Hospitals only hiring BSN's?

[txhopeful13]

when i interviewed for my current position as a student health assistant the clinical manager asked what my goals were. i explained to her that i am pursuing my adn. she told me that hospitals are not hiring nurses with adn's anymore and that you must have a bsn to be considered. is this true, or is it only for certain hospitals? i don't want to try to obtain my adn and not be able to use it.

[Emilynn09]

when i interviewed for my current position as a student health assistant the clinical manager asked what my goals were. i explained to her that i am pursuing my adn. she told me that hospitals are not hiring nurses with adn's anymore and that you must have a bsn to be considered. is this true, or is it only for certain hospitals? i don't want to try to obtain my adn and not be able to use it.

i am an adn rn and i was hired before i even passed nclex at a local hospital. i've been working now for about 6 months. yes, it can be done and hospitals do hire adns.

[larn2012]

It depends on where you live. I graduated from an ADN program in Houston and worked at a hospital in the med center, when I started which was at the beginning of nursing school they were excited to hire me because they could potentially gain a nurse but as graduation came around and their journey to follow suit with the other hospitals in the medical center switching to BSN only for magnet status they decided I could either move to an outside facility within the hospital family(at a lower pay rate 3 dollars more than my current rate and not a guarenteed position) and obtain a BSN and transfer back in or leave my current position and apply and wait to see what would happen. I applied for a job in my homestate of Louisiana and was hired within 3 days of putting my application in with the pay rate I wanted and never asked if I had a BSN or not. I don't think a couple more research and community health classes makes you a better nurse by any means, but it is important to continue your education because the trend is leaning more towards BSN graduates. If I could do it all again I would go straight into my BSN program.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

*** They may choose to hire BSNs only but it doesn't have anything to do with Magnet status, except both are indicators of the mentaliety of the hospital's administrators. Nothing about Magnet requires hiring all BSN staff nurses, or even a percentage of BSN staff nurses.

[Compagnox2]

*if you only read a bit of this. Read paragraphs 4-6 for sure. Dr. Linda Aikens information and research is invaluable.

I don’t understand why there aren’t real, substantive answers as to why it seems that more hospitals and nursing in general are moving to all BSN status as a minimum.

First, allow me to just say that there are some really GREAT ASNs out there. Their experience, caring and thoughtful nursing skill sets are invaluable. I know of quite a few myself whom I would have care for me or any of my loved ones, due to the fact I know they care and are extremely good at what they do. Secondly, the field of nursing is a great, well respected career path. Any degree in Nursing is indeed a good choice, but why not make a great choice? There are many career paths within the field of nursing and different areas of nursing one can follow or get into. The major two types are the ASN and the BSN. The associate degree nurse is commonly called the “associate of science in nursing” or ASN degree nurse. An associate degree nurse has commonly completed approximately two years of nursing school training. However before entering any nursing program the student must have completed the prerequisites in order to be accepted into that program. Many times this entails having completed one to two years of education in order to meet the requirements for nursing school. Many students finish much more quickly but not without, arguably, hard work and a lot of time and energy. The latter being true for nursing education in general. ASN nurses take courses in, most obviously, nursing. However, the curriculum includes many other facets of learning. ASNs take courses in psychology, nutrition, microbiology, chemistry, physiology as well as social and behavioral sciences. One thing all nursing schools and curriculums have in common are hours of supervised clinical experience. While the course is technically only two years, it can turn out to be 3-31/2 years due to prerequisites. Many students, young and old alike say it’s one of if not the toughest program they have ever encountered.

How does it differ from a nurse who has an associate degree compared to a BS in nursing? Are there any differences other than being in school a little longer? Is the pay different? Is it only for a “managers job?”.

