hi im new but would really like input!

[smk1, LPN]

hi ive been a "lurker" here for awhile but had to register to post my thoughts on an issue that i see all over a lot of the threads on this bb. For a little background i am currently doing prereqs for the nursing program at my local community college for my RN. i plan to graduate first and pass the nclex then go straight for my BSN. My question is why aren't there more nursing BSN programs available? Whenever the bsn/adn debate threads crop up i always wonder that. I especially don't understand why, if supposedly the "powers that be" want to make BSN the requirement for entry into nursing, why they don't promote expanding programs in state sponsored universities. i live in washington state and the only (non-private) BSN program that services sw washington and a huge section of oregon is wsu@ vancouver. which is great for me but what about those who live to far to commute 2-4 hours a day to come to school. A lot of people choose ADN because its the only thing accesible to them! (many have different reasons and thats fine too!) the wsu program that i hope to attend is for RNS only! so i have to get into the nursing ADN program and finish before i can even be accepted into the bsn program which means for a 4 yr degree it probably will take me 5-6 years because of the waiting lists for the ADN proram. I am saddened by this especially because i honestly believe that there is a simple solution to this problem. Assuming all states have a state university, (sometimes more than 1) why can't the adn students who want to go on to bsn but can't commute take their bsn classes at the community college via telecourses? if you are already in the adn nursing program then you will have clinicals provided through that program so the only courses you will have could be via telecourses (perhaps a few online and self paced for the more liberal arts classes). Am i just naive? this seems to be a fairly simple and logical solution that would/could be financially beneficial to both the community college and the university. the university woulf make tuition money without hiring a lot more teachers and the community college would take a fee for providing the classroom space. these funds could allow the community college to add additional adn teachers so that the program can expand and the wait lists would not be so long. eventually the same can be said for the bsn programs. eventually if adn is phased out the education could still stay at the community colleges but all students would have to go through the bsn telecourses before licensing. this way a 4 yr degree can still be achieved without stepping foot into the university. (this is improtant when many many people live hundreds of miles away from the nearest one!) Now again i'm not saying that adn SHOULD be done away with! im just saying that if that in fact is going to happen we need to address the problem of finding education for those without a 4 yr institution anywhere near them to attend. please let me know your thoughts! - shannon

[Agnus]

I hope you proposed this to the Board of Regents at your state University.

You make sense. But keep in mind state universities are owned by the government and there is no making sense in government.

[SnowieRN]

Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) has a 2+2 program. Basically if you goto a MS/TN/AR ADN progran and then graduate, you can goto the University and enter as a Junior in the BSN program. Maybe check to see if anyone does that there? If not, apply to a Canadian School of Nursing *cough* UBC *cough*.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

There is a huge nursing shortage and equal shortage of masters-prepared RNs who want to teach. The pay is abysmal.

[PJMommy]

Amen to what traumaRUs said. The problem lies in the severe shortage of nursing instructors. The instructors at my school are always mentioning how horrible the pay is -- many actually work in clinical nursing shifts over the weekend to make ends meet. I'm convinced the only reason many of them work at the university is because the school pays for their family members to go to college if they work full-time. Comes in handy when you have college-age kids.

[smk1, LPN]

i would hope with increased funding due to higher enrollment the professors would also see a pay increase. here's another thought, i was reading the thread about foreign nurses being recruited to help our shortage and wonder if maybe some of that recruitment money should/could be used to reimburse/retain nursing educators? also someone mention that there is a whole population of disabled nurses who find it very hard to get jobs due to their physical disabilites. im sure some/many of those nurses have bsns or msns and could easily become certified to teach which is a less physically demanding profession. perhaps colleges should actively recruit from that pool of resources for teachers. I just wish administrators would DO something instead of sitting around passively allowing the situation to get worse.

[deadend]

It would be a sin and a shame to do away with the ADN program,

We all take the same boards in Illinois, I sat in a room with 30 BSN students for a test that is required for all nursing students in order to sit for state boards, called the HESI test, to my amazement the ADN students did better than the BSN students on the exact same exam (could it be that we receive the same nursing content as the BSN students but it is crammed or shoved at us in less time? We all take the same NCLEX

[smk1, LPN]

Just reiterating that i Don't think ADN nursing should be eliminated. for one thing im not a nurse yet and so i don't have any opinion on the "politics" of it all. what i'm saying is that if for some reason BSN DOES become the entry level how are we going to prepare nurses where there are no 4 yr universities? thats why i came up with the community college telecourse idea. when i have my next advising appointment i think im going to ask whether or not it is ok to meet with the dean to present my ideas at some point.

[smk1, LPN]

it reminds me of the catch 22 situation of getting your first job. everyone wants someone with experience but how do you get experience if noone will hire you?! lol