How Did a BSN Help Your Career (Or Not)

Nurses General Nursing

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Please ... this is NOT an ADN vs. BSN thread. I don't want to go there.

I am merely asking BSN nurses if they feel the bachelor's provided more career opportunities, or not. If so, what kind of career opportunities.

Or, did you see more benefit by getting your master's?

Also, for those who are currently working on their BSN, why did you decide to pursue it?

Do you feel that the additional costs, time invested, lost overtime, etc. for the BSN was or will be worth it?

Thanks.

:typing

Also wanted to add that there are no BSN programs available near me except private colleges (27k per year, no thanks!). There is RN-BSN at the university that i would like to attend so I spent my prereq time busting out all the transfer classes needed to transfer after ADN. Should only take about 1 year fulltime, ao it seems worth it to get it over with.

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I don't know if a BSN will ever pay off for me in terms of time and effort spent on pursuing it, but I can't complain because my employer pays 100% up front (no stupid tuition reimbursement crap) tuition, books, and even extra paid time off so I'd be a fool not to do it.

That's great. With most of these hospitals they'll pay $2K to $3K a year but that's it so you pretty much have to pay for some of the costs or spread the courses over four years, if you can do that.

:typing

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Specializes in Nursing Home.

When I went to school, I was determined to go for the BSN, however now looking back on it, I would have gone for my ASN. Other than the critical thinking part of it, I probably won't use the actual degree...If you are interested in home care, school nursing etc, then by all means go for it, if you are a degree person, hey go for it. Personally, I haven't seen that it made much diference in my career path. Like I said if I had it to go and do again, and where I live in ND, I would just go for the ASN, monitarily it really has not made a hill of beans difference. Good luck in what you decide to do and in you career in nursing. I know a bunch of nurses, LPN's, ASN's,BSN's and MSN's and believe it or not, we are all pretty equal, and we all do the same thing, Patient care. Nursing is nursing and it is what you make it, if you put in, you will get out. Best of luck:typing.

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Specializes in Emergency.

I have a BS in communication (from back in the day, C equaled degree and that's why I couldn't get into an accelerated BSN program), a master's certificate in project management and 20+ years of management experience in the corporate environment. So, does this mean my diploma based nursing education leaves me with less opportunity than a BSN graduate or am I in a unique postion?

Bear in mind that my goal is bedside nursing, not management (had enough of driving a desk), but ya never know...

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

Initially I was only going to receive an ADN because I already have a Bachelor's degree, a Masters degree (MBA), and a resolve to spend most of my nursing career as an Administrator. My reasoning was simple.

I already have the "contacts" people profess they get in school and I have shadowed many Managers before. Unlike those in school, I have CEOs and other community leaders within Health Care as my dedicated mentors. I also am friends with LVNs, RNs, NPs, PAs, Charge Nurses etc. so BSN schooling would not benefit me in this area.

Moreover, I have many many years of leadership experience in Health Care, which I am continuing to gain part-time to include grant writing as I work my way through school. Plus, monetarily a BSN does not get paid more in my area.

As for joining the military, I am not interested in Active Duty but I am interested in the Reserves. The Army will accept me with an ADN as a Commissioned Officer.

Last but not least, I have been told by many hiring managers of Community Health and Public Health organizations that they would hire me on the spot once I get my RN license because they would take my other degrees into account. In fact, in my area they prefer BSN but they DO NOT require one.

Thus, my resume is already marketable, my opportunities are already grand, and I am told that I do not need a BSN. In fact, I could easily beat any BSN right out of school who does not have comparable education or experience (and most do not). So, why should I bother? Well, re-read Tweety's post.

Tweety is a good example of what can happen to me tomorrow if I do not take the opportunity I will have after completing my ADN to seek a BSN. Besides, it will take me no more then 1 year to do since I will have completed ALL of my clinical nursing courses AND my BSN co-requisites by the time I graduate with my ADN. Most importantly, by beginning with an ADN I will manage to complete my degree with NO debts and I will receive my BSN by paying cash or having my employer pay. So there really is no downside to the path I am choosing.Good luck. ;)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
This thread has been very informative...I wish I would have started a similar one myself before because I ask some of the same questions as Lizz does.

Thank you Lizz for starting this one!

I'm in a BSN program now and really have no idea why I'm here and doing it.

I have no desire to be a manager and no desire to go on to grad school to become a CRNA or NP.

But again, I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, if anything.

Right now the BSN will not get me a raise, as I'm maxed out, but if I wasn't it would be 4%, which is not much considering it's costing me about $10,000 to go RN to BSN. I'm not sure what I'll do with my degree either.

You're young. Unless your rich, going to marry rich, win the lottery, you might be like me and need to work for the unforeseeable future. There are jobs outside of management or grad school that require BSNs (like public health, safety, quality, pharmaceuticals, etc.) that you might be interested in 10 or 20 years from now.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
When I went to school, I was determined to go for the BSN, however now looking back on it, I would have gone for my ASN. Other than the critical thinking part of it, I probably won't use the actual degree...If you are interested in home care, school nursing etc, then by all means go for it, if you are a degree person, hey go for it. Personally, I haven't seen that it made much diference in my career path. Like I said if I had it to go and do again, and where I live in ND, I would just go for the ASN, monitarily it really has not made a hill of beans difference. Good luck in what you decide to do and in you career in nursing. I know a bunch of nurses, LPN's, ASN's,BSN's and MSN's and believe it or not, we are all pretty equal, and we all do the same thing, Patient care. Nursing is nursing and it is what you make it, if you put in, you will get out. Best of luck:typing.

