Any other ADNs wishing they had done BSN??

RNMom2010 · Jan 17, 2009

No, I am glad I will be done in another year instead of three! That way I can be working while I progress towards my RN-BSN. There are two large universities (Uni of Iowa and Uni of IL Chicago Moline campus) that offer online BSN degrees for RNs that are made to be taken by nurses working full time. To me, that sounds like an amazing option!

WorkingTowards2011 · Jan 17, 2009

Not me. I have heard that the pay difference is minimal. So my plan is to get my ADN, be able to take a short break from school since I will probably be exhausted, and be able to work. Then after a year or so, I plan to start the ADN to BSN online, and still be making better money and enjoying what I do in the meantime. That's my plan, anyway!

shann106 · Jan 17, 2009

No, the pay difference at the hospitals that I have done my clinicals at is nothing. If you are a staff nurse, not management there is not even a penny difference in salary between a ADN and BSN. The main difference in the material covered between the two programs is research and management skills, so hospitals do not pay extra for nurses that are not going to use that educational difference.

I have talked to many nurses at the different hospitals and the ones that went back and got their BSN did not do it for the money, since the hospitals did not give them a raise, they did it as a stepping stone to their masters to become nurse practioners

BellasMommyOBRN · Jan 17, 2009

i am working on my bsn and wouldn't consider the adn route only because i know that i want to continue my education right away.

newbie08 · Jan 17, 2009

That's my plan as well. I want to become a NP. The RN-BSN program I am looking at is supposed to be for the 'working nurse' but when I looked at it today, it was showing that all the regular BSN pre-reqs had to be met before you could apply for the RN-BSN program.

amjowens · Jan 17, 2009

I got my LPN last year (2008), and started a regular ADN immediately (this past week), and intend to do the same thing for my BSN. My goal is to become a nurse practitioner.

I did a lot of thinking and research before starting my nursing education. I found that each "level" of education tends to teach more in the way of nursing theory, with less patient care (predictable, but still). I also learned that nurses have something unique in that they love looking "down" on the "lower" level. I'm now seeing that even a MSN for a NP is probably going to be lessened soon, with a doctorate being the new acceptable level.

A nurse mentor recently got me thinking when she noted that it's no accident that new RN grads aren't having too easy of a time getting first jobs. Especially BSN students (according to her) need training for basic concepts that not too many years ago would have been embarassing if a new grad didn't know (she was talking clinical skills). It's a huge drain, and at many places, I am seeing that experienced nurses are welcome, but not new grads. It makes a lot of sense to me. If someone wants the whole hierarchy game, they ought to go into academia, where it's well-established. Nursing, though, is all about delivery...what you've got. There's no way of hiding behind a degree in a time of crisis in nursing. There is a health care crisis right now, and employers are trying to get the most out of one employee as possible. It's not the same as it was 5 years ago, where new nurses could sink back into a management position just because. I think employers are getting a clue, and whether ADN or BSN, you need to attend a program that prepares you for the real world of nursing. Since most don't, I'm doing it myself, and starting at the "bottom" as a LPN.

As for the time investment, I am already planning my BSN pre-req courses, just as I prepared to directly enter an ADN program just before and during my LPN. The statistics, chemistry, and humanities-related requirements are available online at my community college. I plan to do my BSN online, too, as almost every ADN-BSN program IS online in my area, while the regular BSN programs aren't. I couldn't be happier with my decision, as I'll be done with one semester longer than a regular BSN, but with the wealth of nursing experience, and nursing income from years 2-4.5, I feel that the extra semester is worth it. I'm not sure the plan for my NP education, as the requirements might change.

TissueBanker · Jan 17, 2009

According to my Fundi's teacher, the reason that a BSN or higher would be valuable is because the ANA and others are trying to push for an entry-level nurse to have a minimum of a BSN. This nurse would function as an ASN does at entry level. Nurse Specialist would be at the Masters level ( Old BSN Level)and NP and Management would be at the PhD. level. The thinking behind this is that if nurses are more highly educated, they can work more autonomously. Autonomy means that we are now looked at as an equal in any collaborative process. Once nurses work autonomously, they are billable. This means that the hospital is able to bill the pt for our services. We then become an asset for the hospital and not just lumped in with the amount billed for the hospital stay. We will then be in a better position to ask the Powers That Be for a salary that we are worth. We will be able to accurately describe what it is that we do and to bill accordingly.

Nurses that are grandfathered in do not HAVE to get their BSN to keep their license, but if a hospital posts a job, it can expressly specify that a BSN would be required for the position. The new grad with the BSN will get the job over the ASN RN with a lot of experience.

I wasn't sure if I was going to on to get my BSN after ASN, but I have pretty much made up my mind now. Not only am I going to get my BSN online, I will probably go on to get my Master's too.

amjowens · Jan 17, 2009

According to my Fundi's teacher, the reason that a BSN or higher would be valuable is because the ANA and others are trying to push for an entry-level nurse to have a minimum of a BSN. This nurse would function as an ASN does at entry level. Nurse Specialist would be at the Masters level ( Old BSN Level)and NP and Management would be at the PhD. level. The thinking behind this is that if nurses are more highly educated, they can work more autonomously. Autonomy means that we are now looked at as an equal in any collaborative process. Once nurses work autonomously, they are billable. This means that the hospital is able to bill the pt for our services. We then become an asset for the hospital and not just lumped in with the amount billed for the hospital stay. We will then be in a better position to ask the Powers That Be for a salary that we are worth. We will be able to accurately describe what it is that we do and to bill accordingly.
Nurses that are grandfathered in do not HAVE to get their BSN to keep their license, but if a hospital posts a job, it can expressly specify that a BSN would be required for the position. The new grad with the BSN will get the job over the ASN RN with a lot of experience.
I wasn't sure if I was going to on to get my BSN after ASN, but I have pretty much made up my mind now. Not only am I going to get my BSN online, I will probably go on to get my Master's too.

In theory, your teacher sounds wonderful. I agree that an examination of how professions "work" shows that the longer the title and education, the greater the reward (status/money/etc.). I have a background in biology, and clearly, there's a step-by-step route that determines your identity, all the way to MD, PhD-prepared scientists. So, if all nursing turned toward requiring the BSN as entry-level practice, and most nurses became Master's-prepared, it sounds really good. But, my concern, I don't know a whole lot of BSN-prepared nurses (those in practice over 5 years specifically) who are willing to do bedside-related nursing care. I could be wrong (HOPE SO), but who's going to be providing the patient care? Also, the AMA (MDs) have a pretty heavy hand in the lobbying world, whereas nursing, well, look at the numbers of nurses compared to the numbers EVEN MEMBERS of the ANA...that speaks. I wish it were different, and hope nursing changes for the better. Depending on how valuable the lessons of history are to someone, I guess this someone could look at history to find a clue as to how the nursing profession has worked or not with different paradigms. Back to the old theory vs. practice argument. Fun stuff! Good luck to you.

lovehospital · Jan 17, 2009

Yes, I wish I had gone straight for BSN,instead of an associate...

TessaMae · Jan 17, 2009

In MA where I live, certain places like pediatric offices, will only hire BSN trained nurses. Some days I wish I had just gone to a 4 yr school because I plan on transferring to a RN to BSN right after I graduate but for me I am glad I went the ADN route. #1. The ADN program is a lot less expensive because it is at a community college. #2. I am not working while in school and with the 2 yr program, I know that in 2 yrs I can go to work and make decent money if something were to happen and we needed the money.

The baby steps (ADN then BSN then MSN or DNP) works better for me and my family. If I was not married and did not have 2 children the direct route most likely would have been the way I went.

Trauma Columnist · Jan 17, 2009

From personal experience (I did LPN, ADN, BSN, MSN and subsequent post-MSN), I would have done the ADN again but then would have done an ADN to MSN program.