All NY State ADN's and Students

Nurses Activism

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first, let me say that i am not trying to drum up a debate between adn vs. bsn, etc. we have other threads for that. i just wanted to make everyone aware of what is going on and being proposed in ny state. i think we should all band together and make our voices heard. while i am planning on going on to get my bsn eventually, things happen and while i am planning on leaving ny state after i graduate, again things happen. i think it is important that we stand up for ourselves (those of us that feel this is wrong).

http://www.nysna.org/departments/communications/publications/report/2004/may/initiative.htm

report: may 2004

state nursing board proposes 'advancement of the profession' initiative

by nancy j. webber

the new york state board for nursing (sbfn) recently agreed to recommend to the state board of regents that registered nurses with diploma or associate degrees be required to attain bachelor's degrees in nursing within 10 years of their licensure.

the requirement would apply only to rns and nursing students who enter practice after the measure is enacted - all currently practicing rns and nursing students would be exempted.

the "advancement of the profession" initiative was passed unanimously by the sbfn at its december 2003 meeting. the proposal has not yet been presented to the board of regents and there is no specific time frame for this to happen.

"we are gathering information at this stage," said darlene mccown, chair of the sbfn. "we want to make sure that all new york rns understand this proposal and how it will affect nurses in the future. we want the whole profession to benefit."

some frequently asked questions about the sbfn proposal:

is this the same as previous proposals to require rns to have bachelor's degrees in order to enter nursing practice?

no. individuals would still be able to earn associate or diploma degrees as their basic professional nursing education. once licensed, they would be fully qualified rns. this plan preserves both associate degree and baccalaureate nursing education.

would this create two levels of nurses?

no. all licensed rns would be able to practice the full scope of rn practice. but a bachelor's degree does have some advantages. currently, rns with bachelor's in nursing degrees are able to advance to higher levels of responsibility within their own facilities, apply for federal positions, and work in certain specialties such as public health.

what would happen to rns who are ad graduates and do not complete a bachelor's degree within the time frame?

this aspect of the proposal is still under discussion. one idea is that their rn licenses would be considered to be "inactive," meaning they could not practice as rns until they had attained their bachelor's degrees. this would not involve any disciplinary action. an rn with an inactive license could apply for an lpn license during this period.

why is this proposal being made at this time?

the sbfn points to a statewide survey released last year, which revealed more than 60% of new york registered nurses entering the workforce are educated at the ad level. this is in sharp contrast to the recommendation by the national advisory council on nurse education and practice that at least two thirds of the nurse workforce should have baccalaureate or higher degrees by the year 2010. this recommendation was made because of the increasing complexity of health care and nursing practice.

how would a nurse with an associate degree afford a bachelor's degree?

to earn bachelor's degrees within 10 years, it's estimated that an rn would have to take about two courses a year. the sbfn expects that there would be an increase in rn-to-bsn "completion" programs to meet this need. there are efforts underway to make these programs easily accessible for rns across the state. public funds might be available (such as the federal nurse reinvestment act) and employers would be motivated to sponsor courses to make sure rns working for them will maintain active rn licenses.

the "two-step" path to a bachelor's degree is fairly common. the sed survey found that 21% of rns with associate degrees had advanced to bachelor's degrees and 9% went on to master's degrees. about 30% of the state's rns now hold associate degrees as their highest nursing degree. of these, more than 35% are considering advancing their education.

what will the next step be?

the proposal is being discussed with many groups, such as the nysna board of directors, nursing specialty organizations, and nursing schools. the nysna board of directors supports the concept of this proposal as a way of strengthening the profession through additional education.

"this plan has been put out for discussion, and it offers an innovative and creative approach for consideration," said karen ballard, nysna's director of special projects.

more information about this proposal is available at the nysna web site (http://www.nysna.org) or by contacting ballard at 800-724-nyrn, ext. 242. if you have questions or would like to express your opinion on the plan, you also may write to the nys education department, office of the professions, state board for nursing, 89 washington ave., albany, ny 12234 or e-mail [email protected].

