ASN nursing student with a BS &MPH is BSN NECESSARY????

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:nurse:

Hello, Currently I am in an ASN program. I also hold a BS in Health Service Management and a Master in Public Health; will I be able to hold advance nursing position without a BSN?:confused:

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ASN and BSN are both RN degrees. Neither is more advanced. The only thing you may run into is that you may not be eligible for certain jobs without a BSN. Having an existing MS/BS in another field doesn't equal a BSN.

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I get that the two degrees does not equal a BSN. What I want to know, would I be able to possible move up in management position without the BSN, if I have a 2 yr RN license, but also non nursing degrees in Health Management. I was wondering if any nurses on here have done that without a BSN. I have read some post, and I see different things about people with ASN in managerial position, just trying to get a little more information on how they done it, was it because of years of experiences or did they have BS and another subject :nurse:

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It depends on the individual employer. Some consider ADN + BS/BA to be an adequate substitution for a BSN, some don't. Also, some employers consider a wide variety of Master's degrees to be adequate for promotion to advanced management/administration positions (Master's level), and some specifically require an MSN. It just depends (which I realize is not a v. satisfying answer, but it's the best one I can give you ... :))

While there are still some individuals in nursing management/administrative positions with an ADN and nothing else, those are typically people who got those positions years ago and have stayed in the position. Times and expectations have changed quite a bit in healthcare over the years, and, nowadays, there are few places left where someone could get promoted into a management/administrative position without at least a baccalauareate degree (in something, although, again, whether a non-nursing BA/BS would suffice would depend on the particular employer).

Since you already have an ADN and a BS (and the MPH), have you ever looked into how much effort/time/expense it would take for you to complete a BSN? I'm not saying I think you should complete the additional degree, I'm just curious. There probably wouldn't be much to it for someone in your position, although I can certainly understand feeling that would be "overkill." :)

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:o Thank you, that make sense. I have looked and it wouldnt be alot of classes. I am just starting the ASN program, so I wont be finish untill next year ( becaust I already done pre-req). I am hoping I dont have to get it, I am already paying for my ASN out of pocket, and have student loans for my BS and MPH. I will keep my fingers cross. Thanks for your advice, it is greatly appreciate:nurse:
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I am in a similar situation. I have a BA, MPH and MBA. I was considering doing a direct entry MSN after finishing my ADN/ASN program. I was informed that the BA is not viewed as an equivalent to the BSN. If I wanted to practice, I would need a MSN and possibly a DNP (by 2015)--I don't know if the DNP will be a definitive requirement by then or not. I too would be interested to hear from nurses who have chosen non-traditional paths in nursing. It might be better to post the question in the "Nurses" thread as opposed to the student thread. I would not suspect too many non-students reading through the student nursing thread.

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It depends on the individual employer. Some consider ADN + BS/BA to be an adequate substitution for a BSN, some don't. Also, some employers consider a wide variety of Master's degrees to be adequate for promotion to advanced management/administration positions (Master's level), and some specifically require an MSN. It just depends (which I realize is not a v. satisfying answer, but it's the best one I can give you ... :))

While there are still some individuals in nursing management/administrative positions with an ADN and nothing else, those are typically people who got those positions years ago and have stayed in the position. Times and expectations have changed quite a bit in healthcare over the years, and, nowadays, there are few places left where someone could get promoted into a management/administrative position without at least a baccalauareate degree (in something, although, again, whether a non-nursing BA/BS would suffice would depend on the particular employer).

Since you already have an ADN and a BS (and the MPH), have you ever looked into how much effort/time/expense it would take for you to complete a BSN? I'm not saying I think you should complete the additional degree, I'm just curious. There probably wouldn't be much to it for someone in your position, although I can certainly understand feeling that would be "overkill." :)

I looked into the BSN completion and there are classes that I would have to retake due to them being taken in my graduate program and they will not count my graduate hours toward an undergraduate degree. I feel like when I finish with everything, I will have more degrees than a thermometer (LOL)...while understand there not being an equivalency, it would be nice to not have to repeat coursework that has already been completed...*sigh*

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:nurse:

i tried posting in the career section and didn't receive any response. how long have you been in the adn? what are you trying to do with your degrees and your license? are you trying to be on the clinical side or non-clinical? keep me updated if you find any additional info. thank you

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
I am in a similar situation. I have a BA, MPH and MBA. I was considering doing a direct entry MSN after finishing my ADN/ASN program. I was informed that the BA is not viewed as an equivalent to the BSN. If I wanted to practice, I would need a MSN and possibly a DNP (by 2015)--I don't know if the DNP will be a definitive requirement by then or not. I too would be interested to hear from nurses who have chosen non-traditional paths in nursing. It might be better to post the question in the "Nurses" thread as opposed to the student thread. I would not suspect too many non-students reading through the student nursing thread.

You would not be eligible for a direct entry MSN program because there programs are set up for persons who do not have nursing licenses. As an ADN grad, you could do an ADN-MSN bridge, bypassing the BSN. You would still take baccalaureate nursing coursework but you would continue through with your graduate level courses. Some programs will grant a BSN after completion of the baccalaureate coursework, some don't. There are MANY bridge programs for the ADN who wants an MSN. You sound like you would be a very good candidate for one of them!

BTW, the DNP is not yet set in stone. There are still programs that offer an MSN in advanced practice (NP, CNM, CRNA, CNS) and there are many more programs that are set up for the advanced practice nurse with a master's to get a DNP.

There are many threads on this subject. I suggest you check out the ADN, Diploma, or BSN forum as well as career advice.

Good luck to you! Hope this helps!

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Thanks for the advice Moogie!! I'll check them out.

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