You’re positive that nursing is the field for you. You’ve visited hospitals and clinics, seen nurses at work, and know this is the place where you’re meant to be.

But there seem to be a lot of different ways you can get there. From LPN to ADN, BSN to accelerated BSN, there are an overwhelming number of program options when it comes to nursing school.

Having honed in on the right career for you, picking the appropriate pathway to best support your journey is the difficult, yet correct, next step. If you’re not sure where to start, you’ve stumbled onto the right article.

Below, we’ll unpack the important questions that will lead you to the best nursing school degree for your unique situation.

Organizing your nursing school pathway

Every good plan starts at a kitchen table with paper, pens, pencils, and a bunch of random lists. So, it’s time to get those metaphorical ducks in a row and make a few lists of your own.

Start by answering some of the big questions:

• What are your current financial responsibilities? Familial responsibilities?
• What sorts of things can be put on pause at the moment if you choose to pursue a degree?
• Can you move easily, or are you locked into a lease for a while?
• Are you currently employed? Are your hours flexible?
• Could you feasibly balance a part-time Nursing school degree alongside your current job?

Then consider personal factors related to your learning style and career goals. Do you…

• Learn best in person, face-to-face with my instructors? Or are you better suited to self-directed online learning?
• Prefer to take time to digest new information, or to take it all in as quickly as possible?
• Want to pursue leadership opportunities or prefer being part of a well-led team?

Your answers to these questions will begin to reveal a nursing school pathway that works best for you. You may notice that a part-time option sounds more attractive and achievable, or moving across the country for a full-time program may be doable right now if you can figure out funding. Once you start to form a loose internal plan, it’s time to narrow down your search.

Start your Nursing school degree at Goodwin

Types of nursing school degrees

One of the biggest hurdles in deciding which nursing school degree is best for you is understanding the wide variety of nursing programs available. You could study at a free, public nursing program after waiting a few years to get in, or start within a few weeks at an open-enrollment nursing assistant program that creates work opportunities within months. The options are vast.

To support your nursing school search, here are the rungs that hold together the nursing educational ladder:

• Certified nursing assistant (CNA) and patient care technician/assistant (PCT/A). A CNA or PCT/A position is the base of the nursing ladder, supporting the whole structure by assisting nurses and caring for patients. Many early-career nurses choose to become certified first as nursing assistants, working their way through their nursing school part-time while earning a paycheck as part of a hospital care team.
• Licensed practical nurse (LPN). This type of nurse does not complete a full degree, but an intense, post-secondary certificate program that qualifies graduates to work a bit more independently than CNAs. Graduates must also pass the NCLEX-PN exam to qualify for licensure.
• Associate degree in Nursing (ADN). The quickest pathway to becoming a registered nurse (RN) is to complete an associate degree in Nursing. This can be done in just under two years, depending on what general education requirements you still need to fulfill. Graduates must pass the NCLEX-RN to qualify for licensure before beginning positions as an RN.
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Traditional BSN programs consist of a four-year degree that culminates with taking the NCLEX-RN to finalize your licensure. This pathway includes leadership training and internship opportunities along the way, ensuring you’re ready to competently lead nursing teams after graduation.
• RN-to-BSN degree. Designed for registered nurses who have their license, but are seeking career advancement, RN-to-BSN programs allow seasoned nurses to expand their careers quickly and in a flexible way. RN-to-BSN degrees are often offered online and part-time for working nurses, providing them a leg-up when it comes to career advancement long-term.
• Accelerated BSN. Only available to those who’ve already graduated with a bachelor’s degree in another discipline, the accelerated BSN option is perfect for a mid-career shift into nursing, a not uncommon, but less traditional nursing school path.
• Advanced practice registered nursing (APRN) programs. An abbreviated mouthful of alphabet soup of acronyms to say the least, APRN programs are master’s level degrees designed for those who’ve already spent a lot of time on the ground as an RN. They are typically offered in dedicated specializations, such as family practice (FNP) or psychiatric mental health (PMHNP). If you’re looking to advance your practice, scope, leadership, and skills, you may consider becoming a nurse practitioner along your career path, opening up many possibilities for enhanced community care, as well as higher salaries. These nurses can practice independently from doctors, running their own clinics, prescribing medicine, and making an immense direct impact on the daily lives of their patients and communities.

There are many legitimate pathways into the wide world of nursing, so don’t discount something less than traditional that appeals to you. You may choose to spend some time at nearly every rung of the ladder, taking night classes alongside shift work and enjoying the challenge and camaraderie along the way. Or get creative about supporting yourself straight through seven years of school to fast-track your dream of running your own mental health clinic.

Some early-career nurses are drawn to working their way up from the ground floor, knowing that good leadership later on can be built on time served as a CNA or PCT/A at the start of their careers. Some prefer to launch a career quickly, with an associate degree in Nursing, before going back to school for a flexible BSN.

But for those set up for a four-year degree with a scholarship or two, why not finish your BSN right after high school if that’s feasible for you?

Find your Nursing school path at Goodwin

From certificate programs to online options to graduate degrees, Goodwin University supports nurses at every stage of their careers. Alongside high-quality academic advising, open enrollment policies, and creative scholarship and financial aid solutions, Goodwin is committed to turning out nurses who care about their patients and teams.

Learn more about Nursing degree programs at Goodwin University to see which Nursing school path is right for you.