Fairly Unique Situation

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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Hello all. I went to college on a wrestling scholarship and was originally in nursing school and made it to my ped/ob clinical rotation when my commitment to my NCAA division 1 scholarship became too much to handle on top of nursing school so I decided to change my major to something relevant to the courses I had already take. I finished my bachelors in exercise physiology and want nothing to do with it now especially because there are no jobs. I have recently decided to start school back up in September to obtain my associates degree in nursing. I have a job as an MST on a med/surg floor in a large hospital and well over half of the 50+ nurses I see each day have their associates degree. I was wondering others opinions on this. I will only need 1 year to finish up because I have so much of the coursework done from my bachelors. I feel like I'm in a great position because I'm already getting great experience working in a large hospital that hires internally and hires ADN prepared nurses. Then there's the dreaded ADN vs. BSN ugh. Here is a question. Lets say I utterly refuse to get my BSN later in life. Will I just not have a job at all as a nurse? Are they really going to do away with every associate nursing schoo/program? I am not talking about only in the hospital I'm talking about getting a job anywhere. The way people act on these forums it seems as if the millions of ADNs will not be able to work without a BSN which I find very hard to believe on top of the fact that they are going to have to shut down hundreds of schools/programs. What about nursing homes? Home health? Is it really reasonable to think that every single nursing job in the near future will only be for BSN prepared nurses? It just seems a bit improbable and frankly impossible. As I said I work with literally hundreds of BSN prepared nurses. Feedback please!

They may not be fired from their present positions, but they may well find themselves locked into wherever they are if other employers are no longer hiring them, or their present employers restrict advancement opportunities to people with BSNs.

See, students always think in terms of getting that staff nurse job in a hospital, because that's mostly all they saw when they were in school. But it's a long work life ahead. Never, never, never turn down an opportunity to improve your future options. You have such a choice now. Do it.

I understand I'm simply being hypothetical. For now, based in my situation, I feel it is definitely best to do the ADN and start working as a nurse and getting even more experience. Then, after I'm making money (because as I've learned there is not a significant pay difference between degrees) I can get my BSN online and I will most likely have most of those classes done from previous degrees. Logically I have a feeling it will take much more than even just a few years to implement closing schools/ridding of every single RN job in the country. I work at a large hospital and they actively hire (daily) ADN nurses and they work as charge and we have many in administration so while I do think you're correct about it all being BSN in the future, I also think that it will take a very long time to implement especially considering there is not even a difference in their pay yet...

The 'BSN mandate' is driven by patient outcomes research. There are an increasing number of studies that report significant differences associated with higher numbers of BSN prepared nurses.... that's the reason for the IOM recommendation in the US. Hospitals will be hard-pressed to justify non-compliance to the public who are more educated and demanding than ever before.

The BSN-only mandate in acute care may not happen right away in your part of the country, but it's already a fact of life in most large urban areas in the US. There's no going back.

I would like to point out that some time back a nurse on AN posted that he/she was part of a panel for his/her state that reviewed one particular prominent study in regard to the subject of introducing BSN for entry in to practice in his/her state. The nurse said the panel rejected the conclusions of the study for reasons the nurse specified. This post was the subject of much discussion on AN.

It is one thing for studies to report significant differences; another thing to reliably demonstrate them. If you wish to name a recent study that demonstrates quantifiable superior patient outcomes (not self-reported patient satisfaction questionnaires) delivered by BSN prepared nurses versus ADN prepared nurses, I am open to reading such a study.

I wish to mention that I have a BSN, obtained after completing my RN through an ADN program.

It sounds like the right decision for you to get the ADN cheaply now. But I would definitely plan on getting the BSN soon after. I already know of hospitals that are requiring RN's to get their BSN's within certain time frames. Your hospital might eventually do that. Or like others have said, you may want to change jobs for a number of reasons and you'll be more likely to get interviewed with a BSN. The great thing is you save a lot of money if your employer helps you with the RN-BSN tuition. I have my ADN and am getting the BSN now and it's awesome to not have any school loans because I paid everything as I went!

