BSN vs. ADN income disparity

Myxel67 · Feb 6, 2007

Sometimes the income difference is only 10 cents per hour. But if you are both working as RN's, and basically doing the same work, there shouldn't be a difference in pay. The advantage of a BSN is that you have access to many more opportunities and higher level positions than the ADN.

From what I have seen with friends who have gotten BSN's is that the additional education is more in statistics, nursing research, and public health issues.

The ADN program I attended had a higher NCLEX pass rate than the 4 year BSN program at a state university here.

romie · Feb 6, 2007

My point is that I will not work for an employer that does not value my education. I have ALWAYS, ALWAYS gotten paid more than my peers doing the same job because I have a masters degree and because I do a better job of it. I don't care if you have two nurses working side by side, the BSN nurse should get paid more and not pennies more.

Count me out-- I'll go work at another hospital that pays their more educated nurses more. $24 an hour is an insult in Chicago for an RN. LPNs at Alden (a nursing home company) make around 24 an hour.

Mulan · Feb 6, 2007

Most hospitals pay ADN and BSN the same.

kcalohagirl · Feb 6, 2007

In the city I live in, not one single hospital pays BSN RN's any differently than ADNs. You have the same responsibilities, you do the same work. BSNs have more opportunities to advance.

And I work at a major university medical center.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but maybe this is something that you should have looked at before you chose to pursue nursing as a degree. When I was researching programs, I learned that ADNs and BSNs earned the same, and yet I chose to pursue a BSN. I also hold a previous Bachelor's degree.

If you state that you refuse to work where your education isn't valued, you may be looking for a job for a long time.

Your education will be valued as you progress up the career ladder. But everyone needs to start somewhere.

Best of luck to you.

HealingHands327 · Feb 6, 2007

Why not get a masters in anesthetics for nursing. There is a big descrepency there between pay and education. :pumpiron:

caliotter3 · Feb 6, 2007

In my limited experience, I have found that RNs of any educational level, and LPNs get paid the same, or within $1 an hr difference. Those who are paid more, have hyped themselves more, to the right person, when they were hired. BSN and above educational levels will usually not help you until you have some experience under your belt, and go for, and are hired into, management level type positions. Otherwise, a staff nurse is just a staff nurse, as far as they are concerned.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 6, 2007

Yes that is what they are tell you. Beginning bedside RN's whether BSNs or ADNs start out nearly the same.

Many ADNs come with the same type of experience as you and your genius classmates, or they've been LPNs working bedisde for many years, so in many cases prior health care experience, or degrees don't really matter in pay.

I precept both ADN and BSN nursing students and I can tell you that when they both graduate, neither one is better than the other and worthy of making too much more than the other. They both are pretty green in the skills, assessment and critical thinking.

So trust me when I say this, when it comes to beginning bedside nurses the geniuses in your class are going to be just as green and skilled as an ADN coming out their program when it comes to being an RN.

Not that I don't think there shouldn't be a premium for the BSN, I do. I wish you luck in finding a position that does that to you satisfaction.

The BSN is an investment in future jobs that come with nursing experience such as in management, research, safety, quality, case management, education, etc. Plus as you noted BSNs can be a stepping stone to advanced degrees. Many of these higher paying jobs will be shut out to the ADN for lack of degree.

allnurses Guide · Feb 6, 2007

My point is that I will not work for an employer that does not value my education. I have ALWAYS, ALWAYS gotten paid more than my peers doing the same job because I have a masters degree and because I do a better job of it. I don't care if you have two nurses working side by side, the BSN nurse should get paid more and not pennies more.
Count me out-- I'll go work at another hospital that pays their more educated nurses more. $24 an hour is an insult in Chicago for an RN. LPNs at Alden (a nursing home company) make around 24 an hour.

I admire your convictions but the truth is an RN is an RN - whether they have a BSN or ADN.

Your goal is nurse practitioner I see. No worries - they make more than RN's usually.

My advice for people right out of high school who are interested in nursing is to get your BSN. For others, who go back to school later and whose lives are full with husbands and children, there is the option of an ADN.

Until there is some uniformity in how a nursing degree is obtained, an RN will still be an RN.

steph

jjjoy, LPN · Feb 6, 2007

It's interesting how easily we accept as valid things that we are accustomed to. The OP is accustomed to there being financial remuneration for higher education even when the job title/role is the same. This is the case in some fields. For example, a teacher with a masters degree gets paid considerably more than a teacher with a bachelors even though they have the same job description. In some companies, getting a higher degree will get you higher pay without changing jobs. Of course, that isn't the case across the board.

