The four-year program is called Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The two year is Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in nursing. BOTH qualify you to take state exams and earn a registered nursing license.

The graduates of the BSN program will be paid a little more, usually, but the demand for nurses is enormous and graduates of the AAS will make rather good money.

Now, the two-year program–despite its advertising–normally will take closer to three years, unless you get full acceptance at first (some places accept you as a student and you have to finish some general ed. classes before you start the two-year nursing program) and to complete two years you’ll have to carry a huge course load and attend in summers.

Check around for one thing–many nursing programs around my area are having trouble finding places where their students can complete required clinicals. Some nursing students complete the class work but then wait three years for the clinicals–a horrible deal financially and educationally, since the student can’t earn nurse’s salary and tends to forget knowledge that’s not used.

Now, if you complete the AAS and want to go for a BSN, you’ll want to check transfer policies at those four-year colleges. Some will accept all of your AAS course work and you’ll need a year or two to finish the BSN; others will accept zero credits or maybe just a few general ed. ones and you’ll have to do three or four more years.

A nice way to proceed is to finish the AAS and get the RN and go to work right away. Then get into a position where your employer will pay for you to raise your credentials to the BSN–in those cases, your employer may have special deals with local colleges where your credits are all accepted and the course work is scheduled around your job hours.

Frankly, I see no bad choices between the ones you’re considering–just check on whether they’ve got any shortfall in clinical rotations and you’re set. Do well!

I went to community college first. Got my RN degree. I got a job in a hospital and started my BSN at CSUF. My hospital paid all of my school bills. I didn’t have to take any loans for my nursing degree. This is the advantage of going to a community college. Universities charge a lot more and hospitals don’t pay more for your BSN. You will start as a bedside nurse anyways, so it doesn’t matter if you have BSN or not. Some hospitals do pay more for BSN, but it’s only a dollar more.

E-mail me I can guide you.

Caution:-

Stay away from private universities or diploma program. They charge way too much and you will have to take bunch of loans. My friends who went to Universities first are still paying their loans. Community college is cost-effective.