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

welnet66 · Apr 16, 2007

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.

I graduated from St. Vincent's School of Nursing in 1986. That diploma program along with all diploma programs required university prerequisites just like ADN and BSN programs. I'm not sure what's happening with diploma schools now but then they were all affiliated with a university.

welnet66 · Apr 16, 2007

For those that are rushing over to parade.com to post - PLEASE do not post in such a rage that you are unable to spell the simplest of words or form coherent sentences.
Seriously, read some of the responses posted there thus far and see if you think it does anything to prove our point that we really ARE well-educated professionals.

Yes, RN4NICU..I agree. Please everyone, be careful what you say, how you say it and check your spelling!

reesern63, RN · Apr 17, 2007

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.

That's not true. Mine was affiliated with the local uni., and that was well over twenty years ago.

nursechris1 · Apr 17, 2007

I am proud to be a diploma nurse. When I read that article yesterday, I was a bit upset. It makes nurses sound like we are all a bunch of idiots. We just walked off the street and started caring for patients. Regardless of what the meaning of "degree" is, we are all college educated. I had to take a year of prerequisities before starting nursing school. That was on top of all of the courses I had already taken to obtain my bachelors in psych. I think the article was very misleading.

Athenas83 · Apr 17, 2007

I think a diploma is a definitely a type of degree, a form of schooling. Parade made nursing out to be a career that you'd learn "on-the-job" meaning get hired and then get trained.

neneRN, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2007

parade.com added an editor note to their web site apologizing...too bad that won't get printed in the actual paper magazine.

Miss Mab · Apr 17, 2007

I don't know why everone is getting so bent out of shape over this. The article is accurate.

If you're one who loudly and defensively resisits the entry BSN movement, you really have no right to get all up in arms when a national magazine very truthfully points out that you don't need a bachelor's degree or, in fact, any college degree to do this job. I read how many of you are outraged and embarassed by this supposed "misconception." Yeah, it is embarassing and it's also very true. Gee, I wonder however we could change that???

Can't have it both ways. .

PS. Please stop posting on the Parade.com site. Some of you sound ridiculous and are in no way advancing our trade, er, profession.

LydiaNN · Apr 17, 2007

There are still some good diploma programs left in PA. What surprised me was the dental hygenist. I thought they had to have a 4 year degree.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Apr 17, 2007

My goodness, what alot of commotion! The article was correct, period. The fact remains that one does not need a college degree to become an RN, period.

I took a look at the fluff piece and saw it as a simplified list of jobs/careers for those who are curious. Parade is hardly a hard-hitting news magazine, or a top choice for recruiters of the professions, is it?

Yes, some people might just look at that and think "huh, I thought you needed a degree, that's a surprise", but I'm always surprised at the sheer number of people who ASSUME there's no degree involved, not even an option. I come across TOO many people who already think we're ALL still "trained on the job" in a hospital program, a la Cherry Ames. This silly blurb in a throwaway paper doesn't change any of that, nor is it intended to.

What I WAS unhappy with was the list of messages from nurses who in one letter carried on that "of course we need degrees" and in the next "we don't need degrees, we have diploma programs". If nurses themselves don't know the facts, why should the person who threw the fluff piece together for the paper?

For the record, a diploma is not a "form of a degree". A DEGREE is a degree. That means, an academic designation from a college or university: Associate of Science, Associate of the Arts. Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of the Arts. A diploma recognizing completion of a nursing curriculum from a hospital-based program is not, and never has been, a degree. Of COURSE it's a form of education and a very valuable one, no argument. Don't want to get fiery diploma grads on my butt, BUT....it's not a college degree, and shouldn't be confused with one.

If we're embarrassed that the public thinks we're not sufficiently educated (as in, "no degree required"), then that's on us and our profession, since we've made it thus.

neneRN, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2007

Yes, the article was technically correct, but misleading, as the gross majority of RNs do have a degree. A few years back, the American Association of Colleges for Nurses published that only around 10% of nursing programs were diploma programs and around 25% of RNs were diploma trained (I don't know if this percentage included diploma RNs who obtained degrees further down the road). This was 3-5 years ago, and I would venture a guess that these numbers are decreasing.

What irritates me is that the Parade statement was made as a generalization, and didn't reflect that it is only a small portion of RNs that do not have college degrees.

Its all about the wording...suppose they had listed, I don't know...10 Best Foods to Help You Lose Weight and ice cream was listed as one of them. While it may be technically true that there is a type of low fat sugar-free non dairy ice cream out there that is great for you, the majority of ice creams are not going to help you lose weight. So wouldn't it be more appropriate to list the one type of ice cream rather than generalize and just say ice cream? This is like a bad advertising trick. Same thing here, the article could have listed Diploma trained RN rather than just RN, avoiding the MISLEADING GENERALIZATION.

maybe I'm rambling, but that's how I see it.

Holly27 · Apr 17, 2007

I was kinda put off by this story telling what people made and what jobs you can get without a degree.

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_04-15-2007/WPE_lead

This is the insert that made me mad. No wonder people think you can be any Joe Blow off the street to be a nurse!g

The Hottest Jobs (No College Degree Required)

Registered nurses

An aging population ensures demand for years to come: $48,000-$74,000

Then I checked out the website and found this "Editor's Note"

EDITOR'S NOTE: We apologize for the error in the "The Hottest Jobs (No College Degree Required)" box. The copy should have read "personal trainers" not "athletic trainers". We also regret any misunderstanding that may have been caused by the inclusion of registered nurses and dental hygienists in the box. While non-college diploma and certificate programs do exist for these occupations, the majority of RNs and dental hygienists have college degrees and additional levels of training. We appreciate your bringing these matters to our attention.

Hmmm. Wonder if they will print that correction in next week's paper. Doubt it.:angryfire

time4meRN · Apr 17, 2007

My goodness, what alot of commotion! The article was correct, period. The fact remains that one does not need a college degree to become an RN, period.
I took a look at the fluff piece and saw it as a simplified list of jobs/careers for those who are curious. Parade is hardly a hard-hitting news magazine, or a top choice for recruiters of the professions, is it?
Yes, some people might just look at that and think "huh, I thought you needed a degree, that's a surprise", but I'm always surprised at the sheer number of people who ASSUME there's no degree involved, not even an option. I come across TOO many people who already think we're ALL still "trained on the job" in a hospital program, a la Cherry Ames. This silly blurb in a throwaway paper doesn't change any of that, nor is it intended to.
What I WAS unhappy with was the list of messages from nurses who in one letter carried on that "of course we need degrees" and in the next "we don't need degrees, we have diploma programs". If nurses themselves don't know the facts, why should the person who threw the fluff piece together for the paper?
For the record, a diploma is not a "form of a degree". A DEGREE is a degree. That means, an academic designation from a college or university: Associate of Science, Associate of the Arts. Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of the Arts. A diploma recognizing completion of a nursing curriculum from a hospital-based program is not, and never has been, a degree. Of COURSE it's a form of education and a very valuable one, no argument. Don't want to get fiery diploma grads on my butt, BUT....it's not a college degree, and shouldn't be confused with one.
If we're embarrassed that the public thinks we're not sufficiently educated (as in, "no degree required"), then that's on us and our profession, since we've made it thus.

A degree is just a name given to the student for a completion of a series of classes. So , lets just say, it's too bad that you don't have a diploma. Our hospital based program was just that. The classes were , for the most part, at class rooms at the campus beside the hospital. We went to the university for classes that needed special labs etc. We went to other hospitals for peds etc. So be sure you know what your talking about before you say it. The university, came to us. They were ivy leaque. I would like to know what part of 4 quarters of chem. is not academic .You don't want to get diploma grads on your butt, don't say such things. Makes you sound very misinformed. If you read the article, it seems to say that nurses can go to a high school tech school and get the same training. :nono: