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What education path to become a registered nurse is recommended the most? A bachelors or an associates degree?

I want to be a Nurse Practitioner and to my understanding I have to be licensed as an RN first and later move on to graduate school to get my title as a Nurse Practitioner. My question is if it is better to go to a four year university or community college to get my RN license. Will community college save me money or will a four year education open more doors for me? #nurse #career-paths #nurse-practitioner

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Robert’s Answer

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To become a nurse practitioner (NP) you will always need to be a RN first. There are multiple pathways you can take. The page http://www.careervillage.org/questions/1083/when-becoming-a-nurse-which-degree-is-better-to-get-first-msn-or-bsn contains some good information also. That said getting your BSN could follow several paths:
Associates Degree and RN license --> Bachelors Degree (4-6 years for this option)
Bachelors Degree and RN license (4-5 years for this option)
If you have a Bachelors Degree and get into an accelerated program you get your education to allow you to become a RN then move immediately into your NP education.


Any way you go you will have a bachelors degree first then a masters and most likely a doctorate by the time you are done.


What works for you depends a lot on what is available where you will be going to school. I want to be clear about the accelerated programs, they are a lot of work and the nurses graduated from those programs are excellent. I've not seen any research on NPs who have gone through an accelerated program that showed they were significantly different in qualifications from those who went the more traditional route.

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Jared’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team

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Hi there! Great question. I think the answer to your question is posted on another very similar question asked by another student... http://www.careervillage.org/questions/1083/when-becoming-a-nurse-which-degree-is-better-to-get-first-msn-or-bsn ...If that doesn't answer your question, please add a comment here to clarify a bit and we can try again.

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Suzanne’s Answer

I would definitely say stick with the BSN. In the short term, it may save some money doing a 2 yrs RN program, but in the long run, it will open many more doors as far as job opportunities. Many hospitals are now requiring you to have a BSN unless you have years of experience as an RN. While some hospitals will allow you to sign a contract to obtain the BSN within so many years, many of the Magnet hospitals are starting to only accept new graduates with BSNs. I have a BA in psychology but only an Associates in nursing, so I have experienced these issues first hand. I am planning to go on and get my BSN and most likely MSN as well. I wish you the best!!
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