Any ADN-BSN programs without ridiculous papers?

Nursing Students Online Learning

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Taking my 1st ADN-BSN class. Thinking of dropping it with only 1 week left.

1st class and already a 6 to 8 page paper. A concept analysis of 1 of the following 4 words: Caring, Hope, Trust, or Fear.

This is absolutely ridiculous. I have absolutely no idea what to say.

The structure of these programs MUST change.

I don't want to write papers every 5 weeks. I want to read a book and take a test.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
I thought the ADN bashing was pretty bad but after reading this thread..... WOW.

It would seem that (anecdotally, anyway) the primary differences between ADN and BSN would exist in skills vs. theory/research. You're getting your BSN, so now you're going to focus more on theory, leadership and research. These concepts are more abstract, and so the classes will focus a lot on abstract concepts. Love it or leave it. Not to sound uncaring, but it is what it is. You've already read the textbooks and taken the tests for your ADN. Now you're moving on to other things. There is no point in going back to college if it doesn't challenge you to learn more and occasionally leave your academic comfort zone.

So many comments in the last couple of pages here are really below the belt. The degree that I'm working my butt off for right now is not obsolete. It is valuable to me, and to the countless other people who are taking the time to earn theirs. I am 32 years old, I have a husband and kids, and I do not go and party each weekend with my sorority sisters. You need to leave your assumptions at the door. I study in the free time that I have (I believe the rest of you call that "the hours when you sleep"), I write a crap ton of care plans, assignments, you name it. I am learning about the research process (a topic I have discovered I love), leadership and about the emotional needs of patients in addition to the medical ones. Don't tell me for a second that my degree is pointless, a bad choice, obsolete, whatever. Choosing ADN vs. BSN is a personal choice that we all make, and to tell someone how their choice was wrong is ... well, wrong. You will NEVER convince me that choosing MORE education is a bad or obsolete thing. Never.

It shocks me to hear nurses of all people say that learning more about their world is actually obsolete. Maybe you think the assignments listed by the OP are ridiculous, but clearly the professor who assigned them found value in them and the learning they would induce. How about instead of fighting the system and its "BS" requirements, you step back, look at the bigger picture, and ask yourself what it is you are supposed to be gaining from this experience. If you don't know what that is yet, do some reading in different places (google those words, for instance, and see what variety comes up - and hey! You can share that experience for a page or two of the paper!), and when you complete the assignment, reflect on it. Did you gain something from it? If not, oh, well. Chances are you have classmates who did, though. Not every assignment will be an amazing experience for you, but there is a REASON why your professor found value in it.

P.S. to the person annoyed by the requirement to take physical assessment again - just because you've been doing physical assessments forever, it doesn't mean that the school is going to be willing to give you a degree that says you can do them RIGHT. By that, I don't mean that you are doing them incorrectly, but you have to understand that when a university gives you a degree, they are saying you have a standard minimum skill set. They can't just say, "Oh, you've done that before, so you're okay..."

.......climbing down from my soap box now...........

^Well SAID!!! :yes:

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I am very curious to know what schools aren't requiring English for graduation or admission, if you don't mind sharing.

*** Two RN to MSN programs that don't require english for graduation or admission are American Sentinal University, and University Of Arizona. Both programs only require that you hold an associated degree in nursing. If you have the associates degree they do not look into what classes you took to earn it. Both have some other requirements like minimum GPA etc.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
If those nurses who are complaining about their education NOT being advanced, despite being in degree programs, had determined to choose a quality program and investigated the quality of the program before signing up, it is likely they may have had less reason to complain about the poor quality of education they received.

*** You may have a point. Or maybe not. It depends on how variable the degree programs are. I haven't noticed much difference between them, though I freely admit that by no means have I looked into all of the RN to BSN programs out there. What programs do you know of that provide a qualiety nursing education without silly, make work fluff work as described in the OP?

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

As far as choosing degree programs most nurses I work with choose the free one. My hospital has a partnership with Local State University and provides the RN to BSN program at no cost to it's nurses (other than a contract to work for them after graduation). For me it was a very simple choice. Pay thousands out of my own pocket for the school of my choice, or take the BSN at Local State University for free. Not a hard choice.

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Specializes in ER trauma, ICU - trauma, neuro surgical.

Personally, I don't think a BSN is a waste. Despite the move away from the clinical aspect, the BSN does do a great job of preparing you for post-graduate work. That's what I wanted from it. As I said before, you learn how to write scholarly papers and take on managerial factors like process improvement and financial concentrations. That is extremely valuable. I just complained about moving away from the medical aspect. So much time is spent on nursing theory. Yes, it has importance, but I hated it when I had to write a paper like medicine doesn't exist. Finding research on some vague article is almost impossible. A BSN doesn't do anything at the bedside, but you get to understand that a medical facility is also a business. You can't stay open without funding or reimbursement. I just wish nursing was able to have a little more wiggle room with medicine. But, I get it. There's no way to just be all medicine...nursing has it's own personality.

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.
It' very possible for someone to graduate from a BSN program and not be able to write, use words properly or spell. I know that because I've seen it many times. If "auto-correct" is that program people are always apologizing for when they send stuff on an iphone maybe it would be better to just turn it off.

Even one composition class and one literature class should be enough to at least give people a clue when a word or phrase might be wrong so they can look it up. I've never been a stickler for perfection but I can't help reacting negatively when someone who trumpets their education has horrible written language skills.

Maybe it's a generational thing.

Thank you! I think we must be from the same generation! I can't believe the atrocious spelling & grammar I see in posts on this site. Some are actually painful to try to read! Having been raised by an English teacher, I am acutely aware of spelling & grammar. My iPhone & iPad have auto correct and, of course, Microsoft Word has spellcheck. The problem with these programs is that they don't take context into account & they don't always correct correctly.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
I attended a state university for my ADN-BSN approx 16 years ago. We were required to write papers of the length you describe or complete similar length assignments for virtually all the classes. Why is it ridiculous to have to write papers in college? Didn't you expect to be challenged to learn? Colleges aren't just supposed to hand you a degree.

Srsly though? A 6-8 page paper on ONE WORD? I mean how many times can you restate what "hope" is?

I guess it feels more like a liberal arts assignment than it should for a bSn program.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
P.S. to the person annoyed by the requirement to take physical assessment again - just because you've been doing physical assessments forever, it doesn't mean that the school is going to be willing to give you a degree that says you can do them RIGHT. By that, I don't mean that you are doing them incorrectly, but you have to understand that when a university gives you a degree, they are saying you have a standard minimum skill set. They can't just say, "Oh, you've done that before, so you're okay..."

....except that colleges have done that for years through the CLEP program or advanced placement or whatever you wish to call it. But for $ome $trange rea$son, the B$N program$ I've $een don't offer thi$.....

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Specializes in Oncology/hematology.

I'm in an ADN program and will bridge to BSN when I graduate. I had to take comp 1 and 2 for my associate's degree. I also am writing papers in my nursing program. I chose to join the honor's program and must write a 20 page research paper each semester on top of my course work. I had to write an essay to apply to my program. I had to write a paper to apply for my scholarship. Looks like I'll be ready for my bridge program, huh?

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Thank you! I think we must be from the same generation! I can't believe the atrocious spelling & grammar I see in posts on this site. Some are actually painful to try to read! Having been raised by an English teacher, I am acutely aware of spelling & grammar. My iPhone & iPad have auto correct and, of course, Microsoft Word has spellcheck. The problem with these programs is that they don't take context into account & they don't always correct correctly.

Right! I'm going to go way out on a limb and say that sending a message with uncorrected out-of-context wording can be humorous, like the old "Mad Libs" game we played as kids. That will kill off your attempt to appear professional and dignified right away. :-)

If you send something with a "sorry for mistakes I'm using my iphone" caveat at the bottom it sounds like you don't care enough about your readers to take a few minutes to fix it before sending. Now I'll don my flak jacket . . . .

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Specializes in critical care.
....except that colleges have done that for years through the CLEP program or advanced placement or whatever you wish to call it. But for $ome $trange rea$son, the B$N program$ I've $een don't offer thi$.....

We will have to agree to disagree on this point. I don't believe a program should lower their standards or requirements for the sake of saving money.

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What upper level classes can you place out of? I've only seen CLEP or AP for lower level courses.

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