New laws requiring LPNs and RNs to become BSN by 2016

Nurses LPN/LVN

Published

Hello,

I'm an LPN (since 1993), and have recently learned that LPNs and 3-year/or diploma RNs are required to become BSNs before 2016 in order to keep their jobs. The change is apparently due to the new medicare laws and 'Obamacare'. Does anyone know if this is true?

Last Summer, incidentally, I decided to pursue my BSN degree as I would like to increase knowledge and develop my skills as a hands on nurse in the field of pediatrics. Thus, I had already started down this road on my own. Interestingly, my nursing supervisor (Master's level) informed me shortly after I had enrolled in a LPN-BSN program, that it would be required by law by 2016 for all LPNs and RNs without a BSN to obtain a BSN in order to practice nursing in the future.

I haven't heard any news released about this requirement, and if it's actually true, why isn't this knowledge to all nurses (LPNs and RNs) working out in the field? I'm posting this thread to create a dialogue about this issue. Does anyone know anything about this?

Thanks!

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Strictly from a strategy viewpoint, it seems to me that because of current employment conditions (no shortage) if the ANA, AACN, and their allied groups wanted to make a big push in the state legislatures to make BSN entry the law, there would not be a better time, and I don't see it happening. Meaning ultimately that the internal arguing will continue indefinitely into the future, accomplishing nothing but the continued fracture within.

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I live in Vancouver BC and they did this several years back but with RNs only. They grandfathered in many of the nurses who had been working for years. I know that for the health authority that I work for, you get a monthly bonus if you have your degree. LPNs still have their own scope and practice and their education varies from province to province from 1 year to 2 years.

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There are several states that are requiring that the BSN become the entry level for nursing it has nothing to do with obama care it has to do with recommendation from the ANA, with the big push for it citing a study done that shows patients receive better care with an all BSN staff and with nursing basing everything on evidence base practice that is where some states are leaning. I read an article that in 2015 New York is the last year for the ADN nurses and they have like 10 yrs to get their BSN or they will be out of job in 2025.

Here is my question where is the money for education going to come from student loans are in the crapper their are not enough seats to be accepted into a program I feel that this will just throw the healthcare field into more disarray.

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I see no reason to force LPNs to obtain BSNs as LPNs and RNs traditionally perform slightly different roles, but I support having all BSN-prepared RNs. It is in the better interests of the profession. In my state, most LPNs are in long-term care, and that seems to be where they thrive and make the best money. My hospital doesn't have any. Many offices have moved to CMAs. I'm not sure if the 2016 time frame for the BSN requirement is entirely practical, but it would be great to have it happen by the end of the decade.

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I live in Vancouver BC and they did this several years back but with RNs only. They grandfathered in many of the nurses who had been working for years. I know that for the health authority that I work for, you get a monthly bonus if you have your degree. LPNs still have their own scope and practice and their education varies from province to province from 1 year to 2 years.

I work in Alberta. The last diploma RN graduated in 2009. Now the only route for an RN is the four year degree. All working RNs have been basically grandfathered. RNs who hold management positions are/were required to complete a degree.

The old diploma RN programme has become the PN course.

No viable bridge exists between the LPN and the RN now in Alberta.

Somewhere in the depths of the CNA archives there exists a document outlining how they would like to see nursing in Canada flow. In their academic ivory tower world, the entry to nursing would be the PN diploma, advancing through BScN to MSN and onto PhD level. All by the year 2020. Like I said they live in a dream world.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
There are several states that are requiring that the BSN become the entry level for nursing it has nothing to do with obama care it has to do with recommendation from the ANA, with the big push for it citing a study done that shows patients receive better care with an all BSN staff and with nursing basing everything on evidence base practice that is where some states are leaning. I read an article that in 2015 New York is the last year for the ADN nurses and they have like 10 yrs to get their BSN or they will be out of job in 2025.

Here is my question where is the money for education going to come from student loans are in the crapper their are not enough seats to be accepted into a program I feel that this will just throw the healthcare field into more disarray.

There's been a lot of talk but as of yet, no state has a law that requires RNs to have a BSN as entry-to practice or any time limit on when they have to get a BSN, or that requires an ADN nurse to earn a BSN in order to renew their license (referring to a previous post there).

