RNs with a Bachelor's in another field

Nurses Activism

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Hey everyone,

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree, then decided later in life to go back to school to become a Registered Nurse. I took all of my pre-reqs and completed an 18-month Associate of Science in Nursing program at Harcum College, finished with a 3.3 GPA, and passed my NCLEX-RN with 75 questions on my first try.

I was fortunate enough to be working as a Patient Care Associate (PCA) at a magnet hospital and I was able to get a position as an RN immediately. Since I have started working though, the hospital has been breathing down my neck about when I will be going back to school to get my BSN. I was even told in my interview that I was "lucky" because I was the "only nurse who was being interviewed who did not have a bachelor's degree." This was very offensive to me, and I quickly reminded her that I DO have a bachelor's degree, and that it should count for something. Either way, I got the job and it all worked out.

Now that I am actively seeking a program to go back to school for my BSN, I often find that I will need to go back to school for ANOTHER two years (at least!). I feel that, since I have a bachelor's degree and also have an associate's degree, the pressure to obtain a BSN is kind of silly. Some schools even require that I complete MORE pre-reqs before I am even eligible to apply to their program.

I also wish there were more programs for RNs with bachelor's in another field who would like to bridge into an MSN program. I have found a few programs like this at Thomas Jefferson University (which recently closed this program), and Marquette University (in Wisconsin, and I live in NJ!). I also run into issues with the fact that I do not do well in online classes, and would prefer to remain in the classroom setting.

Is anyone else encountering issues like this? I truly believe that a bachelor's in another field, if juxtaposed with an associate's in nursing and a valid nursing license, should qualify for magnet hospitals.

Any thoughts, feedback, or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Krista

**I placed this topic in the "healthcare politics" section because I really do believe that that's exactly what this is... POLITICS. It doesn't matter that I am a hard worker or that I am an exceptional nurse, all that matters to the "magnet hospitals" is that I have my BSN. I just don't think it's fair.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

This is a perennial argument here on AN.

Bottom line - A Bachelor's degree in NURSING is just that. There are no substitutes. AN ADN + a BA in journalism, a BFA in music, or BS in Physics.... does NOT provide the same knowledge base as a BSN. Clearly illustrated by the fact that you need to complete additional pre-requisites for admission to a BSN program. FWIW, My first degree was in journalism also. BTDT.

Clarification - This is not being driven by Magnet requirements. The Magnet requirements are an outgrowth of the IOM recommendations - based on enormous evidence that higher levels of BSN nurses have a significantly positive effect on the outcomes of acute care patients. There is insufficient evidence (thus far) to make the same recommendation for non-acute care.

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I find it helpful to reframe these kinds of questions. You have a BA in journalism. If someone had an associate's degree in journalism and a BS in something else entirely unrelated to journalism, would you consider that equivalent to your BA in journalism? Why or why not?

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Yes you do have a BA but it's not in nursing. There is a difference.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I think there are still several programs that allow you to go from ADN to MSN. That's what I would do in your situation.

And for what it's worth ... I have a PhD in nursing. If I were to add an Associate's Degree in Physics, I doubt anyone would hire to teach graduate-level physics. I would have to get further education in physics first.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Hey everyone,

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree, then decided later in life to go back to school to become a Registered Nurse. I took all of my pre-reqs and completed an 18-month Associate of Science in Nursing program at Harcum College, finished with a 3.3 GPA, and passed my NCLEX-RN

with 75 questions on my first try.

I was fortunate enough to be working as a Patient Care Associate (PCA) at a magnet hospital and I was able to get a position as an RN immediately. Since I have started working though, the hospital has been breathing down my neck about when I will be going back to school to get my BSN. I was even told in my interview that I was "lucky" because I was the "only nurse who was being interviewed who did not have a bachelor's degree." This was very offensive to me, and I quickly reminded her that I DO have a bachelor's degree, and that it should count for something. Either way, I got the job and it all worked out.

