If You Were Me, Would You Pursue Your BSN?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

I have been an RN for 21 years. I graduated from a hospital-based diploma program, and I also have over 80 undergraduate college credits, both from a local university that I attended as a communications major (but didn't graduate from) before going to nursing school, and another smaller, local college that I went back to to pursue my BSN about twelve years ago but ultimately didn't finish because it interfered with my kids' activities and there weren't any online programs yet at that time. I have 12+ years of experience in inpatient Med/Surg nursing, hospice nursing, and LTC nursing and spent the balance of the last 21 years staying home full time with my kids. I recently started a new job as a contingent Med/Surg float nurse in a local community hospital, which I totally love. As I went through orientation, I noticed that many, many of my peers have their BSN or even MSN. I was also told recently by one of the aides that I worked in LTC with that the government is transitioning into a position where they will only reimburse for Medicare patients if the nurses in the facility have their BSNs. I'm not sure if that's true, but it did worry me a bit.

Okay, so here I am, 46 years old and with two kids who are now 17 and 19, so pretty much grown. Part of me really wants to go back and finish up my BSN, especially if all of my credits would transfer and I would only have a handful of classes to take, and part of me wants to just ride out the rest of my career working as a Med/Surg diploma RN and not spend the time and money to do the BSN thing. What would you do in my shoes? I am not eligible for any federal financial aid, so I would probably have to pay full tuition out of pocket. My employer only offers tuition reimbursement to full- and part-time employees, not contingent.

Any advice?

Thanks! :)

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Yes, I can see doing it. But don't wait until you are 60. Do it now or don't do it at all. That is my take on it.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

Thank you for your quick response. I am leaning that way, especially since I just got today's mail and received one of the transcripts that I sent for, the one for the small college that I attended 12 years ago, and discovered that I actually have 100 credit hours, 88 that transferred to that school when I started there, and 12 that I earned there, plus a 3.83 GPA. That boosted my confidence a lot and kind of gave me a shove in the right direction, I think. I haven't focused on this in years, so I didn't even remember how many credits I have under my belt!

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Im studying for my BSN atm, straight out of school. You are obviously a very experienced nurse with lots of knowledge to share. I would see you more like a teacher with or without a BSN. However, I do believe that if it makes YOU feel good, then why not? You'd get it no bother!!!! best of luck :) :)

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

Thanks for the kind thoughts. It was actually the nurse educators who did our orientation that got me thinking about different things that I could do with my career if I had my BSN. I don't know if I would ever teach, if so I would want to work in a regular healthcare setting such as a hospital as opposed to a nursing school. Diabetic teaching, in particular, kind of interests me. We had a patient on the floor last night who was a man in his early thirties and had just been diagnosed with Type I DM after being admitted with a blood glucose in the 700s. In chatting with him at the bedside (he wasn't my patient, but I wanted to observe his nurse in the use of the PCA pump, since it's a type that I never used in my previous employment) I could tell that he had absolutely zero knowledge of DM and how to manage it. That intrigues me, and I think it's critically important for people to know how to manage their disease processes.

Thanks again. :)

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

By all means, Go For It! You will be setting a wonderful example for your kids also - not just 'talking', but showing them that education and learning are important. Let's face it, in today's economy, you probably have another 20-ish years of working, right? I think you'll definitely get a good return on your investment. Also - I believe that expenses you incur for your BSN are deductible on your income tax.. continuing education for your job. Check with your tax expert to be sure... makes the pain a bit more bearable.

Fair warning - science courses tend to 'expire' after ~5 years, so you may have to re-take them... been there - ick.

Best of luck to you. Keep us posted on your progress!

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No problem :) That sounds like lots of fun!!! Its really important that people know how to manage their meds and lifestyle around their illness. I don't mean to sound stupid..but what does DM stand for? In ireland we have specialist nurses and from what I saw, they go around the wards and promote health regarding their illness. They are really important because they provide so much support!:) :)

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

Sorry, it stands for Diabetes Mellitus. We abbreviate everything over here, and sometimes I forget that not everyone does that. :)

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thank you :) :)

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