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

As long as each state has their own requirements for licensure according to their own BON there will not be any kind of federally mandated requirements and I don't see the BON's agreeing to giving up their autonomy to a federal mandate like that. I know of no states that are requiring or are planning on requiring a BSN as a minimum standard for licensure. I also can't imagine that all the schools that pump out ADN grads at a large profit for themselves wouldn't vigorously argue against any such requirement, especially since many of those programs are located in state affiliated community colleges. Not to mention there just are not enough BSN programs at this point to support it. Maybe in the future if all the ADN programs were able to somehow convert to a BSN program, but that is a whole other logistics nightmare so I don't think it is very likely to happen.

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The BSN only is almost an urban myth...when I graduated in 1974 from a diploma program, it was being said that within a few years one would need a BSN to be able to work. At that time the few BSN that I worked with were almost useless, one couldn't even take a BP! The diploma programs gradually closed because they were too expensive to run, not because they didn't turn out good nurses. After working for several years I tried a BSN program; at the time it was not adding anything to my knowledge base or my ability to function as a competent nurse, plus it was expensive! No hospital paid a differancial for having a degree. I ended up dropping the BSN program, although I have gotten a Master's degree in another area. Over the years of working, if you wanted to be in administration you had to get a degree...since I never wanted that I didn't see any reason to get the degree. The ANA has advocated the degree for years, as a way of creating professionalism, and indicating that anyone who didn't have a degree was an inferior nurse. All I ever saw was this attitude do was create division within the profession. After all these years I discovered that it didn't matter where you got an education as much as what you brought to nursing; compassion , empathy, a desire to help others, being able to prioritze and good time management skills. Having said all of this, I wish all new graduates the best of luck, and may you find as much joy in nursing as I did.

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From what we were told in our middle TN LPN nursing orientation by the schools DON was, the new reimbursement scales for Obamacare prompted this. That the hospital/facility that has 5 stars gets a higher reimbursement from government insurances (Medicare/Tenncare/etc.). And you can't achieve a 5 star rating unless a certain percentage of the nurses employed are BSN. Though most if not all local hospitals will hire ADN of course they don't hire LPN anymore. So my personal opinion is when Obamacare pans out and the hospital/facility will see the reimbursement difference is when we will see what will really happen with the RN job market in general.

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i wish this topic could be put to rest with the TRUTH of whats going on. from what i have read,for the last few yrs (now being 2014) BSN is going to be the minimum level of nursing. so what happens to the ADN RN's & LPN's, i dont know. most Dr. offices & clinics want CMA'S or N.P.'s, so where the ADN RN's & LPNs will work is a question. i did a c.e.u. on Nurse.com & one of them was this issue. it was said that the min. level of nursing WILL BE a BSN. they couldnt say what would happen to the LPN. I'm interested in this topic b/c i am an LPN. just b/c this topic of phasing out LPN's has been out there for many yrs. & disclaimed doesnt mean that some day it will happen. it sounds to me like its being implemented all across the country. in 2016 we will see what min. level of nursing is. before that, all the speculation is just division among nurses & the discusssion of it.

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on Nurse.com, i did a c.e.u that was on this topic. BSN WILL BE THE MINIMUM LEVEL OF ENTRY INTO NURSING. they couldnt say what will happen with ADN RN'S & LPNS. this being 2014 i'm writing this, looks like all ADN RN's & LPN's will have to decide to upgrade or get out of nursing period or go into some other vein of medical work. my question is, .........whats next?......LPN's phased out of LTC?

it could happen!!!!!! when i was in nursing school (vocational prog;) the talk was introducing PCT's (patient care tecnicians) that have cna, lpn & some rn skills as scope of practice. there are some places today that have those positions. so there is some confusion on what is & is not the truth & what places hire what. i think it should be more clear on who does what so this confusion doesnt keep going on, no one really knows whats going on. by 2016 we will know what min. level, entry is for nursing. before that, its nothing but confusion & division for discussion.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I honestly cannot see BSN requirement becoming law. I can see it becoming the de facto requirement of employers for RNs but never an actual written law. This has been argued for decades; obviously it's going nowhere fast. By the way, Denise, you do realize that the last posts before yours were over a year ago? So the information in this thread (which seems to be a lot of guessing and conjecture) is already over a year outdated.

Also, CNAs already have some nursing skills in their scope- those tasks that RNs are permitted to delegate. I don't think there will ever be a legally codified scope of practice for unlicensed assist ice personnel, simply because they are unlicensed.

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