BSN vs. RN Salary

U.S.A. Alabama

Published

Hi! I got a lot of information about RN salaries from another thread. What it seems to be, is that around the Bham area, starting salaries are at about $18/hr. My question is, to any of you that know, or any of you that are Bachelors' grads, what is the difference in the pay? I have heard that Associates & Bachelors' pay are about the same. Do any of you know if this is true? (It seems that if "they" want BSN grads so bad that they would pay more per hour for a BSN than an Associates). Thanks for any info you have.

Specializes in ICU.
indreams84 said:
***FROM A 2 YEAR NURSE WHO JUST GOT HIRED INTO A MAGNET HOSPITAL OVER 18 BSNs :)***

As a new graduate nurse from with an associate degree I MUST respond in kind to the above statements. I was selected from an applicant pool of nearly 25 new nurses to work at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. This hospital is the PREMIER teaching hospital associated with Medical College of Wisconsin, and largest magnet institution in WI. I also was a new-hire, meaning I had never worked or had classes there while in nursing school. I WAS SELECTED OVER 18 OTHER NEW RN GRADUATES WITH A BSN DEGREE. Why? I was told I had more desirable characteristics outside my degree aka personality, references, background, etc. This is not to say I am not pursuing my BSN (I currently am enrolled in RN-BSN program after just graduating 2 months ago!) but there is much more than a simple degree that gets your foot in the door. Don't always assume a 4-year nursing degree grad is sharper than a 2-year, as our college has some of the higher NCLEX pass rates over 4 year schools, and we have more clinical time, and this was reflected. Also, I have $0 in school loans or debt and am getting Froedtert pays me to get my BSN! According to Nathan King, some ADNS did not appear as "smart" etc. etc. but who is the smarter one to use their employer to cover their 4 year degree with NO DEBTS?

There are many things HR looks at when evaluating potential new hires. Not only do they look at ADN vs. BSN, they also look at what program you graduated from. Some have better reputations than others. They pay attention to how you are dressed during your interview, how you answer their questions, what questions you ask of them, and yes, they pay attention to the applicants race and gender. Right now males have an advantage, with everything else being equal. This even applies to acceptance into nursing programs. I know this because one of my male classmates was accepted with no previous college classes. He was accepted while taking the required math to enter and and the prerequisite biology at another college. If he had not passed either of these he would not have been elgible to enter the program.

Perhaps you were hired over the BSN applicants because you interviewed much better than they did.

Congrats on your employment!

NightAngelle sums it up perfectly. It should be noted that this thread has been going on for several years now, and during a time where the Nursing profession is changing, while traditionally ADN vs BSN made very little difference, nursing is moving toward a "higher end profession" then it has ever been before, NP's with MSN's or DNP's are becoming highly desired and more and more hospitals are only hiring BSN degrees. While there may not be much difference for a staff nurse with a ADN vs BSN, the general shift in nursing is moving toward higher education and higher responsibilities. Most of the "ADN is all you need" responses are coming from career nurses who already have been in the field for many years, and while experience is always valued above education and these nurses have no worries about their place, the future of nursing will require higher level degrees.

NightAngelle said:
I'm gonna take heat for this post...but it is all good...

I've been an ADN for eleven years. I've seen the threads on allnurses.com for years debating the validity of ADN vs. BSN. And for a long time, I've sided with the ADNs regarding "What's a BSN got to do with it?" Trust me, I shared that frustration.

I am enrolled in a RN-BSN program at Auburn University-Montgomery. The three semester program has a cute nickname..."Perspective Transformation Journey." And perspective changing it has been. Earlier, a poster mentioned that other "professions" require at best, a Bachelor's degree for entry level practice. That being said, in order to be taken seriously as a profession, we need to up the ante on our educational requirements to gain that said respect. It has nothing to do with "I've been a manager with my Associate's degree, and that's where I'm gonna stick it" mentality, or "I know LPNs that run circles around some of the RNs on our unit." Although this may be true, it does not hold weight for us as a PROFESSION.

My professor made a profound statement in class one day.."Anyone can train a monkey to be a nurse. But monkeys do not have multiple level critical thinking skils." Now, that being said, I reiterate I've been an ADN for eleven years. I am highly intelligent, and very technically sound, and can see sh*t hitting the fan hours before it comes (intuition). However, in just ONE SEMESTER, my horizons have been broadened. Just what does it mean to be a "nurse"? Most people describe us as "caring, compassionate, devoted, loving, blah, blah blah...". But who ever describes a nurse CONSISTENTLY as SMART, EDUCATED, etc...and why is it that when we show promise to people like our patients, they ask us why we didn't go to MEDICAL school??? One day, when we gain respect as a profession, our patients will say..."Wow..you are something else. NO WONDER YOU BECAME A NURSE."

The professional nurse does more than manage and think critically. He/she gives back to their community, they teach, they participate in forward moving legislation for our field, they contribute to evidence-based research, they participate ACTIVELY in their professional organizations, and they think OUTSIDE the box. If you are happy with being an ADN, and the shoe fits, by all means wear it. I've worn those shoes for ELEVEN YEARS. But I pat myself on the back for being open-minded and giving myself a chance to be a more well-rounded nurse who wants to be taken as seriously as she takes herself.

Check out the BSN in 10 initiative. Google it. People, there is a reason the Magnet movement exists. And it ain't all about YOU. It's about nursing- as a profession! When we stop looking at the BSN as a stepping stone to advanced practice nursing, and more like progression of our profession, our pay rates will change, our level or respect will change, we will get the legislation we need to end the nursing shortage, and maybe, just MAYBE, those little "naughty nurse outfits" will slowly fade into oblivion because we will be taken MORE SERIOUSLY!!