Unfortunately, it's not like that everywhere. I have students in my class with ADNs that are directors, managers, house supervisors, floor educators, all kinds of high-end nursing jobs with ADNs in different parts of the country. Their experience and job performance is what counted (also sometimes it's not the degree but who you know that gets you the job). I'm not sure why they are bothering with the BSN.

However, in this area, as I've indicated there are BSN-required jobs (not just preferred) that ADNs are shut out of. I don't think RN to BSN programs would be sprouting up everywhere with so many takers if all it took was hard working and "what you make it", sometimes three little letters does indeed make a difference.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

excellent questions! lizz

because i have almost exclusively worked in acute hospitals and the occasional nursing home, i saw bsns being promoted or put into supervision or management positions. within a few months of getting my bsn i was promoted into supervision. i was told by the people in the nursing department who offered the position to me that they had seen the change in me and the growth i had made since going back for my bsn. they had merely waited for a position to open up to offer to me as soon as i had gotten my degree! now, i'm not so foolish to think (nor should others) that this promotion was based solely on getting the bsn. it also had to do with my track record as an employee and my general character as a person and nurse. not everyone who gets a bsn is management material.

i decided to go back and get a bsn because i was floundering and burning out as a nurse. something just wasn't right. i was becoming disillusioned, frustrated, and felt like there was more to nursing than just being a good hospital nurse. i was volunteering for nursing committees and being denied membership in some of them because of not having my bsn. or, i would sit in committee meetings that i was allowed to belong to and not understand some of the things that were going on. i also had an epiphany when i realized that i was harboring some very nasty thoughts toward newly hired nurses merely because they already had bsns and i was merely jealous. the more i was around bsns i began to see a difference in how they practiced compared to aa degree nurses. maybe it was all in my mind, but i didn't think so at the time.

was it worth getting? you bet. for one thing, getting a bachelor's degree in any subject area is quite an accomplishment. i don't think i would have been able to continue in nursing if i hadn't gone back to this get this extra education. moving around in this career and changing jobs is not a big problem. when my brother lost his job due to changes in the business economy and phasing out of the kind of work he did, it was a big crisis for him and his family that took him several years to recover from. he never felt that college training was important. so, whatever time and money was invested in it were well worth the sense of self-esteem and career satisfaction that came about as a result.

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I am in a diploma RN program currently and plan on eventually going for my BSN. My school has agreements with colleges in the area for transfer. I have two small children and could not commit to a BSN program at this time in my life. When I do go back it will probably be one or two classes at a time. I would like to go CRNA or Midwife one day.

I think it holds true for any career, the longer you go to school the more opportunity you have. I was just talking to someone with thier CRNA and they started out as an EMT. It just depends on how far you want to go.

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It has allowed me to be a clinical instructor...

That's all...

I've been hired into management and supervisor based on my merit, not my degree...

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excellent questions! lizz

because i have almost exclusively worked in acute hospitals and the occasional nursing home, i saw bsns being promoted or put into supervision or management positions. within a few months of getting my bsn i was promoted into supervision. i was told by the people in the nursing department who offered the position to me that they had seen the change in me and the growth i had made since going back for my bsn. they had merely waited for a position to open up to offer to me as soon as i had gotten my degree! now, i'm not so foolish to think (nor should others) that this promotion was based solely on getting the bsn. it also had to do with my track record as an employee and my general character as a person and nurse. not everyone who gets a bsn is management material.

i decided to go back and get a bsn because i was floundering and burning out as a nurse. something just wasn't right. i was becoming disillusioned, frustrated, and felt like there was more to nursing than just being a good hospital nurse. i was volunteering for nursing committees and being denied membership in some of them because of not having my bsn. or, i would sit in committee meetings that i was allowed to belong to and not understand some of the things that were going on. i also had an epiphany when i realized that i was harboring some very nasty thoughts toward newly hired nurses merely because they already had bsns and i was merely jealous. the more i was around bsns i began to see a difference in how they practiced compared to aa degree nurses. maybe it was all in my mind, but i didn't think so at the time.

was it worth getting? you bet. for one thing, getting a bachelor's degree in any subject area is quite an accomplishment. i don't think i would have been able to continue in nursing if i hadn't gone back to this get this extra education. moving around in this career and changing jobs is not a big problem. when my brother lost his job due to changes in the business economy and phasing out of the kind of work he did, it was a big crisis for him and his family that took him several years to recover from. he never felt that college training was important. so, whatever time and money was invested in it were well worth the sense of self-esteem and career satisfaction that came about as a result.

good post!

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

I am very glad I went on to get my BSN - It opened enormous doors of opportunity to me (such as being a nurse educator in an ADN program) which I had not forseen. I now have my MSN and this has opened up so many more opportunities. I love furthering my education and see it as an investment in myself. All the classes and sharing of information, extra clinical experiences, etc., have also made me a better bedside nurse (IMHO).

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