BSN... worth the tuition?

[TheAmazingMrsA]

Alright, this topic has probably been done to death... but since I'm new and I couldn't find the exact answer I wanted, bear with me.

I live in Washington (near Seattle), and just today I listened to a nursing adviser drone on about how an ADN is pointless and no one will hire you unless you have your BSN. I'm applying to two ADN programs next quarter, and now I'm freaking out. I'm already on full student loans, while my husband works full-time to pay the bills, and another year of tuition at a university rate after my three years at a community college seems insane.

To top it off, the adviser said that in a few years Washington state is going to require ALL RN's have their BSN.

Anyone in Washington that can attest to the job market in 2012? Do I have a shot at a descent job out of school without a BSN? And those of you who have a BSN, did you feel it was worth the tuition?

[FutureRN_NP]

I cannot answer that but I am one semester away from graduating from my RN/BSN program. I am already an RN. I am also curious to what people have to say. The reason I went back to school for BSN is because I want to further my career. Certain programs require BSN as entry while others are not. What I am interested in require this degree and that is why I did it. Just a suggestion, there are other funds you can apply such as worksource if you qualified.

[MunoRN, RN]

There are no current plans to require a BSN in Washington. There was a work group that addressed the subject, but did not see the value in it. There is currently a freeze on expanding BSN programs in Washington public schools, BSN programs may only expand slots by working through an ADN program (due to the problems BSN programs have been having with clinical spots).

There are hospitals in Washington that prefer BSN's, there are also those that don't care, and there are even some like mine that have been only hiring ADN new grads in recent years due to the additional costs we've experienced with training BSN new grads.

Depending on the course you want your career to take, a BSN may be well worth the money, in some cases though it may not.

[anniv91106]

There are no current plans to require a BSN in Washington. There was a work group that addressed the subject, but did not see the value in it. There is currently a freeze on expanding BSN programs in Washington public schools, BSN programs may only expand slots by working through an ADN program (due to the problems BSN programs have been having with clinical spots).

There are hospitals in Washington that prefer BSN's, there are also those that don't care, and there are even some like mine that have been only hiring ADN new grads in recent years due to the additional costs we've experienced with training BSN new grads.

Depending on the course you want your career to take, a BSN may be well worth the money, in some cases though it may not.

What is the difference in training costs of a new grad ADN vs. a new grad BSN? Would 'recent years' mean since 2009?

[dzadzey, MSN, RN]

So long as facilities can hire a BSN for the same wages they can hire an ADN for, the question is irrelevant. I'm less than 12 weeks away from finishing my BSN, been an RN for nearly 12 years, I found out the hospital I work for doesn't have a pay differential for baccalaureate prepared nurses. I'll never be able to recoup the investment I made in furthering my education.

Part of the blame lies with nursing orgnaizations like the ANCC which are pushig RN's to get their BSN's yet fail to include a pay differential for BSN's in their requirements for MAGNET status. Nurses are also to blame for not holding hospital administration's feet to the fire on this issue.