New grad, no job: RN-BSN assignment frustration

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Looking to see if anyone else is in a similar situation with their RN-BSN program, and if any advice can be given.

I graduated with my ADN in May and started an my online RN-BSN at Purdue in August. I've been on the job hunt since graduation and I'm still unemployed.

The course assignments don't seem to be written to accommodate the students that have no actual RN experience. There is a lot of focus on writing about clinical experiences and expanding on your existing career role. It's very difficult when you don't have the foundation for the assignments, which is a job! I'm into the second course, and I've exhausted all my student clinical experiences in the first course. I literally have run dry my student clinical material.

The RN-BSN seems to have ignored the fact that many students started this educational path after being unable to find work as an ADN RN.

Just me or everyone?

RunBabyRN

3,677 Posts

Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Most people have some clinical experience by the time they enter a bridge program. With the job market the way it is, going straight into one of these programs may be harder for you, and you're either going to have to overcome it, or drop and come back to it later. Any post-licensure program is meant for people who have at least some experience in clinical practice. All you can really do in lieu of that is draw on your clinical experiences from nursing school, and keep looking for a position.

Good luck!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I've been enrolled in an online RN-to-BSN degree completion program since May 2014.

The program that I'm "attending" (Western Governors) requires that all students enrolled in the RN-to-BSN program be employed, even if it is part-time or PRN/per diem/casual, because some of the assignments are based on your current work experience.

caliotter3

38,333 Posts

Might want to take a page out of the book of one of my peers in nursing school. She told me one time that she made up almost all of the material requested of her in our BSN program. She said that she wrote what the instructors wanted to hear and was quite pleased that her "stories" were pulling her A's in her classes. Develop a "position" that has lots of examples for "experiences".

RookieRoo

234 Posts

Specializes in Critical care.
Might want to take a page out of the book of one of my peers in nursing school. She told me one time that she made up almost all of the material requested of her in our BSN program. She said that she wrote what the instructors wanted to hear and was quite pleased that her "stories" were pulling her A's in her classes. Develop a "position" that has lots of examples for "experiences".

Sorry, but that does not sound like good advice to me. It's basically cheating, no?

I would draw on what you have from student clinical experiences, and maybe if you have any health-related experience from before your ADN, as a CNA or tech or something? You can always reuse the same clinical experience but look at it from a different angle, you know?

Keep looking for that job and keep your chin up. You can do this.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Sorry, but that does not sound like good advice to me. It's basically cheating, no?
It's not cheating because the peer isn't stealing answers or plagiarizing. (S)he used his/her imagination to generate material for assignments that required actual work experience. It is akin to using one's imagination to prepare a fictional short story. Authors of fictional pieces are not considered cheaters if they imagined and created original pieces of fiction by themselves.

However, using fictional material to complete assignments that were intended to be based off real healthcare work experience doesn't exactly exude the high ethical standards that are expected of members of the nursing profession.

Specializes in ICU.

How is that cheating? Writing is very subjective. I agree that you need to know the instructor and cater to what they want. As long as you do your own research and cite correctly I don't see an issue with it. The programs I have looked into do require you to be a current, employed RN and maintain that throughout school. Bridging programs are a little different.

RookieRoo

234 Posts

Specializes in Critical care.

However, using fictional material to complete assignments that were intended to be based off real healthcare work experience doesn't exactly exude the high ethical standards that are expected of members of the nursing profession.

Okay, cheating was the wrong word. This is more what I was going for. I still say better to look at and reuse ACTUAL experiences from a different standpoint, than make up fictional materials.

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I find my program the opposite: many pre-licencure classes where the assignments are reworded (barely). One class, i had the exact same Pearson questions from my ADN program.

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