I am graduating from an ADN program in May this year. I have finished all my prerequisites to finish my BSN with only 4 classes left after graduation from ADN program. I definitely think that if at all possible you need to get your BSN. Either route is good to do ADN and then finish BSN or just straight BSN. Later if you decide to go on in school you will need your BSN. My ADN program has been great and you learn what you need to know for nursing. However they do emphasize the need to finish your education with BSN the ADN programs are an entrance in to practice while finishing. Nursing is always changing and education and continued learing will never hurt. Good Luck!!

BSN vs ADN
I can tell you that I received my ADN and later went back for my BSN. I think that you get more clinical experience as an ADN and mgmt as a BSN. I would recommend getting an ADN and you can always do BSN online.

nursing degrees
By all means, if you have the time and the ability to do so, get a BSN. It is a broader degree and you will learn more than just nursing. If you get an ADN, you will need to complete the degree anyway, as more and more hospitals area requiring a BSN. I have a non-nursing BA and an ADN for nursing. It has caused me many problems in applying for jobs and in applying for grad school.

Also, if you ever decide to move into an advanced practice role, it will be harder to get a master's degree and you will need to complete the courses you could have gotten out of the way in the first place.

A BSN is definitely better in the long run. You will learn to be a very good nurse in an ADN program. But you will learn to be a more well rounded Professional, if you get the BSN.

Good luck!

getting bsn
Now from my experience, 25 years nurse,20 years critical care, it depends what you want to do. IMO the ADN nurses got better clinical practice and better clinical skills overall. It is sooo much cheaper to go to a community college and get your adn. Then start working and let the hospital pay for your bsn if that is what you would like to do. Even working partime the hospital will pay for a portion. A bsn is useless unless you want to go into management, np or teaching. Even if you would like to manage a department in a hospital or go into business a bach degree in business would help you more. If you like school and don't mind taking forever to get into the field go the four years I suppose.
When I got out, an adn nurse I had plenty of experience inserting foley's. The bsn nurse I worked with had never even put one in.

As I said JMO, foxfire

Hi! I agree with Foxfire. I started as a CNA, got my LPN, then went and did my ADN. I contemplated going back for my BSN for quite some time but after talking to others and the longer I worked, I decided that I really have no need for a BSN. I thoroughly enjoy bedside nursing and have absolutely zero desire to go into management in any form whatsoever, nor do I have any desire to do any teaching (other than orienting new nurses), so that additional degree relly wouldn't serve me in any way that would "better myself". My clinical skills are strong as i agree with Foxfire there as well, BSN trained nurses for the most part seem to lack the clinical experience to some degree. I am not saying all do or are trying to be strictly ADN, but the majority have a lot more management and "book knowledge" versus hands on clinical experience and come out of the programs a lot "greener" than ADN trained. I see many new nurses start at my current facility and some haven't ever even attempted to put an IV in on a living person, the same for foleys, NG's and the like. Thats just how the programs are geared.
Ultimately, the choice is yours. For someone who doesn't want management, or teaching in the future, than a BSN isn't necessary. There isn't any difference in salary for ADN vs. BSN, and I sincerely doubt that not having a BSN will ever exclude you from employment at any facility if you desire to work as a bedside nurse or other clinical setting like dialysis or endoscopy to name a few. There is a nursing shortage as you know and there doesn't really seem to be an end in sight as it has been like this for years, and facilities want a competent nurse to hire bottom line regardless of degree.
Hope this helped.
Denise

adn or bsn
You know, as tedious as it sounds, if you really want to be able to care for your patients as holistically as possible the best route to take is CNA, LPN, ADN then get your BSN. It has been my experience that to be a floor nurse you can do it with an ADN. The good thing is that once you have your ADN you can get your BSN online and still make RN wages while working on it and a lot of schools give you credit towards your ADN if you have your LPN. I went that route and even though it takes time, I have had several patients tell me that they feel like they are cared for more effeciently by LPN's.

Hey Foxfire...I just noticed your location is St. Louis, MO. That is where I am from and I am currently on travel assignment here at SSM. Where are you working at....and most importantly, I wonder if we know each other..I have worked at 5 of the major hospitals here thru out my career.

Denise

continuing
Hi Denise;

We could know each other. I worked at sluh for eight years up until about 15 months ago 7icu. Now I'm working at st alexius a tiny little place off the radar which I get a great schedule. Only three weekends a year and one holiday. I'm hoping for a weekend option job soon!

janine

Hi Janine!
Of course, I haven't worked at either of those 2 places..LOL. I worked St. Anthony's for 8 years, St. John's for a year, did agency at all the SSM facilities, then went to Florida as a traveler for awhile and came back a year ago because of family issues and am currently on a travel assignment at St. Mary's. I plan on going to Las Vegas for a travel assignment this summer, then off to California as a traveler mainly because they have the nurse/patient ratios that are strictly adhered to and that will be a welcome relief!! I feel lately that the hospital I am at is becoming more and more unsafe with the nurse/patient ratios getting higher and higher. I am working on a tele floor and the ratio has been getting as high as 7:1 which CAN be do-able but not when the acuity is high as well and patients are on drips and everything else, plus add in the fact that most shifts there isn't phlebotomy, transport, etc and we do the lab sticks, EKG's and everything on top of that workload..its just getting to be too much....Heck, last night they even admitted a guy to our floor with an H&H of 2.3/8.7!!! I kid you not, I haven't ever seen a patient that low...my lowest seen was a HGB of 4.5...and thay gave this patient to a nurse that already had 5 others at the time. Sorry, but in my book that is an ICU patient.
Sorry, didn't mean to ramble..I am actually going to post about this under a different subject to hear what others have to say about unsafe situations. My question for you actually was is St. Alexius closing or is that just another rumor going around? i had head that it was shutting down floor by floor and that there was mainly only psych there now and what was left of the hospital is slowly being phased out over the next year or so. i am just interested to see if the gossip about that is true. I actually just heard about this about a week ago.
I know there is weekend option where I work but for reasons like i mentioned above, i honestly wouldn't recommend going there.

Since this subject really isn't on topic anymore, you can email me at [email protected] if you want.
Have a great day!
Denise