Do We All Need To Have a BSN Now?

MissBrahmsRN · Nov 4, 2009

if me having a ADN instead of the BSN makes me "blue collar" then so be it. my hairdresser is "blue collar" yet he only spent 9 months in training for his job & was making 30 bucks an hour while his best friend in working on an MBA was just starting his sophomore year and already had 12k in debt from school racked up. they each are doing what they like which is important! my grandfathers both raised families on blue collar jobs and they were very proud of the work they did, nothing wrong with it. my DH has a high degree and it's good honest work that he enjoys, my "blue collar" job is good honest work that i enjoy. my DH could get the higher degree for his work but it will not make more than a miniscule difference in his pay & his experience after 10 years in his field is worth much more, so the higher degree is not worth the cash investment to him. frankly he'd rather spend the money on a trip!

at my age (29) i do take into account the money spent investing in college (which costs are rising far outpacing inflation and wages) and have to honestly say that i do not think the moula for the BSN is worth the money spent if you want to be at the bedside. frankly i think i am better off investing that money into a college account for my kids or improving my home. do BSNs make excellent nurses? certainly! and so do the ADNs. it depends on the student themselves really, the # of years spent in education aren't what makes a good nurse.

it's a different decision for everyone, good luck with it! the beauty of the educational system is that you can always go back later on if you change your mind. :up:

Editorial Team / Moderator · Nov 4, 2009

Ha ha ... I must be blue collar x 3, because I have three associates degrees. Super blue!

I'm doing an RN-BSN program for myself, more than anything else. I have no idea if I'll even get a raise when I'm done. I don't really care.

Music in My Heart · Nov 4, 2009

if me having a ADN instead of the BSN makes me "blue collar" then so be it. my hairdresser is "blue collar" yet he only spent 9 months in training for his job & was making 30 bucks an hour while his best friend in working on an MBA was just starting his sophomore year and already had 12k in debt from school racked up. they each are doing what they like which is important! my grandfathers both raised families on blue collar jobs and they were very proud of the work they did, nothing wrong with it. my DH has a high degree and it's good honest work that he enjoys, my "blue collar" job is good honest work that i enjoy. my DH could get the higher degree for his work but it will not make more than a miniscule difference in his pay & his experience after 10 years in his field is worth much more, so the higher degree is not worth the cash investment to him. frankly he'd rather spend the money on a trip!
at my age (29) i do take into account the money spent investing in college (which costs are rising far outpacing inflation and wages) and have to honestly say that i do not think the moula for the BSN is worth the money spent if you want to be at the bedside. frankly i think i am better off investing that money into a college account for my kids or improving my home. do BSNs make excellent nurses? certainly! and so do the ADNs. it depends on the student themselves really, the # of years spent in education aren't what makes a good nurse.
it's a different decision for everyone, good luck with it! the beauty of the educational system is that you can always go back later on if you change your mind.

Just so we're clear, I've got nothing against "blue collar." After all, I've deliberately chosen to leave my decidedly white collar (suits and ties, even) career in favor of nursing.

The comparison that I was trying to make wasn't ADN=blue collar, BSN=white collar (though I see how I did communicate that)... I was trying to distinguish between the "just each me exactly what I'm going to use directly in my job" approach to the baccalaureate approach of breadth of knowledge.

Personally, I see value in the education beyond the job-specific vocational training but that's just my own belief. I'm not assigning higher worth to any person based on the avenue that they've chosen.

And as we all know... any given degree does not an excellent nurse make.

elkpark · Nov 4, 2009

Just so we're clear, I've got nothing against "blue collar." ...
The comparison that I was trying to make wasn't ADN=blue collar, BSN=white collar (though I see how I did communicate that)... I was trying to distinguish between the "just each me exactly what I'm going to use directly in my job" approach to the baccalaureate approach of breadth of knowledge.
Personally, I see value in the education beyond the job-specific vocational training but that's just my own belief. I'm not assigning higher worth to any person based on the avenue that they've chosen.
And as we all know... any given degree does not an excellent nurse make.

Ditto.

MissBrahmsRN · Nov 4, 2009

Personally, I see value in the education beyond the job-specific vocational training but that's just my own belief. I'm not assigning higher worth to any person based on the avenue that they've chosen.
And as we all know... any given degree does not an excellent nurse make.

oh, no worries, i think we understand each other! :smokin: i am all about breadth in education, i guess mine is more informal. for example, i'm an online student & our modules (kinda like lessons) have textbook reading, notes, & powerpoints. some students choose to read the notes and perhaps see the powerpoints both of which tend to hit the high bullets of the content but not all the nitty-gritty details. i'm a detail-oriented person so i HAVE to read the text. it's not enough for me to hit the highs of DM that are on the test, i have tons of pts with DM everyday so i need the nitty gritty details that the text provides. i'm looking way beyond the exams but sometimes my classmates get annoyed because i am the one who knows the ins & outs of why regarding things... i don't get it. i want to learn!! i look forward to getting hired on a unit so i can really delve into the specialty i end up in like oncology or GI or something, i want to get a nursing text on that and read it cover to cover...perhaps i'm a nerd? :coollook: (which i don't mean negatively my DH is a total nerd)

PMFB-RN, RN · Nov 5, 2009

Is she screening out the baccalaureate nurses because everybody keeps bailing out to become CRNAs or because they're not sufficiently prepared?.

*** Has nothing at all to do with anyone not being sufficiently prepared. Nothing in nursing school prepares anyone to work in our environment. I see nursing school as just giving one the learning skills to prepare for real learning in the program and on the job.

kkia123 · Nov 5, 2009

I keep hearing that hospitals are now raising the educational levels of their staff by only hiring BSNs and not RNs. I wasn't so concerned till I heard that the hospital I really wanted to work for is ONLY hiring BSNs. Is this a rumor or are you guys seeing this as well?
What's the point of me doing my ADN then?

I have an AS and I have been turned down by every hospital in the New York area!!!! I have a BS in health science. I had planned to bridge me nursing degree with my BS to get a MSN. But I can't even get a job! I can not afford to pay for more schooling. I can't have a MSN with no experience...it just seems ridicuolous. I'm sick of hearing that there is a need for nurses when so many new grads (BSN and ASN) can not get jobs!! The nursing community are now filled with a bunch of snooty nurses with their doctorates whom shun the AS nurses and they are making us obsolete. I feel that the ppl that got RN jobs worked at the facilities as PCA's or CNA's or they knew someone to get them in :cry: This situation is very disappointing.