Diploma RN's, any of us left?

[DiplomaNurseRN]

Curious, are any RN's who recieved their training in a hospital sponsored 3 year diploma program still in active practice? Without getting an advanced degree, ASN or beyond? Feeling like a dinosaur here ...:

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

When I hear from new nurses that are going through the BSN program, I feel bad for their lack of exposure to floor nursing. We had 6 weeks of maternity, they had 4 days on the floor. Some didn't even get to see a birth at all, let alone a lady partsl, epidural free birth. I remember 25 years later, high risk twins transported out, 1-2 births a day, a pp hemorrhage, and I got to massage the fundus, a preeclampsia, nitrous oxide use, and a near delivery in the hallway. We had a baby "bus" and all the babys went out to moms from the nursery at certain times. Student nurses held classes about bathing babies, and feeding, and we'd have 5-6 moms at each class. Our wide experience of book learning and only one week in the nursery didn't hold us back at all. I felt so much smarter after going through that experience. Not ready to do anything without backup, but enough to know that I could do it with a proper orientation.

I wish all our new nurses could have experiences like that on the floor. WE were used as part of the staff, took over vital sign rounds and did comfort care for all the patients when we were able, and the floor nurses would let us know when there was a procedure coming up, or an interesting patient we might want to sign up for. If you were willing to jump in, there were tons of new things to see/do. We wrote a lot of careplans, but BSNs have a paper due weekly. They can research the hell out of obscure topics, but no one puts them in the trenches where they can try out the knowledge they read about.

[luvsltcrn]

Me!!! Graduated in 1996. I wish diploma programs were still around. We received such better training and you left nursing school ready for a position as a nurse. I absolutely loved my nursing school. We learned so much and spent so many hours in clinical!!

[nurseswholovenursing]

I don't know any diploma nurses anymore. But I did work with many early in my career. They were always leaps and bounds better prepared than the rest of us. Best nurses I ever worked with! It's a different world now. I keep thinking it would be better for all of us to return to some of the old ways. Like visiting hours...oh how I miss visiting hours!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Pennsylvania seems to be an anomaly since there are many diploma nursing programs still remaining there. In other states, however, diploma programs seem to be going in the same direction as the dodo bird: extinction...

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

The current President of the ANA is a diploma grad.

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

I was next to last class in my alma mater which was 1982. We're still here but the majority will be hanging in up in the next 10-15 years. I feel blessed that I had the diploma base education than on to BSN.

[DiplomaNurseRN]

With you there my sister in nursing!

[WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I will be graduating from a diploma program in May. We're still around :) I wouldn't trade in my education for anything. It's offered me so many amazing clinical opportunities and a world class education.

[DiplomaNurseRN]

Wonderful! Welcome to a very proud 'band of angels'. Congratulations!

[goldenhorse]

As a diploma graduate , are there any course for Oncology that is 18 months or less. Are there any online courses. Is there an online RN-BSN COURSE.

[Nurse Magnolia, BSN, RN]

My mother was a 3 year diploma grad nurse for 45+ years. Dayton, Ohio. I am just starting nursing school in January and I chose a diploma program (there are tons in my area) because my mother always said that the BEST clinical nurses came from the diploma programs. She ended up in administration and hiring etc....so she would see what the different programs produced. I could have done the second degree route, but when I compared the clinical hours, I will have had more clinical hours with the diploma program and that is what was important to me (per the advice of my mother!).

I have been around the block...4 kids and I'm in my 40's, and can now finally do what I want to do as far as being a nurse. I already have a BS degree as well so after my diploma program I will be able to do an RN to BSN with little difficulty. I am very lucky, I think, to live in an area with a plethora of hospital based, immersive clinical diploma programs.