5 year BSN programs - alarming

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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Specializes in Critical Care, Float Pool Nursing.

Schools such as , Creighton, and others have introduced 5 year BSN tracks. They consist of more classes than 4 year tracks. Drexel, which is a highly reputable school in PA, requires that you spend at least 3 years in a nursing program after the pre-reqs are done, whereas before it was usually 2 years of pre-reqs followed by 2 years of nursing core to make a 4 year program.

What do you make of this? Is it degree inflation? Is it a way to make it easier for students?

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Drexel's 5yr program is a co-op so students spend tie getting real life healthcare or other work experience...been around for years.

They also have an accelerated BSN for 2nd degree students that is 11 months long.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

All schools should offer a five year option, but let me explain. Students could take their pre-nursing courses anywhere. Then they would have to go to the degree-granting instutition and start their 3 year rotation but be "earning" money at the same time, i.e. low tuition fees in exchange for working as CNA orLPN. Experience would resemble a diploma program but with university qualified professors. They could graduate on Friday and start work on Monday without "internships", extended orientations, etc. Why should hospitals have to pay to bringing new grads up to snuff? That's why the student pays a college. Just close down the ADN programs - we're way overloaded with people now to the detriment of ALL of us (cheap wages, employer's market, etc). This kind of program would allow people of limited means to obtain a degree - and I remember when Columbia and Cornell had this kind of program. Which loony toon decided to compress it into four years at great expense to the student? This would decrease the number of new grads coming out and those that did make it won't have tens of thousands of dollars of debt and are prepared to work in the real world. If nurses weren't such cheap commodities for employers, working conditions would improve.

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER, Pediatrics, Corrections.

My BSN took me 5 years to get due to transferring schools. Although I do not regret getting my BSN, I do regret the mountain of debt I'm in. :dead:

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Nursing is one of the very few educational pathways designed to produce a healthcare professional that does NOT include a formal transition to practice component (residency, fellowship, internship, etc). We have always relied on the employer to finish up the educational process with some sort of program for new grads. But, as we all know, employers are not willing to take on this burden any longer. I believe if hospitals received some sort of financial incentive for hosting these programs (like they do for physician training), they would be far more supportive.

The 'best' new grads are those that are adequately prepared to function with minimal supervision. This is just not going to happen without some type of transition experience. Many well-regarded nursing programs have already added this additional semester to their BSN programs. Their grads are highly recruited.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Drexel's 5yr program is a co-op so students spend tie getting real life healthcare or other work experience...been around for years.

They also have an accelerated BSN for 2nd degree students that is 11 months long.

This.

I actually considered this program, but went with another program because I was working full time as a LPN.

If anything, their model should the norm, especially for those entering that do not have healthcare experience, and all programs should have some form of a transition to practice model built in-it would surely benefit the future nurse, and the patients. :yes:

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The BSN program that my wife completed was a 4 1/2 year plan. Two years of prereqs, then five full semesters (no co-ops, summers or those "winter intersessions") of nursing school. And she graduated six years ago. As nursing continues to become more technology-driven and complex, I wonder -- will we someday see the 5 year BSN as the norm? Does the additional time in school better prepare one for the NCLEX? For the first year of practice? For pursuing an advanced degree?

What are your thoughts on this?

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