Should BSNs be paid more?

Nurses General Nursing

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I know ADNs and BSNs both sit for the same NCLEX exam, both have approximately four years of education, and at best have negligible differences (over time) in their nursing skills. BSNs take courses than broaden their overall knowledge; however, ADNs have more clinical experience prior to entering the workforce. Should there be a differential for BSNs, or should the reward for obtaining a BSN lie in the ability to advance one's career?

I'm not trying to start an ADN vs BSN bashing, I'm just curious to see what you all think.

I do agree!

Here we go again !! All sit for the same State Board Exam regardless of time spent in the program. Should we be paid more if we scored higest on this exam? We have got to stop comparing or it will destroy Nursing permanently !!!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Here we go again !! All sit for the same State Board Exam regardless of time spent in the program. Should we be paid more if we scored higest on this exam? We have got to stop comparing or it will destroy Nursing permanently !!!

You again, miss my point. I am not "comparing". as you and others keep saying.

I am saying, differentials/rewards for the initiative to advance one's education are not out of line here. Please read *WHAT* I am saying and try not to get emotional. It's got nothing to do with the NCLEX, or Test scores, GPAs, or who is "better"........

Even my older diploma RN aunt (graduated wayyy back in 1962) took the time and expense to advance her education. It's not about being better, but about being stronger, more informed, and well-rounded.

Certainly she does not now, nor did she EVER, feel inferior as a diploma grad---no one should. It was not about that. But what is wrong with advancing one's education and becoming more well-rounded? Why should he/she not be rewarded for this?

I cannot think of a single legitimate reason why not.

She could have just stayed content at her diploma level and earned plenty---and done fine. There was nothing at all "wrong" with her education, either, believe me. She CHOSE, however, to move on and learn more. That deserves its rewards, to me.

Why all the envy and emotion here? I don't get it.

The way I see it, "comparing" is not going to "destroy" nursing----nor it doing that now. But a lack of education and strength/solidarity will erode our ability to bargain and make political gains to advance our profession. That much, I promise you. It's already this way now.

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actually, you mispoke, I am afraid. In my unionized hospital, BSN nurses DO get a differential. But it's not enough in my opinion.

They used to get it in my unionized home province too (not anymore since it's the minimum). Union contracts can include differentials for anything including education.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Book smarts doesn't actually make the best nurse.

I agree, it takes a combination of things.

How about a book smart person that can handle his/herself clinicaly. I worked with a nurse who listened a patients lung and called the doc. "This patient is wet and needs lasix". The on-call doc trusting the nurse, because she didn't know the patient gave the lasix order. I follow this nurse, who is great clinically, but didn't stop to use her book smarts. This guy was dehydrated with pnuemonia. She could have remembered to check skin turgor, could have remembered what an elevated BUN and Creatinine means, she might have noticed the patient had no IV fluids running and no water picture at the bedside. She might have wondered what was the source of his fever, might have taken a closer look at the low blood pressure and tachycardia and what that could have meant. Could have looked at the whole scenerio using a little book smarts.

I get a little weary at the old "book smarts does not make you a good nurse" argument. Granted there are tons of book smart people out there who are horrible bedside nurses. And there are some awesome bedside nurses dumb as dirt.

I'm still going to value book smarts and education however. I'll even step out on a limb and risk being flamed to a crisp to say that for me personally my going from an ADN to a BSN is going to make me a better nurse. No it doesn't make me better than anyone else, and keep your $1.00 differential, but yes it's going to make me personally a better nurse. In much the same way that reading journals, attending workshops an conferences, getting certified in ACLS, etc. makes me a better nurse. I'm a better nurse than years gone by because of what I've learned both on the job and in the books. :chair:

Thanks for listening. :roll

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.

Well said. I think you have said that nicely.

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Specializes in NICU.
To add to the mix, how many ADN nurses were required to write a paper every semester that required a minimum of 20 pages not including the reference list?

But in my BSN program we didn't have to write a paper every semester that required a minimum of 20 pages. Sure we wrote a lot of papers, but we didn't have to do a 20 page paper EVERY semester. That's the problem with comparing BSN programs to ADN programs .... they're all different. So we could sit here all day and say "well in my BSN program we had to .........", "in my ADN program we had to ...........". But that doesn't mean anything because not any of the programs are exactly alike.

