Why I chose an ADN program over a BSN program

So maybe you’re like me, you already have a bachelor’s degree in another field and you’re not interested or willing to wait another 2-4 years to receive a degree in nursing. That was/is my situation. I’m not at a place in my life where I can afford to wait more than a year to start working again. So naturally I wanted to get into an accelerated program that would give me to tools I need to pass the NCLEX so I could start work as soon as possible. I know I’m harping on finances here but make no mistake I knew I wanted to be a nurse while I was in undergrad, I just had other obstacles that prevented me to doing it then so this is not a career path I choose just for financial gain. So these are the things I was looking for in a nursing program to suit my needs:

1.  A quick program with a good passing rate on the NCLEX.
2. A local program in my area.
3. A program that wasn’t  too costly.

In addition to this, I needed a program that would look at my application holistically. My grades weren’t the best in undergrad for several reasons I can discuss in another blog so I was unsure how well I would fair in applying to only accelerated BSN programs. I did retake most of the science courses and I strengthened my science GPA but my undergraduate GPA was still low for nursing school standards. After doing my research I had about 3 different programs I could apply to. Two were ADN programs at local community colleges and one was a BSN program at local university. I crossed decided to narrow it down even further to just one community college because I had taken classes there previous so I was more familiar with that school and they has some of my coursework on file. So I applied to both and luckily was accepted to both. Seeing as both of the final options were one year programs and were local, the last deciding factor was cost. The tuition at the community college was about $10,000 while the tuition at the university was $40,000.

Yes I said $40,000. I already had a small student loan from undergrad and I wasn’t interested or willing to spend $40,000 on another bachelor’s degree. $40,000 worth of debt did not fit my future financial goals so that was my deal breaker. The way I saw it, I could take out a $10,000 for the community college and be able to repay that loan back within my first of year working if I budget diligently. From there I could work while in a BSN program and hopefully get my employer to reimburse me for all or some of the cost of the BSN program. Ultimately I would be saving more money while still being able to achieve my goal of becoming a nurse even if it takes me a little bit longer to get a BSN. I chose to think smarter financial. While the BSN program is great and I’ve met a lot of great nurses that came out of that program, I had to make the best decision for myself.

Ultimately I chose the one year ADN program. Earlier this summer I received an email from my school’s financial aid department stating that I’d received a scholarship that was going to cover the ENTIRE cost of the program #blessingsonblessings. So ultimately I’ll be receiving this degree at no cost to me so I’m definitely meeting my financial goals and I know I made the right choice.

I would say to anyone looking into an accelerated ADN or BSN program to think about finances if you can and especially if it’s as much of a priority to you as it was to me. At the end of the day you will still be an RN and you’ll still be getting similar if not the same pay as a BSN nurse while saving thousands of dollars.

And I’ll say this, if you can get through any accelerated ADN/BSN program, you can get through ANY amount of school. You can do it! Hope this helped someone!