Considering a career in nursing? Whether you decide to pursue an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), both paths lead to becoming a registered nurse (RN).

While an ADN and BSN both prepare you for the NCLEX, BSN programs are recognized for their comprehensive curriculum that has been shown to enhance first-time .

Additionally, while ADN graduates can benefit from faster entry into the workforce, BSN graduates earn a deeper theoretical foundation, invaluable leadership skills, and higher earning potential. BSN graduates are also increasingly sought after as more healthcare facilities move toward BSN-preferred hiring policies due to their comprehensive education and skill set.

If you鈥檙e wondering which program is the right fit for you, read on to learn more about the differences between an ADN and a BSN program.

What Is an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)?

An Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is a nursing degree that equips students to take and pass the NCLEX to become registered nurses. Generally, ADN programs take two years to complete. They are designed to help students obtain entry-level RN roles such as a staff nurse, charge nurse, or clinic nurse.

While specific requirements program structures vary between institutions, you鈥檒l generally enroll in the following courses:

• General education courses
• Core nursing courses
• Clinical practicum/clinical placements
• NCLEX preparation

A well-rounded ADN program incorporates hands-on training with in-depth core nursing courses to provide a foundation for passing the NCLEX, becoming a registered nurse, and pursuing further study if desired.

What Is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)?

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing is an advanced nursing degree that builds upon foundational nursing education to train graduates for a broader scope of practice and leadership roles within healthcare.

Combining both classroom education with extensive clinical training, BSN programs are structured to deepen theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are critical for professional nursing practice. Typical components of a BSN program include:

• General education courses (for those without an undergraduate degree)
• Core nursing courses
• Specialized electives
• Leadership and management courses
• Clinical practicum/clinical placements
• NCLEX preparation

To prepare you for the field of nursing, consider enrolling in a BSN program that provides you with both the didactic learning and hands-on practice you need to prepare for the fast-paced world of patient care. A solid curriculum is both industry-current and forward-thinking.

How Long Does It Take to Complete an ADN vs. BSN Program?

There are several factors to consider when choosing between an ADN and a BSN program 鈥� time to completion is a significant one. Even after you graduate with your degree through an accredited nursing program, you鈥檒l still need to pass the NCLEX exam to become an RN.

Take a look at the time it takes to become an RN depending on the most common educational paths below:

• ADN: As little as 20 months at WCU-Miami
• BSN: As little as 39 months at WCU鈥檚 Accelerated pace

Before you decide on a program, note how long the school estimates it will take you to complete an ADN or BSN program through full-time or part-time enrollment. This can help ensure that you鈥檙e able to fully commit yourself to the degree requirements while also keeping up with your personal responsibilities.

Lastly, remember that while an ADN program may be shorter, a BSN program meets the growing educational standards required by an increasing amount of healthcare facilities nationwide.

Career Opportunities and Advancement: ADN vs. BSN

Generally, those with a BSN may qualify for different positions than those with an ADN alone. However, the key advantage of an ADN is that it allows students to enter the workforce quickly.

for ADNs include but are not limited to:

• Staff Nurse (Hospital or Clinic)
• Home Health Nurse
• Critical Care Nurse
• Telehealth Nurse
• Charge Nurse
• School Nurse

RNs with an ADN tend to have a versatile skill set and can handle a broad spectrum of critical tasks. Although, choosing to specialize in a specific area might necessitate additional education and/or training.

for BSNs include but are not limited to:

• Nurse Manager/Nurse Supervisor
• Labor and Delivery (L&D) Nurse
• Emergency Room Nurse
• Clinical Nurse Educator
• Public Health Nurse
• Psychiatric Nurse
• Oncology Nurse
• Pediatric Nurse

Some states, such as , require RNs to complete BSN degrees.

Take the Next Step in Your Nursing Education

Looking to enter a more specialized healthcare field of study and/or prepare for leadership roles? 国产主播 offers a hands-on BSN program at our campuses in Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and Southern California 鈥� allowing you to graduate in as little as 39 months at the Accelerated page.

If you feel that an associate degree program better matches your current needs, enroll in WCU鈥檚 ADN program in Miami and earn your degree through hands-on learning in simulation labs, where you鈥檒l practice on-the-job skills

Designed for current healthcare professionals, this immersive program allows you to earn your degree in as little as 20 months. Best of all, the Miami ADN program has no waitlist, so you can get started and prepare to make a difference sooner.

Regardless of which path you take, WCU students benefit from a student-centric approach to education, simulation labs, and innovative learning tools that are designed to aid in your success.

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Considering a career in nursing? You鈥檙e making a great choice that could impact generations to come! However, before you start your nursing journey, you have one important decision to make: Should you pursue an associate or a bachelor鈥檚 degree? While an associate degree in nursing (ADN) provides the basic preparation to pursue an RN license, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) can unlock more opportunities in the long term.

Keep reading to learn more about these two degrees!

