If you’ve chosen nursing as a career path, you’re in good company! Nursing employment is expected to grow faster than the national average between now and 2030, and in 2020, enrollment in nursing programs increased 5.6 percent. The past two years have been challenging for nurses, but one thing is for certain: There are few jobs as fulfilling or important as nursing.
For example, one University of Connecticut sophomore switched her major from education to nursing after watching nurses care for her 84-year-grandmother, who had both COVID-19 and cancer.
“They were switching out their protective gear in between every patient, running like crazy trying to make sure all of their patients were attended to,” she said. “I had that moment of clarity that made me want to jump right into health care and join the workers on the front line.”
Becoming a nurse is a challenging, rewarding goal, and getting your associate’s degree in nursing online is a flexible option for your busy schedule. Here’s a breakdown to help you get started:
The path to becoming a nurse
Choosing between an ADN and BSN
Finding the right online program
1. Know the Path to Become a Nurse
There are three major steps to becoming a nurse.
Earn an RN diploma, an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). To earn your degree, you can complete either an in-person or online program. This typically takes two to four years depending on your course load.
Work at a healthcare facility to gain clinical experience (often referred to as “clinicals”). During this step, you’ll have a clinical instructor who acts as your liaison between the healthcare facility and school, and they will be observing you as you shadow a staff nurse. The hour requirements vary, but you can typically expect to spend about 70 hours on clinicals.
Pass the national RN examination (NCLEX-RN). This six-hour test focuses on four areas: providing a safe and effective care environment, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity, and physiological integrity.
2. Decide between an ADN or BSN
In step one above, we mentioned that you can earn an RN diploma. This can be a fast option, but it may lead to less advancement than if you earn an ADN or BSN. We’re going to focus on those two last options here.
In the choice between getting an ADN or a BSN, which is the right option for you? You can find online programs for both options, and both prepare you to take the NCLEX-RN. Still, each program has different pros and cons. Let’s compare them.
ADN
BSN
How long the program takes
20–24 months
36 months
What you can do with the degree
Focused on technical clinical tasks and day-to-day care
Direct patient care plus leadership and big picture initiatives
NCLEX first-time pass rates (2021)
80.45%
89.96%
Possible next steps in your education
● Complete an RN-to-ADN bridge program
● Apply credits to a non-nursing bachelor’s degree such as public health
Once you’ve decided whether to go the ADN or the BSN route, it’s time to decide where you’ll get your degree. Keep in mind that no matter where you go, you’ll have to complete your clinicals in person (hey, you’ve got to learn how to place an IV sometime!). But there are many classes—usually generals and your introduction to nursing classes—in nursing programs that you can complete online.
In general, it’s easier to find an online BSN program than an online ADN program. There are simply more of them available! But if you feel that an ADN program is the way to go for you, here are some tips for finding a great online ADN program:
Look out for required prerequisites. Some ADN programs require that you have your LPN license or equivalent work experience first.
Start by checking which local community schools have online ADN programs. That way, you can do most of the academic work online and then not have to travel to do lab and clinical requirements.
Consider some of these accredited online ADN programs: Nightingale College, Northwestern Michigan College, John A. Logan College, Sampson Community College, and Rasmussen College.
Becoming a nurse is challenging, but it’s such a rewarding process. Getting your associate’s degree in nursing online may be the perfect, flexible option for you to get started, and you may even be able to work while you take classes. To browse local CNA jobs that will fit with your schedule while you earn your ADN or BSN, visit Generations Healthcare at lifegen.net/career-hiring.
Yes, she’s a frontline nurse during the apex of the Delta summer surge, but Nurse of the Week Misty Freeman, RN, CCRN knows that she’s where she belongs. The North Carolina ICU nurse told local reporter Wylie Bell Richmond, “I love critical care nursing, and although we are in a pandemic, I couldn’t see myself in any other career during this time.”
Freeman focuses on Covid patients right now but is known as an all-rounder. She’s worked in units ranging from the ER and ICU to the progressive care unit, women’s service, and telemetry. And there is no proverbial “eating of our young” at Scotland Memorial Hospital, where she has worked for nearly 15 years. Having been a candy-striper as a teen, Freeman has a place in her heart for any of the “new kids.” She makes time to support new nurses on the unit and mentors them and the cohorts of nursing students from Richmond Community College.
