Healthcare careers pay well and carry a level of prestige precisely because they are difficult. But how difficult? The academically disinclined pretty much understand instinctively that the MD route—with its decade-plus of graduate training—will not be for them. Nursing, on the other hand, is accessible with only an undergraduate degree.
How hard is it to become a nurse? And once you are one, will a graduate degree be attainable? In this article, we take a look at how difficult nursing school really is.
Is There Such a Thing as an Associate’s Level Nursing Degree?
An associate’s degree is a two-year certification. Can you become a nurse with only an ASN? Kind of. There are select positions within a hospital setting that you can hold with only an associate’s degree in nursing. However, hiring patterns overwhelmingly favor BSNs. Even positions that can be obtained with an associate's degree are typically restricted by what some call “the paper ceiling.”
In other words, the extent of your responsibilities will be limited because you don’t have your BSN.
Most people get their ASN as a stepping stone toward a BSN. You can earn your associate's degree in nursing at many community colleges. It’s a great way to get an affordable degree that will allow you to work in a hospital setting. From there, you can decide if you would like to continue with a more advanced degree.
Is Getting a BSN Hard?
The difficulty of any college degree is subjective. Some people simply won’t do well in any undergraduate environment because their ideal learning style does not align well with the very “reading and writing,” oriented world of college education.
That’s ok. However, it does mean that you would probably struggle with a BSN program.
Let’s assume that you are comfortable with the learning requirements of a college education. In that case, you should find a nursing degree achievable.
That’s not the same as saying it will be easy.
To get your BSN you will need to complete four years of curriculum. This will include gen-eds along with nursing-specific classes. You will also need to gain extensive clinical experience. To meet your clinical requirements, you will need to do rotations within a hospital so that you can gain firsthand experience as a nurse.
Not only does this help you develop a practical understanding of concepts that you learned in school, but it will also give you a sense of what it is like to work as a nurse.
Once you’ve done all of this you are ready to graduate. However, there is one hurdle ahead before you can start working as a nurse. You’ll still need to pass the NCLEX. The NCLEX is a standardized test that you can only take once you have graduated from an accredited nursing program.
Most people do pass it on their first try, but it requires considerable effort and is often a source of immense stress.
After all of that you are finally ready to work as a nurse. The experience is so subjective that it would be disingenuous to assign it a difficulty level. Most people pursuing their BSN will need to work hard to get their degree. However, they will most likely find the experience doable if they make the appropriate effort.
Isn’t that the case with most things?
Getting the MSN
A Master of Science in Nursing is the next step up the educational ladder. It’s through this degree that you can take on Advanced Practice work—like becoming a nurse practitioner. Getting an MSN as a full-time student generally takes 2-3 years.
Of course, most people who enroll in these programs are already working as nurses. In that case, you might take even longer to get your degree, balancing the educational requirements with your professional bandwidth.
MSN programs generally require a combination of classroom and practical experience. The exact requirements will depend on the school you choose and the type of program that you are enrolled in.
Naturally, graduate school work is more advanced than undergraduate work. Is it harder? Again, we are drifting into very subjective territory. Most people who enroll in graduate programs are academically inclined, which is in and of itself a considerable advantage.
It’s also important to remember that you will be building off your existing knowledge areas. So while the concepts may become more granular and more complicated, you should have a solid foundation to approach them confidently.
Getting an MSN is hard, but many people who were able to comfortably complete their undergraduate work will find this to be an achievable extension of their college education.
Doctorate Level Nursing
Now we are venturing into truly rarified air. Less than 2% of the population has a doctorate degree. Not only is the work itself challenging, but to get to the point of holding a doctorate in nursing, you will need to have completed about ten years of college when all is said and done. Not many people have that kind of academic endurance.
And of course, that doesn’t even factor in the enormous expense. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars.
PhD programs are often very research intensive. You may be expected to conduct your own studies and present your findings at a professional level. Expectations are incredibly high and to succeed, your level of commitment needs to be absolute.
At the graduate level, the “it’s all very subjective,” line doesn’t apply as much. Most people will be challenged by their PhD program, even if you’ve historically been a pretty good student.
Getting a doctorate in nursing does come with rewards. You’ll be able to work at the highest levels of your profession. This could take you all the way to the C-suite if that is your ambition. CNOs (Chief Nursing Officers) make large, six-figure salaries, and play an important leadership role in their healthcare communities.
You can also work in an educational capacity as a college professor with this degree. College professors can also make six-figure salaries. And while the work is not easy, it is often less stressful than hospital work.
