BSN and Associate Nurses Are Neck and Neck. Will This Change?

[allnurses]

AACN published The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice in 2015 which discussed multiple studies about ADN and BSN education. One of the more important statements is about Magnet status. Hospitals that have attained Magnet status, are recognized for nursing excellence and superior patient outcomes, have moved to require all nurse managers and nurse leaders to hold a baccalaureate or graduate degree. Hospitals in the process of applying for Magnet status must show plans to achieve the goal of having an 80% baccalaureate prepared RN workforce by 2020.

Then there are the studies that show that hospitals staffed with more BSN prepared nurses have better patient outcomes. This has been a hotly debated topic on AN. Here is one references:

In an article published in the March 2013 issue of Health Affairs, nurse researcher Ann Kutney-Lee and colleagues found that a 10-point increase in the percentage of nurses holding a BSN within a hospital was associated with an average reduction of 2.12 deaths for every 1,000 patients-and for a subset of patients with complications, an average reduction of 7.47 deaths per 1,000 patients. The study is titled "An Increase in the Number of Nurses with Baccalaureate Degrees is Linked to Lower Rates of Post-surgery Mortality."

One of the more prolific threads on AN was titled the difference between ADN and BSN nurses that was started in December 2014.

Many individual healthcare facilities have created policies that will affect the increasing number of nurses earning a BSN. Due to internal policies, the management at many hospitals across the US have been requiring currently employed LPNs and RNs with diplomas and ADNs to earn BSN degrees within a specified time frame. Many non-BSN nurses are being given an ultimatum. Is this right?

It is still being debated

So...what's your opinion? Is getting a BSN on your agenda?

How is the comparison between the number of ADN and BSN RNs at your place of work?

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Buyer beware said:

With all due respect, the sooner you can disabuse yourself of the notion that degrees other than warm bodies have always been the apple of the employer's eye (mainly hospitals), the quicker you will realize that degrees, depending on what you, do are merely window dressing. I would bring your attention to the oxymoron Dr/Nurse as an example. Even this vaunted designation when doing bedside nursing is "just one of the girls/boys."

What the heck does this even mean?!?!?!?!

[A&Ox6, MSN, RN]

rzyzzy said:

BSN's don't do studies -ADN's & BSN's can participate in studies, but that educational level isn't where studies come from. And the subject of the thread is bedside nursing, and required minimum standards.

Actually, I respectfully disagree. As an AAS nurse, while I was a student In a BSN program, I was the primary investigator on two original research programs. I developed and implemented a quantitative study that validated a specific suicide prevention program. I also conducted a qualitative study of resilience in victims of child abuse. Both of these have been selected for presentation at professional conferences following peer review and are in the process of peer review for publication.

I agree that bedside nurses may not always conduct such studies, but almost every specialty conference and journal has had research presented by bedside nurses and the like.

[A&Ox6, MSN, RN]

OHNBJL said:

On line classes are not only expensive but do not do anything for clinical experience.

I can't speak to all programs, but I have to say that my online RN to BSN program had two clinical requirements. Each of these were tailored to fit both course objectives and career goals. So yes, I think that my ONLINE program has helped me and my classmates clinically.

[rnccf2007, BSN, RN]

Most has to do with Magnet status and $$$$ for the hospital...need to have so many BSN nurses...now even pushing certs which I am more than okay with me...hospital I work with pays for the classes. Noticed a while ago that many hospitals either prefer a BSN or will make you sign an agreement on hire that you will get a BSN within 5 years. Saw this trend and got my BSN. What did I get educational wise for a BSN...nothing...but I can sure write a good paper!

[rnccf2007, BSN, RN]

Agree. Started as a BSN. Was in my junior year and had never even given a shot. I started to freak out, because I knew clinical skills are also important....Dropped out of BSN and went to another college for my ADN. Graduated and after 5 years went for my bsn. To be honest, the bsn taught me almost nothing! My seven years of experience taught me the most.

[swimmingpoolblues]

I am a relatively new nurse - only got my ADN 3 years ago when I was nearly 49. I am already facing what seems to be an insurmountable amount of student debt, and still have four children at home and a husband who is disabled. Most of the facilities in my area want BSNs so this has limited my options. At my age, and with my current debt-load and responsibilities, it just doesn't seem wise to go back for a BSN. This is distressing for me because I really love being a nurse. My dream had been to work in OB, but I don't think that is going to happen now.

[AddictionNurse]

Haha, I love the sarcasm in this! You win the Internet!

[rnccf2007, BSN, RN]

I got my BSN five years after my ADN. To be honest, did not learn much in the BSN program. Got my BSN, because I saw this trend coming and was thinking I may want to be an NP. Yes, had to do research for the classes, but have done this since I became a nurse...because I understand that we need to stay current on health care issues.

Hospitals are big business, they don't care about health care anymore. HELLO hospitals! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the short staffing is the major contributer of hospital mortality. What a smokescreen.

[rnccf2007, BSN, RN]

At my first nursing job, ADN, I was in orientation with another RN who had an accelerated BSN. She was given an extra 6 weeks of orientation, because she just couldn't get it. No disrespect to you or other accelerated BSNs.

[rnccf2007, BSN, RN]

Worked as a nurse in acute care for 9+ years. Have never seen a difference in the number of patients either ADN or BSN takes on.

[AutumnApple]

I got my BSN, don't regret having done it and would die it again. With that said: I never at any point in time felt having the BSN put me on a higher plateau regarding my performance.

I can not recall any event which caused me to say: "Thank goodness I have my BSN otherwise I wouldn't have known what to do here. "

Maybe the positive effects of my education just aren't completely transparent. Perhaps I am benefiting from the degree in ways that escape my notice. I can't say either way.

What I can say is this: I got the degree to further my career. I felt it was worth it to me from a profit point of view. I want looking for a raise though. I wanted to have an advantage while job seeking.

I will also say this: When it comes time for deciding if the BSN nurse should be required and if they truly improve quality of care or not.........it will be a financial decision.

How nurses feel about it themselves is irrelevant. Remember.....we are considered a debt on the accountants flowsheet.

The nurse's views, mortality rates, better pt outcomes and everything else will probably not even come up when the time comes to stop debating and make a decision.

Costs and how the decision affects profit will be the compass that chooses the decision maker's paths.

School stand to gain from the BSN being required or at least more desired. They will push for it to go that way and all sorts of "research" will magically appear proving they are right.

Healthcare institutions who prefer LPNs and Associates RNs will be against it. They too will pull some rabbit research data out of their magical hats to prove their points.

Here, there and everywhere........different people or different institutions. Each one with their own version of the research that, of course, agrees with whatever benefits them financially.

And, in the end, whatever benefits the decision makers the most financially will be what decides how they vote.

Again......how their decision affects nursing as a profession and patient outcomes is irrelevant. This is the sad fact we must accept before we open up any conversation about nursing education. Otherwise, everything we propose is out of touch with reality and everything debated becomes an argument about fantasy.

May as well be debating who would win in a fight, Superman or Mighty Mouse.

[OHNBJL]

I can certainly understand your concerns. Is your husband on SSDI? Are your children eligible for financial assistance?