Difference between ADN and BSN

Nurses General Nursing

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I know this probably have been asked already, but I was just curious at the pay difference between a nurses with a ADN and BSN. How does the degree relate to what kind of work you do at your workplace?

Specializes in Trauma ICU, MICU/SICU.
Ummm...so does my ADN program. I just finished my Critcial Care rotation (complex health problems) and I am now doing my leadership/management classes and community health service learning projects.

:deadhorse

Community Health Learning Projects does not equal a course in community health. If you decide to go get your RN-BSN, your community health project will not get you out of community health course. I plan on getting my BSN and I will need to take +- 20 Nursing Credits. So there are additional courses in the BSN program that are not available in the ADN program.

:deadhorse

Specializes in Trauma ICU, MICU/SICU.
I am wondering about this also. I already have a B.S. in business management plus many years of experience. I think I am just going to go for ADN. I may pursue NP in the future after I work a few years. I do not know if you can go from an ADN to MSN in order to be a NP. Lots of things to find out!

Holly

The school I'm planning to attend has an RN-MSN program. It really is RN-BSN-MSN because you cannot pursue a master's until you have a Bachelor's. However in your case, you may be able to pursue a true RN-MSN since you already have a bachelor's in another discipline.

The benefit of the RN-BSN-MSN program is that 5 of my BSN courses can be Master's level courses. Therefore, I will have 5 master's level courses that I won't have to take over. Does that make any sense?

Specializes in Pediatrics (Burn ICU, CVICU).
:deadhorse

Community Health Learning Projects does not equal a course in community health. If you decide to go get your RN-BSN, your community health project will not get you out of community health course. I plan on getting my BSN and I will need to take +- 20 Nursing Credits. So there are additional courses in the BSN program that are not available in the ADN program.

:deadhorse

The dead horse icon is right on. Obviously, schools and programs vary from place to place; therefore, I can only speak for the programs I am familiar with. I will graduate in May and will begin my RN -->BSN program in August. My Community Health classes are accepted and I will not be required to take additional ones. In addition to one more leadership class, I will be required to take the following classes for completion of my BSN:

]Issues in Nursing and Health Care

]Introduction to Research

]Ambulatory Care Theory and Practicum

Ummm...so does my ADN program. I just finished my Critcial Care rotation (complex health problems) and I am now doing my leadership/management classes and community health service learning projects.

If this is happening now, and it wasn't when I was teaching in both ADN and BSN programs, I would ask the following:

1. What is being left out of the ADN program in order to offer a quick and dirty version of what is in the BSN program?

2. Do ADN programs now realize nurses actually do need what is taught in BSN programs in order to function as staff nurses?

The bottom line is extensive research has shown a lower mortality rate in patients that were cared for by BSN prepared RNs. Can the difference in education be responsible, possibly. Also BSNs take extensive liberal arts classes which make them a well rounded student. A research class is also in the required courses, which is not in a ADN required classes.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Amanda: The research to which you refer, has since been disputed many times, for many reasons. There is already extensive discussion of why/how it was this research and its conclusions may be dubious in other threads. Please feel free to do a search under "Aiken study" or the like, and you will find a lot of lively discussion on this topic.

Welcome to the site.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/critique-study-more-bsns-equal-better-pt-outcomes-157387.html?highlight=aiken+study

one of the threads to which I refer. There are several others, as well.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

It really is RN-BSN-MSN because you cannot pursue a master's until you have a Bachelor's.

*** That may be true at your school but there is no rule or law that requires one to have a bachelors in order to get a masters. Lots of schools offer ADN to MSN without ever getting a BSN.

Specializes in Newborn Nursing.

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.:yeah:

Specializes in ICU, PACU.

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.

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.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
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.

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