difference in degrees

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I have a BA in psychology and I'm an RN. I'm told that this is not equivalent to a BSN. Does anyone know why they are not looked at as the same? I really don't want to return to school to get a BSN when I've already done all the general ed. courses and the associate level nursing courses. What addition courses would I be taking that I haven't already had?

Thanks for any information you can provide.

Because the bill of goods that's primarily sold is that the general ed. from a bachelor's degree and the critical thinking skills obtained therefrom are what give the BSN their advantage. An ADN with a bachelor's degree has about seven years of such knowledge vs. 4. I'd certainly rather have a nurse with an ADN, experience, and a bachelors in biology than a BSN-only.

Feel free to disagree, as I'm sure you will, but that's my belief and nothing you say will change my mind. Even if BSN does provide a better nursing education, from a cost perspective, it's a strain to the system, not a benefit.

I'm on my first cup of coffee here as well and this made me chuckle. Well, yeah, of course.

On a somewhat serious note, those are layers of qualifications that very relevant to clinical care. A biology major is going to come out of any nursing program with a different perspective and working knowledge than just a BSN only. I can't say I'd think quite the same of a psychology major. If you had the choice between an ADN with experience and a BS in biology and an ADN with experience and a BA in psychology, who would you pick to work straight to work right out of school in a clinical capacity? Though I'd probably prefer the psychology major as a manager, the science major is more likely to be a b!t@& ? (just kidding!)

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Semantics do no matter...your BSN will open the door to APA format and do little else to help you as an "In the trenches-front lines-hands on" nurse...yay! Oh...I forgot to say...in the near future the piece of paper that says BSN on it may offer job security...have fun.

BA in Pysch opens the door to APA format as well. I have the same credentials as OP. I am getting my BSN because I have to. I expect to learn, because it's more education which is ALWAYS good. But I don't expect it to change anything. It's mostly giving me job security going forward. If I didn't feel I had to go for it, I wouldn't. I don't have the money. I have my own kids' college to pay for.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I have a previous BS (Biology!!!) and then I got my ADN. I am now in an RN-BSN program and I only have to take the Nursing classes (I did have to take one "fluff" class b/cthe school needed me to take a minimum # of hours)

The RN-BSN programs aren't bad. Less than a calender year and less than 5K.

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"even if" does not imply that I think that it does. I contradicted nothing. Get a grip.

Well, I'm going to join this little debate with all the arrogance someone who speaks English as a fourth language, can muster ;)

I actually interpreted your statement "Even if BSN does provide a better nursing education, from a cost perspective, it's a strain to the system, not a benefit." to mean that you do believe that a BSN does provide a better nursing education.

"Even if a BSN were to provide a better nursing education..." or "Even if a BSN actually provided a better nursing education..." would indicate to me that you have doubts that it does indeed provide a better nursing education, but your statement sounds to me like you are saying "Despite a BSN providing a better nursing education, it's a strain to the system etc."

Anyway, that's just how I interpreted your words when I read them. Now I'm off to find me "a grip" ;)

OP, my degrees are not from American universities but I believe that the principle is the same. They're simply different degrees. I had a Masters degree in Criminology before I even got my BSN. That didn't count for anything when it was time for me to pursue my MSN.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

It is true that many bachelors degrees do not prepare a person to enter the job market other than teaching, nursing and allied health.

As a friend of mine said, a four year degree doesn't prepare them for anything anymore. Her daughter wants to be a Dietician.

Speech therapy, OT, Dietitian, Pharmacy and PT careers require at least another 2 years of school.

There are major corporations which recruit liberal arts majors for entry level jobs only because the degree shows that they have basic speech and written communication skills.

I know a few highly educated people who work as cashiers and bus drivers because they could not find adequate employment with a degree in psych, sociology, music etc.

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macawake, thank you. Guess I'm not the only one who thought this turnabout odd.....and even if English is not your native tongue, you clearly have a better 'grip' on it than many others, recognizing when someone is not using it correctly! Kudos to you :)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
Because the bill of goods that's primarily sold is that the general ed. from a bachelor's degree and the critical thinking skills obtained therefrom are what give the BSN their advantage. An ADN with a bachelor's degree has about seven years of such knowledge vs. 4. I'd certainly rather have a nurse with an ADN, experience, and a bachelors in biology than a BSN-only.

