How important is a BSN?

This has been debated on this forum ad nauseum. You may do a little searching, and find more than you ever wanted to find! The bottom line, is a BSN is as important as you want it to be. There is generally no difference in pay or job description. Certain jobs in education, management etc want an advanced degree, but that too depends on what area of the country and the size of your hospital. They have been talking about making a BSN an entry requirement since before I graduated in 1973, so I would not worry too much about that issue. Right now, there is such an acute shortage of nurses, they are making it easier to bridge to RN from LPN, paramedic, tech, etc. I don't think they are going to run out perfectly qualified and currently licensed RN's.

Hi I am a nursing student just finishing my ADN and am wondering "How important is it to get a BSN?"

Depends on what you want out of your career. If you are content to be a staff nurse forever, it is not really all that important. If you think that you may want to enter administration or advanced practice in the future, it will be very important.

Hi I am a nursing student just finishing my ADN and am wondering "How important is it to get a BSN?"

It depends on what you want out of your career in nursing. You can look up the many threads here where you will find "wisdom" from many nursing "experts" who will either tell you that it is essential or a waste of time.

You'll never get a clear answer to that question.

I'm an ADN working on prereq's for the BSN program, have no idea what I'm going to do with it, I just figure that it will open more doors for me.

Hi I am a nursing student just finishing my ADN and am wondering "How important is it to get a BSN?"

I think that is definitely a personal choice - and I agree, there has been much debate over it in past threads. For me, this is my second career - I'm not a spring chicken anymore, so I chose to go the ADN route so that way I was only out of school full-time for 2 years as opposed to 3. I plan to spend the next few years working as a staff nurse, paying off some debt that I've gotten myself into while in school and getting some experience under my belt. I plan on getting my BSN someday - that's my next goal to shoot for. And I am sure once that is done, I will want to get my Master's. I'm just living one goal at a time. I don't know how important the BSN route is in the long run for staff nurses, but if it's a personal goal for you, then it is important

Fresh out of school, it doesn't seem to matter. Both degrees offer similar salaries and RN licenses. Both allow for entry level positions in a wide variety of areas. Some ADN nurses go far in their career and move up ladders.

I've done fairly well as an ADN graduate.

There are positions out there that are BSN preferred, and a good ADN nurse may get those, but the BSN's stand a better chance. Sometimes it's the BSN that tips the scale in their favor, all things being equal. Also many positions require a BSN and ADNs are shut out of those.

I'm working on getting my BSN in case, many years from now I want to do something else besides bedside nursing.

I want to welcome you to the boards. This has been hotly debated before. Let me help you with some prior thread searches:

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87404&highlight=BSN+Debate

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55969&highlight=BSN+Debate

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93284&highlight=BSN+Debate

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90969&highlight=BSN+Debate

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79197&highlight=BSN+Debate

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75818&highlight=BSN+Debate

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66635&highlight=BSN+Debate

This is just a SMALL representation of such threads. If you use the search function, you can find threads dealing with the topic of BSN versus ADN versus Diploma that go on forever. They do get heated. This is likely why you MAY not receive many answers to your question here.

I just, again, want to welcome you to the threads and I wish you well in deciding what is best for you. The answer to your question, " How important a BSN?"? Ah, really, I guess you would have to base that on WHO you ask. Good luck and happy reading.

i am in schoo, for criminal justice. when i graduate i was thinking about getting my masters in nursing. is it possible?

I look it as a door opener. I don't regret ever getting my ADN. But, with an ADN it seems to open only about 4 doors (just as an example). The BSN seems to open about 10 doors. I've been doing direct patient care for 20 years. I want to do something more along the lines of a desk job of some kind for when I'm older. Maybe teach, maybe work for an insurance company. Just can't do that on an ADN, even with the nursing shortage. Sure, you may get hired to do something, with the priviso that you get your BSN or MSN or even PhD eventually. So, I'm going for it full bore at this time. Hope to have BSN by 2008 at the latest and MSN by 2011. That's the goal anyway.

Hi I am a nursing student just finishing my ADN and am wondering "How important is it to get a BSN?"

in this day and age, where the cost of college is outrageous, i don't know why anyone wouldn't take advantage of tuition reimbursement from their employer. whether you 'need' it or not shouldn't be the issue. if someone offers you free college, PLEASE take them up on it.

someday, when your knees are tired of running around and your back is sore, you will have NO other option than to stay at the bedside if you don't get your bsn. anyone with a bsn will scoop other opportunities right from under your nose.

if you're young, i can't emphasize it enough.... get all the 'free' college you can.

I have a BScN. Let me tell you about a good friend of mine - she was an incredible college-graduated RN. When she started into her BScN for a job she wanted, she couldn't understand the importance of it. I used to sit and listen to her go on about it. It didn't take long for her attitude to change. She sees the balue of it even more now that she is putting it to daily use. It is not just the education, the extra that you learn, but also the different way of thinking and looking at and analyzing things. Whenever I question the value of going on in school and taking extra courses, I just think of her experience and go full steam ahead!

Good luck

I couldn't agree more! With so many opportunities out there and so much tuition reimbursement money out there, it's a shame that so many nurses choose not to pursue higher education.

llg

Of course, there are degree tracks now that offer an ADN-to-MSN, aren't there?