Decide what level of nursing you want
to achieve. When making this decision, take into account:
the time it will take you to complete your degree
the amount of money it will cost
your ultimate goal in nursing
You may want to directly enter a program that achieves your
level of desired nursing, or take small steps by working through
the career ladder of Associate
Degree Registered Nurse, and Bachelor's Degree Registered
Nurse.
Associate
Degree in Nursing (ADN)
The nursing curriculum takes two years to complete.
Prerequisites may take 1-2 years to complete prior
to entering the nursing program, depending on the
number of courses you can complete each semester.
In some cases, you may not be able to directly enter
a required class before first taking a course which
is required for the prerequisites (for example, many
schools require you to take chemistry before taking
microbiology). In addition to required prerequisites,
there are additional general education courses that
must be completed for the Associate degree that may
be taken as co-requisites (concurrently), however
it is strongly recommended that they be completed
prior to entering the nursing program due to the intense
nature of the program.
Bachelors
Degree in Nursing (BSN) This avenue takes
4-5 years to complete the nursing curriculum and prerequisites,
mostly on a full time basis. The general education
courses can often be taken at a community college
prior to starting the nursing curriculum as a way
of saving money and increasing flexibility if you
need to work while going to school. Check with the
school you plan to attend to make sure that any courses
you take at a community college are transferable to
their BSN program. A total of 130 units (approximately)
are required for the Bachelor's Degree in Nursing. An Accelerated BSN degree program may also be an option.
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