Feel free to disagree, as I'm sure you will, but that's my belief and nothing you say will change my mind. Even if BSN does provide a better nursing education, from a cost perspective, it's a strain to the system, not a benefit.

How is having two degrees, a BA one isn't actively using and a ADN, more cost-effective than "just" a BSN? I know plenty of people with LOTS of debt from a non-nursing bachelor's who come into nursing only to pile on the student loans. Whereas going straight, you only have to pay for the cost of one degree.

This is what ticks me off about these debates; people who don't have BSNs disparaging the education of those who do.

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I'm sorry, but how did you conclude this? Someone with an ADN (nursing) is "more educated" than someone with a BSN (nursing)? While she may have a better 'general' education because of more 'gen ed' classes, she has fewer nursing courses under her belt than a BSN so.....again, how do you translate that she is more educated AS A NURSE than someone with a higher nursing degree?

And who is it that makes more money? Not the employers, but the schools....who do not require anyone to attend.

I also am an ADN RN with a Bachelors degree in psychology, and I resent the fact that I have to now complete a BSN. I sympathize with the OP and I agree that it is all about money. I guess I will get back to you RNsRWe after I have completed my online BSN courses to tell you that yes, we are more educated than a BSN nurse. We already have 6-7 years of post-secondary education (Bachelors plus 2-3 yrs for ADN) while a BSN has 4 years. So that is more educated.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
I also am an ADN RN with a Bachelors degree in psychology, and I resent the fact that I have to now complete a BSN. I sympathize with the OP and I agree that it is all about money. I guess I will get back to you RNsRWe after I have completed my online BSN courses to tell you that yes, we are more educated than a BSN nurse. We already have 6-7 years of post-secondary education (Bachelors plus 2-3 yrs for ADN) while a BSN has 4 years. So that is more educated.

That's not what she is debating. She is stating that an ADN with a bachelor's in some other field does not have more education IN NURSING than a BSN, which is a fact.

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That's not what she is debating. She is stating that an ADN with a bachelor's in some other field does not have more education IN NURSING than a BSN, which is a fact.

She did say that, but no one else did, she was responding to who knows what. A previous person had posted that ADN with bachelors in a different field is more educated. Period. She added "in nursing". So she is debating herself?

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The biggest difference I noted was the statistics and community health course

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She did say that, but no one else did, she was responding to who knows what. A previous person had posted that ADN with bachelors in a different field is more educated. Period. She added "in nursing". So she is debating herself?

Oh for heaven's sake, it wasn't that complicated.

The OP wondered why her BA in psychology wasn't THE SAME THING as a BSN (obviously, a BS in Nursing). I answered that, simply put, her BA in psych didn't have the same amount/level of NURSING courses as a BSN, so no, they wouldn't be interchangeable. Period.

And then someone chimes in with how the OP is "more educated" so (in essence) she shouldn't concern herself with it ("trust me" says the other person). Whether or not one has more education than another was NOT on the table, and NOT the discussion whatsoever. The discussion's topic was "why are these two degrees not considered to be the same".

Seemed easy to me. 'Because they're not'.

But no, the direction veers off into the mathematics of how many years one spends at THIS degree or THAT degree and how much more education in general all of it equals....WHO CARES? Still not what the OP was asking about. :sarcastic: Not debating myself, LOL, but sure seems like people want this to go in an entirely different direction than the person who POSTED the thing!

OP, look, I can understand your not wanting to get a BSN when you have a BA, totally do. And whether or not you do is of course up to you....and maybe your employer, if they pressure you to do it. By now you know what the differences are in the degrees, and can go from there.

On a bit of a side note, I'm wondering how someone can be "on the way to CRNA" ....without a BSN....resenting it, I see, but...still not seeing the reasons why?

As for the rest....Good luck....over and out :)

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