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I'm not trying to nitpick, but not all ADN graduates have more clinical experience than BSN graduates. My BSN program includes three years of clinicals at about 12-16 hours per week. The first two years of clinicals are in the hospital, and the final year is spent studying community health and doing clinicals in a variety of different settings.

The whole "BSN programs are all theory with less clinical time" idea is a myth.

And...the BSN program at my school takes closer to 5 years to finish.

In saying this, I was by no means suggesting that B.S.N.s have more clinical time than A.D.N.s... or that I think a B.S.N. produces a better nurse. It doesn't. I'm just tired of hearing people say that a B.S.N. is all theory with no clinical time, because it's not true.

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Specializes in NICU.
I wish folks could get over the "BSN is better" mentality. YES---- we all passed the same NCLEX. That is not the point!

Those of us saying there should be education differentials are not saying they (BSN nurses) are better; we ARE saying there should be rewards for the initiative to continue and strengthen our education. Nursing, in order to advance in this century, and be the true profession, will need to educate itself educationally. It simply won't happen unless and until we put a premium on advanced education. Mark my words.

I totally agree. I personally mentioned the NCLEX in response to those talking about BSNs not having enough technical skills as new grads. If they didn't receive enough clinical experience during school but they passed the NCLEX, then that gives them the right to be in the new grad position and learn all the skills they missed out on in school. They have just as much right to be there as the person that did "at least 100 injections and at least 5 foleys".

But what is wrong with advancing one's education and becoming more well-rounded? Why should he/she not be rewarded for this?

I'm wondering the same thing. And after 27 pages on here, I'm not seeing the answer to this.

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I definitely think that BSN's should be paid more. We spent more time in school and got more knowledge regarding the field than BSN therefore we deserve to be recognized for acquiring those knowledge. Our degree should not be held in the same standard as the ADN's.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
I definitely think that BSN's should be paid more. We spent more time in school and got more knowledge regarding the field than BSN therefore we deserve to be recognized for acquiring those knowledge. Our degree should not be held in the same standard as the ADN's.

The post-graduate standards are the same. They both sit for NCLEX and we both are Registered Nurses and both start out at the bedside doing the same thing.

I'm all for a differential, but you're rationale is weak in my opinion. :)

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
The post-graduate standards are the same. They both sit for NCLEX and we both are Registered Nurses and both start out at the bedside doing the same thing.

I'm all for a differential, but you're rationale is weak in my opinion. :)

I agree. Based on this rationale, I could NOT justify a BSN earning more than an ADN. There has to be more.

And truly, a BSN does not get all that much more *nursing* instruction. They do get more theory and research/community health nursing. Other than that, the nursing classes in the ADN lack nothing. Again (at the risk of sounding like a broken old record), it is not about comparing, but rewarding those who choose to advance their educations as they go.....

I do however, think a person holding a bachelor's degree gets a bit more well-rounded education, which to me, would be an asset to nursing overall.

There is such a thin line here.

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"

how would you feel about assuming a greater liability responsibility... while recieving the same pay as you had before you became a registered nurse? you are in fact "doing the same job," are you not? "

no i would not being doing the same job, i say that for these reason's, my knowledge base is test with nclex-rn...i am no longer working under the qualifications of an lpn. i have proven to the fullest extent of my capabilities to function higher...in addition to that...i would not have my same job because i went to school not to stay at my level but to advance. again bsn and adn take the same qualification test...now if an adn, took the effort and went back to school and got her bsn then yes he/she should be paid more...a couple of dollars to be exact. both adn and bsn at entry levels should start at the same pay as long as it is the same responisibility and job. lpn when graduating from adn schooling or bsn...has a different role a different job."

ok, i agree with some of what you have said, but the red highlight above makes no sense. if you would reward someone later for "upgrading" their education to a bsn, then the person that received their bsn from the get-go should be rewarded as well. i think that higher education should be rewarded, hence bsn's should get differential pay, but i don't know how you can say that if you get your bsn later, then you should receive "a couple of dollars" more, but not if you started your career with a bsn. that is a double standard.

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