Many nurses are accustomed to there being no or very minimal financial remuneration for advancing their education if they stay in the same position. That is based on their experience. And it does make sense in terms of fulfilling the same basic job role. However, I think it would be useful to reward advancing one's education because some nurses might be more inclined to stay at the bedside if they were encouraged to grow professionally - but that would cost, wouldn't it? Sigh.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 6, 2007

Every member of the nursing faculty at my university and every nurse who is teaching me has a PhD in nursing... Do you see where I am getting at? You don't necessarily get this preparation as an ADN student...

Not to beat a dead horse, but I want to address this aspect of your post.

NLN-approved ADN programs prepare their nurses quite well. Their instructors should have a minimum of a Masters. However, NLN approved BSN programs must have a minimum number of PhD prepared nurses. This is primarily because of the courses they have extra like research, community health, legal ethical ethics, etc. But as far as beginning nursing skills, the patho-phys-pharm of nursing, the BSN and ADN nurses are prepared fairly equally, with maybe a bit more nitty gritty details given to the BSN programs.

This is evidenced by passing rates of NCLEX. Both ADN and BSN nurses take the same NCLEX without distinction to the ADN being less educated because of not being trained by PhD RNs.

As I've said in my experience precepting them I can honestly tell you they both are green and inexperienced and need to be oriented at least 12 weeks and the BSN does not prepare any better for bedside nursing than the ADN.

Again, I still think a premium should be paid for the BSN, but your arguments and expectations are a little weak.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Feb 6, 2007

I am currently enrolled in a direct entry program for people with degrees in other fields. My classmates are geniuses--many are researchers, most have masters degrees and we even have a girl in my class who has a PhD in Molecular Biology. We are training to become Nurse Practitioners. I personally have over 10 years of healthcare experience as an unlicensed assistive personell or healthcare manager and you are telling me that after all is said and done, you are still only going to pay me .30 an hour more than an ADN nurse once I enter the workforce as an RN while continuing with my NP education?

My goodness, romie....with all due respect, your message indicates you haven't spent much time on research regarding the financial expectations of the profession upon which you plan to embark. Additionally, there are some myths or stereotypes that need dispelling.

The first part of your message, the assertation that your classroom is comprised of "geniuses" suggests that by virtue of having obtained prior degrees in unrelated fields, you and your classmates are better prepared to be excellent nurses. It would be obvious to anyone who is currently employed as an RN (ADN, BSN, MSN, etc) that this is hardly the case. I recall a former classmate of mine, a "genius" who failed miserably in the clinical setting. He won't be becoming a nurse anytime soon, regardless of his IQ.

The next part of your message, asking why if you have so many years' experience as a UAP (care tech or CNA, etc) you won't be earning so much more than ADN nurses is comparing apples and oranges. It's always nice for an employer to see that you did patient care as a tech or aide for many years, but it really doesn't add much (if anything, most of the time) to the value of the RN license. It's nice, but it isn't going to garner you a financial bang.

Finally, you wonder why a hospital wouldn't be willing to pay you considerably more for your RN work when you are "continuing with your NP education". Quite simply, it's because you are NOT an NP, nor will you be employed as one at that facility at that time. You should expect to be paid for the function in which you will be working. A staff nurse, or floor nurse, whether ADN or BSN, is doing exactly, precisely the identical job function. I appreciate that you have found you have been able to be paid more than your peers for the same work in the past because of a higher education, but nursing is somewhat unique in that regard. It is most often the case of NO difference in wages, or only a token difference. If you had done enough research into this prior to now, you would have found this to be true....everywhere. Not just Loyola.

As for your appearing miffed that Loyola doesn't value your intent to pursue an NP licensure, you have to realize that an "intent" to continue education is not the same thing as having that education already. Does Loyola value the NP over the staff RN because of the additional education. Perhaps....if they NEED a NP on staff, rather than simply a floor nurse (where RN=RN). Frankly, I can approach an employer saying that while I am already a nurse, I expect to continue my education to become a CRNA, but I hardly think they will throw more money at me because I "plan to" get more education later. And what they are paying now for the education you HAVE now is well established.

Food for thought, romie.