A BSN Is a Key that Unlocks Many Doors

While an ADN gets you started, a BSN can help equip you for more opportunities within the nursing field. A bachelor鈥檚 education emphasizes critical thinking skills that help prepare you for leadership roles and challenging positions!

Additionally, a BSN prepares you to pursue further education. If you dream of becoming a nurse practitioner, educator, or manager, a BSN can be the better choice. Many of these roles require specialized skills 鈥� and can even require a graduate preparation. A bachelor鈥檚 degree helps ensure you鈥檙e ready to pursue these opportunities when the time is right.

WCU-Miami Makes Your Degree Possible

While a four-year BSN can seem like a long road compared to a shorter ADN, our flexible programs can put your bachelor鈥檚 degree within reach. The BSN program at WCU-Miami offers three program paces: Accelerated, Working Professional, and Evening and Weekends. These options allow you to choose the schedule that works for you, making your degree a reality.

Additionally, with no waitlists and no associate degree required, you can start working towards your bachelor鈥檚 right away, earning your degree in as little as 39 months at the Accelerated pace 鈥� that鈥檚 just over three years!

If you want to learn more about our BSN and find out if WCU-Miami is right for you, explore the program at WestCoastUniversity.edu!

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The best nurses consider themselves life-long learners, constantly seeking ways to expand and improve their skills. They advance their education in order to provide more comprehensive care to their patients.

If you鈥檙e ready to take that next step and become a registered nurse, this handy guide can help you figure out where to start. Check it out!

LPNs and RNs: What’s the difference?

LPNs are licensed practical nurses, also called licensed vocational nurses (LVN) in some states. They focus on providing basic medical care, performing a variety of tasks that often focus on the patient鈥檚 comfort and health. For example, they might:

• Monitoring vital signs
• Changing bandages
• Helping patients bathe or dress
• Reporting progress to registered nurses or doctors¹

Registered nurses (RNs), meanwhile, generally have a broader scope of responsibilities. In addition to basic medical care, they can also:

• Assess patients鈥� conditions
• Set up plans for patients鈥� care
• Collaborate with doctors and other healthcare professionals
• Operate and monitor medical equipment
• Teach patients and their families how to manage an illness or injury²

You can read more about the different levels and degrees available within nursing on our blog, Different Nursing Paths for Nurses Who Never Stop Learning!

How do I become an RN?

To become an RN, students must earn either their associate or bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing. Once they have their degrees, they must then pass the NCLEX-RN licensure exam, which tests whether they are equipped for the job.

If you want to go from an LPN to an RN license, the first step is to find a degree program that fits your needs. Look for schools that allow you to leverage your existing LPN education and experience to help streamline your path towards registered nursing. Here are some questions to ask when considering degree programs:

• How long will it take me to earn my degree?
• Can I transfer credits from my LPN education?
• Will I be able to balance my schoolwork with my nursing job?

Below, we鈥檒l provide a break-down of the WCU programs that can help you reach your goal of becoming an RN!

Associate Degree in Nursing

Our Associate Degree in Nursing program is offered out of our WCU-Miami campus. The LPN to ADN pathway allows students to transfer eligible credits towards their degree. Here鈥檚 what you need to know:

LVN/LPN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Our LVN/LPN to BSN program bridges the gap between your LPN education and a bachelor鈥檚 in nursing. LPNs are able to apply their previous experience towards their degree. Here鈥檚 what you need to know:

*Multiple program paces available so you can find the schedule that works for you.

Taking the First Step

Are you ready to begin your journey towards your RN education? We鈥檙e here to help. Start by scheduling a campus tour. You鈥檒l be able to explore our facilities and get to know our nursing programs.

We look forward to helping you reach your full potential!

¹Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,

² Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,

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A career in nursing is a rewarding and impactful choice, and a vocation that requires both medical acumen and empathy. Registered nurses can be found in every type of medical setting, from hospitals and assisted living residences to outpatient facilities and physician鈥檚 offices. RNs also often work in schools or in home healthcare.

The field of focus for placements can be anything from primary to acute care. In short: your opportunities for a career in nursing are diverse and manifold. No matter where you choose to practice, there are certain duties all RNs are expected to be able to perform. They include:

• Performing physical exams
• Delivering direct care and medications
• Implementation of physician orders
• Patient education and counsel
• Emotional support
• Supervising assistants, LPNs, and nursing aides
• Medical record maintenance
• Developing nursing care plans
• Ensuring room prep and decontamination

Overall, a nurse鈥檚 role is equal parts tactical, supervisory, and compassionate. An exceptional RN balances these functions seamlessly and expertly. But before you can practice, you鈥檒l need to earn a degree and nursing license. And before you decide your course of entry into a career as an RN, it鈥檚 important to understand the two primary types of RN degrees: an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Both types of RNs must pass the in order to legally practice nursing.

