Is the BSN for Everybody? Things to Consider when Considering School

This article explores the pros and cons of registered nurses pursuing their BSN. The information included is based on the writer's personal observations and experiences, both before and after obtaining a BSN degree. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

  1. Does the BSN really benefit bedside nurses?

    • 17
      No. The job is the same with or without the degree.
    • 32
      Yes. The BSN improves direct bedside care.
    • 26
      Yes, but only as a stepping stone to advanced clinical practice (FNP, CRNA, CNS)

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Is the BSN for Everybody? Things to Consider when Considering School

How important is schedule to you?

If you're the kind of nurse who loves working three 12s and having the rest of your week off, you might find that options are limited away from the bedside. Many non-clinical positions are Monday-Friday, daytime operations that only offer 8 hour shifts. Some may offer 4-10s or rotating shifts, but 3-day work weeks are hard to come by outside of direct patient care.

What part of nursing do you enjoy?

If you really love taking care of patients, and really loathe sitting in meetings and doing paperwork, that's something to consider when thinking about your BSN. Leadership and education positions tend to involve a lot of writing and speaking; if figuring out schedules, sending emails, and giving presentations is not your thing, most administrative BSN roles won't be a good fit.

On the other hand, if the clinical aspect of nursing is your passion and you intend to eventually pursue an advanced practice role as a nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist, you will absolutely need your BSN first. CRNA programs also require at least a year of recent critical care experience, so you won't want to stray far from the bedside once you have your BSN.

Is your goal to get a raise?

If you're thinking of getting a BSN just to earn more and become more marketable, it helps to have the facts. In many hospitals, there is no wage increase for earning your BSN. Most facilities determine pay based on the job description, more so than the credentials. For instance, the administration looks at market values and determines that RNs at the bedside should make X dollars an hour. Some may add a bit to the hourly wage for a BSN, but many do not; a bedside nurse is a bedside nurse and they are paid as such even with a BSN.

This is certainly something many would like to change, but before that can happen there will need to be a fundamental change in BSN education. Currently, a nurse can earn a BSN in a matter of months online without a single live lecture or any hands-on learning. Few, if any, BSN programs require a clinical component or practicum. There are no advanced clinical skills, no new knowledge significant enough to affect performance at the bedside, and therefore no real justification for an increase in pay. An overhaul to existing BSN programs, including advanced clinicals, might help to change that and make BSNs more marketable.

If you do intend to transition into a higher-paying leadership role with your BSN, go for it; just bear in mind that most management and education roles are salaried, not hourly, so figure that into your calculations. If you're someone who relies on occasional overtime or likes to pick up holidays for the premium pay, these differentials usually don't apply to salaried (aka "exempt") positions.

Are you hoping for a competitive edge in the job market?

If you're trying to get ahead, continuing education and impressive credentials will certainly help. Bear in mind, though, that the BSN is becoming very commonplace now among bedside nurses. Many hospitals strongly encourage, and even require, nurses to obtain a BSN within a certain number of years after hire or in order to apply for transfers within the organization. In the recent past, BSN nurses were in leadership roles as nurse managers, directors of nursing in long-term care, and nursing instructors in diploma and ADN schools. Now that the average bedside nurse has, or is expected to earn their BSN, leadership and advanced roles are requiring even higher levels of education. You should absolutely pursue the degree if you want to advance, but many nurses now are also seeking additional certifications in various specialties like diabetes, oncology, or wound care, in order to stay competitive.

Is money no object?

One more thing any nurse should consider before returning to school is the matter of finances. Some may qualify for federal grants or full scholarships, but most working nurses will end up paying at least part of their tuition and fees out of pocket. If you're lucky enough to get a free ride, take full advantage of it. If you're like most nurses and have to rely on student loans and/or tuition reimbursement, take all the factors into account before you decide. For instance:

What is your current financial situation? Even with student loans and tuition reimbursement, many nurses often have out of pocket expenses for every semester. If your nursing job lands you a certain income bracket, you may only receive partial student loans and have to pay the remainder of tuition yourself. That's something to consider if money is already tight. Also remember that currently, getting your BSN does not guarantee an increase in monthly income. All too often BSNs find themselves in the same job making the same money, but now with a student loan payment to contend with every month.

How close are you to retirement? The repayment period for most student loans is 10 years, so it may not be worth it if you plan to retire in 6. However, if your finances are such that you could pay extra or pay the loan off early, you might want to go ahead.

