BSN requirement for all RNs

Vanfnp · Nov 20, 2004

While I believe that continued education is one way to further one's expertise, others exist. The knowledge, clinical judgement and intuition gleaned from hands on nursing care over many years should be highly valued and appreciated. It should be put to good use! Patricia Benner is my hero, her From Novice to Expert book has many ideas for studying the particular expertise gained in clinical practice. We should be working together on these issues-valuing our unique abilities. Unite!

RN34TX · Nov 21, 2004

I am an (nursing home) ASN nurse and believe NO ONE should be allowed to touch a pill without at least a BSN. I work with LPN's and ASN's. None of them can even spell. My DON had to ask a doc what rhonchi was because she was reading my charting and hadn't a clue. Odor is always spelled "ODER" and "legs real swolled up" is a common term for 3+ pitting edema to both lower extremities. Personally I refuse to let most nurses come close enough to me to check my pulse. It is because of the lack of educational requirements that nurses have such a bad name. MOST nurses are just room temperature IQ, used-to-live-in-a-dumpster, got-five-kids nitwits who went to a tech school for 10 months and are now hovering over you looking for a vein (or bone) to stick an IV in.
SCARY! Another suggestion I have is making the NCLEX harder. If you have to study for the NCLEX, you probably shouldn't be walking around with that needle in your hand. And put away the stethoscope if you don't even know what you're looking for.
Don't get me wrong, I myself am totally incompetent. Unfortunately, many nurses are even worse.

How long have you been a nurse?

I only ask because as a new LPN, I put a lot of trust, faith, and stock into nurses who had more education than I had. They could not possibly be wrong and certainly would know much more than I did so I never questioned them.

One night I relieved the ADON who worked night shift on my unit in a nursing home due to a staffing shortage. She told me that a resident fell and cut his cheek but it was superficial so she dressed it and left it alone.

Of course I got busy with my AM med pass but out of curiousity decided to look under the dressing at roughly 9 am to assess the damage.

It was a deep cut that needed to be stitched. I was only an LPN for less than a year but I thought to myself that a 14 year old babysitter who was watching a child who sustained such a cut would have plain common sense to know that it would require stitching let alone the ADON in a nursing home who had MSN preparation.

I quickly let go of that fantasy about education meaning "better nurse" after that day and luckily learned my lesson before it got me into trouble.

I think that you need more exposure to BSN's because if you are a nurse for very long, you will meet some bad ones and wonder how they graduated.

kim93079 · Nov 21, 2004

Although I am currently getting my BSN I respect all nurses LPN

youngRNstudent · Nov 21, 2004

Although I am currently getting my BSN I respect all nurses LPN
You could not have said that better!!! I completely agree with you

MZachry · Nov 23, 2004

I think I have already replied to this post, but after reading some of the newer posts.....here I am again.

I really think it's sad to think that someone actually thinks that having two semesters of government, two semesters of history, 4 semesters of physical education (for the youngin's), (or whatever your school calls for) would actually help you be a better nurse. Going through a BSN program doesn't make you better, it only gets you more money. I hope you don't become a nurse for the money......

Experience through hands on training will deliver the best training. You NEVER learn everything you need to know with education; there's always more to it in the real world. I'll be finished before a BSN student who is starting at the same time, and have more "hands on" experience before a BSN student even graduates. So, is this BSN graduate going to be a better nurse than me because of his or her education? I think not!

An RN is an RN.....If you were able to pass the NCLEX, then the government has faith in you. If you are hired, your employer has faith in you. If you are called into the medical field, and you go to school through whatever level, then you have faith in yourself.

Care for your patients the best you can, learn from your experience, love your job...if you want to go on, so be it. It shouldn't be required, that just makes the colleges more prosperous.

Fiona59 · Nov 23, 2004

I totally agree with you. Why does a BScN need a course in Political Science, English Lit?

At least in the States you still have the two year Diplomas. Canada has done away with them, its all Bachelors degrees now.

I think getting rid of the hospital nursing schools was the first slip on the slippery slope and its been downhill ever since.

We used to joke that you could tell which RN was trained in a hospital school, and who went to university. University RN's are always wanting to delegate as much direct care as possible and "manage" care.

kim93079 · Nov 23, 2004

Like I said previously it doesn't really matter how you get there just that you do and provide quality CARE. Please put this to rest. We fight enuff probs proving ourselves to the public and the docs, it is ridiculous to degrade our kind.

Sorry to rant just can't believe what some of the previous posts said. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion just felt compelled to share mine...again:uhoh3:

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Nov 23, 2004

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Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Nov 23, 2004

txspadequeen921, have your redneck, hillbilly, marboro smoking outlaw shoot me if I go to Indiana as a patient IF nursing competence is as Kristin B describes there. Please, just have him put me out of any FURTHER misery as they wheel me in thru their doors! I hope Kristin B was not serious.

KrisV27 · Nov 24, 2004

No, I am very serious. The people I work with are idiots. Could be just Indiana. You can be caring all you want, but if you can't even read...

The NCLEX ought have a spelling test or something. If my coworkers passed the test, probably anyone could.

jschut, BSN, RN · Nov 24, 2004

Kristen,

Please allow me to inform you that I am a LPN, and a very competent nurse and I can even spell!

Furthermore, I was the single mother of 6 children, and I lived on welfare because their father (and I say that lightly) who was an aircraft mechanic, apparently didn't see fit to help clothe his children.

Know what? We were evicted a couple of times because we couldn't pay our bills, so were we considered "live in a dumpster" too?

After I gave custody to my mother for awhile until I could get situated, which was about 6 years ago, which made me feel like a worthless piece of crap who couldn't even take care of my own, I am now a successful college graduate of a LPN program, gainfully employed at a LTC facility and am buying a house.

Guess where, Kristin? In INDIANA!

Oh, another thing...I am in a BSN program at a nearby college that accepts 40 students per year. I must not be that slothful or stupid, huh?

So before you start flapping your lips about something you obviously have no clue about, I suggest you stop and think...something you are apparently not steadfast in doing.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Nov 24, 2004

Asking for a close for this thread, it's beyond ugly. :rolleyes: