Guess what RN's, you didn't need that college degree!!

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This Sunday's Parade Magazine featured their annual report "What People Earn." Always very interesting but...if you look on page 4, there is a colorful box listing jobs that do not require a college degree. Here's the list: Sales Representatives, Translators, Dental Hygienists, Registered Nurses, Insurance Adjusters, Transportation Workers, Athletic Trainers, Auto Technicians, and Legal Secretaries. Shocking to say the least. I hope I won't be the only one writing to this magazine to correct this terrible misconception.:angryfire

Specializes in Cardiac Care.
I am a diploma R N also straight from Holmes Community college

I thought Community Colleges granted Associate's Degrees.

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Specializes in L&D.
California BON is only state that permits one to take NCLEX examination upon completion of nursing courses, prior to completing graduation requirments for the nursing program. Other states require GRADUATION from nursing program, hence quandry Haunted is in.

If one graduates from a nursing Diploma program with national or regional accreditation, passes NCLEX, should have no problem obtaining/endorsing license to other states.

Karen - that is technically not true. I am looking at Marquette University's (in Milwaukee, WI) direct entry MSN program, and their students are allowed to sit for the NCLEX upon completion of the RN portion (first 15 months), even though no degree is awarded. The students are then allowed to work as RN's while finishing up the two year master's portion, and can add "RN" after their name. No degree is received until the program is completed, which takes most students between 3-5 years. At graduation, they are awarded both a BSN and an MSN.

They are very up-front about this arrangement being limited to Wisconsin, and you must sign paperwork at the beginning of the program stating you understand the risks of stopping after the RN portion. In other words, you have all the classes, but no degree, and WI will let you work as an RN, but no other state is required to honor that.

So if the student were to drop out after the RN portion, the state of WI will likely allow them to continue practicing (since they have passed the NCLEX), but moving to another state would put the student in the same boat as the previous poster.

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I just did an Internet search and found out that there are still 100 Diploma Nursing Schools in the United States. Some are LPN programs and some are RN programs. But they do exist. The RN programs are accredited by the NLN just like the ADN, BSN, and MSN programs are. After completing a diploma nursing program, you are eligible to take the Board of Nursing license exam in your state, to become a Registered Nurse.

The Diploma School where I began my nursing school career (Community Hospital School of Nursing in Springfield, Ohio) has been in operation since 1887 and is still going strong.

When I moved from Ohio to Oklahoma, I transferred to an Associate Degree program. The ADN program was so much easier than the Diploma program had been, I felt like I had died and gone to "nursing student heaven." I have since earned my BSN and am currently working on my MSN. The Diploma program remains the most difficult nursing program I have ever experienced.

So for all of you out there who have never heard of a Diploma Program, don't scoff. These are great schools that truly prepare students for the real world of nursing.

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All diploma nurses graduate/graduated from in-hospital programs, that's where they're based. There is no affiliation with a college. Your BSN program is based at a college that provides the degree.

Well Tazz, that's not strictly true either.

Many Diploma Schools are now associated with Universities. So all their non-nursing credits are university credits and transfer quite nicely when you decide to continue your education.

When I attended Community Hospital School of Nursing in Springfield, Ohio (shortly after the invention of the wheel) in the early 1980s, they were associated with Central State University. All of my university credits transferred without a hitch! Since 2000 they have been associated with Urbana University.

So while the students don't earn a college or university degree, they end up with plenty of university credit hours that they can take anywhere.

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Specializes in med/surg, TELE,CM, clinica[ documentation.

I graduated with a diploma and an associate degree from my school, Helene Fuld in Blackwood,NJ. Let me tell you that the program was rigorous---harder than my BS program in Medical Technology!:lol2:

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This may sound stupid but what is a diploma RN??? And what do you mean you dont have to go to school to be an RN in California that sounds a little strange. Am I misunderstanding this?:bugeyes:

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This may sound stupid but what is a diploma RN??? And what do you mean you dont have to go to school to be an RN in California that sounds a little strange. Am I misunderstanding this?:bugeyes:

At a Diploma Nursing School, you do not earn a degree, but qualify to take the NCLEX exam. Most Diploma schools are associated with a University, so classes other than Nursing are University credits and transfer easily.

Also most RN to BSN programs simply require you to be an RN with one year clinical experience to be accepted to the program. If you do not have an Associate degree, you may have to take a couple of extra prerequisite classes.

As far as the California thing, I am as clueless as you are about it.;):uhoh3:

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Specializes in Occ Health, Amb. Surgery, Legal Nursing.

All I have to say, Ladies, is that you won't always be young, energetic, and agile. I am 53 years old. I've been an RN for 30 years, an old diploma nurse; thank, God. I just completed my BSN last year. I'm an occupational health nurse specialist with awful back issues that are worsening. Now, I'm ready to continue working; but my body won't comply with the rigors of running to emergencies, etc. So, I'm very happy that I completed my BSN last year. I'm looking forward to working toward an MBA so that I can increase my salary while sitting at a desk. If you're smart, you will go after the degrees while you're young despite what you hear about salaries because it will pay off in the end. You will be happy you did. The future of nursing is all about specialization. You will need advanced degrees for that; and you won't always be working in a hospital. There is a whole wide world of variety open to nurses out there. Don't limit your thinking or your horizons.

Nancie

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Nancie, I'm not one of the "Ladies", but that's precisely why I got my BSN at the young age of 48, so that as I age in nursing, I will have opportunities. Kudos to you for recognizing it's value beyond the bedside. Good luck to you!

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Specializes in LAB.

I am a clinical Medical Assistant and EKG Tech. and certified Phlebotomist

I have a 2 year degree I have a health care background in Nursing Assistant. I know that I am not allowed to do certain thing with a license by the state board of nursing. I operate in my field . I withdrew from lpn school

due to a death in my family. I could only go to night school I will pursue my nursing career at a later date. I had so many labs to attend and get check off but a extern ship where the director of nursing keep a close eye on student to ensure they were ready to do the job I also would never do anything to hurt someone I alway double check you are right some many

MA that I have worked with are not equipped to handle some area. But I really keep my educational standards up 100%.

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