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

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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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

Oh please, and that's why ADN and BSN programs are swamped with applicants. I've never heard of a diploma program to become a RN. Touting that you don't need a degree to become a RN is ridiculous.

Because you haven't heard of it doesn't make it so. At 24 I'm sure there are a lot of things you haven't heard of. I received my DIPLOMA in nursing...RN...in 1982 from an accredited nursing school, took state boards and have worked as an RN since. Yes, I am graduating this May with my BSN, by choice.

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http://www.sentara.com/sentara/hospitalsfacilities/schools/healthprofessions/

http://dukehealth1.org/watts/courses.asp

here are two that i readily know about. sentara norfolk general has had an rn school since 1892 and watts, which is right down the road from me, has been around since 1895. sentara's website says it is one of six diploma programs remaining in virginia.

the reason their graduates are becoming rare are because the schools themselves are becoming rarer and rarer.

so you don't technically need a degree to become an rn, and places still exist where you can do that. what they're not telling you is that it takes just as long to get a diploma as an adn, and it can cost a whole lot more - sentara seemed to be pretty reasonably priced (sentara is a big conglomerate), but watts here in durham is ten grand a year each year for two years.

i think diploma nurses have an outstanding education and are probably the most technically clean student nurses out there. they spend hours on the floor - hours that those of us in adn and bsn programs just can't get. so while i know i'm getting an outstanding education, i'm more than a bit jealous of those fortunate enough to go to diploma programs - not just for the education, but because they've taken part in a wonderful tradition. hospital schools used to be the only formal training programs for nursing. how wonderful to be a part of that.

very well put carolinapooh...i would not trade, if i could, the education i received from my diploma program for anything. as i have stated in other posts...i will be graduating may 5, 2007 with my bsn. i did the rn-bsn program to further my education.

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I'm sure by now you know you're not getting a BSN from a hospital, but rather from a university that holds hospital clinicals? ;)

No, it's a hospital and a university.

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clarification: diploma rn programs offer the non-nursing courses (a&p, micro, psych, sociology, human development, etc.) in conjunction with a local partner college or university. the credits earned from completion of these courses are awarded directly from the college/university.

in the past, i think it was the case that these courses were sometimes taught by nursing school faculty. some nurses who graduated from diploma schools many moons ago have thus encountered difficulty transferring these courses to bsn programs later on. thankfully, that is no longer typically the case.

you are correct mlos. when i went back and did the rn-bsn program, i had to take micro and a&p before i could take the other nursing courses. the hospital nursing program that i attended was not afilliated with a university.

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I read that too, but I was so confused cuz you definitely need some type of degree (diploma, LPN, ADN, BSN) to be a nurse. Duh! We should write a letter to Parade's editor (or whoever) to set the record straight.

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California doesn't even require that you actually graduate from an nursing program (RN) to take the NCLEX-RN and work as an RN. There was recently a thread from someone who is moving to Tennessee who is upset because they won't accept her California RN license as is. She has to go back and finish school first.

Though I agree that the article is a bit misleading unless they explain the situation a little more fully.

Seriously???!!! You don't have to graduate from nursing school to sit for the NCLEX-RN? That can't be right. So, anyone can apply for a nursing degree in Cali?

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I'm assuming that they meant a 4-yr college degree as opposed to any other sort of degree (eg AA) and hopefully they'll clarify that.

Several of the listed occupations do require or prefer formal certification, many of which are combined into 2-yr AA programs. To contrast, to enter business school or law school you generally must have a 4-yr degree. To earn a teaching credential, even "just" for kindergarten, you must have a 4-yr degree (at least in my state that's the case).

As others have noted, even though many nursing programs these days are part of some kind of degree program (ASN, BSN), it isn't a requirement to become an RN.

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This article is misleading, their probobly talking about lpn's being nurses becuase when it comes to RN's you do need a degree.

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Diploma R.N. programs aren't COLLEGE degrees, right?

Man, I'm sick of this misinformation. Yes, a diploma is a form of a degree. A degree is just a name that universities have slapped on to the paper work they give you at graduation. Ddiploma programs are usually based at a hospital, but have courses from a college. For an example. Our 4 semesters of chem,other classes such as bio, both with labs as seperate courses, abn. normal psys, soc, english, math etc,,,etc,,,,were taught by an IVY leaque college. Our nursing courses were based from the hospital but were taught by masters prepared RN's and we went to other hospitals as the needs demanded (ie: peds, psyc, community nursing). If you can find a difference here between our program and a "degree" program let me know. We went longer than 2 year program, we didn't get summers off. If we dropped out we had to wait until the next year to come back. We couldn't just come back the next quarter and expect to pick up where we left off. In fact, it was more like if a student dropped out, there was a good chance they wouldn't be allowed back the next year. It was very competative. I've noticed several universities offering "fast trac" nursing. They are comparable to a 3 year program. Our nursing school had the highest passing rate on the boards in the state. (along with 3 other 3 year school) ! Two of the major universities were in danger of loosing their accrediation due to poor passage rate on the boards.

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Yes, I seen this as well. Even my husband noticed it. It's begining to sound like the public is comparing us with MA's and the such. I really think we as nurses need to keep our eyes on this . This could be dangerous.

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Specializes in many.

Has anyone else been discussing the Sunday supplement article that wrote about What People Make?

My husband just read me the section that lists the best paying jobs without a college degree and included Translators, Legal Secretaries, and RN's!!!!

Please check this out!:angryfire

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Post #59 merged with existing thread.

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