a nurse attorney stated during a presentation that Associate Degree Nurses should be awarded a Bachelor's degree b/c of all the work involved in becoming an RN.
This was a EUREKA!!! moment for me.
have often thought of how much work it was to become an RN. all the assessments, writing, and care plans, etc. -- EVERY WEEK! and one to two full days each week in clinical.
i myself started out in an ADN program -- and it was a lot of work!!!
and what other professionals work THIS hard and then look forward to working weekends, holidays, summers, and rotating shifts.
and when was the last time you heard that a chemical engineer, teacher or a lawyer was sued for malpractice?
so . . . why can't the 2 year student be awarded a Bachelor's degree? (and by the way, who really completes a "2 year program" in 2 years?)
i've done some research into course requirements (and "clinical") for chemical engineers, teachers and lawyers. the total number of hours required are less than those required for nurses.
a close relative graduated law school a year ago. law school is 3 years beyond a bachelor's. the first 2 years are intense. the 3rd year is considered a "waste" by many. Some law schools are toying with the idea of doing away with that 3rd year. others are offering a doctorate degree (J.D) at the completion of the 3 years.
my point really is -- why shouldn't the degree be COMMENSURATE with the amount of WORK (again consider all the time, written assignments, care plans, clinicals, etc.) that it takes to beome an RN??
a 4 year program could award a Master's or a doctorate. WHY, given the amount of work involved in becoming an RN, should we restrict ourselves to the traditional notion of 2 years equals an ADN, and 4 years equals a BSN???