BSN Or ADN?

Nurses New Nurse

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I am in my first year of college, getting some very basic classes finished. I am at a crossroads in my education and I am looking for some feedback.

I know a bachelor's degree is more valuable than an associate's degree, but I am trying to weigh going to college with no debt and getting my associates degree or going into a lot of debt and get my bachelor's (I figure roughly $40,000 after Fed/State grants). For a beginning Nurse, how big of a gap in pay is there (generally) between the 2 year and the 4 year degree?

Thanks for the help.

Shannon

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
Valid points. I would love to be an instructor, and people are actually encouraging me to do it. But I've got a high mortgage, car payment, etc. based on my salary now. Why would I take a pay cut to teach? The "calling" to be an instructor isn't strong enough to warrent going to school for the extra years and taking a pay cut. Pay does indeed matter.

You are so right, Tweety. :balloons:

When I was the director of a PN program, the pay was horrendous. I worked for the state, too. That was even worse. At the time, my ex was the one who carried the family. I stayed there for about 5 years and realized this was never going to work. Leaving that position was just about the hardest decision I ever had to make regarding my career choice. I to this day, still have a tender spot in my heart that is not well healed from having to give up that position. It really broke my heart.

Now, along with my part time practice, I am regional faculty with the local university. Still is not my primary job. But, I keep my hand in the university setting. I teach other things as well and this helps to satisfy that craving to teach.

It is a real shame that educators (nursing) are not paid better than they are. Without good instructors, the students are underserved. It really is a shame.

And, I am one who is encouraging you to be an educator, Tweety. I have followed your posts and you would be an asset to the educator community. You would not have to do this full time. You need to consider this for the future. IMHO. Just an observation........:)

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
Thank you all SOO much you have given me a lot to think about.

I know the school I want to go to, to get my BSN it is University Of Colorado but getting in is very difficult. I have a program here in North Carolina, that I can get into to get my ADN and from what you all are saying it sounds like it would be a better idea to stay here at my school and get my ADN then work and get my BSN. I love the sound of tuition reimbursement that’s something I didn’t even think about.

Thanks for all the help

Hugs

Shannon

Hello, Shannon,:balloons:

I do hope you get that BSN. As we have said the pay difference is just not there with one over the other. Not generally. Getting the BSN is self satisfaction and serves as a stepping stone to further your education. Also, is needed to do a few management positions. But, as you have seen here, BSN is not needed everywhere in order to have a most successful career.

Good luck.

With my ADN and the ability to work overtime, something my manager doesn't have, I've made at least $20,000 more a year than my BSN managers, for the last 5 yrs in a row.

2 of my managers have quit management so that they could earn more along the lines of what their subordinates make during that 5 yr period.

And I make $30,000 more a year than MSN instructors.

Kind of explains the nursing shortage, doesn't it?

~faith,

Timothy.

It certainly explains the shortage of nursing instructors.

Valid points. I would love to be an instructor, and people are actually encouraging me to do it. But I've got a high mortgage, car payment, etc. based on my salary now. Why would I take a pay cut to teach? The "calling" to be an instructor isn't strong enough to warrent going to school for the extra years and taking a pay cut. Pay does indeed matter.

Totally agree, Tweety. I, too, would love to teach but am not about to take a pay cut to do so.

Specializes in Critical Care.
We can always count on Timothy to give us the financial perspective! lol

Maybe you should start a publication, "Nurse Financial Weekly." :lol2:

LOL. Money is power.

As the old political maxim suggests, if you want to understand a thing, 'follow the money trail'.

~faith,

Timothy.

Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

I met my wife in my final year of nursing school. So I know exactly what we both have made since. She was in her third year when I graduated. With the extra year of nursing in the hospital, I made as much or more per hour, and one year extra salary while I was working and she was in school for at least 4 years. She had one year less experience but the higher degree adn it evened out, not counting the cost of tuiton after at least five years. So my suggestion is get your two year degree, get a job, and get the job that pays the bills and the other two years of your four year degree. But do not stop at ADN, nursing will probably require an MSN to advance in a few more years.

It depends on what your long term goals are. There is generally no difference in pay & scope of practice between a BSN and ADN nurse. I originally was going to go the adn track, however, the waiting list was 2 years long. I completed my AA is those two years while waiting and was accepted to a BSN program. So technically, it would of taken 4 years anyways to get my adn counting the waiting period.

I started my nursing career in July 2005 and decided that the hard labor of bedside nursing wasn't for me. I am starting my MSN/ARNP program in January 2006 and it's only 4 semesters. Having a BSN doesn't make you a better nurse than any other nurse out there, it just gives you more options if that is what you are looking for and prepares you for higher education.

minimal to no difference at first at the bedside when you graduate. where i work bsn new grads make 4% more than adn's.

but you have to look a bit beyond that. a manager/director with a bsn in a big hospital makes much more than an adn who can't advance due to lack of a degree.

in the short term adn is cheaper and perhaps you can do like me, go rn to bsn and get some tuition reimbursement from the place of employment.

this is not entirely true, i have held management positions over bsn and msn due to experience and i have a director now that was and adn for a long time as a manager of a large unit in a huge hospital, i have to say that window is closing, i must agree degree is taken over experience more and more these days and i am not sure that is always safe, because degree does not mean equipped. :)

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
This is not entirely true, I have held management positions over BSN and MSN due to experience and I have a director now that was and ADN for a long time as a manager of a large UNIT in a HUGE hospital, I have to say that window is closing, I must agree degree is taken over experience more and more these days and I am not sure that is always safe, Because degree does not mean equipped. :)

This is true, with my years of med-surg experience I probably could step into management and better at it than a degreed nurse with less experience. There are smaller hospital here that have most, if not all management positions filled with ADN nurses. So an ADN nurse can go far.

Most BSN required management positions, at least here, do require some degree of experience however. So all things being equal, the BSN gets the edge and the $$ in my hospital.

There are always exceptions. Again, that's probably why I've been so slow to get the BSN, there's no pay incentive and I hate management jobs.

I do know that sooner or later the money isn't going to matter as much as my physical and mental health as I age, and I'd better have some options outside of what I'm doing now.

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