Show me the Money

tamar2007 · Mar 8, 2005

thanks for your encouragement. so are you working now as an rn? if so what type of position do you have, and are you enjoying it?[/quote']
no, i wish, it's still a long road ahead....i have finished all my prereqs including those for a bsn (chemistry, history govt etc etc) and am waiting to finally enter the golden gates of nursing school per se, in august. noblody around me can believe i have been studying my a-- off for 2 years now, and am still, basically, no where (yet).
the part that's a real bummer for me right now is that i was supposed to be in nursing school already right now, in a bsn program at a prestigious university, for which one needs a gpa of 3.73 or higher to get into.
i got in with a 3.9, and was on cloud 9 for months, anticipating the big day on which i start. but then, they called me and told me 3 days before the semester started that they are removing me from nursing school, in other words, kicking me out. why? long story. i can't get into it now. they kick anyone out, on the spur of the moment, just because they can. i did nothing wrong. i have a spotless record, and an extensive transcript, and a lot of prior education, including a graduate degree.
they could care less that i attended a whole day of 'red-carpet' style orientation they prepared for the 'lucky' people who were accepted, out of many hundreds. they could care less that they are crushing a person, crushing a dream, after such a long long journey of preparation. they could care less that i bought all their uniforms, sewed on their patches, bought their $500 books for the first semester. none of that mattered to them, to any of them.

since they are the only university in the area that grants a bsn, i will be going to a college with an adn program. this means i will be studying at the end a total of 4.5 years, and not even get a ba at the end. pretty raw deal considering other fields. they don't put you to work 4-4.5 in law school and then give you an asssociates. nor in any other field that i know of.

the notion that nursing school is 2 years - is a myth. yeah, 2 yrs maybe nursing school itself, but nobody tells you you need a whole bunch of prereqs to even apply, and no one is born with a&p 1, a&p 2 or microbiology.
you go and do them, and it takes time. if i knew i would end up not doing the bsn program, i could have saved myself a whole lot of time, energy and money. i have about 25 credits, that are a total overshoot, for now.

anyway, i didn't mean to let off steam. sorry about that. i know that rn's get the same pay regardless of degree, it's not that. what hurts me is that i have worked so hard, and feel mistreated, total injustice has been made. i got everything that's needed for a bsn. a type a personality, i have pulled endless allnighters to get all a's (except for one b) and bottom line - i won't have one. because of one school's----i don't even know what to call it.

t

Kabin · Mar 8, 2005

I have met one and there's at least one other that's posted in the guy's role call thread. Aside from the personalities analysis, there are an abundance of lawyers and far fewer well paying jobs.

WildShot · Mar 9, 2005

T, I can see your frustration. just hang in there (opps!:smackingf) woman. I am in a ADN and I wnet to school for two years before I got accepted into it. I am in it and doing well and hopefully will continue to do well. It sucks to hear they blew you off like that in the bsn program. your still going to be going to class for nursing though. good luck with it.

Dave

p.s sorry T

ABC'S DAD · Mar 9, 2005

I have met one and there's at least one other that's posted in the guy's role call thread. Aside from the personalities analysis, there are an abundance of lawyers and far fewer well paying jobs.

Hey the lawyer's "personalities" thing is a stereotype. I know plenty, like myself, who are Type B personalities and very compassionate. The media and the types of lawyers that you see doing commercials paint us all with a broad brush, and that is the only picture that most people see. (Most people probably think that an aggressive, pushy lawyer is the type that they would want to represent them -- it's just an image in many cases, since these Type A guys just bring in the clients and their salaried associates are actually doing most or all of the work). But he is right, having a law degree is not a ticket to riches, like it once may have been. Even the old-timers will get forced out of a firm if they no longer bring in enough new clients... It's become more of as business, and less of a profession. But enough about that, this is a nursing website after all. I am sure that I could be a great nurse. Among other things, I am a good listener and very patient with people -- always have been. I just wish I would have pursued this much sooner. Live and learn. I worked for 4 years as assistant director of public relations for a Philadelphia hospital while attending law school at night. Previoulsy, I worked evenings in the maintenance department of another hospital for about 8 years, while I completed my journalism degree during the day - then kept that hospital job part-time while I also worked as a newspaper reporter (another gig that is not what most people would think). For some reason it never dawned on me to pursue nursing or any other health profession - probably because I never had exposure to these kinds of occupations as a kid. I never knew any nurses, etc. (Although, when I was younger I probably would not have felt comfortable pursuing a nursing degree, due to the former stigma re male nurses. How stupid.)

