ADN to BS in healthcare management

[sleskob]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and I would like to get some opinions. I have been a RN for 7 years with an associates degree. I just finished my first semester for my BSN. My question is would a bachelors in healthcare management be worth it instead of a BSN if I no longer want to be working with direct patient care. I am extremely interested in the administration side of healthcare. But not sure if I would be wasting my time with a BSN if I no longer want to work bedside. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[llg, PhD, RN]

Your options "up" in the nursing field (even nursing administration) will be limited if you don't get the BSN. The BSN is considered the baseline degree for most nursing positions and without it, you will always be at a disadvantage when competing with BSN (and higher) prepared nurses for jobs within the nursing hierarchy. You'll be missing some of those basic nursing courses (like nursing research, community health, nursing theory, etc.) that would help you relate to and collaboratge with the other nurses who share a common language and heritage -- particularly those with graduate degrees in nursing. I have worked with a few people who have various combinations of ADN + degrees in other fields and they have often been perceived as "outsiders" because they don't share that common educational heritage of the higher level nursing profession.

Unless you plan to leave the realm of nursing altogether, I would strongly recommend getting at least a BSN before getting degrees in other fields.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Agreed. Finish the BSN- you'll be handcuffing your future career options if you don't.

[caliotter3]

I would not be surprised to hear that you face questions about your degree choice over BSN in future interviews should you go that route. Like the others have said, get your BSN. You can always add to it, but it is very difficult to substitute for it.

[Buyer beware, BSN]

I'm somewhat reluctant to say this and say it so bluntly, but a BS in healthcare management is crap.

It is really just an exaulted name for secretary.

The for-profits push this nonsense and the biggest joke is that they will charge you 80-100 thousand to do it to you.

This is how it works:

"So you say that nursing gives you the heebeegeebees? I've got just the thing to help you satisfy your desire and passion to be a member of the helping profession. It's called healthcare management. So now let's talk about how we can help you pay for THIS ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS DEGREE."

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

I have a friend in the field who went to a diploma program, got licensed, then worked for a few years as a staff nurse. He then got a B.A. in healthcare management and has been working as a director of various organizations since. It worked out well for him. Caveat, he's the only person I know who did that, so it's a sampling of one...