[NurseryRN]

I am a Diploma Nurse and wouldn't take anything for it. I feel like I received the best clinical and was so prepared for my Boards. My Boards were 75 questions in 45 minutes.

[pepsihla]

There is usually no pay difference, however come yearly review time, they may take your BSN into consideration as acheiving one of your goals and you may get a higher percentage of a raise.

I just completed my RN-BSN so I could be a step closer if I decide to get my Masters. I'm interested in becoming an NP, but still researching the options.

I did learn a lot in the BSN program, and yes I had to do community, leadership and family. Although community and leadership were part of the ADN program.

[gitterbug]

In my humble experience, the ADN comes out of school with both feet planted in the sprint position. The ADN has to pick up the ball and get into the game faster, be more ready to switch modes from fast to furiously fast in patient dangerous situations. For some reason, the BSN is given longer to pick up on essential skills, yes, I mean VS and assessments. When a task is required, the BSN is ALWAYS allowed to watch first, never told, " I want to see how you do", or "if you need help with this, then you should not have been allowed to graduate." The BSN, can churn out paper work and be placed on committee's and report on various results of studies that are effecting the unit. For some reason they do not seem to be able to understand that needing bedpan may be essential to the patient, the quicker the better, and their two hands are just as able to place that bedpan as mine, much less remove it when necessary. I do not say this is true of all BSN nurses, just quite a few I have had contact with. It seems there is a long time between clinical experience and actual hands on practice. I have precepted many, many BSN nurses, while every one has been nice, it seems that every one needed a indepth review of basic skills, so much to that a 2 days review was set up by various unit educators to make sure the basic skills were covered before they hit the various units. While that was a big help, the nurses still needed a shove to get their minds on the task not just the charting.
Sorry if I sound negative, do not really mean it that way, just reporting my experience. I hope it is different in different areas of the country.

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by gitterbug

Sorry if I sound negative, do not really mean it that way, just reporting my experience. I hope it is different in different areas of the country.

Yes, it is quite different here. We have both programs here, and both are paid the same and treated equally fresh out of school, with no difference in how they are oriented and their expectations. These are my observations from working here for the last 14 years.

Both the ADN RNs and the BSN RNs are typically task oriented (i.e. basic skills), nervous and novice at their skills. Both schools have the exact same number of hours of clinical. One is not better at paperwork than the other.

[Nursing28]

2 dollar difference at my hosp. w/ a BSN

[supernurse65]

Originally Posted by ocankhe

Basically the difference is a 4 year collge degree and a 2 year associates.. The bachelor degree, on average, will give you greater financial rewards and career flexibility then the 2 year associates degree over your working career.

SORRY cant agree with this general statement. ADRN here have been DON, SSD and every other position I ever wanted to be and made as much money or more due to experience than the BSNs i have worked with.

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by supernurse65

SORRY cant agree with this general statement. ADRN here have been DON, SSD and every other position I ever wanted to be and made as much money or more due to experience than the BSNs i have worked with.

You're absolutely correct. In certain areas ADN have a wide variety of opportunities in all sorts of positions.

So one can't make such a blanket statement about job prospects for the ADN.

I recently applied for a BSN position at my facility, thinking that with my 14 experience in this facility, and the fact I was working on my BSN would give me an edge and the answer was a flat out no, "do not even bother applying until you have your BSN". In my mind, nothing much is going to change between now and then. That's the way it is around here. Although some of the local hospitals are ADN's as managers, and in LTC, degree doesn't seem to matter when getting a DON or ADON position.

[gitterbug]

Attn TWEETY:

I knew your experience was vastly different from what we experience here
with ADN vs. BSN. I wish the playing field here was more even. I have been in the middle of teaching trach care to a BSN and been told, "well, she won't really have to do it much, so just finish it and go onto something else." Just having to do it once would be enough to want to have some idea of how to do it right, much less having to turn and position a trach patient. LOL!
I am sorry you were not given the opportunity to apply for the BSN position. I am sure you would have been competent in whatever duties needed to be performed. They missed out and messed up in my under-educated opinion. Have a good day.