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

yea those against this as proposed, better SPEAK UP NOW!

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I am contacting my school Monday when I go for my physical. If this is something that is seriously going to go through, I may end up reconsidering my dream of being a nurse. I can go to the local business school and have a degree in 2 years, though I won't like it.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.

Thanks for the info/article, Kim. I guess there won't be any grandfathering for us Assoc. RNs. Ack! LOL :chuckle :rolleyes:

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Specializes in Nursing Education.

While I can support the BSN as entry level .... I am wondering how NY will handle their already critical shortage of RN's if they will not permit a travel nurse, who might hold an Associates degree, from getting licensed. This will place NY in a more critical situation than they are already in. I hope they think through this very carefully. And, if there are RN's that have been practicing to their full scope of practice and decide NOT to finish their BSN, they will be forced to go inactive or work as LPN's? Wow, pretty sweeping reform if you ask me. There must be a better way to advance educational standards and not impact so many people in the process in a very negative way.

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Specializes in Home Health, Primary Care.

I just want it be known, that ADN grad and nursing students who are practicing before this goes into effect will NOT be affected.....they can stay with their ADN for as long as they want. Only people who become RNs via ADN and nursing students who enter practice AFTER this goes into effect will be forced to get their degree in 10 years.

Referring back to the original article, 2nd paragraph:

"The requirement would apply only to RNs and nursing students who enter practice after the measure is enacted - all currently practicing RNs and nursing students would be exempted. "

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Patrick and others that are reading this thread...please, express your concerns by emailing them at the addy at the bottom of the original post!!!! I think this is veeeeeeery important. I am not officially a student yet and if this goes through any time soon, I'm going to be affected by it. I am composing my letter this weekend and then going to talk to some people at my school before I submit it.

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Specializes in Home Health, Primary Care.
Patrick and others that are reading this thread...please, express your concerns by emailing them at the addy at the bottom of the original post!!!! I think this is veeeeeeery important. I am not officially a student yet and if this goes through any time soon, I'm going to be affected by it. I am composing my letter this weekend and then going to talk to some people at my school before I submit it.

If you will be a nursing student this fall, you will NOT be affected by it. I highly doubt this crap is going to take effect this summer. The Board of Regents must approve it first. As long as you will be a nursing student, you will NOT be affected by it.

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Specializes in Nursing Education.
I just want it be known, that ADN grad and nursing students who are practicing before this goes into effect will NOT be affected.....they can stay with their ADN for as long as they want. Only people who become RNs via ADN and nursing students who enter practice AFTER this goes into effect will be forced to get their degree in 10 years.

Referring back to the original article, 2nd paragraph:

"The requirement would apply only to RNs and nursing students who enter practice after the measure is enacted - all currently practicing RNs and nursing students would be exempted. "

I understand that, but my question is ... why would anyone go into the ADN program, knowing that they are going to have to have a BSN in the next few years? It would be wiser to just go for the BSN from the start. The other question I would have ..... are there enough BSN programs to meet the need? I would venture to say that there are not. This is going to be another huge problem for NY.

As far as nurses already practicing, that is good that they are not going to cause their licenses to be inactive. But, there has to be a better way to do this. I feel bad for the NY nurses.

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NYSNA is just another LABOR UNION WHO CARES WHAT THEY THINK.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
I just want it be known, that ADN grad and nursing students who are practicing before this goes into effect will NOT be affected.....they can stay with their ADN for as long as they want. Only people who become RNs via ADN and nursing students who enter practice AFTER this goes into effect will be forced to get their degree in 10 years.

Referring back to the original article, 2nd paragraph:

"The requirement would apply only to RNs and nursing students who enter practice after the measure is enacted - all currently practicing RNs and nursing students would be exempted. "

OOPS. I didn't read carefully enough. I rushed through. Good! I like to have options. Thanks.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Read even more carefully and you see where they want to relegate ADN/Diploma grads who do not earn their BSN within 10 years to LPN or inactive RN status!

this is a form of grandfathering, WITH a stipulation many are not seeing.

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