ADN vs. BSN for Entry Level Nursing

The new push is for all nurses to be baccalaureate prepared, eliminating the 2 year associate degree program. Given the current and future nursing shortage, what is your opinion?

I can't believe such a hot topic and no one has responded yet. Personally I don't think we should let the nursing shortage concern us or affect us. We should not lower the standards of nursing to make more warm bodies eligible to work as a RN. I think if we are going to be Professionals we need to have a professional entry level of a BSN ( not a 2 year ADN with a bs in accounting). The first question being do we want to be considered professionals? If we do I believe that all current RN's should be grandfathered in that lack the BSN level and nationwide entry level should be the same-after all we all take the same test so why not uniform entry levels everywhere. I beleive this is the only way to advance nursing and

get the respect from the doctors that we are all entitled to.

probably one reason for the lack of responses is that this very same topic has been discussed, heatedly at times, over and over and over ad nauseum. It's beating a dead horse and people just don't want to go there.

probably one reason for the lack of responses is that this very same topic has been discussed, heatedly at times, over and over and over ad nauseum. It's beating a dead horse and people just don't want to go there.

:deadhorse

Right! I mean, this is probably THE single most discussed topic on this forum. Just do a search on one of the other dozens and dozens of other discussions about this issue.

https://allnurses.com/forums/1379680-post3.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f87/professional-nurse-bsn-vs-adn-need-help-150267.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f164/true-bsn-will-mandatory-soon-87404.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/bsns-vs-community-college-61340.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f198/adn-bsn-better-130337.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/does-article-prove-bsn-nurses-safer-than-asn-132809.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f195/ny-state-may-require-nurses-obtain-4-year-degrees-63553.html?highlight=BSN

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/title-bsn-badge-149821.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/school-should-i-go-us-adn-accelerated-bsn-145767.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f166/change-bsn-requirements-99033.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f198/sick-adn-vs-bsn-like-most-us-have-choice-anyway-108746.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/associates-bachelors-131860.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/adn-vs-bsn-pay-rn-127175.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/aas-vs-bsn-126817.html?highlight=BSN+entry+level

I can't believe such a hot topic and no one has responded yet. Personally I don't think we should let the nursing shortage concern us or affect us. We should not lower the standards of nursing to make more warm bodies eligible to work as a RN. I think if we are going to be Professionals we need to have a professional entry level of a BSN ( not a 2 year ADN with a bs in accounting). The first question being do we want to be considered professionals? If we do I believe that all current RN's should be grandfathered in that lack the BSN level and nationwide entry level should be the same-after all we all take the same test so why not uniform entry levels everywhere. I beleive this is the only way to advance nursing and

get the respect from the doctors that we are all entitled to.

Go BSN as entry into practice. By the time you finish with the prerequisites, you are spending almost that amount of time in school anyway. You might as well get the degree that coincides with the amount of time that you spent in school. And I completely agree with the above post.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

The new push is for all nurses to be baccalaureate prepared, eliminating the 2 year associate degree program. Given the current and future nursing shortage, what is your opinion?

Just curious ... is this for a school paper? Were you told this was a "new" push, and who/what was doing the pushing? Debates rage in academic & public policy circles ... action takes a loooong time to come to fruition sometimes, and in the meantime successful careers march on.

"That dog won't hunt!"

Ehh, we'll probably go all BSN in 10 or so years, but not until we cough up some SERIOUS money to pay for the opening of new BSN programs accross the nation, pass laws to create 4-year BSN programs out of already 3+ year community college programs and add the needed teaching staff.

Additionally we will have to finally accept that our Diploma/ASN/ADN/AAS (and indeed LPNs) must have a seat at the all-BSN transition table.

Congress has already spent boatloads and this sure won't get a priority.

Until then we'll just have to concentrate on OTHER way to UNIFY and ADVANCE the profession.

Yeah, this thread was for a paper. My personal opinion on the subject is to let nurses decide if they want to further their education formally, whether it is BSN, MSN, PHD, etc. But, I think that ALL states should adapt mandatory education/CEU's. No matter what level of education we're at in the health industry, we always need educational updating/lifelong learning to keep up with the rapid pace of change in our field. Education is a good thing, it empowers us with confidence and competence. AND...we are NEVER too old to learn - take it from me, I'm 52 yrs. old, about to graduate with my BSN, and going on for my MSN-Nurse Practitioner track this next fall!

Go BSN as entry into practice. By the time you finish with the prerequisites, you are spending almost that amount of time in school anyway. You might as well get the degree that coincides with the amount of time that you spent in school. And I completely agree with the above post.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

I agree. I've spent about 3.5 years getting my ADN, it makes me nuts that I could have had a BSN in that time. But of course, it goes back to the shortage of nursing educators/programs, etc. The only BSN program near me was taking 40 applicants, and when my friend with a 4.0 GPA did not make the cut, I knew my measly 3.5 GPA was not going to get it. So, an ADN program was the only option for me, and now I will be working as an RN while I pursue my BSN/MSN.

I also agree with making a universal standard for nursing, in order to advance the profession as a whole. It's too confusing to the layperson to distinguish between ADN, BSN, diploma and I have run into a lot of clients who think they are different levels of nursing. Like the client who asked me what school I go to, and then when I told him I will have my ADN, he said, so that'll make you an LPN? And another client asked me about what is the difference between and LPN and a 2-year RN degree? (Not much, as far as I've seen, I've run into some darm great LPNs who know more than a lot of RNs!)

It would be good for the entire profession to establish a baseline of education for the RN. All I can say about it right now is that ADN, BSN, diploma, all of the programs prepare the nurse for ENTRY into practice, and they all prepare us to sit for the same NCLEX.

It would be good for the entire profession to establish a baseline of education for the RN. All I can say about it right now is that ADN, BSN, diploma, all of the programs prepare the nurse for ENTRY into practice, and they all prepare us to sit for the same NCLEX.

You just described the baseline of education for the RN. All three programs prepare nurses for entry into practice.

If you have more than the minimum standard, congratulations! :balloons:

But there already IS a minimum standard in place, whether you agree with it or not: you have to graduate from one of those programs.

BSN-only isn't about creating standards or even raising them. Understand that there is practically no difference in the education between the programs when it comes to BEDSIDE nursing: BSN's advantage is geared towards management and research.

That being the case, BSN-only requirement for bedside RNs has more to do with exclusivisity and has absolutely nothing to do with adequate preparation. The law of supply and demand will always interfere with this 'arrogance of place'. It has for the last 40 yrs; it will for the next 40 yrs.

We can either argue about it, or get over it. But in the end, it's an argument about the best way to change the weather.

~faith,

Timothy.

All I can say about it right now is that ADN, BSN, diploma, all of the programs prepare the nurse for ENTRY into practice, and they all prepare us to sit for the same NCLEX.

I like the philosophy of: the ADN, BSN and Diploma education provides you with "a license to learn." :)

Although, I got t' tell ya, if I were th' patient - I'd almost always prefer the Diploma nurse (that is if we're talking about new graduates).

Diploma nurses, ADN and BSN prepared nurses all take the same NCLEX-RN exam to be licensed as a registered nurse. No one is a smarter or a better prepared clinical nurse in this fashion. But to be taken seriously as a professional I think that nurses as a minimum should have their bachelor degrees.

Many other professions in healthcare require as minimum standards a bachelors degree, but are moving towards higher requirements. Occupational therapy is moving to masters level and physical therapy is moving to doctorate level. I don't think that it would hurt nursing at all to move entry level to a bachelors degree. The healthcare industry in general is in a shortage (that should not be an excuse anymore) and as previously said some ADN prepared nurses took just as long to receive their associates as some took to get their bachelors.

Why not respect the "profession" and make it a profession?

Brandi RN, BSN