However, please know that I, at least, have always held nurses in high regard for the work that they do. I was impressed with the job that they did, which I often saw first-hand during my prior hospital gigs. (My wife is an LPN, but that has only been for the past 12 years -- so it is not that I am biased on this.) Reviewing these threads, it seems that many nurses feel under-appreciated by their employers -- overworked and underpaid. I have held many jobs in my lifetime. I have seen this in every occupation, including at present. I can say that when I started my first hospital job, in 1981, hospitals were great places to work. They made money hand over fist -- then I saw the institution of Medicare cuts, DRG's and explosion of HMOs -- then things changed big time. Many hospitals allowed themselves to be bought up by healthcare systems, to avoing going out of business! Morale in hospitals plummeted, and the employee benefits kept getting reduced. It became "us" vs. "them" in the employer-employee relationship. Believe it or not, in the mid-80's my hospital actually paid me tuition reimbursement for some of my journalism classes, which had nothing to do with enhancing my "career" in hospital maintenance. It was just an employee benefit! (The law profession has changed just as dramatically, and there are way too many of us.)

I am still trying to figure out how to pursue the ADN. I did not realize until a few days ago that the local community college has a waiting list for entry into the clinical portion of the program! Bummer. And with a wife and kids, its not like I can spend even more time and $ getting a BSN. I think it also stinks that my prior BA + ADN would not = BSN. What's the (practical)difference? Thanks for letting me vent people.

JudithL_in_NH · Mar 9, 2005

I have heard that pay scales are not different between RN's with ADN degrees versus BSN degrees. Do you know if that is true? I am also wondering if there are jobs where a BSN is required or prefereed, do you think it is possible that they would consider my having an ADN with a BA to be the equivalent of a BSN?[/quote']
Here in so NH, there is no pay difference between a BSN and an ADN.
A recruiter at one of our local hospitals confirmed to me that my BA + ADN would be considered as equivalent education to a BSN were I interested in a position requiring/preferring a BSN (mostly management positions, but what they *really* want is appropriate experience).

piper_for_hire · Mar 12, 2005

Yes - I get six weeks vacation to start with, but we're a union shop.

-S

ABC'S DAD · Mar 19, 2005

Yes - I get six weeks vacation to start with, but we're a union shop.
-S

Piper, do you know what hospitals are paying ENTRY-LEVEL RN's in Philadelphia and/or surrounding 'burbs?" What kind of differentials? Are you the one who told me $50,000 before differentials? I saw an ad from a local BSN program that RN's can start at $40,000. Is is really that low? Thanks, if you know.

piper_for_hire · Mar 19, 2005

New grads start at $26/hr at my hospital.

-S

Ronold · Mar 21, 2005

new grads get about 35 starting over here in california.

brudjazz · Mar 27, 2005

Oh - no - I'd be doing the weekend program at one hospital for and then (at least) two other shifts at another hospital. Sorry for the confusion.
-S

Can you TRUELY handle that kind of workload, physically? What about mentally? If you're dead from a heart attack, that great money will just buy you a nicer coffin.

mkRN · Mar 27, 2005

Thank you for the response. O.K., here goes. I have a B.A. degree in Journalism, and a law degree. (I have been a lawyer since '93, but I'm ready for a change.) I have heard that pay scales are not different between RN's with ADN degrees versus BSN degrees. Do you know if that is true? I am also wondering, if there are jobs where a BSN is required or prefereed, do you think it is possible that they would consider my having an ADN with a BA to be the equivalent of a BSN? I know this may be a lot to ask you. I have reviewed the required courses for the ADN program and some BSN programs, and although it would still take two years for the ADN, due to the clinical program set-up, I am fairly certain that I would not have to take about 1/2 of the required courses due to my prior college credits. This would save some expenses and hopefully free me up to still work full-time in the evening (if I can find an evening job).
Also, do you know what kind of benefits (medical, 401-K) one could expect as a hospital RN, and how much contribution is required from the employee? I have a million questions -- sorry. How easy/hard is it to land a full-time hospital RN job with full benefits (vs. prn). Thanks.

Hi ABC's DAD! I'm at 25 y/o female...I know I'm not allowed in here!!! But came across your post...I have my BA in Psychology and also a BSN. I obtained my psy degree first and then attended a 14 month accelerated BSN program. ADN are taught more skills in school while BSN's are taught more theory in school...but after a yr's of entry level work, you can't tell the difference between the two..they're both RN's...as far as getting jobs they are gladly hiring ADN w/o any hesitation...pay is not that much of a difference because you'd both be starting off as New Grad RN's...i know a couple hospitals that give a 3% pay increase for a BSN, but usually they get the same pay starting out. But if you are considering on getting advance degrees in nursing the BSN path is a better way to go, more opportunities.

Good luck to you...and also all the other males in the nursing field! We need more of you guys :)

piper_for_hire · Mar 27, 2005

Only 48 hours a week? Easily. I haven't worked that little since the 80s.

-S

Can you TRUELY handle that kind of workload, physically? What about mentally? If you're dead from a heart attack, that great money will just buy you a nicer coffin.