Is Australian BScNursing equivalent to BSN?

ceridwyn · Jan 30, 2011

Did not know Australia even had a Bachelor of science in nursing, but just a straight bachelor of nursing and....would it not be up to the nursing board not the hospital....PA in Queensland is a magnet hospital and they cannot just employ anyone with a nursing degree must be assessed then registered through the board...

pedicurn, LPN, RN · Jan 30, 2011

Yes Australia does have BScNursing degrees.... I have one from an Australian university.

We don't differentiate between the BN and BScNursing degrees in Australia.

However perhaps the US does? I have toyed with the idea of doing a MSN and have seen either a BSN or a ' bachelors degree in nursing' required as entry.

I have noticed that magnet hospitals always say 'BSN preferred' and not 'bachelors in nursing' preferred

allnurses Guide · Jan 30, 2011

Your question is twofold - will a US hospital treat you as a BSN (depends) and will a US school treat you as coming in with a bachelor degree (depends).

For schools, it depends what subjects you did and how they match up with the school's subjects for BSN. I did my BN 94-96 and was assessed as equivalent to a US bachelor degree by CGFNS (and by another company I got an equivalency report from). I was able to get credit for the masters subjects I did in Australia when I applied for my MSN in the US, and I was also allowed to waive the GRE exam requirement as I had already completed graduate level study in Aus.

For hospitals, if you have the paperwork showing it's equivalent, I can't see how they'd have a problem, but it would be up to you to show them the evidence.

guarnot · Jan 22, 2013

Some U.S. states don't recognize the "BSN" as a distinct degree. New York State is one of them. Schools confer a "BS in Nursing", but it a BS degree, not a BSN. But "BSN" is easier and quicker to write, and everyone knows what it means.... And even in NY, many nurses sign their names with "BSN" after, even though officially that's not the degree they hold....