I’m considering going to a community college and getting my Associates in Nursing but I don’t know if I should go to an actual nursing school for better employment opportunities. Does it matter? I’ve done my research and community college looks more appealing because it is cheaper. But I’m just wondering if the old saying applies to this: you get what you pay for.
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I am a staffing coordinator for Nurses at a prestigious southern California hospital and well there are two ways to look at it.
Nurses are in such demand that the really dont care as long as you are certified by the state and have all your licenses in order (PALS, BLS, so on)
You might think of becoming an LVN first and then go for your RN It is a lot easier that way.
LVN’s pay rate is pretty good all things being considered, its not in the same league as RN’s but at least you are earning something while you are in school..
The most cost efficient route is to spend the money and get your LVN license, then work part time and go to school part time, that way you are making money at the same time.
GOOD LUCK!
as long as the school is accredited you are fine going to the community school, and you will be saving alot of money for the same education. In terms of colleges you really do not get what you pay for, as long as you have good grades and the on hands experience.
If I were you, I’d go directly for my RN and not get the LPN first (no need to do that if RN is what you are interested in).
Entry level jobs as a RN are pretty much the same whether you graduate with an Assoc. Degree, Diploma, or a Bachelor’s Degree. The difference is the opportunities that are open to you later.
The Associates Degree is a good move to get your RN licensure. From there you can easily go onto get your Bachelor’s if you find out you need / want it. It is much cheaper as you say.
You have to consider what you want to do with nursing in your future. Whether you go to community college or a “nursing school” you’ll come out in the end as an RN (going for an LPN isn’t the best idea) what needs to be considered is if you want to go for a masters degree. Many nursing schools offer a BSN they are very expensive and many are not accredited. Which means that if you wanted to go to grad school for a masters the BSN from a nursing school wouldn’t transfer. With an ADN all your credits should transfer within your state and you’ll be able to earn a BSN through a reputable university.
From experience I know that you can get a good education from any of the choices be it a university, community college, or a nursing school. In the end we all take the same NCLEX-RN exam check for first time pass rates on that and it may make your choices easier. Where I’m from the reputable community college has a better pass rate then our large university and that is simply because we have more clinical hours.
The type of degree really doesn’t matter. There is no difference in pay or preference or anything like that. The only thing that you need a BSN for is management so if you want to go into managment go ahead and get your BSN. You can still be charge nurse with your ADN though. I would definitely go for the RN not the LPN and then RN. It doesn’t really make much sense to do that. It would be about the same time-wise and it could actually take longer if you don’t test out of the classes (if you are doing LPN to RN you can take a test to get out of taking that nursing course, but if you don’t pass you have to take it). I got my ADN and it is so easy to get a job. You can go wherever you want and do whatever you want to do. There are so many jobs out there for RNs. And be prepared…community college nursing programs aren’t easy. Be ready to study ALL the time and work really hard. You will have so much fun though and you will learn so much in those few years. I loved it. Good luck!