Are you planning to relocate or change employers after graduation? Employer tuition reimbursement usually exchanges financial aid for months or years of continued service post-graduation. If you leave your employment before the debt is worked off, the benefit has to be paid back to the facility. Read the tuition assistance policies carefully to determine how long you'll need to stay on after graduation and what your payback amount would be should you choose to leave early.

Is your projected BSN salary enough to balance out the student loan debt? Most BSNs end up paying around $240 per month for their student loan after graduation, so bear in mind that you'll need to make at least that much more per month just to break even. The sad truth is that as it stands now, many BSNs find themselves struggling to make that monthly payment when there is no wage increase for earning the extra degree. Leadership roles will usually pay you a bit more, but remember to think about the schedule requirements and exempt/non-exempt status of those positions.

What's the bottom line?

Generally speaking, you almost can't go wrong with more education. The more letters behind your name, the better your resume looks, and there is also a sense of personal achievement. Still, when considering a BSN program, it's important to examine all the pieces: your goals, your finances, your lifestyle and family situations, as well as your likes and dislikes when it comes to work. Do you need to be home with your kids more? Do you rely on overtime or shift differential to make ends meet? Do you love patients but hate paperwork? These are all things to consider.

We all eagerly look forward to the day when the BSN translates to tangible benefits for the average nurse. Sadly, as it stands right now, for many there is no life-changing advantage and the BSN serves only as a stepping stone to an even higher degree or advanced clinical practice. The information here is not meant to discourage anyone from pursuing higher education, only to help put the undergraduate degree and its pros and cons into perspective.

If your facility requires the BSN for bedside nurses, then your choice is simple. However, if you just really love taking care of patients and have no desire to enter leadership or administration, you may fare better with a specialty certification in an area that interests you. The cost is far less, and the BSN does not focus on clinical skills. If you do want to qualify for entry-level leadership and education roles, then the BSN is the way to go. In future we hope to see the BSN carry more weight and offer more leverage, but to do so it must also provide increased skills and greater knowledge. Changes in education are likely the only thing that will translate into changes in benefits. Still, the great thing about nursing is that we have a wide-open, versatile field where there is something for everybody. Hopefully the information included here can help you decide which of those somethings is right for you in your own nursing practice.

2 Votes
nurseyblues

About nurseyblues, BSN, RN

The author is a BSN-prepared nurse with a background in ER/Trauma, IV Therapy, and nursing management. Insights and opinions are based on 19 years of experience in healthcare, beginning with Allied Health and continuing now with a pursuit of an advanced degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

The author states that .... "Most BSNs end up paying around $240 per month for their student loan after graduation, so bear in mind that you'll need to make at least that much more per month just to break even." Where did that come from? I question that statistic and the author cites no sources for this article.

While the author makes a few valid points, she doesn't cite any references and I question some of the content. "Buyer beware."

1 Votes

I think this is a decent and objective article. It raises valid considerations. I am an LPN and I've worked at facilities with RNs that made only $2 more hourly than I did. I also currently do home care and skilled visits at my company are a flat per visit rate whether you're an LPN or RN. I really do believe that outside of admin positions or to further education in the hopes of becoming a CRNA or whatever, the financial cost outweighs the benefit, in most situations. But people should do what makes them happy :)

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Why are these articles coming out at a time I am deciding whether to quit 's Rn to Bsn program?

I do not plan to be in leadership,will likely stay working PDN,certainly won't get a raise,so why am I pursuing a Bsn?

The most important point the author made is staying employed.

Let's say by 2030 80% of nurses have Bsn Degrees.

What happens to the Lpn's and ADN Rn's that do not have one?

1 Votes
Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
smartnurse1982 said:

Let's say by 2030 80% of nurses have Bsn Degrees.

What happens to the Lpn's and ADN Rn's that do not have one?

Some ADN's will notice no difference - especially if they live in an area without a lot of BSN's. Some will simply stay in the current jobs and be fine as long as they never want to leave that job.

Most will have problems getting a new job -- moving to another place or wanting to transfer to another department, etc. because they will have to compete against BSN's. So, many will be stuck having to stay where they are, or accepting jobs that are not very popular -- the jobs that most BSN's don't want.

I've had friends in that situation already. Their jobs were secure and the ADN was acceptable to the employer -- but they wanted to leave and couldn't get another good job because they lacked the BSN. They were stuck.

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Specializes in ER/Trauma, IV Therapy, and nursing management..

Thank you for taking the time to read my article, and I can certainly understand and appreciate some skepticism. As this is my first formal submission, I was unsure of whether to include citations and references. I wrote this article based on my own experience of going into a BSN with so many expectations, and finding out the reality was quite different.

I can tell you that the content regarding tuition, monthly student loan payments, and curriculum of BSN programs came from my own experience and that of several friends, co-workers, and colleagues who all earned BSNs from different institutions but had very similar experiences. I researched at least 10 BSN programs at various schools before choosing one, and the tuition was comparable at most for online programs, ranging between $18,000 to $28,000 depending on the school and the amount of credits being transferred in from previous degrees such as ADN. I earned my BSN from Chamberlain College of Nursing and already had my ADN, so I transferred in the maximum number of credits. I also paid out-of-pocket throughout my program, as my student loans and tuition reimbursement still did not cover the full cost. My total student loan is just over $23,000--again with paying part out of pocket and paying some with tuition reimbursement from my employer. This is the amount leftover that was covered by loans.

A quick Google search provides a wealth of information on average BSN tuition and course content. Beware of sites that promise things like "earn you BSN for under $15,000!" I found, as did several of my colleagues, that those figures are never accurate and do not include technology fees, books/ebook fees, etc., and they also include a maximum number of transfer credits that most applicants never seem to qualify for.

A quick read through a few BSN program sites confirms that most are focused on leadership, research, and academic subjects such as statistics, economics, and writing. I have not found a single online BSN program that offers a clinical experience or practicum, and most that are offered by for-profit schools do not offer live lecture, only self-paced learning through reading and discussion threads. There are certainly brick-and-mortar schools that may offer more live teaching and hands-on learning, but those programs of course require on-campus attendance which can be difficult for working nurses. Again, even in reviewing some of those programs, I did not see any that offered advanced clinical training.

Again, my article is not meant to discourage higher education, or give the impression that there is no point to earning a BSN--not at all. My goal is only to help people decide if the BSN is right for them, given their own individual goals and circumstances.

I hope this helps clarify anything you were questioning, and thank you again for your initial interest.

1 Votes
Specializes in ER/Trauma, IV Therapy, and nursing management..
arob1489 said:
I think this is a decent and objective article. It raises valid considerations. I am an LPN and I've worked at facilities with RNs that made only $2 more hourly than I did. I also currently do home care and skilled visits at my company are a flat per visit rate whether you're an LPN or RN. I really do believe that outside of admin positions or to further education in the hopes of becoming a CRNA or whatever, the financial cost outweighs the benefit, in most situations. But people should do what makes them happy ?

Thank you for your interest and comments. The situation you mention here is one of the things that prompted me to write on this topic. The hospital I work for decided a few years ago that all RNs would be required to earn a BSN within 5 years of accepting a position, and all existing RNs working for the company had to earn a BSN before they could apply to any other position as an internal applicant.

Naturally, a lot of nurses returned to school. On graduating, they (including me) found that while they were free to transfer within the health system, there was no pay difference now that they were BSNs. Our hospital also employs LPNs for non-critical floors and home care, and we suddenly found that LPNs, RNs, and BSNs were standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the same floors, doing the same job, caring for the same patients, for basically the same pay. As the poster above mentioned, there was of course some difference between LPN/RN salary, but it was a small difference--and there was no difference at all for BSNs.

Needless to say it was bad for morale and we lost a lot of nurses who expected to earn more as a BSN, and who also had to find a way to pay student loans on the same salary they were making before they returned to school. The hospital also found itself suddenly unable to staff positions because many nurses had no desire to return to school or were financially unable. Because of the BSN policy, all those nurses were unable to fill vacancies as internal applicants. Consequently, the BSN rule was amended to allow existing employees to transfer within the facility--but they still have to agree to earn their BSN within 5 years of starting their new position. This is not always practical for nurses close to retirement age, or for those with busy family lives, and it is not financially rewarding for any nurse who stays at the bedside after graduation because their pay stays the same.

I do not at all feel that the BSN is a worthless degree, and would not discourage anyone from continuing their education. However, I do think that pushing the BSN on every registered nurse may be unnecessary and ultimately counterproductive.