So what鈥檚 the actual difference between the two types of nurses in terms of educational requirements, professional responsibilities, and employment opportunities? Here鈥檚 a quick rundown of each:

ADN Nurse

An RN with an associate degree (ADN) is qualified to practice in many of the same ways as a BSN nurse, and in the same types of facilities. An ADN degree typically takes two years, with similar clinical training to that of a BSN student.

• Two-year degree
• Community college or vocational school
• Comparable duties to BSN

ADN nurses often opt to return to school for an additional two years to get an RN-BSN degree. Many schools offer working ADN nurses flexible study options, and even online RN-BSN programs, to accommodate schedules.

The key difference in training is that an ADN course of study stops short of the additional skills taught in a BSN four-year program. An RN-BSN includes coursework in evidence-based practice (research), leadership, and community and public-health nursing, aligned with ) BSN essentials.  

An ADN RN degree also may not be as competitive for a job opening as a BSN 鈥� often preferred by employers.

BSN Nurse

Unlike an RN with an associate鈥檚 degree, an RN with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing studies for four years, or adds an additional two years to an already completed ADN.

• Four-year degree (or about two if starting from an ADN degree)
• University or nursing school
• Typical advantage in employment opportunity

A BSN degree expands on the primary nursing and clinical skills taught through an ADN program. These additional skills may include technology as it relates to care, research, and safety measures in healthcare. As a Bachelor of Science Nurse, you may in management.

If you鈥檙e a practicing RN already and would like to advance your nursing education even further with a graduate-level degree, you may pursue a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), picking up from your existing degree, through an MSN program. From there you can take your degree even further, to a post-graduate nursing degree.

To learn more about nursing degree programs and the nursing profession, keep reading our WCU blog.

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Since then, he’s also become a husband, a father of two and a homeowner 鈥� but he’s always remained a nurse.

WCU no longer offers associate degrees, but Castillo and his fellow graduates have gone on to work in the field of nursing for a decade and continue to provide an excellent example of the gradates 国产主播 produces.

Castillo, who is now employed full-time at Kaiser Permanente as a psychiatric nurse, recently took time on his day off to share about his experience at WCU and what being a nurse means to him. Below, we’ve reprinted the introduction that was read to the commencement audience before Castillo’s valedictorian address.

鈥⑩赌⑩赌�

“Who is this kid?”

While most of Damian鈥檚 classmates from La Habra High School are still trying to find the right career path, Damian Castillo, the valedictorian of the first associate degree in nursing graduating class at 国产主播, is ready, at age 23, to begin his career as a registered nurse.

Graduating with a 4.0 GPA certainly is achievement enough, but Damian鈥檚 triumph is especially gratifying given the personal obstacles he has overcome, along with his 鈥渃reative鈥� strategy for getting around the nursing education gridlock in the California State University system.

Despite a critical nursing shortage and his 3.3 GPA in prerequisites, Damian was one of 60 percent of qualified applicant鈥檚 who are turned away from our state schools due to lack of space and faculty. Fortunately, this setback was short-lived because his aunt gave him what proved to be valuable advice: apply to a vocational nursing program, and then later apply to an LVN-to-RN bridge program. Damian took his aunt鈥檚 advice and graduated third in his LVN class and promptly passed the LVN licensing exam.

One day, after working for about a year as an LVN at Placentia Linda Hospital in Yorba Linda, Damian saw an ad for an LVN-to-RN bridge program. He applied to the school and was accepted into a program that had no wait-list and required no prerequisites to start. The program was only 80 weeks but because he already had many of the prerequisite courses he was able to transfer them and started into the 40-week nursing course portion in April 2006.

Damian鈥檚 life, especially his early childhood years was burdened by hardship. Beginning at age 3, Damian and his older brother were separated and spent the next four years in foster care. Although both his parents were in the medical field and well-educated, they had significant health problems and were unable to care for the boys. At age 7, although Damian and his brother were reunited with their mother, they needed ongoing help from government assistance programs. When Damian was 13, his mother suffered a massive heart attack and finally died in May 1999. He went to live with his aunt and uncle.

The legacy left by Damian鈥檚 mother was one of discovering the work you love to do, the work that makes you happy. She never once tried to push him into a medical career, but she certainly inspired him with her passion and dedication to the nursing profession.

Dr. Gloria Blatti, the dean of the Los Angles campus of 国产主播, remembers her first encounter with Damian. She was giving an extensive exam on leadership and management, which he finished in 15 minutes 鈥� and got an A. When he turned it in, Dr. Blatti thought to herself, 鈥淲ho is this kid?鈥� and several months later in February 2007 when word hit the campus that Damian finished the NCLEX exam in 30 minutes, nobody believed him. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction because Damian officially is a registered nurse.

Damian鈥檚 story is one of triumph over adversity, of continuing to believe in yourself and never letting go of a passion to help people by becoming a RN. Now, ready to dedicate himself to the work he truly loves, Damian remains pragmatic.

鈥淢y advice to others is to pursue your dreams, do what you love to do, not for money or fame, but because you are really passionate and driven about the work,鈥� he said.

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