Is the BSN worth it?

[NurseCalamity]

Okay, so I am an LPN starting my prerequisites for my RN this fall. I'm not scared... I graduated second in my LPN class. My question is.. is the BSN worth it? I know it's a lot of management and does go deeper into A&P and clinical skills. But would a nurse with a certain specialty be more desirable than a general educated nurse? Like oncology cert psych cert, etc? What are your thoughts?

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

Very excellent points. I know the hospitals are pushing for BSN educated nurses only. Where would that leave ADN? Clinics, LTC, SNF, etc and every nurse needs that hospital experience you learn sooooooo much!

ADN's are still being hired, most are just required to sign a contract they will complete BSN in X years. Nothing against LPNs but I've seen some get angry because they basically doing the same job as a RN (minus assessments) and get paid less. 1 addition year of education will make it worth your while, even if you just start out as an LPN.

Just don't count your LNP experience to add up as RN experience, employers don't look at it that way. So if you had 10 years as LPN then got RN, you would be considered new grad RN and get paid as such...there's lots to consider. To be employable I went straight for AA at community college then BSN.

[windsurfer8, BSN, RN]

"don't think" and "I've heard" is not what I would base a decision on. The bottom line is whether the hospital where you want to work requires a BSN and whether you plan to be a bedside nurse for 30 years. You need to do the leg work to actually find out which would serve your purpose best. It doesn't matter what random people say, what matters is what the hospital you want to work at prefers and accepts. Where I work and my position requires a BSN. It does not matter if an ADN nurse is "a great nurse"....the job REQUIRES the applicant has a BSN.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I, too, started as an LPN. Monetarily, the RN licensure and BSN degree have been very much worth it for me because I've almost doubled my annual income.

Furthermore, the enhanced knowledge base has been empowering.

This.

I started out as an LPN...once I found out I could not get a certification in the specialties that I worked in-Rehab Nursing and Peds-I realized in order to want to truly be an expert in the specialty that I work in I had to be a licensed RN; my train of thought was if I wanted to pursue a graduate education, it would make more sense I go for the BSN, although every nursing school in my area had a very similar coursework and requirement plus or minus 1 or 2 classes; I chose a program that was for working individuals and went from there.

[twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN]

It was to me because I knew I wanted to continue on past there. But as a nurse who started with an ADN, the clinicals were tougher in the associates program, and the A&P transfered over so there was no difference really.

[smartnurse1982]

Very excellent points. I know the hospitals are pushing for BSN educated nurses only. Where would that leave ADN? Clinics, LTC, SNF, etc and every nurse needs that hospital experience you learn sooooooo much!

I do believe in the coming years that a majority of Adn educated Rn's will be employed in the non acute care setting.

I guess it all comes down to if you want to work in acute care or non-acute care.

However,i will say this: Many non acute care positions are asking for the Bsn too.

The Vna in my area only wants Bsn educated Rn's for homecare of all things.

[scaredsilly, BSN, RN]

You cannot get a specialty license right out of school. You need a "general" nurse education to get your license. As others have said many hospitals are hiring BSNs only. So make a decision on where you want to work and check in your area to see if you can get hired with an ADN, then make the decision that is right for you.

[mindlor]

BS = Bull Sh......

MS = More Sh....

Phd = Piled higher and deeper

These BSN programs are full of useless classes that have no bearing whatsoever on a nurses practice. They are laden with busy work and are generally designed to separate a nurse from their hard earned money.

Where I work you get a 50 cents an hour raise for a BSN.....pfffffffffft

[DeeAngel]

Yes, it's worth it. If you want to move into management it will give you the flexibility to do so. It's also easier to do it now than in 10 years when you're burned out and have to get a BSN if you want to progress in your career.

[Dogen]

These BSN programs are full of useless classes that have no bearing whatsoever on a nurses practice. They are laden with busy work and are generally designed to separate a nurse from their hard earned money.

Where I work you get a 50 cents an hour raise for a BSN.....pfffffffffft

This is absolutely true. The BSN work is almost entirely theory. All the "real nursing" stuff is part of the ADN, because you need that to be an RN regardless of your degree. I was hoping for classes on advanced assessment or learning things about labs I never knew or something steeped in science, and what I got was two quarters of "leadership" where I had to write a persuasive paper and shadow a nurse leader for a day.

BUT, even though the classes are disappointing, if your market has moved to preferring or requiring the BSN then it simply doesn't matter. If you don't have it then you're hobbling yourself right out of the gate, and IMHO it's hard enough to get a job as an RN in most places without making it harder on yourself. In Portland if you don't have a BSN your application won't make it out of the automated system of the big hospital systems (human eyes will never see it), so you're cutting potential jobs by probably 60%, if not more.

[blah_blah_blah]

I think it's worth it. Even if a job posting doesn't state that they want a BSN, they might toss your app if you don't have it. The only children's hospital in my area won't even consider you unless you have a BSN and it isn't listed anywhere on the requirements for the posting and a majority of the postings for other hospitals state "BSN preferred" or "BSN strongly preferred".

My BSN program was a lot of management stuff like you said. I wrote a lot of papers and spent a lot of time learning about the organizational structure of a facility. I also learned a lot about research methods and how scientific research is conducted. Overall, it was a lot easier than my ADN program, but a lot more expensive!

[amzyRN]

Yes it is. Many facilities prefer BSNs. You'll have a little bit of an edge with a BSN in many states. Plus some jobs like management positions require a BSN or above.

[APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP]

I would like to recommend going straight for your MSN.

Everyone wants at "Least" a BSN now. I never cared for the "Least" connotation that any of the potential employers in my area are using.

At one hospital, which just received Magnet status, the ADN's received a very dispiriting letter in which Senior Management called them "Minimally prepared nurses", as ADN's, and that they would be fired by 2020 if they did not possess at "Least" a BSN.

I already had to endure that demeaning attitude once as an LPN/LVN before I returned for my RN.

I makes me sad to think that someone else out there would need to put up with that as well. Therefore, I am recommending the MSN.