Thank you again for your interest and feedback.

2 Votes
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

it's already out of the barn: BSN required for employment. I resisted at first, but completing it after I had worked 2 years it meant more; I got more out of it.

You don't necessarily have to leave the bedside once you get it. It helps you mentor new nurses and help the manager out.

I got mine for less than $5K. state school and a partial scholarship for good grades after first semester. Took me one calendar year. Well worth it.

1 Votes
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I stair-stepped my way from LVN to ASN to BSN. The BSN degree has benefited me primarily in the context of being a springboard for acceptance into graduate school. In addition, the BSN degree has opened the doors to more pleasant job opportunities away from direct patient care.

1 Votes
Specializes in ER/Trauma, IV Therapy, and nursing management..
TheCommuter said:
I stair-stepped my way from LVN to ASN to BSN. The BSN degree has benefited me primarily in the context of being a springboard for acceptance into graduate school. In addition, the BSN degree has opened the doors to more pleasant job opportunities away from direct patient care.

Congratulations on pursuing a graduate degree! I'm doing the same, and that's where my BSN is really benefiting me. As my article states, there is no way around the BSN if you're headed for grad school or if you want leadership roles. As you stated, the BSN also opens some doors away from direct patient care--and I think that is the biggest sticking point for me. For those wanting to get out of direct patient care or pursue higher degrees, the BSN is necessary and a worthy investment. However, for those nurses who intend to stay in direct patient care with no desire to leave the bedside or enter advanced practice, I'm not sure it makes sense for the profession to push them into earning an extra degree that they really don't need.

For nurses who stay in direct patient care, I find that an extra degree has limited benefits. All things considered, the bottom line is this: a BSN puts their patient on the bedpan the same way as an RN, or LPN--or for that matter a CNA. In task-based nursing, the tasks don't change when they're being performed by a BSN vs. a diploma or ADN nurse. If you're hanging a gram of Rocephin, you're going to hang it the same way as any other nurse; a foley is a foley, and goes in the same way no matter what degree you hold.

Nurses at the bedside on the average patient care unit simply are not engaging in groundbreaking clinical research, pioneering a study for evidence-based practice, or publishing in peer-reviewed journals. I'm aware that there are exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking, bedside nursing is task-based with little opportunity to flex the academic muscle you gain in a BSN program. Quite frankly, I feel that those bedside nurses who perform actual patient care procedures are the more valuable of the lot. In an emergency, let's face it--nobody ever calls for a nurse researcher STAT. Nursing as a profession honestly needs only so many scholars, but patients will always, always need nurses who can take care of them when they're sick or hurt.

I question if it is wise for nursing as profession, and the medical field as an institution, to keep requiring higher degrees for nurses just to keep them doing the same task-based job for the same pay. I fear that it may become detrimental in that nurses with higher degrees will inevitably--and rightly--expect higher pay, which will not only force them away from direct patient care, but will also cause healthcare facilities to just as inevitably look for cheaper alternatives to get the job done. We're already seeing it in some areas: unmonitored units are being staffed with LPNs with only one RN/BSN to act as charge/mentor/preceptor/resource nurse, because the facility can't or won't pay a full staff of BSN-level nurses.

Would it not be better to leave the BSN for those who do want to enter leadership, nurse education, or graduate studies, and let the bedside nurses who really love patient care to focus on that? I wholeheartedly agree that "it's already out of the barn" as another poster commented. My concern is that maybe it shouldn't be, and that nursing as a profession might be better off reigning it back in before registered nursing elevates itself beyond its usefulness.

1 Votes
Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Nurses always make the argument that we need a seat at the table or we should be seen as a career not a vocation. If that is truly what we want then in my opinion the BSN should be the single point of entry. Nursing looks disorganized when we can't even decide how to become a RN. There are still diploma programs, ADNs, & BSN programs. I started as an ADN but immediately enrolled and began an RN-BSN program directly after graduation. In my area, ADNs & Diploma RNs have deadlines to obtain the BSN so why not just make that the entry point? New graduates without a BSN are having difficulty finding acute care positions here.

1 Votes
Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

"Would it not be better to leave the BSN for those who do want to enter leadership, nurse education, or graduate studies, and let the bedside nurses who really love patient care to focus on that?"

With all of your research on this topic, why oh why did you not notice that the MSN is the new BSN...:yawn:

1 Votes