Is it true that a BSN will be mandatory soon?

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An instructor of mine (I'm in another state) stated that she recently went to a national educators conference and that they were saying that within the next several years in NY it would be mandatory to have your BSN. Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks

Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.
I googled the word "professional" and found the following criteria listed in the definition...

Therefore it would be appropriate to state that a 'true' professional must be proficient in all criteria for the field of work they are practising professionally in. Criteria include following:

  1. The highest academic qualifications - i.e., university college/institute
  2. Expert and specialised knowledge in field which one is practising professionally
  3. Excellent manual/practical & literary skills in relation to profession
  4. High quality work in (examples): creations, products, services, presentations, consultancy, primary/other research, administrative, marketing or other work endeavours
  5. A high standard of professional ethics, behaviour and work activities while carrying out one's profession (as an employee, self-employed person, career, enterprise, business, company, or partnership/associate/colleague, etc.)

Once again, a PROFESSIONAL is someone who has a minimum of a Bachelor's degree. Although, I suppose we can have 2 types of R.N.'s...the ADN's will be the "vocational nurses" and the BSN's will be the "professional nurses." Do you know of any other professional who isn't required to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree?

I fit all the criteria! Yippeee!!!! I'm so happy :stone

Just curious....where would you put the diploma nurses ??

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.

No, I do not have a BSN but I am indeed a Professional Nurse. My State recognizes me as that and that is what my professional license says.

The highest academic qualifications - i.e., university college/institute

An institute would be considered an educational institute, in which I spent three years learning nursing so yes, I do fall under this.

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Specializes in oncology, trauma, home health.

Ok, ok, we should all get our Bachelor's. Now can this stop?

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I just have a big problem with nursing being the only profession that doesn't require a minimum of a 4 year degree. The minimum requirement for a nurse practitioner is a Master's degree, so why aren't registered nurses required to have a Bachelor's degree?

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.
I just have a big problem with nursing being the only profession that doesn't require a minimum of a 4 year degree. The minimum requirement for a nurse practitioner is a Master's degree, so why aren't registered nurses required to have a Bachelor's degree?

your 'problem' with it does not justify knocking others who are professional nurses who do not have a degree and stating that we are not professional nurses. There are many reasons to chose other routes. they may not be acceptable to you but that's just how it is.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
Ok, ok, we should all get our Bachelor's. Now can this stop?

your 'problem' with it does not justify knocking others who are professional nurses who do not have a degree and stating that we are not professional nurses. There are many reasons to chose other routes. they may not be acceptable to you but that's just how it is.

Personally, I have not debated the fact that LPNs are not considered to be professional nurses. But it does seem to me that those that have not obtained their BSN are looked upon as 'less than'.

I find this debate to be very interesting, but I don't let it influence how I function or how people view my choices. I also have a job to do; would love to be a team player and play a significant supportive role, but if it is not appreciated, I can't make it my issue. It is theirs.

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I googled the word "professional" and found the following criteria listed in the definition...

Therefore it would be appropriate to state that a 'true' professional must be proficient in all criteria for the field of work they are practising professionally in. Criteria include following:

  1. The highest academic qualifications - i.e., university college/institute
  2. Expert and specialised knowledge in field which one is practising professionally
  3. Excellent manual/practical & literary skills in relation to profession
  4. High quality work in (examples): creations, products, services, presentations, consultancy, primary/other research, administrative, marketing or other work endeavours
  5. A high standard of professional ethics, behaviour and work activities while carrying out one's profession (as an employee, self-employed person, career, enterprise, business, company, or partnership/associate/colleague, etc.)

Once again, a PROFESSIONAL is someone who has a minimum of a Bachelor's degree. Although, I suppose we can have 2 types of R.N.'s...the ADN's will be the "vocational nurses" and the BSN's will be the "professional nurses." Do you know of any other professional who isn't required to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree?

Yeah and some of these same"professional nurses" with their BSN make the same mistakes as a nurse with a ADN. A nurse is a nurse as i stated before in previous posts, WE ARE ALL PROFESSIONALS!!!

As stated in websters dictionary the first six meanings of professional:

1. following an occupation as a means of livelihood.

2. pertaining to a profession.

3.appropriate to a profession.

4. engaged in one of the learned professions, as law or medicine.

5. following as a business something usu. regarded as a pastime: professional golfer.

6. making a constant practice of something.

