Adn vs bsn vs does it matter?

[MadisonG]

I know this is an age old discussion but it is really bothersome. Why do people feel the need to throw their credentials around and feel like they are smarter than another person? etc,. I am in a BSN program at a University and recently my pharmacology class almost caused me to loose my place in the program. I began looking into ADN programs and it made me look at life different. We sit for the same exam and who is to say that a RN is better than a LPN for example. LPNs that work short staffed at nursing homes (or any care facility) can probably run circles around fresh grad RNs. I say all this to say that is does not matter and it is wrong for people to belittle another person because they do not have the same degree. It is especially hard for someone of color. I have people ask me how did I get in? and a lady once said to me oh your a nursing student do you go to __ community college? Not that anything is wrong with community colleges but she assumed I went to one. When I become a RN I will treat EVERYBODY with respect no matter what you title is. What do you guys think and have you ever been discriminated against (black, white ,purple whatever)?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

"Why do people feel the need to throw their credentials around and feel like they are smarter than another person?"

How do you know that people with higher credentials "feel' they are smarter? That is your subjective statement.

"who is to say that a RN is better than a LPN".. no one except the employer .

"It is especially hard for someone of color." Acceptance to nursing school and graduation was difficult for ALL of us.

Belittling is in the eyes of the beholder.

[westieluv]

I'm an RN of 24 years with a whole lot of experience, and I sometimes get that attitude from new grad BSN nurses. It seems that almost all of them, if they work in any kind of direct patient care at all, are quick to tell you that they are only there because they had to start somewhere but that they are planning on "moving up the ladder" and becoming a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, or some level of nurse management. They'll say things like, "I didn't go to school for four years to wipe butts!", which I think is demeaning and condescending.

I am a diploma RN who graduated from a well-respected, accelerated, hospital-based program in 1990. I have a ton of nursing knowledge from my years of nursing experience. I have many undergrad college credits from before I became an RN and am only about six classes away from my BSN...IF I wanted it, which I don't. My desire when I got into nursing was never to "climb the ladder" so that I didn't have to "wipe butts". I went into it because I wanted to help people who needed help, straight up. If that includes wiping butts, then so be it. God uses us all in many ways, and if I can make one person feel better today, even if it is in the form of performing a menial task, then I have done what I set out to do.

I have worked med/surg, cardiac, LTC, hospice, and now dialysis. I don't feel like having a BSN would have made any difference at all in how I approached my job or in how I impacted my patients.

I have also known many "crusty old bat" LPNs who did circles around new grads, both in knowledge and in work ethic. I think it's very sad that hospitals have phased out LPNs, because they were and continue to be some of the best nurses out there.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I have learned something in every degree program I enrolled in, and have used that knowledge on the job. If all you want is a job, then get the minimum education. If you want to make nursing a career, I recommend a BSN minimally. I know I am not smarter than others, but I am someone who can set goals and stick with them.

[straba]

If you're in Boston and want to get a job, it does matter. The degree doesn't indicate how smart a person is, but in more and more places, a BSN just opens more doors.