A graduate of Richmond Community College – where she earned her ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) – Freeman recalls being inspired by the faculty – and her own RCC mentor is proud to return the compliment. Her former instructor Ronnie Lynn Tunstall, in fact, offers the kind of praise that one might tape to their mirror as a daily affirmation message: “Misty is a positive role model, but above and beyond she is an amazing nurse who takes care of her patients, families and other members of the healthcare team.”
“I went into nursing because I love helping people, and no matter what, I would do that at any cost.”
Her formative ADN experience entailed a great deal of hard work and perseverance – and close attention to nurturing a fast-growing infant. As she considered plans for embarking on her dream career, Freeman know she couldn’t lose time chasing will-o’-the-wisps. “At the time [that I enrolled], I had a small child so going off to a university wasn’t an option. After doing some research, I knew that going off to a university did not necessarily make you a better nurse.” She adds, “I knew RichmondCC had an awesome nursing program.”
While inspiring, it was also challenging. At dinner times, her family soon became accustomed to seeing Freeman arrive at the table with her textbooks, so she could keep up with her assignments.
“Nothing came easy for me and I knew that I had to get through the program the first time around so I really had to study. My parents are the ones who instilled in me that education is important, and they helped me get through school.”
Freeman only earned her ADN degree at Richmond CC, but her experience in the program brought her love of nursing to full bloom, leaving her with a profound attachment to her alma mater and to Scotland Memorial as well (the hospital covered most of her college expenses during her first two years there).
“After doing some research, I knew that going off to a university did not necessarily make you a better nurse.”
What does she see for her future? There IS another dream, albeit still within the nursing fold. Freeman is bent on becoming a flight nurse. “I did a ride-along program with Duke Life Flight [in Durham, NC], and the experience was amazing,” she says. So, Scotland Memorial’s “role model” nurse may spread her wings further before long.
First, though, she may wait to establish a family tradition at RCC and SMH. Freeman’s now-grown daughter, Hailey Bustard, is studying at Richmond CC and preparing to transfer into a radiology program. Hailey’s mom couldn’t be happier about this: “College can be one of the most exciting times in your life. It’s an experience that comes with memories that last a lifetime… I’m proud my daughter is attending RichmondCC and… getting the support she needs to accomplish her goals.”
And does Freeman feel that she did in fact “sign on” for a pandemic? Well, she does say, “I went into nursing because I love helping people, and no matter what, I would do that at any cost.”
To see more details on Misty Freeman, check out this story on the RCC News.
The Stony Brook University School of Nursing and Suffolk County Community College, both located on Long Island, NY, recently announced they are launching the Suffolk-Stony Brook Nursing First Program. Beginning in September 2017, the new program will take on an inaugural class of 65 students who will be accepted into an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing Program at Suffolk and then be pre-selected to move directly into a Registered Nurse BSN program at Stony Brook.
Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP, Senior Vice President of the Health Sciences and Dean of the Stony Brook School of Medicine, tells the Stony Brook Newsroom, “The purpose of Nursing First is to facilitate academic progression to higher levels of education in nursing. It will also help build a stronger nursing workforce on Long Island and in New York State.” Dr. Lee Anne Xippolitos, Dean of the Stony Brook University School of Nursing, explains the need for the nursing program partnership:
“Our colleagues at Suffolk do an outstanding job in preparing and diversifying our nursing workforce with the selection and training of future nurses. However, with dramatic changes in an ever-changing healthcare landscape, the need to educate nurses who are skilled at the highest levels is necessary. This program provides the students with a wonderful bridge to that education.”
Students in the program will take part in the joint nursing program which creates a pathway for students to move directly from the largest SUNY associate degree program to the best bachelor’s program in the SUNY system. With an educational model emphasizing the importance of smooth academic transition from associate to baccalaureate nursing programs, Nursing First students will be well prepared for a diverse nursing workforce and fast-paced healthcare landscape.
To learn more about the new Suffolk-Stony Brook Nursing First Program, visit here.
