Do you think ADN programs will really be phased out?

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Like they have up in Canada? There's no doubt that more and more places with be requiring bachelors in Nursing but do you really think Associate nursing degrees will become obsolete altogether?

I think this would be a bad idea because I think there are many great future nursing out there who either don't have the money to attend a 4 year university or due to life issues cant commit to a four year program. what do you think?

I am really sorry that there are individuals who would like to become nurses, and don't have the money to attend nursing school, or have, "life issues", that make them unable to pursue a BSN.

The fact of the matter, is that nursing remains the least educated of heath care professionals, and who have the most influence on patient outcomes.

Other health care professions, seamlessly transitioned to higher entry level education levels, out earn nurses, command more respect than nurses, (spare me the' "nurses are once again voted the most trusted professionals, blah blah, blah). The public might believe that we are trustworthy, but in my 30+ years of nursing practice, they certainly do not respect us.

A splintered three way entry into practice does nothing but continue to splinter us as a profession. And that is exactly how the PTB want us.

I am sure that there are many individuals who would like to attend medical school, dental school, PT school, law school, but they cannot attend because they do not have the money, and for whatever reason do not qualify for school loans. Should these professional careers, lessen their requirements, or drop their tuition, to accommodate these students? Do you see them bending over backwards, to make it easier for them to attend medical school, law school, etc?

So why should nursing?

Many of these students manage to find a way to attend and graduate from these professional schools, with no excuses. So why shouldn't nurses?

JMHO and my NY $0.02

Lindarn, BSN, CCRN (ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW

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Specializes in ER.

The last time I said I was having issues finding studies within the past few years that supported BSN for direct entry practice, the only person to give me anything recent gave me a study on European bachelor-prepared nurses which isn't the same set up as we have in the US. The last time I looked which was in March, a lot of the articles were opinion based that cited the same handful of studies done years earlier over and over again.

In all honesty, it makes sense from a financial standpoint for hospitals to require a BSN. The last company I worked for, a large hospital system in Ohio, quit paying for MSNs for floor nurses because they didn't need one to be a floor nurse. In ten years, it wouldn't surprise me for other companies followed suit where tuition reimbursement was barely anything and limited to bachelors only. If they start hiring only those with a bachelors or MSN, then their tuition reimbursements for nursing is next to nothing. It would save the company a lot of dough.

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I don't see them being phased out, although I DO perhaps foresee them being grandfathered in as RNs and the ADN programs morphing into LPN-type programs.

PS: I have been both an LPN and an ADN (actually AAS) RN.

I agree with you for the most part.

However,i do think the degree obtained will determine your future workplace.

Bsn=hospitals

Adn=Ltc,Home Health,Clinics

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
I agree with you for the most part.

However,i do think the degree obtained will determine your future workplace.

Bsn=hospitals

Adn=Ltc,Home Health,Clinics

However, depending on the market, there are BSNs in LTC, home health, and clinics as well...there's really no degree difference at this point, at least in my market. :no:

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Nursing DOES NOT NEED three levels of education.

A BSN as entry into practice is sufficient. LPN/LVN. should have an Associates Degree, like PT assistants have.

Nursing is the least educated of health care professions. This needs to change.

Close ALL ADN programs, and whatever Diploma programs are left. Period. They have out lived their usefulness. They are dinosaurs.

It is time to move into the 21st century.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN (ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW

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I'm an ADN from Il, in Chicago area, many hospitals only hire BSN, some ADN if you know some one inside. Most ADN like me only get jobs in nursing homes. To be honest some ADN are better nurse than BSN. Why BSN better when both have same clinical training?

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Hello my fellow nurses, I am moving to Ocala-Leesburg of Florida, I only have ADN, with 7 years of experience , I always have 2 jobs, with Kindred Hospital and Long term care. Would any one can tell me : Will any hospital hire me?. It is tough in IL to get in hospital with ADN. Long term care jobs are good, but It is getting harder to bare. Do more work, same pay in 8 hours. Very hard to do. Annual survey makes every one tense-crazy. Thanks.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

In my opinion the LPN will become a associates and the RN will become the BSN. Nursing really needs to streamline education if we are to be taking seriously and respected more.

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Currently, we do have convincing evidence that BSN prepared nurses have a significantly positive impact on patient outcomes in ACUTE CARE.

We do? Where Where!!???

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
We do? Where Where!!???
From the ANA of course:sarcastic:
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This is a wake up call for ADN out there, (I'm included). Last year Nurse.com -monthly new paper Jun-13 issue stated" Patients have better out come when care for by BSN rather than ADN. All many hospitals want only BSN, there must be some things to be considered. Per half extra classes benefit them greatly. I know for sure there is no clinical involve , whole program is on line. If LTC is not your cup of tea, we must do it. I'm dreadfully thinking about it. Hopefully some employers will help pay for some.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Nursing DOES NOT NEED three levels of education.

A BSN as entry into practice is sufficient. LPN/LVN. should have an Associates Degree, like PT assistants have.

Nursing is the least educated of health care professions. This needs to change.

Close ALL ADN programs, and whatever Diploma programs are left. Period. They have out lived their usefulness. They are dinosaurs.

It is time to move into the 21st century.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN (ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW

As we approach the 50-year anniversary of setting the goal of BSN as entry to practice it should be pointed out that we've never come anywhere close to figuring out how to achieve this. It's one of those things that sounds great on the surface, but then falls apart if you actually think about it in depth. In the 50 years that BSN as ETP has been our official goal, only one state has made the switch and they switched back almost immediately.

The biggest problem is that we'd be cutting our output of RN's by about half since the expansion of BSN programs is limited by clinical spots in their geographic area. Closing ADN programs the same geographical area as BSN programs would add a few clinical spots for BSN programs, but would still only bring BSN grad output to about half of our current output. So the role of RN's in healthcare would have to change, how should it change?

We're also left with the problem that in general ADN programs are transitioning to BSN curriculum, to create more separation between the two, we'd either have to add time to the BSN degree or reduce the schooling of an ADN degree, and it's hard to see how that would add anything to either degree.

We'd lose the current demographic makeup of ADN new grads, more than half of which are "second career" grads, many of which have previous bachelor's degrees as well as more life experience. It's thought that nursing benefits from both of these attributes and we may well lose something by excluding this group.

There seems to be general agreement that ADN programs need to move into the 21st century, which is why the overwhelming trend is for ADN programs to adopt BSN curriculum, so I take it there is something else about ADN programs that makes them "dinasours"?

There's no arguing that the level of degree needed for various jobs has been increasing, it's called degree inflation, and it's a problem we need to reduce, not expand. Just because others are going head-long over the cliff of degree inflation, doesn't mean we should follow. There's nothing to be ashamed of in doing something better even if it's different, and in terms of level of knowledge achieved, cost, diversity of graduates, clinical opportunity, etc, the ADN/BSN combination pathway to RN is a rarity, a good rarity, getting rid of that just to match the mediocre characteristics of other education pathways would be disappointing.

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