Now that I am actively seeking a program to go back to school for my BSN, I often find that I will need to go back to school for ANOTHER two years (at least!). I feel that, since I have a bachelor's degree and also have an associate's degree, the pressure to obtain a BSN is kind of silly. Some schools even require that I complete MORE pre-reqs before I am even eligible to apply to their program.

I also wish there were more programs for RNs with bachelor's in another field who would like to bridge into an MSN program. I have found a few programs like this at Thomas Jefferson University (which recently closed this program), and Marquette University (in Wisconsin, and I live in NJ!). I also run into issues with the fact that I do not do well in online classes, and would prefer to remain in the classroom setting.

Is anyone else encountering issues like this? I truly believe that a bachelor's in another field, if juxtaposed with an associate's in nursing and a valid nursing license, should qualify for magnet hospitals.

Any thoughts, feedback, or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Krista

**I placed this topic in the "healthcare politics" section because I really do believe that that's exactly what this is... POLITICS. It doesn't matter that I am a hard worker or that I am an exceptional nurse, all that matters to the "magnet hospitals" is that I have my BSN. I just don't think it's fair.

Hi, in addition to my RN I have a Bachelors in Arts and Letters and a Minor in European history. I just got accepted to APU (Azusa Pacific University and they took all my old classes into account. There are only two pre-reqs I have to take; College Algebra and Bible Lit (it's a Christian School). Look around and talk with the admissions department directly. You previous hard work does count for something!

Hppy

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg.

How about if I have a Master's Degree in a non-nursing field, say Music? Should I still need a Master's in Nursing to become an advanced practice nurse? Or will my Masters in Music with an Associates degree in Nursing suffice?

Most likely, the curriculum of the journalism BA did not cover any aspects of nursing or healthcare such as nursing research, informatics, healthcare systems/leadership, nursing advocacy and policy, etc.

It's great that you have the BA, it makes you a more well rounded person and nurse, but it's not the educational equivalent of a BSN.

I have my BA in English, and when I decided to pursue nursing I had do decide between the faster and less expensive Associates program or a BSN program. I enrolled in an accelerated program designed for non-nurses with previous Bachelors degrees, and I'm really glad I did, because now I don't have to go back to school for the RN to BSN coursework.

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I have a bachelors degree in another unrelated field, and an ADN in nursing. No one seems to care about my non nursing degree... And yep... I'm headed back to school for my BSN.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

On one hand I agree, because a big part of the argument is that a baccalaureate-prepared nurse is a more all-around educated individual, and has proven their ability to engage in the higher thinking that is college math, history, English, etc.

But on the other hand, does a BSN and journalism classes prepare someone to work as a journalist? Same thing with nursing; your journalism major didn't include the 300- and 400-level nursing classes.

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Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.

As a person with bachelor's degree in another field, I don't mind and I expect to take upper level nursing courses for a BSN. It's when they try to get me to take general education course that I get annoyed as I have met the general education requirements of a regionally accredited college already. At any rate, I don't particularly want another bachelor's degree. When I go back to school, I will seriously consider going RN-MSN, though I haven't decided for sure what I will do.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

I received my MSN without the BSN. I have a Bachelor in another field and an ASN. All that was required was the RN, and a Bachelor degree. I was in the same situation and faced the decision of spending 2 years in school for a BSN or 2 years in school for a MSN. That's a no-brainer.

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I have a bachelors degree in another unrelated field, and an ADN in nursing. No one seems to care about my non nursing degree... And yep... I'm headed back to school for my BSN.

This is me!

BA in Psych. Online now for ASN-BSN bridge. The good thing is a lot of my electives and my stats transferred. I "only" have the nursing classes to take.

There is an RN-MSN bridge somewhere local here. For some reason I think it's Pace in NYC, but don't hold me to that. I didn't do it because it's been years since I've been to school, am taking classes online, and felt I could not make that leap.

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