A little frustrated/confused about BSN/ADN

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Hi everyone,

I'm a little frustrated, I was speaking with a fellow student in one of my classes (non-science pre req) who is also a pre-nursing major. Upon hearing I was intending to go the ADN route he proceeded to tell that 1) ADN's were going to be meaningless and obsolete by 2020 (okaaaay) and 2) you won't have the same responsibilities as someone with a BSN. I was always under the impression that we all took the same exam to get our RN license and thus were essentially certified to do the same things. I'm totally open to the possibility that I may be dead wrong about how this and told him so. He seemed to become almost hostile and insisted he was right and I was wrong. I started to think I may be wrong and decided not to pursue the matter any farther. Guys, am I wrong???? I plan on getting my BSN immediately afterward anyway so it doesn't make much of a difference to me, I just figured I'd save a whole lot of money that I can't really afford to part with right now. I was planning on trying to get a job after passing the NCLEX and doing an online bridge to BSN while working but now I'm a little concerned.

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.

A BSN is a degree just as an ADN is a degree. Both end with an individual taking the NCLEX and passing to become an RN. As for ADN RNs becoming obsolete in 2020, I have not heard this. Sure, hospitals are cutting down on them in some areas but that does not mean ADN RNs are going to go extinct :)

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Some employers just want to make sure that their employees have a BSN within a certain amount of time. My aunt was hired by our county hospital with an ADN and I think about a year or two later got her BSN online. Don't get discouraged, just do some research with the employer that you are pursuing to help guide your decision on which academic route you should take. Good Luck!!!

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Specializes in Inpatient Psychiatry.

I did hear that most hospitals will require their RNs to hold at least a BSN by 2020 (or to be in process), but as far as it being "obsolete", I think that's just someone trying to put you down.

There's zero shame in taking the most cost-effective path, especially since you plan on working as an RN while continuing on to your BSN. You're doing what is in your best personal, professional, and financial interest. If he's not bankrolling your tuition, his opinion doesn't mean much, does it?

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Specializes in Ambulatory Care-Family Medicine.

I work for a large multi hospital organization. Our system wide goal is for 80% of hospital RNs to have a BSN (or be actively enrolled in a program leading to a BSN) by 12/31/20. So that's where the 2020 thing came from, it's some sort of new government mandate with the affordable care act. ADNs won't be obsolete, but the job market will be a lot harder. Clinics, SNF, Rehabs are exempt from this though, so there will still be jobs, just may not be working the floor at the hospital.

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Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.
I work for a large multi hospital organization. Our system wide goal is for 80% of hospital RNs to have a BSN (or be actively enrolled in a program leading to a BSN) by 12/31/20. So that's where the 2020 thing came from, it's some sort of new government mandate with the affordable care act. ADNs won't be obsolete, but the job market will be a lot harder. Clinics, SNF, Rehabs are exempt from this though, so there will still be jobs, just may not be working the floor at the hospital.

I thought this was a magnet status thing. Not a government ACA thing

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Specializes in Ambulatory Care-Family Medicine.
I thought this was a magnet status thing. Not a government ACA thing

I've actually heard it blamed on both from people online and from management. I think magnet status equals higher reimbursements from ACA so it's all tied into one excuse. I gave up trying to keep up with what excuse of the week we were getting.

Our chief nursing officer told all of the "younger" nurses (those of us with another 30 or more years until retirement) to plan on getting our masters cause eventually they will push for MSN to be the entry level.

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Lol at non-nurses (even non-nursing students) giving advice about the nursing profession.

The ASN usefulness thing is 100% reliant on where you live. Come to the south, you'll be swarming in job offers before you even graduate with your ASN. Most people get an ASN as a stepping stone to get them to a BSN. I'm going ASN first because of the cheap tuition, the amount of time it will take me from start to finish, and also the distance between me and my nearest 4 year university. I can get my BSN online once I graduate and be done in 8 months.

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

I have friends who went the diploma route, the ADN route (which is the route I'm taking now), and the BSN route. As the OP shared, they all lead to the NCLEX-RN. Whether you need a BSN right away depends on a lot of factors; it's not a guaranteed requirement.

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Thank you so much for the great advice!

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Specializes in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.

This was based on the Institute of Medicine's "call to action" that hospitals hire an 80% BSN-prepared workforce by 2020. It's based on research that supports the idea that a more educated nursing workforce leads to better patient outcomes. It by no means heralds the coming extinction of ADN nurses.

Advancing toward an 8

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Specializes in Ambulatory Care-Family Medicine.
This was based on the Institute of Medicine's "call to action" that hospitals hire an 80% BSN-prepared workforce by 2020. It's based on research that supports the idea that a more educated nursing workforce leads to better patient outcomes.

Advancing toward an 8% BSN workforce by 22 - American Nurse Today

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Thank you for taking the time to clear that up!

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