is a BSN going to soon be required?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I have heard various people talking about BSN vs. ADN, saying that soon most hospitals and jobs will require you to have a BSN. Does anyone know of any validity to this?? What will happen with all the ADN's, seems there's a lot. Just curious. I plan on going back for my BSN, but maybe I should get on it sooner than later!

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I used to wonder about that too - I have a bachelor's in mechanical engineering. However, I now strongly suspect my experience in internships, preceptorships, LTC, and Home Care will strongly outweigh any consideration to my engineering career.

I plan on getting a BSN as soon as I can.

*** In nursing there is no consideration given for previous degrees. Without a BSN, no matter what other degree you have, you are an ADN.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
"Get a BSN within ten years - which we will be happy to pay for - or you will be fired."

I can live with that.

*** Having lived through other nurse surpluses, back in the mid 90's there where no jobs for new grads to be had. I strongly suspect that in ten years no hospital will be in any position to fire any competent RN for something so trivial as what degree they have. Not to mention that very, very few nurses are working for the same employer they did as a new grad 10 years ago.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg-Psych-Vents (same unit!).

i was told last week by a rep at a large teaching hospital here in Chicago that that hospital as well as several other prominent hospitals in the city have made the decision to only hire BSNs going forward. and my bachelor's in another area doesn't matter.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in thoracic ICU, ortho/neuro, med/surg.
I have heard that MAGNET hospitals require BSNs for specialty areas. One hospital that is near me requires nurses with an ADN to sign a contract that they will obtain their BSN within ten years or they will be terminated at the end of the ten year period.

Not true at all. I work at a Magnet hospital and the clinical director for the ICU I work in has stated many times that she prefers experienced ADNs to BSNs and that's who gets hired.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Home Health.

I was told by Excelsior that many Magnet hospitals are now requiring BSN's. Is it written in stone? I don't think so. However, I do believe in my lifetime that this will become a major issue. Which I am now 34 and if I do go back to school it will be to better myself. Because eventually I would not mind teaching or a case manager position or diabetes educator. And all those positions require BSN to MSN. So, for me most likely, I :clown: will be going back to get my BSN on my own terms not someone elses!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I was told by Excelsior that many Magnet hospitals are now requiring BSN's. Is it written in stone? I don't think so. However, I do believe in my lifetime that this will become a major issue. Which I am now 34 and if I do go back to school it will be to better myself. Because eventually I would not mind teaching or a case manager position or diabetes educator. And all those positions require BSN to MSN. So, for me most likely, I :clown: will be going back to get my BSN on my own terms not someone elses!

*** Diabetes educator does not require a BSN. Not one of the DEs in my medical center has a BSN.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I was told by Excelsior that many Magnet hospitals are now requiring BSN's

*** The other thing to consider is that you may very well not want to work for a Magnet hospital. Magnet hospitals are gaining a reputation as not being good employers and not being good places to work. I have worked for several and have gotten to the point that when I hear "we are a Magnet hospital" I am turned off. I can think of plenty of my coworkers who feel the same.

To me Magnet means appearences over substance.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
*** You make a good point and you may well be right. However a BSN is not advanced education.

For any other profession a bachelor's degree is not considered advanced education; it's considered the absolute minimum. For nursing, however, a bachelor's degree is pretty advanced.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
For any other profession a bachelor's degree is not considered advanced education; it's considered the absolute minimum. For nursing, however, a bachelor's degree is pretty advanced.

Therein lies the controversy -- and the source of the problems.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
For any other profession a bachelor's degree is not considered advanced education; it's considered the absolute minimum. For nursing, however, a bachelor's degree is pretty advanced.

*** The bachelors degree in nursing does not teach advanced nursing. The bachelors degree RN is no more prepared for entry level nursing than graduates of the other entry paths into nursing. I precept new grads in my hospital's nurse residency program all the time. Some are good, and some are not as good but I can't predict who is going to be good by looking at their entry path into RN practice. None of the new RNs, whether prepared in ADN, BSN or direct entry masters seems to have any advanced knowledge of nursing.

I was making a point about the bachelors degree in nursing and what it teaches, or may not teach specifically.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Most of what I have read says that the knowledge of a BSN and ADN turns out to be about the same?? But I couldn't know, I am still pre-nursing. Our local hosp (pretty small facility) will no longer be hiring LPN's and is requiring their current LPN's to get their RN I think by 2013. There are several in my A&P class.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
I have heard various people talking about BSN vs. ADN, saying that soon most hospitals and jobs will require you to have a BSN. Does anyone know of any validity to this??

No, no a thousand times NO!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment