Registered Nurse Programs

Registered nurse programs will be what I specifically talk about today.  I touched on registered nurse programs on my first post, but I will go more into depth this time.  Registered nurse programs are available at both community colleges and universities.  However, the type of program will differ depending on which one you attend.  The community college will offer an associate’s degree, commonly referred to as ADN.  The university will offer its nursing program through a bachelor’s degree or BSN.  Let’s briefly discuss each one and let you know what the difference is and what it means to you.

As I said associate degree nurse programs are available at your local community or two year college.  This degree is a good way to get into a position as a registered nurse or to jump start your college career in nursing.  The good thing with an ADN program is the fact that most community colleges’ tuition is much lower than tuition at a four year university.  This is very helpful when you are trying to pay for college out of your own pocket, instead of getting loans and coming out of college with a debt before you even have a job in your field.  Therefore, a possible plan to consider would be to get your associates nursing degree at a community college and then transfer to a university to finish a BSN degree.  This will give you a couple of benefits.  The basic classes and bulk of your curriculum will occur at a lower tuition rate and once you have your ADN degree it gives you the option to work as a RN while you take your classes for your BSN degree.  However, when you look at associate degree nurse programs keep in mind that you don’t have to go on to complete your BSN.  A nurse with an ADN degree can still perform all the duties of any RN.  However, most management positions look for a nurse with a BSN degree.  Therefore you have to consider how far you want to go in your career, but you can always go back at a later time to further your education.

Bachelor nurse programs are only available at four year universities.  As I mentioned above this means you can expect to pay a higher tuition rate.  The curriculum includes more basic classes to go along with the more in depth nursing classes you will be taking.  Some of those classes will include chemistry and statistics classes.  Just like an ADN degree lays the groundwork for a BSN degree, a BSN degree lays the foundation for a Masters’ degree in nursing, including Nurse Practitioner.  The BSN degree is the degree you will need to consider if you plan to get a MSN degree or if you plan to go to management.  Some facilities will consider an ADN for management if the person has a degree in management, but I wouldn’t want to count on another degree because not all facilities have this policy.  Another issue that is starting to surface is a prestige standard that some hospitals are starting to implement.  This is similar to an ISO policy in manufacturing and this standard requires that the hospital only hires registered nurses with a BSN or higher degree.  With all that said, I will caution you that obtain a BSN RN degree just for a pay raise may not be the best idea.  It will vary from area to area but in my state the BSN degree only pays about 25 cents more per hour.  It would take a long time to even pay for your additional education based on the salary increase.

As you can see there is a lot to consider when looking at registered nurse programs.  I don’t want to seem like I’m saying there is not much upside to getting a BSN degree.  Actually anytime you are able to further your education you should take a serious look at it.  I just don’t want students going into the programs with assumptions that might not be true.  However, I do caution you that you should check in your local area as some of the issues present in my area may not be the same in yours.  In any event, I feel that this gives you some of the information needed for you to start you on investigation as to what might the right for you.  The great part is that registered nurse programs are usually numerous in most areas across the country, giving you options in your career choice.