Specializes in Medical Surgical.

I will also tell you that whatever school you decide to go to you can look up the NCLEX pass rates. My ASN program at my specific campus has trended over the past few years with the highest NCLEX-RN pass rate of any nursing school, ASN or BSN, in the state. That makes me feel more comfortable and confident knowing that I will have to pass the NCLEX and work as a nurse. I believe the pass rates are on the state website for whatever state you are in; I just googled it for my state..

Specializes in Medical Surgical.

And i do agree that with an ASN you can work as a nurse, but with a BSN you have other opportunities as well. I know I plan to do an ASN-BSN transition program when I am finished with my first degree. There are also many, many programs that offer accelerated programs for any 4 year degree to BSN. I believe they take approximately 16 months.

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

They are not getting rid of ADN RNs ever. It MAY come to pass that the minimum entry point for RNs becomes the BSN but in the case all the ADNs will be gradfathered in. That's the way these things have alwasy been done.

In your position I would forget EVER getting the BSN and just skip to MSN. Ya you could probably work the rest of your life at the bedside as an ADN RN. However that gets old and you will eventualy want to do something else in nursing and that will likely require a degree beyond your ADN.

Specializes in ICU.

I don't think all jobs for ADNs are going away, but most hospitals in the area where I live will only hire ADNs if they sign a contract that they will obtain their BSN within the next four years. Just something to think about... you may get hired, but may lose your job in a few years if you don't go back for your BSN, or you may have to work in a "less desirable" area. If you want to work in home health, a nursing home, etc. you shouldn't have a problem, but if you want to work for a major hospital you might. It just really depends on what field you want to go in whether you should get your BSN or not.

Specializes in ICU.

Also, forgot to mention - why consider an accelerated BSN? Some of those programs are only a year long, so it will take you just as long to get your BSN as it would to get your ADN and your degree would be more marketable. I know you're just thinking about finding a job, anywhere... but you may find that you like a particular unit the best that really only wants to hire BSNs. You have to remember that those ADNs you're working with have been in the profession for years, and are not new grads... the job market for new grads is really tough right now, whether you have an ADN or a BSN. BSNs open a few more doors than ADNs do right now when you're a new grad. Most of the new grad residencies I've seen in my area don't accept ADN students.

Unfortunately this is my only option for right now based on my situation. I would definitely do an accelerated bsn but the only program would require me to quit my job therefore having bills to pay, losing the tuition reimbursement, and not having the "In" that I do now and I literally just talked to guy that graduated last week from an ADN program and they offered him a job on my floor 3 weeks ago. He is a tech like me. So this way I can go to school and work full time because all of the lecture material is taught online and all but guarantee I'll be hired on when I graduate then after I get in the swing of working as an rn with my adn degree I can worry about completing the bsn.

Get the ADN first!! My reasoning is purely anecdotal...but here goes. I am an ADN. Paid approximately $10k for it (I do have a previous bachelor's degree). I can go back for my BSN online and spend maybe another $8k and about 12 months. I work with someone who graduated about the same time as I did who went for the ABSN. The difference between the two of us? I am her supervisor and she is nearly $80k in debt.

I'd also like to mention another alternative.. I am finishing my ADN this month, and have a previous batchelors degree. This was the right choice for me (and it sounds like for you) because I was able to continue working while going to school. You can also skip right to a masters program once you complete your ADN, you will not need to get a BSN first. This is what I plan to do after working for a year or two.

Edit: I also wanted to mention I just interviewed for a position this week. The company allows ADN nurses to move up within the company to unit managers and nurse managers even without a BSN. Depending on how high you go you will eventually need a masters but their is still opportunity for advancement. I just wanted to point out that it really will depend on the facility, Long term care will be much more forgiving to your ADN.

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