Do I really need a BSN?

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I'm applying to a ADN program and I really think this is all I need. I already have a Bachelor's degree in Human Biology. I hear that getting your BSN gets you more oppurtunities in management, but I have no interest in management at all. I plan to specialize in pediatrics. So do I really a BSN?

I have a BS in Human Biology too, and I chose to go for the BSN. Where I live, it's getting harder and harder to find jobs, and a BSN really helps. Some hospitals have a BSN differential. Since I have all of the prerequisites through my previous degree, the BSN and ADN programs would be roughly the same length. I found a 12 month accelerated BSN program, so it was an easy decision for me.

The two hospitals in my town put BSN preferred on every single job opening.

I'm going for my ADN and will probably have to work a little farther out to be in a hospital or get a year experience somewhere else. The upside is I only have three prereqs for the BSN program left (due to previous degree) and I'll finish those in the summer. I'm hoping to go straight into the RN-BSN online program that's a year long. I figure between the BSN and one year experience elsewhere I'll finally be able to get a job in my town at a hospital.

If I went straight for the BSN I would finish in one semester earlier, but have to drive pretty far, take six more hours a semester, and pay twice the price of tuition. I probably wouldn't get an internship anyway at my local hospital. They want a BSN and some type of medical background (lvn, EMT, etc.).

I figure it's best not to rack up more student loans, more stress, more mileage, and more coursework for one semester.

This is completely my experience. The job market, coursework hours, requirements, internship requirements, cost, and proximity of campus are all different. While it would be great to eventually have your BSN because you never know if you'll need it, you have to weigh your options of how you're going to get it, if at all.

Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

I agree completely with previous posters who pointed out that you are more likely to have more employment opportunities with a BSN than an ADN. Hospitals that either have or want to obtain magnet status prefer BSNs and you might not even have a chance with these employers with just an ADN. True, you mileage may vary and, as evidenced here, ADNs sometimes do get job offers that BSNs don't, particularly if they have previous experience in terms of internships or prior work experience at a facility. But why not maximize your employment opportunities right away?

Additionally, you might not think you want to go past the bedside now, but after a few years you may feel differently and decide you want the BSN or a graduate degree. Currently, there are numerous ADN to MSN bridge programs and some graduate schools do admit ADNs who have bachelor's degrees in other fields. However, you will still need to get that baccalaureate content even in a bridge program and that will only add time to your educational journey.

Honestly, with the prevalence of accelerated BSN programs and direct-entry MSNs (particularly the clinical nurse leader programs that are meant as generalist degrees for nurses who want to work at the bedside), it doesn't make a lot of sense for someone who already has a bachelor's degree, particularly in science, to go the AD route unless one absolutely cannot afford the cost of an ABSN or DEMSN program. You would not spend much more time, if ANY more time, in an ABSN program than you would getting the ADN---and then you have the degree and the career mobility.

Good luck with your decision.

Yes you do need a BSN especially in this economy. More hospitals are trying to get Magnet accreditation so they're looking for BSN nurses. I had a prior Bachelors degree as well and debated on whether I should get an Associates or BSN. I'm glad I chose the BSN route because I just got a job offer for a new grad internship program and having a BSN was one of the requirements.

Get the ADN. Less competition for us BSN/MSN grads entering the market.

BSN means next to nothing at most bedside nursing situations, where MOST nurses start out (unless you intend on a military commission). Taking that first year to work as a nurse and take the 4 classes to get my BSN/MSN, while not being IN DEBT or owing a hospital work time to do it, seems to be a luxury many grads dont have these days :).

Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.
BSN means next to nothing at most bedside nursing situations, where MOST nurses start out (unless you intend on a military commission). Taking that first year to work as a nurse and take the 4 classes to get my BSN/MSN, while not being IN DEBT or owing a hospital work time to do it, seems to be a luxury many grads dont have these days :).

Student loans aren't so bad, just as long as you pay them off (which is tax deductable). Get the BSN, and after your one year of experience you'll be set for bigger and better things.

Student loans aren't so bad, just as long as you pay them off (which is tax deductable). Get the BSN, and after your one year of experience you'll be set for bigger and better things.

You must still be in school or not around many BSN nurses/ADNs because it does not matter one year out of graduation for most places currently what the last 3 letters say on your badge (unless you want cath lab or some specialty right away)...if you can afford to rack up loans or have scholarships then by all means go for a 4 year. If you want to come out of nursing school WITH a postive balance in your account, and still be competitive (I am flying out next weekend to begin my interview process for Cedars-Sinai in LA), then the ADN is by no means a bad thing. Plus many hospitals will PAY you to go for your BSN, so not only do you make a salary, but someone funds it.

Specializes in Med/Surg.

Not all BSN programs are as expensive as people think they are. My program costs under $6,000 per year for a full-time course load, and we have the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state. Yes, I will graduate with some loans, but I will also have more opportunities with the bachelor's degree. Also, not all hospitals pay ADN nurses to pursue their BSN (I know some do, but every hospital is different). I just feel that I'd rather get the 4 year degree now while I'm young and don't have kids. The ADN is a great choice for some people, and certainly prepares a person to be a nurse, but I feel that in today's competitive job market that the BSN is a wise choice. That's just my :twocents: though :)

Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.
You must still be in school or not around many BSN nurses/ADNs because it does not matter one year out of graduation for most places currently what the last 3 letters say on your badge (unless you want cath lab or some specialty right away)...if you can afford to rack up loans or have scholarships then by all means go for a 4 year. If you want to come out of nursing school WITH a postive balance in your account, and still be competitive (I am flying out next weekend to begin my interview process for Cedars-Sinai in LA), then the ADN is by no means a bad thing. Plus many hospitals will PAY you to go for your BSN, so not only do you make a salary, but someone funds it.

No, I was more referring to the fact that hardly anyone will hire a new nurse until they have a year's worth of experience.

Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
Not all BSN programs are as expensive as people think they are. My program costs under $6,000 per year for a full-time course load, and we have the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state. Yes, I will graduate with some loans, but I will also have more opportunities with the bachelor's degree. Also, not all hospitals pay ADN nurses to pursue their BSN (I know some do, but every hospital is different). I just feel that I'd rather get the 4 year degree now while I'm young and don't have kids. The ADN is a great choice for some people, and certainly prepares a person to be a nurse, but I feel that in today's competitive job market that the BSN is a wise choice. That's just my :twocents: though :)

I agree. Also, since many facilities are cutting their budgets, some are decreasing, restricting, or even eliminating tuition reimbursement as a benefit. I don't think a nurse can necessarily count on the hospital paying for his/her further education. (And if you work LTC, forget it!!!) I can also see that the costs of tuition reimbursement could be a disincentive for some employers to hire ADNs because they *could* cost more in terms of benefits because of tuition reimbursement.

Additionally, some facilities that provide tuition reimbursement also require that an employee must have been working at the facility for a certain amount of time, that they continue to work a certain amount of hours while going back to school, or that they work at the facility for a certain period after finishing their educational program.

Honestly, I just don't see that the ADN is the best choice, in this job market, for someone who already has a bachelor's degree (or higher), especially when there are so many other options such as the accelerated BSN or the DEMSN. I think it is short-sighted to not get as much education as possible the first time around, unless one absolutely cannot afford a BSN or DEMSN. Why not make yourself as competitive as possible for a very tough job market and ensure that you have more career options from the start? While it is certainly doable to go from ADN to BSN or MSN with the many bridge programs and online education, it is still very tough to work and go to school and balance a family and have a life at the same time.

Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.
Honestly, with the prevalence of accelerated BSN programs and direct-entry MSNs (particularly the clinical nurse leader programs that are meant as generalist degrees for nurses who want to work at the bedside), it doesn't make a lot of sense for someone who already has a bachelor's degree, particularly in science, to go the AD route unless one absolutely cannot afford the cost of an ABSN or DEMSN program. You would not spend much more time, if ANY more time, in an ABSN program than you would getting the ADN---and then you have the degree and the career mobility.

Good luck with your decision.

I too have a previous Bachelors (Biology too!) and Moogie's above rationale was precisely the reason why I went the DEMSN route (Clinical Nurse Leader tract). In the long run, its going to be beneficial for me to have the advanced degree. And I am okay with making the same as other new grads (ADN or BSN) after I graduate. I have no experience. It would be silly for me to think that right off the bat I deserve to make more. But it will be a bargaining point later on and will open more opportunities to me. I have ambitions to go even further with me education, especially after a good 5+ years at the bedside under my belt, and my MSN will help that cause.

So I guess my advice is that you got to think about not just about your immediate future, but what you want in the long run.

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