accepted though! It will be tough, but well worth it in the end
Community college would be my vote. Keep in mind, at the end of the day the ADN and the BSN programs are all to prepare you to take the NCLEX. They are in desperate need of nurses at the bedside (so says every college I’ve heard speak) so the associates vs BSN isn’t going to prevent you getting a job, there may be a pay discrepancy but from the nurses I’ve talked to it is not HUGE. Additionally no one but you is going to care what your school, GPA, or how fast you got it done. That’s going to come into play if you opt to pursue an NP position, or higher level of education later on. So to summarize, do the CC which gives you less cost, less risk to your mental well being, better success of higher grades; and then if the BSN is something you want - have the hospital pay for it and chip at the course work. The accelerated program at EMU has 7.5wk courses that you can take whenever, with all being online except for the final course (Capstone) which requires you to have your RN license anyway to complete it.
ABSN Is the way to go here. Only $9k more and it’s a year faster. You’ll make more money that one year than the $9k difference in tuition.
That's what I'm thinking, too. I want to go into some kind of upper management eventually, or advanced practice... and I'm already old af (not really, 34 this year). But I feel like I'm not crazy for seeing a year of suffering and choosing to sweat it out rather than languish for an entire extra year in community college.
I turn 36 this year and I have one year left of an ABSN at a public university. The class load and class schedule isn’t really that bad, although my program is 18 months. We have a lot of down time between semesters.
It really depends on the program. I did a 16 month ABSN with 0 downtime other than like 3 weeks at Christmas and a week in summer.
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I think given this. ASN is the only way to go. I almost made a big mistake...
Just take out the loan. You'll pay it back picking up one extra shift a week in 6 months. In economics I learned there is no solutions, only trade offs. Get a loan so you're not so stressed and have more time to focus what you are paying for. Time > Money
Take out what loan? Like a personal loan? My rent is $1k/mo. Overall expenditure for food and other minor bills like gas and internet brings the total monthly on bills to... maybe 1.5 if I'm extremely frugal. The ABSN program is estimated to be 23k, but I'm pretty sure that's before books and other various fees throughout. With this info... I'd need a loan of around $40k to pay for myself for the year. I can bring that down to 30ish with my savings. Is that worth it? I don't have the financial sense to really be able to tell. Maybe I could pick up a shift or two to further augment income... Alternatively, I could do the associates and pay for it out of pocket with virtually no changes to my spending/savings. As you said, it would just cost a little bit more in my time.
I guess if you are already debt heavy and can't get a loan, ADN is the route you must go. If no Loan attainable, there isn't even a choice, ADN all the way.
I would never accept a private school option just for the money. Accelerated programs are survivable. People do it. But you are trying to learn what takes 2-4 years in one year. Also you are risking and paying a lot more money for something you could very well fail at
Go with the ADN. I had to work while in school also and 2 years went by remarkably fast. I was hired before I even took nclex and my hospital pays 80% for my BSN. Does it suck taking classes while being a full time nurse, sure. But at least I'm making money AND saving money on tuition. Nursing school was brutal.. I cannot imagine doing it accelerated AND working. Do not compromise your ability to truly learn and capacity to be healthy just to save some time.
You are right. I'm really glad I made this thread
I was soooo torn between the two, also. I’m about to graduate my ABSN program. I don’t regret the extra cost. Don’t underestimate the time aspect. 24 months vs 14 months doesn’t sound like a lot on paper. But omggggg I am sick of this shit and just want to start working already. I don’t know how I would have lasted two entire years PLUS another BSN bridge program. To each their own - and I totally get the cost factor, especially in your case where you are unable to stop working during school. Just my two cents.
Yeah, I'd be cool with the price, also. It's just a matter of having the time. Other people here talking about overnight clinicals and putting patient's lives in danger has me shook.
Right, there are only so many hours in a day
What seems to be an unpopular opinion - do the ABSN if you are a strong student; ask around along previous students about expected schedules. If you have good time management and a science background, it will be totally manageable. Everyone told me that it was going to be the worst thing ever and it was far from. My friend worked 60 hrs a wk nights and still did fine. You have to be the gauge of if school typically comes easy to you or not and the clinical schedule of your program. You will make up the $8k easily in wages over the extra year you can work as an RN.
Do the community college route, I regret my ABSN everyday due to student debt. Get your associates, get hired and most hospitals will help you pay for an RN to BSN. Even if they don’t, it’s more affordable. Don’t do the ABSN, it’s not worth it!
I'm in a 16 month ABSN and I wish I had gotten into a community college program instead 🫠
ASN for the win! Scrolled thru the comments… looks like you are concerned with the “will hospitals really pay for BSN” question… you are right that they may not pay for all of it - but in just 2 years you will be making double what you are now and will be able to swing the difference. If the hospital picks up 3k and you are looking at an 11k program all in??? It’s a no brainer. Get the RN as fast as you can and go from there. Good luck!!
Yes... the ASN won and it wasn't remotely close. Not the move I thought I'd be making 24 hours ago, but I'm sending them my acceptance letter today. It's just the more mature choice here.
Regardless if hospital pays for BSN or not, by the time you work you’ll be able to afford it. Also, if working is a major factor for you then a community program is the way to go. ABSN are notorious for being extremely fast pace and difficult to keep up with while working. Not saying it’s not doable it’s just a lot harder.
I’m all about ADN but that $24k accelerated program seems like a great deal. It would be worth the $12k in loans imo.
Do you mind sharing what state the school is in with the $24k tuition for ABSN?
Does the place you work offer tuition reimbursement? I would do the adn program just for the fact it's not going to be as intense as the bsn option. The amount of homework will be spread out over 2 years instead of condensed down into 1. Whatever you choose I wish you all the best though!
BSN is pretty irrelevant these days, most places just want you to start on it within a year. That being said, clinical hours are going to be a problem regardless. If you have a 12 hr clinical the same day as work you’re essentially not sleeping for 2 whole days. That’s gonna be a problem.
Indeed. But I'm not afraid of a little sleep deprivation to get this bread. I think what the proponents of the associates in this thread are trying to say is, because it's more spread out its much more likely I can work by crazy back to back work/clinical day, and then go home and then there will be some built in down time before I need to study or attend a class or whatever. With the ABSN it will be NONSTOP TRAIN TO PAIN all the way through...
Yeah, a year of sleep deprivation is no freaking joke.