Is the RN--->BSN push a clever way to get older nurses out of the way

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As in certain "Baby Boomers" who wont retire? Wont we NEED a faster RN producing mechanism (hello again, ADN programs!) in order to provide enough nurses to care for this huge group of people due to retire soon?? Just wondering...

You just made the point of "degree inflation".

I went to a primary BSN program and that's exactly what we did-- the going into people's homes for 13 weeks part. Not all BSN programs are crummy, not by a long shot.
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Rose, please note her comment about pay rate, that it has gone DOWN, in her area. not even stayed stagnant, but went DOWN! instead of accusing her of digging a hole, please read.

Might I suggest you put the shovel down and stop digging a hole? Just because you paid more for college (please keep in mind that while college may be more expensive, so too have wages increased; maybe not at the same rate, but still increased) does not mean that you are the only person/group of people who need to work. We all need to work to pay for the things necessary to live, pay back those school loans, save for retirement, etc. Being a new grad does not mean that you need to work any more than the nurse who graduated 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago.
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Specializes in Critical Care.

To Nola and the other new grads with staggering student loans, I'm sorry you are struggling. It is not fair, but it is a product of our country's politicians who only care about the rich and the corporations. It is Congress that made student loans a lifetime debt when they did away with bankruptcy options over overblown claims of people misusing bankruptcy. Ironic that gambling debt is bankruptible, but not student loans! I believe this started back in the 70's, correct me if I'm wrong, and finished with making bankruptcy no longer an option on private student loans in 2005!

At least with govt loans there was a 25 year income based repayment, but who wants to be paying on student loans so long. Some of us old timers are still paying (either are own or our childrens) and are on the 25 year repayment because of deferments, forbearance etc. I'm on such a plan and I never did income based repayment. When I first started as an RN I made $13/hr and my student loan was $350 which after rent and car payment didn't leave much to live on. I lived frugally for many years without any savings and with credit card debt. It has only been in the past couple years that I have buckled down and built up an emergency fund via a Roth IRA. Luckily I had been putting away 6% in the 403b before I bought my house after reading the original Personal Finance for Dummies and was able to use a loan for another new car and my first house! I still live frugally, no jewelry, rarely go on a real vacation and run my cars into the ground before I buy a new one 10+ years as long as they will go!

Again to Nola at least you got your foot in the door and you are building valuable experience that will eventually lead to a full-time job. Keep you eyes open and keep applying for a full-time job in nursing usually 32 hours or 36 hours. I believe eventually you will land a full time job since your experience will increase your value to employers! Also usually a person is able to do overtime because most hospitals under staff and don't hire adequate workers in the first place so overtime is usually abundantly available!

Remember it is not just you and not just nursing, many people are unable to find jobs, even part-time in their field these days and it may take a couple years of determination to ferret out the job you went to school for. It is frustrating and it is demoralizing but this is the reality given the recession, the corporate mantra of profits over people and the use of an education for opportunity rather than using unions to increase pay and benefits like in Europe! Over 50% of lawyers are working in a job that doesn't require a law degree and their are many retail and office workers with a bachelors where it's not required. The sad thing about this degree inflation is the high price of student loans while wages and benefits are stagnating and declining.

Back to the ADN vs BSN it is this poor economic reality that needs to be considered before taking out more student loans to get a BSN. Are you prepared to be paying back student loans into retirement! What will you do if you get sick or lose your job? How will you pay back those loans then? About 1/4 of people 45 to 65 end up on disability. You probably take care of many of these unfortunate people every day at work! If you become one of these unfortunate people how are you going to have enough money to pay the bills and keep a roof over your head! Also you will need a lawyer to fight to get the student lenders to recognize that you are truly disabled before they will forgive any more student loans you still owe. If you are successful in getting the student loans forgiven then you will owe massive federal and state income tax as the forgiven debt will be treated as ordinary income unless you can prove your insolvent! If you default on student loans your tax returns, wages and even social security and disability will be garnished. Over 100,000+ people on social security are being garnished for student loans as we speak! So before you blindly jump on the BSN bandwagon, keep these things in mind!

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
You just made the point of "degree inflation".

How so? Because she did 13 weeks of community nursing rotation? You think that is fluff?

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Just the opposite.

How so? Because she did 13 weeks of community nursing rotation? You think that is fluff?
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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Phew!

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lol, the 13 weeks she did, compared to the day the other person did. obviously the former was more educated then the latter. but ended up with the same degree. Fair? hardly.

Phew![/QU?OTE]
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Specializes in PCCN.
So before you blindly jump on the BSN bandwagon, keep these things in mind!

understood, but what's happening is that employers are requiring the Bsn.Then they pay you less, don't offer full time, don't get raises.well, yeah, we got a raise.... a certain small percentage in which 40 % taxes were taken out. You never end up with a wage that is in line with COL, and certainly not worth getting a loan for a degree the employer requires , yet doesn't comparatively compensate for.

But now , it's either do the Bsn, or not get a job.Still makes me think elitism, or at least independent wealth being able to go to a 4 year school in the first place. That will weed out the old farts who didnt bother to get BSN in the first place.

Hmm, maybe that is the plan op was talking about. Quite possible...

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.
I agree you certainly shouldn't be paying for $30-60,000. There are multiple more reasonable programs with easy admission.

Lots of programs out there can be completed for $9-11,000. If you have tuition reimbursement these are an extremely reasonable investment.

Check out WGU, UT Arlington.

I completed Excelsior's BSN for approximately $12,000. Got about $7,500 in reimbursement.

Please, let's stop patronizing those incredibly expensive RN to BSN programs! I can kind of understand the desperation of initial entry RNs trying to get licensed no matter how but few need to spend tens of thousands on BSN completion programs!

I did my ASN - BSN through a state university (Indiana University), $12,000 for the whole program not including books. I can't imagine people paying so much for their ASN - BSN, that's insane. I also only got $1200 in reimbursement from my hospital, and I was able to cash flow my BSN so as to not take out more student loans.

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Unless you ( I dont mean the poster - you is generalized)were one of those rich elitists who was able to have mummy and daddy send you to Ivy league university. I imagine hospitals will probably go that way in the name of customer service someday also- " Welcome to Awesome hospital USA, where 90 percent of our nurses graduated from Yale university .

Sounds alot better to a consumer than Welcome to Hicktown hospital , where all our nurses went to St Mattress Community College.

:-(

"A lot" is two words.

A few facts, here.

Let's not forget that a very large portion of the population lives in places where they have no choices in which hospital besides Hicktown General to use when they need admission, and the St Mattress CC grad may be all they ever see. I have worked in those hospitals, and they are scary places.

Also, neither Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, nor Princeton has an undergraduate nursing program (and only Yale has a graduate nursing program). The only Ivy schools that have undergraduate nursing programs are Columbia (Accelerated BSN/NP program only) and Penn (the only one with a true baseline undergraduate BSN major).

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

I see lots of posts arguing what is best for individual nurses. I see fairly few arguing what is best for nursing as a profession and, more importantly, what is best for the patients.

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"A lot" is two words.

A few facts, here.

Let's not forget that a very large portion of the population lives in places where they have no choices in which hospital besides Hicktown General to use when they need admission, and the St Mattress CC grad may be all they ever see. I have worked in those hospitals, and they are scary places.

What makes those places scary is the lack of resources. The lack of diagnostic testing technology. The lack of physician specialists. The lack of specialty units in general. Do you really think that the fact that their nurses attended a CC program plays anywhere near as big a role? A BSN grad working at Hicktown General will be in a better position to provide care than the ADN grad working next to her..... how? Please explain.

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