The baccalaureate in nursing program adds to the educational development of the registered nurse by including several other aspects of nursing. Baccalaureate or commonly called “bachelor” nursing programs contain all of the course work taught in ASN and diploma programs plus a more in-depth treatment of the physical and social sciences, research in the field of nursing, public and community health, nursing management and supervising, as well as the humanities. The additional course work can continue to enhance the nursing student’s professional development It also prepares the new nurse for a broader scope of practice, and provides the nursing student, whether already an ASN or not with a better understanding of the economic, political, cultural, and social issues that affect a patient and influence health care delivery. Throughout the last decade, policymakers and nursing practice leaders have recognized that education makes a difference. One of the major differences is in the area of “people”. That is to say, BSNs’ learn more on how to deal with people and the dynamics of the people in the workplace as well as effective management and productivity of those people. Also, registered nurses with a BSN possess a substantial chance for advancing their careers. As an example, a bachelor’s in nursing degree is needed for acceptance into a master’s nursing program, which could result in a career in health care administration, health services, or on to specialty nursing roles like nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner or clinical nurse leader. A BSN is also favored and frequently necessitated for military and public health nursing and other more specialized jobs. Thus, a BSN should probably make more than an ASN.

Now, with that said. Education is a great way to become enlightened on even more nursing information and for creation of change in the profession. All one has to do is look up Linda Aiken, RN and the information from her years of research on nursing will enlighten and brighten ones’ thoughts on this matter -of magnet hospitals and/or facilities. Dr. Aiken and colleagues found (in over a decade of research) that hospitals that employed a higher percentile of BSNs had lower surgical patient mortality rates than hospitals that staffed with fewer BSNs (Hanink, 2014). The study was done in 2003 and other studies are continuing even now. All point to a need in a BSN. The study in 2003 was done on 168 hospitals. In addition, hospitals with RNs holding a bachelor's degree or higher ranged from 0% to 77% across the hospitals. a 10% increase in the proportion of nurses holding a bachelor's degree was associated with a 5% decrease in both the likelihood of patients dying within 30 days of admission and the odds of failure to rescue (JAMA, 2003). I would strongly recommend that any and all nurses read Dr. Aikens’ research paper on this. It can be found in the link below.

Everywhere nurses look, other professions are taking on additional responsibilities, given more credibility and even more respect (PTs, OTs, Pharmacists, RTs etc) while nurses are seen as the pill pushers, IV starters, buttocks wipers etc. We need to educate ourselves and be proactive in all areas of patient care. That would include management, and lobbying congress for better nurse ratios as well.

On a personal note, if you are someone in nursing school or are considering nursing. Consider going for the BSN. The ASN is good if you are considering working and THEN going for your BSN, however as most nurses will tell you. Its hard to stop then start again, and sometimes expensive. Just keep going. Don’t stop.

If there are any issues with the link below I have included it here as well. Simply cut and paste into your browser. JAMA Network | JAMA | Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality

References

Linda Aiken's Research is Changing the Nursing Profession, The Magnet program for hospitals is directly related to Aiken’s work, Elizabeth Hanink, RN, BSN, PHN 2014 retrieved from Linda Aiken's Research is Changing the Nursing Profession - Articles Archive - Working Nurse l Nursing Jobs, RN Career Advice in Los Angeles OC Inland Empire

The Journal of The American Medical Association, Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality, Linda H. Aiken, PhD, Et. Al, 2003 retrieved from JAMA Network | JAMA | Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality

[Compagnox2]

Yes they may choose to hire BSNs, and your correct, it doesn't make them a magnet hospital. Magnet status is hospitals with 60% of the nurses that are BSN.

Linda Aikens' study was done in 2003 and other studies are continuing even now. All point to a need in a BSN. The study in 2003 was done on 168 hospitals. In addition, hospitals with RNs holding a bachelor's degree or higher ranged from 0% to 77% across the hospitals. a 10% increase in the proportion of nurses holding a bachelor's degree was associated with a 5% decrease in both the likelihood of patients dying within 30 days of admission and the odds of failure to rescue (JAMA, 2003).

References

Linda Aiken's Research is Changing the Nursing Profession, The Magnet program for hospitals is directly related to Aiken’s work, Elizabeth Hanink, RN, BSN, PHN 2014 retrieved from Linda Aiken's Research is Changing the Nursing Profession - Articles Archive - Working Nurse l Nursing Jobs, RN Career Advice in Los Angeles OC Inland Empire

The Journal of The American Medical Association, Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality, Linda H. Aiken, PhD, Et. Al, 2003 retrieved from JAMA Network | JAMA | Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality