I'm really kinda new to all the acronyms and to how nursing itself works degree and "rank" wise, so I'm sorry if I sound really silly here.
My question is....what is the difference between an RN and all the other "N's" (ADN, BSN, MSN.....). I know what the ones in ( )'s stand for, but I thought all those were considered RN's, just with different degrees?? I saw on another post that you can get your RN, ADN, BSN....and I just got confused. I thought any Nurse's degree means your an RN. I saw that list of degrees but it didnt' answer my question as to the differences.
Sorry for the silly question....Please enlighten me oh smart ones! LOL. :)
your question is not dumb. all degrees in nursing are RN degrees. The advanced degrees BSN-MSN-PhD are more theory based and used in managerial and teaching/research/sales. But when it comes to the bedside all degrees are the same a BSN/MSN can do no more or is a better nurse than an Associate Degree or Diploma degree. Research has shown that ADN and diploma make the better bedside nurse, because, they have a greater desire. I know that will offend some of you. :angryfire But it is true. Research it.:uhoh21:
I've seen statistics that show that, across the board, ADN and diploma grads consistently do better on the NCLEX than BSN grads, and I've seen research indicating that higher proportions of BSN-prepared staff correlate to better patient outcomes. I've never seen (or even heard of, apart from your comment) "research" that supports the idea that ADN and diploma grads make "better bedside nurses" -- I know that's the opinion of a lot of people, but that ain't the same thing as hard numbers ... :)
I'm also puzzled by your comment about MSNs doing no more at the bedside than any other RNs, and characterizing advanced degrees as "managerial" and "teaching/research/sales" (sales???) -- you are completely disregarding advanced practice nursing, which is the focus of most MSN programs. CRNAs, CNSs, CNMs and NPs do a lot "more" than generalist RNs, at the bedside and anywhere else.
It's not true that "all degrees in nursing are RN degrees." In fact, no nursing degree is an "RN degree." The "RN" designation refers to licensure, which is entirely separate from education. There is no nursing degree that makes you an RN! There are nursing degrees that prepare you and qualify you to sit the NCLEX and become licensed as an RN, and there are lots of (advanced) nursing degrees that don't prepare or qualify you for licensure. It's important not to confuse education and licensure -- two entirely different processes.
It's not the degree... it's the nurse who holds it, IMO.
From diploma (my mom), LPN (the nurse who takes care of my kids), ADN (me), BSN (my mentor), MSN (the one I'm humbly working on...)and for each of those people, I can name a similarly educated person that I would prefer be assigned someone other than me and mine....
I saw that list of degrees but it didnt' answer my question as to the differences.
LOL. :)
Research it.:uhoh21:
twistedpupchaser
266 Posts
Thanks for clearing this up, 1 less confused Aussie!!
:rcgtku: