[Cherish]

I don't have a prior degree or anything of the sort. I am just in a 'traditional' BSN program. My program you can get into it straight from highschool, its 4yrs just like any other degree would be. The first 2 years you basically take prereq.(BSN have to take way more prereq. than ADN) and some nursing courses. The last 2 years is straight clinicals, summer internship at Johns Hopkins and other hospitals, and the rest of the nursing program. I like my program cause the school allows you to start your Master (depends on what you are doing) after you pass the NCLEX. Mostly everyone in my program is either a CNA, phlebotomist, tech, etc. So they are not uneducated when it comes to patient care. It really doesn't matter what program you go into (except for advancement). If you look at it with most ADN's, you have to have prereqs. before you go in, so thats like 3-4 yrs for an ADN. Or 4 yrs for a BSN. So its the same time your spending (this is for my state Maryland, other states differ). Plus BSN programs get graded more heavily for there program (in my state). That is why Maryland has some (not ALL!) of the top 10 nursing schools in the nation that reside here. So its about what you get out of your education and and the quality of your patient care you provide. Not about flaunting your degree, and demanding more pay, cause YOU will find yourself very disliked!

[Erin RN]

Doesn't mean they're better nurses, but it does seem like taking the time and money to get more education should be worth something, or why do it?


Exactly...the way it is now ADNs and BSNs are looked at as "nurses" and entry level remains the associates. Sooo if one chooses to go the extra school and $$ route that is their choice. Personally, I had always planned to do the BSN but I have never needed it and it has not stopped me from going into whatever facet of nursing I have wanted that includes management. My "learning time" has been better spent taking additional certifications IF I ever need that BSN be rest assured I will get it. It is such an old argument and seems to come mostly from those not even practicing as nurses yet. Many of the posters (not all) seem to want to fight about it to justify why they are going to school longer and getting out with higher debt...Bottom line is at this point ADN is entry to be an RN. As far as status, that is laughable...nurses in general are not held in very high regard and in my opinion that has more to do with the fact that nursing is a female dominated profession rather than the different degrees...If I had a nickel for everytime I have heard "It's just the nurse" or some variation of it, I could retire.

[plumrn]

Some pts/families think of us as bedpan pushers, bedmakers, and maids. Others think we are Gods gift to mankind, and can do no wrong, LOL. Time, and experience make for a great education in nursing. But, I still say education hurts no one, and it may help you in your career years later. If you can afford it, and are in a position to do it, then go for it.

[mtnmom]

I have my BSN and do not think that I am any better than anyone...in fact, I know many ADNs, diploma nurses and LPNs that could run circles around me with their clinical experience, and I will always defer to that.

At the time I finally got the opportunity to go back to school and get some sort of a nursing degree, I had been hacking away at college courses here and there forever, so had all of my core...just needed my A&P, micro and organic chem for either BSN or ADN programs in my area...I decided to go for the BSN because I got a more advanced degree in the same amount of time. I was able to get scholarship help which was a big plus. Yes, I do have some student loans now, and that bites because I am looking at sending my own kids to college in 4 years - but overall I have no regrets with the program that I chose.

All that being said, I do think BSN should have a little bit of a premium just because, in my experience, the courses like health assessment, genetics and research have added so much to my knowledge base and practice. I am not really management-oriented so the management, etc. has not really benefited me.

Lets not get sensitive about this whatever side we're on - a good nurse is a good nurse regardless of which or how many letters he/she has behind the name, and WE ALL SHOULD BE PAID MORE!!!!!

[fergus51]

I don't understand why anyone is against paying a little more for extra education. Why not pay 25 cents an hour for certification or a degree? It's just a small token to say that formal education is appreciated and doesn't take away form anyone else. The vast majority of raises still come with years of experience. I know formal education doesn't necessarily guarantee a good nurse, but let's be honest about it, neither does experience.

[Sheri257]

Originally Posted by nursenatalie

Soooo...someone with a bachelors degree in Parks and Recreation (yes my brother in law has one) who goes for an accelerated BSN deserves to be paid more than the community college trained nurse?

Well, that gets back to my original question. What is a BSN these days versus ADN? It used to be BSN was four years, ADN was two years. BSN used to mean more time = more education, ADN used to mean less time = less education.

But that may not be the case anymore.

There's been many posts about accelerated BSN programs that take as little as one year. Those programs may require another bachelor's, but consider this: There are ADN programs which require two years of pre-reqs, and many won't give you credit for another degree. So you're looking at a four year time frame. Kinda sounds like a bachelor's, at least in terms of time.

So, this begs the question: Is there really any difference anymore, at least in terms of time and education? It seems like the course requirements are becoming so blurred that there's less and less difference between the two. That certainly seems to be the case with the BSN program in my area, which basically requires only one extra semester, not the traditional two extra years.

So, is the argument more about titles or education? Because if we're talking about actual education and time invested, there may not be much difference between the two. Just some food for thought.

[Energizer Bunny]

So, how about comparing credit hours for the two degrees for curiosity's sake? My program calls for 70 credit hours for the 2 year RN program. (they tend to suggest doing it in three years but I have to have full time status for my financial aid)

[rnmaven]

Originally Posted by cottoncandyclouds

Hi all.

I just wanted to say that nurses with BSN's in my opinion should be paid more, and have preference in the hiring process. In community college they basically pay you to go, and at a University, you take on soooo many student loans. The upper division classes are much more difficult at a University and I truly feel it's unfair to group the two (BSN, and community) together. It's completley different. I have heard that there are some states that requrire a BSN if that's true, I think it's great.
Bye for now.

Here's my perspective on the whole education of nurses, pay, etc. (And you can check my profile..........my education is in nursing.)
Compensation calculations should be based on pay for the "job description". If two people are handling a position (bedside nursing) and in essence doing the same job......they deserve the same pay. Now, within that pay grade, you could offer tiers that can be earned (clinical ladder type compensation) like national certifications, additional education, involvement in committees, mentoring of staff, etc. That is how bedside nurses should be paid.

Now, on the issue of education overall.......here's my two cents. (And this is from a Diploma grad who now........27 yrs later is working on my MSN). Education is power and authority........if you think that the nursing profession can continue to have such varied levels of education and still achieve full professional credibility, you are only fooling yourself. In 1977 when I finished my Diploma program........finished with a A.A.S too.......it was different. If you want to be a nurse at the bedside......fine.....it didn't matter....that educational level was fine. Just as long as you pass the boards and get your RN. You can do that job forever. However, you find out very quickly that if you want flexiblity within your profession you need a degree. So I toiled for 6 yrs part time to get a BSN and when I finished.......I left the bedside. (except for per diem work) I went into pharmaceutical sales, medical sales and sales management and it was my BS degree that gave me that flexibility. If things were different within the profession, I might've stayed but overall, I felt that in order to gain some benefit from that 6 yrs of toil, I needed to see some kind of increase in pay to justify why I had even bothered to get the BSN. I wasn't ready to continue school for an MSN and I wasn't really interested in nurse clinician or management jobs. So I made the most of my degree and went into pharmaceutical sales.

So education is key........if you don't want to be trapped in an aspect of any profession that you may love now but as you get older, you find that you need something else. Additionally, the greatest arguement I have heard for nurses continuing their education is the fact that the majority of allied health sciences (Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, etc) all require advanced degrees.......so again.........you have to look at how is nursing ever going to be viewed as a true profession unless we continue our education............and that's why I'm back in school! (Oh, and I work the nightshift 36 to 48 hrs a week........so don't think I don't know how hard everyone is working!)

[Betty_SPN_KS]

I'm glad there are different options, and different levels, available. If I were fresh out of high school, I would like to go straight for a BSN. But I am 40, with a large family, so I'm starting with LPN. I had decided if I got into the LPN program, I would take it. If I didn't get into either the LPN or ADN program, I would continue working on pre-reqs for BSN. As it turned out, I got into the LPN program right away.
As for why BSNs don't get higher pay than ADNs, and whether they should, I really don't know.

[frann]

I've been considering finishing my BSN for a while. i'll get paid 50 cents more. I work about 1000 hrs/yr so thats 500 dollars extra year.I may retire in say 15 years so thats 7,500 over 15 years. Not sure if it would make me a better nurse though. Kids are both in school now, but I don't really want to go back to school. No I think I will just enjoy life :hatparty: