Are online degrees 'legit'? Such as RN-BSN online? Is BSN really necessary? CONFUSED.

CNA2bRN13 · Mar 14, 2011

The school I plan to get my BSN at is UAB...they offer the classes online and you can complete it in whatever timeframe you want. It is designed for working RN's. I'm not sure if we would have to report for clinicals or if we can use our current work experience. I didn't know it was online until I looked into the program. Some online classes are not listed as an online class, you have to go to the actual site and read into it. There may be on online BSN that you don't know about. I'm a little iffy on some online schools. I would hate to spend the time and money and have employers not consider it. Iwould talk to some local hospitals or a local college counselor and ask them what programs are acceptable.

Skylarslaughter · Mar 14, 2011

Skylar i agree w/you about nsg contradicting itself. From what i've seen, hiring mgrs are more interested in experience than your education. Alot of nursing 'skills' come from practice - not what u learn in the classroom. For example - starting IV's. Not that it should be that way and maybe it is different other places but jobs that i have interviewed with recently seem to be more interested in your 'skills' and previous work history. I was asked very little about education. However, some areas are inundated with new grad applicants and so 'preferring BSN' is just something they can do. Politically incorrect, i know.
I submitted a job app online and before you could 'submit' it it required u to promise that you had 1 yr ACUTE CARE experience. You could have your BSN, MSN but you still couldnt apply for that job as a new graduate

I know, the nursing field can be so confusing! I'm now set on just getting my LPN-ADN and getting my skills and experience as first priority and maybe getting my BSN on an online 'brick and mortar' school if I really feel I need to afterwards. From what I have read so far, I think that's all I should worry about (: Thanks!

Skylarslaughter · Mar 14, 2011

if you are just wanting to work the floor hun...dont waste your time or money on the MSN or BSN id say...there are PLENTY of places that will hire you in as a new grad (in mississippi and tennessee anyway)...they even recruit new grads down here...they view new grads as fresh meat with no bad habits!!!
i would advise that you not specialize in your first year...try the med surg floor...most travel companies require a year of med surg experience before hiring you anyway...med surg isnt all that great...then again, it isnt all that bad either...there are new things on a daily basis, excellent opportunities for perfecting skills, and gaining new ones :)
and if you do decide to go back and get your masters (and you are sincere)....try correctional nursing....its easier than squeeze cheese and provides a plethora of study time!!! :)

Hmm I'm very wishy washy when it comes to thinking about which area I want to work on. ICU and ER seems interesting to me....and so does MED SURG, but what's MED SURG really? And what is the difference? If I'm a new grad, can they let me work in all the areas to get a feel or would I have to choose an area?

Skylarslaughter · Mar 14, 2011

Don't waste money on an MSN; it won't help you get a job as a floor nurse, and it may even hurt you, depending on the salary structure. If there is a set base pay for an MSN that is higher than a BSN, no one is going to hire a relatively inexperienced MSN over any sort of BSN. Just food for though.

Thanks for the advice! It makes a lot of sense:)

Skylarslaughter · Mar 14, 2011

While I agree with the sentiment, the reality is that except in certain parts of the county (apparently MS & TN to which we may be able to add the Dakotas and Utah), the number of institutions willing to hire ASN/ADN new grads appears to be declining.
Here in the Phila area, more and more health care institutions are stipulating "BSN required" for their new hires. This requirement used to be limited to magnet hospitals (there are 2 large chains representing about a dozen hospitals here in the Phila who are in the process of attaining magnet status and I hear this is happening in a number of ) but the trend seems to be growing and I've even seen a few postings for LTCs requiring a BSN. While this is a tough job market for all new nurses, the BSN requirement is making the situation even tougher: Roughly 50% of the 2009 graduating class from my local CC (a well-respected nursing program with excellent NCLEX pass rates) are without jobs and the number for my 2010 graduating class is closer to 90%.
The point is that while the BSN may not be an advantage in some areas, in many others it certainly is. Moreover, as a couple of other posters have pointed out, it is the stated goal of the NLN to require the BSN as the minimum credential for RN's. My own feeling - and I freely admit that there is no empirical evidence to back this up - is the NLN is encouraging hospitals to take advantage of the present economic conditions to drive the BSN requirement. I also believe that it's simply a matter of "when", not "whether" all hospitals will require BSNs. With that in mind, my advice would be to go directly for the BSN if at all possible. If you have to start with an ASN/ADN, that's OK - you may get lucky and line up a nursing job when you graduate. Whether you're working or not, at that point you can enter an on-line RN-BSN program which as others have already pointed out, is a "legit" way to get your degree - assuming that it is via an accredited program.
This is in fact what I'm doing (I'm in that 90% mentioned above) even though as a second-degree RN, I could do an RN-MSN program. One reason is cost: RN-MSN programs have a "bridge" component for non-BSNs, usually 3 or 4 courses for which you often pay graduate tuition. Another issue is time: I can complete an RN-BSN program in roughly the same time it will take for the just the bridge RN-MSN classes - and for significantly less money to boot. This should allow me to find a nursing job at that point, assuming the economy continues to improve. I don't know for sure but have to think that entry-level positions for new grad MSN-RNs with essentially no job experience are somewhat limited.

Thanks for your input! It does seem that everything is just getting harder, I agree that eventually the BSN might become a requirment for all new grads...but it would also depend on the area of the country. Like where I live there's only one community college all the counties around it and I doubt there will be much competition with BSNs in the jobs around here...but since I don't want to spend forever in this town I'm getting my BSN online ...that way I'll be able to work as an RN and have years of experience behind me...along with that extra degree if I ever need it. As far as the minimum of a BSN, I think it's going to take place around the time the most of the nurses now are retiring...I think the average age of a RN is 46? And I know many that are older...so I can kind of see the sense in making BSN a req. for all new grads since they are so young they should get it and it narrows down the pickings....but right now? There's way more older nurses with way more experience than most graduating BSNs. But I agree that anyone that is young and has the ability should get their BSN!

Skylarslaughter · Mar 14, 2011

I'm truly surprised that no poster (like old me) has not said that hospitals have been trying to make the BSN the only one at the bedside for YEARS!!!!! Please read the ANA position paper of 1965. They have been talking about it for MANY, MANY years. In my RN-BSN program in the 1980's, an instructor told me that eventually only the MSN RN will be at the bedside! (Ha, ha, ha!)

What I don't understand at all is that...if there is such a nursing shortage crisis in the nation, then why would they make the criteria even harder to meet? It just contradicts it's self, I mean I understand the emphesis on education but if they raise the critera for nurses they are also making the shortage even worse! It doesn't make all fit logically together. :confused:

klone, MSN, RN · Mar 15, 2011

What I don't understand at all is that...if there is such a nursing shortage crisis in the nation, then why would they make the criteria even harder to meet?

Because there's not a nursing shortage. At least not in the short term. 10-15 years from now, maybe. But right now, schools are graduating 5-10 new RNs for every job, and so employers are now finding themselves in the driver's seat and can put stricter requirements on education and experience.

OldNurseEducator · Mar 15, 2011

What I don't understand at all is that...if there is such a nursing shortage crisis in the nation, then why would they make the criteria even harder to meet? It just contradicts it's self, I mean I understand the emphesis on education but if they raise the critera for nurses they are also making the shortage even worse! It doesn't make all fit logically together.

Remember that I'm talking about years ago...not now. You're right to be confused, but there have been many periods in recent history when there have been nursing shortages and periods when no shortage existed. There is no shortage now..albeit an artificial glut of nurses because hospitals just aren't hiring because of the economy. Pay attention to what is going on in the state governments with Medicaid cuts. Do you think hospitals are going to hire a new grad and spend money on him for orientation and spend lots of staff time and dollars with him? They don't want ot spend the money! That's why they aren't hiring new grads. And now they are only wanting BSN's because they all want to charge more for having "magnet status". In reality the world is about MONEY!!! :uhoh3:

Jessie RN · Mar 15, 2011

I am interested in the same thing, can you tell me which school you went through for this?

allnurses Guide · Mar 16, 2011

What I don't understand at all is that...if there is such a nursing shortage crisis in the nation, then why would they make the criteria even harder to meet? It just contradicts it's self, I mean I understand the emphesis on education but if they raise the critera for nurses they are also making the shortage even worse! It doesn't make all fit logically together.

You will make yourself crazy reading all the opinions here! I got my license in 1976, and my personal experience (which is pretty much like all the other personal experiences here) is that the field is in a state of flux now more than any other time since then.

To drop that confusion to manageable levels, I would first focus on location. New York and PA are very different from California or Texas, so the relative value of a BSN will not be the same between them. Then, visualize what kind of nursing you want to do. Lots of nurses actually do not want to be NPs or CRNAs. Narrow it further by finding out what are the present requirements in that area for that job. Then, research the demand for that job in that area to see if further education would make you more hireable.

When you do your research, it can be something as simple as looking at Classified Ads, or reputable sources of statistics such as the Dept of Labor Statistics. I wouldn't trust statistics or forecasts about demand from anyone who has a stake in spinning the numbers in their favor, such as the ANA or the AACN. That won't make everything crystal clear, but it may help a little!