Specializes in Pediatrics, NICU, Med-Surg.
cpl_dvldog said:
Unless I am mistaken Magnet hospitals only hire BSN. I know in the VA health system they will hire ADN, but you cannot progress past Level 1 nurse. I feel it is only a matter of time before a BSN will be required. If not for employment, but must be obtained within a certain timeframe after being hired.

No, they hire both ASN and BSN

An RN with only the "ADN" (which, by the way, is not considered a college degree) would make as much as someone with a BSN only if they hold the same position. However, most BSN's are hired at higher levels than the non-degreed RN's to begin with. With the ADN - you will almost never advance to the same level as someone with a BSN, or better, a Master's, can achieve.

The abbreviation ADN which stands for Associate Degree Nursing. Degree is in the name. The difference is one is a two year degree and and the other is a four year degree. A non degree nurse generally holds a diploma which is awarded from a hospital if they are a R.N. and a certifacte nurse is a LPN but in respect all have worked hard for whatever type of degree, diploma or certificate awarded. Please no one should put any level of nursing down or think that one level is beneath another level and to answer the question the only difference between a BSN and a ADN is management in the hospital as far as Nurse Management and Administration jobs.

magnet status just means basically the facility does not hire LPN's for direct patient care. Most facilities perfer BSN but it is not required. When you start that whole process of not hiring ADN vs BSN and the job description is the same you are now opening the doors for many law suits. Last I have plenty of friends which hold BSN who wished they had only gotten the ADN same level of nursing same level of care for the patient.

Specializes in ICU.

As an entry level RN in most hospitals, both ADN and BSN, typically start out the same. It is after working a few years is where having the higher degree will pay off. To move up in your career, which I hope everyone wants to do, will require more than an ADN. Of course there are some exceptions to this. I have known some ADN nurses that have advanced after many years on the job. It really is no secret that most hospitals prefer a BSN educated nurse. If you don't believe this you are kidding yourself. Not many HR people are looking for employees that will stay at entry level. They are hiring for the future of the company. As I have stated before the VA Health System will hire both ADN's and BSN's but ADN's will not progress above a Level 1 paygrade. Also a BSN will hire on at the ADN with 1 year pay grade.

I graduated this week with an ADN and plan to apply to an RN-BSN mobility program as soon as I can. Personally in 10 years I don't want to compete for higher paying jobs with a BSN that has been nursing for 2-3 years.

I have a question related to this discussion thread. I hold a bachelor's degree already from a liberal arts college. I am applying for an ADN program. I would prefer to pursue a BSN, but it's just too competitve in Minneapolis for a decent school right now. SO, if I get my ADN--which will cost less, be less competitive for admission and take less time to do than a BSN--will my BA allow me to call myself a BSN "equivalent?" See what I mean? How would I bill myself? Would my BA in theater at least get me a little something somewhere?

Specializes in ICU.
megstudent7 said:
I have a question related to this discussion thread. I hold a bachelor's degree already from a liberal arts college. I am applying for an ADN program. I would prefer to pursue a BSN, but it's just too competitve in Minneapolis for a decent school right now. SO, if I get my ADN--which will cost less, be less competitive for admission and take less time to do than a BSN--will my BA allow me to call myself a BSN "equivalent?" See what I mean? How would I bill myself? Would my BA in theater at least get me a little something somewhere?

Will having a BA in theater coupled with an ADN be considered a BSN? Nope. There are classes taken in a BSN program that you will not take in an ADN program, such as Pathophysiology of Professional Nursing, Informatics and Research for Nurse Practice, Leadership and Management, plus an elective such as Critical Care nursing. Community and Public Health nursing is a class all in itself in the BSN program. Not to mention the additional core classes that you most likely don't have with your BA degree such as Nutrition, and Ethics in Society. Your diploma and transcripts will say ADN, not BSN.

Every nurses I've talked to has been so discouraging about me going for my ADN. I'm currently a working LPN, there is only 1 LPN-BSN program in my state which really sucks considering I'd love to go for my BSN but it would be a 2 hrs commute. But I decided I'm gonna go to my CC and try to get into the LPN-ADN program there because my LPN program is affiliated with the CC. But everybody said I won't find any hospital jobs as an ADN and I should just quit. I don't know if its true or not but it really got me thinking.

Specializes in ICU.

There are two groups of people that you should never listen to, everybody and they. Going from an LPN to an ADN would never be a bad move. I have not heard of any geographic area where a person with an ADN is not hireable, except as a military nurse.

Quote
Every nurses I've talked to has been so discouraging about me going for my ADN. I'm currently a working LPN, there is only 1 LPN-BSN program in my state which really sucks considering I'd love to go for my BSN but it would be a 2 hrs commute. But I decided I'm gonna go to my CC and try to get into the LPN-ADN program there because my LPN program is affiliated with the CC. But everybody said I won't find any hospital jobs as an ADN and I should just quit. I don't know if its true or not but it really got me thinking.

Quite the contrary. Most hospitals still hire ADNs for the time being, I know ours does. They are rumors that they will stop in the near future but as of now they still do. My best advice would be to contact the hospital you are interested in human resources department to validate whether they are or not. Also, there are several online ADN-BSN fast track programs out there, I think at UAB or USA. So I think it would be beneficial for you to get your ADN then shoot for you BSN, especially if you could do it online and not have to commute the 2 hrs.

Specializes in surgical.

how do you conclude that ADN nurses do not hold a "College Degree"?....WOW

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