Health Care Administrators w/o BSNs or MSNs

I think RN's who have other appropriate credentials and proven ability can move into some management positions (I'm guessing you have an MBA. Yes?)

Having said this, you need to think about walking the talk. Presumably you'd like your nursing staff to continue their educations and would want your facility to be heavy with nurses who've gotten BSN's and better in nursing. At some point, the nurses you direct will kinda wonder why you never pursued anything beyond (perhaps) your ADN.

If you're going into administration, I'd encourage you to not stop learning and earning credentials.

As you can see from the posts above, it really depends on where you work, the values of the people you would like to work for, and the specific job you are seeking.

For a job in hospital administration, your health care administration credentials will carry the most weight and can take you to the highest levels. However, within the nursing administrtion hierarchy, a lot of places do prefer an advanced degree in nursing.

Sometimes, nurses with only the minimum entry level degree in nursing who take a "nursing" leadership position have trouble "fitting in" with the other nursing leaders because they don't share the same academic background, nursing knowledge base at an advanced level, and socialization into the nursing culture. It's as much a social/political problem as it is a knowledge base problem -- but it is a very real problem just the same.

There are online BSN completion programs that you could take one or two classes at a time as you get some bedside experience. You're employer's tuition reimbursement program would probably cover a lot of the expense if you did it that way.

llg

Concentrate on getting the RN after your name, with an MBA already, the BSN is not a requirement for you.

Focus on doing that and only that right now. Networking for what you want to do later is something to do later, get thru your program first.