NOWHERE in the 12 definitions of the word"professional" does it say anything about having to have a BSN to be a competent nurse.

Now lets explore the word professionalism:

1. professional character, spirit, or methods.

2. the standing, practice, or methods of a professional, as distinguished from those of an amateurs.

Henceforth to insinuate that the ONLY "professionals" in nursing have a BSN or higher is quite the contrary, it only suggest a unprofessional viewpoint in regards to your fellow colleagues. I wonder how would you like it if a MD that you respect as a professional pretty much told you that because you are not a fellow doctor, that your opinion in regards to a pt that you have been working with doesn't count? It's not a matter of whether lpn/lvn, rn(adn), rn(bsn), or rn(msn) it's what's the second letter starting with a "N", nurse, at the end of the day that is the title that we ALL hold. My props to you if you have a BSN or higher, i myself am currently enrolled in a BSN program... not because i want to think i'm BETTER than a ADN nurse, but to open more doors for myself. One thing should be remembered.... it's not the initals that make a good nurse; it's the heart of the person in the uniform, and that's what counts.!!!:nurse:

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I beg to differ. No, I do not have a BSN but I am indeed a Professional Nurse. My State recognizes me as that and that is what my professional license says.

The highest academic qualifications - i.e., university college/institute

An institute would be considered an educational institute, in which I spent three years learning nursing so yes, I do fall under this.

The type of educational instititute they're referring to is along the lines of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and NOT some vocational school. Do you understand the difference between the two? I can assure you that MIT doesn't offer an Associate's Degree in ANYTHING!

The fact is, the requirements for an Advanced Practice Nurse is a MASTER'S DEGREE and may very well be a DOCTORATE DEGREE in the near future. Therefore, it only makes sense that all nurses be required to obtain a Bachelor's Degree. I just don't understand why there is such a problem with this.

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How to you justify that? Why nursing assistants? The NCLEX RN is the same, people who pass are registered nurses, not nursing assistants or vocational nurses.

Obviously, the nursing assistants would take a different exam than the registered nurses.

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I would not go so far as to say that a nurse with an ADN should be a nursing assistant. That, in my opinion, is ridiculous.

Nor do I think LVNs should be shoved into a nursing assistant role.

What I think would be far more beneficial to nursing as whole is to elevate the entry point into nursing to the BSN level, simply to put nursing on more equal footing with other health care professionals. The existing ADN nurses would be grandfathered in. LVNs could be encouraged and assisted to go back to school to achieve the required schooling.

It's not a matter of thinking that BSN nurses are "better" than ADN nurses. It's simply a matter of thinking that more education is better for the profession as whole. More education generally only leads to better things - more pay, more respect, more automony, and so on and so forth. I think the excellent care we all give as nurses could only be IMPROVED if we had more of all those other things ... don't you think? And I think raising the educational bar to put us on equal footing with other health care professionals is the key to getting there.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Guys,

The point of this thread is to debate the issue of mandating a BSN as entry-level nursing.....not attacking, name-calling, and singling out mistakes of others. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of that going on - on both ends - in the last few pages of this thread.

I moved this thread out of view for a few hours to give everyone's emotions a chance to settle, as it was apparent that they were running high. I have also heavily edited this thread to remove numerous personal attacks and insults on both sides. It pains me to do this. This was an informative thread for a long time, but as a moderator I can't let personal attacks go by - from anyone.

I'm placing this thread back out in view of everyone. However, everyone must keep the personal attacks, insults, and pointing out of small mistakes OUT of the debate. We staff do not want to close this thread but if we have to choose between that and watching members attack each other instead of the issue, then we will close it.

Thanks for your cooperation.

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Specializes in ICU/CCU/OB/ONCOLOGY.

I have been in this business 36 years. What we seem to have in nursing education right now is mills churning out "workers" rather than schools graduating practitioners. Pride in the profession has been replaced by the urgency to get bodies out there. I started out as a diploma grad and was ready to work from day 1. I got my BSN when the hospital where I worked mandated it. It was a wonderful, enriching experience which lost me my job when managed health care cut the position I was in.

The point is that no one can take your education away from you. It is portable. Money is an issue but not the only one. Consistency of patient care should be the prime mover in what nursing becomes. I fear that I will be retired and the discussion will continue. What used to be fun is now just a tiresome job.

I am not burned out, just wishing it could be different.

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