Do you want to become a nurse? Is helping patients achieve a good quality of life, what you truly want? Nursing involves empathy and compassion, combined with the right knowledge to facilitate health. In these modern times, nurses are already given new roles. They are now involved in the detection and control of hypertension, managing developmental disabilities, emergency treatments for victims of rape, midwifery, counseling to dying patients and their families, and substance abuse. They are also involved more in home care.

To become a nurse, you should have the right training inside the classroom and inside a hospital. Which should you have? A BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) or an ADN (Associate’s Degree in Nursing)?

What Happens if You Earned a BSN?

It takes four years to finish a BSN if you haven’t attended college before.   If you took college courses before, then you could finish your BSN in just 18 to 21 months. The BSN program offers more subjects in nursing theory, which includes nursing informatics and nursing research. If you take the BSN path to your RN license, you gain more opportunities to gain promotions. If you want to take an advanced degree, like a nurse anesthetist or a nurse practitioner, you are more prepared. According to the AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing), nurses who have BSN are always associated with lower mortality, lower rates in failure to rescue, and better patient recoveries.

Nurses who are prepared though the BSN program have acquired their education and training from accredited universities or colleges. They also trained in administrative roles, leadership, and management. A nurse with a bachelor’s degree is more qualified in nursing jobs that need additional training and education. These jobs include department coordinator, manager, and nurse educator. Many health institutions require their new nurses to have a BSN. If there are nurses employed before this requirement, they are given 3-5 years to complete their BSN program. BSN graduates are paid more and they have the option to move beyond being an RN or a registered nurse.

What Happens if You Earned an ADN?

If you decide to take an ADN, then you will save more money. It is not as expensive as taking a BSN program. It also takes less time to finish. With an ADN, you become an RN in just two years. If you want to continue your nursing education, you may do so by earning a BSN by means of a bridge program. You can accomplish this while working as an RN in a healthcare institution. You even have the option of taking the BSN program online.

Many employers are now looking for RNs who have BSN training. The flexibility given to nurses in the BSN program makes it more desirable than the ADN program. In addition to this, nurses with ADN training do not have the same pay scale as nurses who finished their BSN.

It is always a dilemma to choose which educational program to take for the nursing licensure that you need. It is true that either ADN or BSN can help you get your RN license, but if you want to move up beyond the “registered nurse” title, then you must complete your BSN program. It may take longer, but it will be worth the effort, time, and money.

Article provided by, Advocate Search Group – a recruiting firm focused exclusively on filling academic nursing program positions throughout the USA

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