Just got my BSN, but I don't feel any smarter

SharonH, RN · Oct 29, 2010

I just wish one day would pass where we could get past this "don't need none of that book learnin'" attitude.........Life is about choices and nobody forced you to make the choices you did......Education, as is life, is what you make it which can be to your advantage or not.........Let's not sell the next generation short by belittling education and their growth potential.

I just wish one day would pass where we could get past this "don't need none of that book learnin'" attitude.........Life is about choices and nobody forced you to make the choices you did......Education, as is life, is what you make it which can be to your advantage or not.........Let's not sell the next generation short by belittling education and their growth potential.

I just feel your words needed to be repeated.

I'm pretty sure this debate won't be resolved in my lifetime but I'm really sick of ADNs griping about BSNs. The OP may have the degree but she still clearly identifies with the ADN group. If ADNs feel inferior and disrespected then look within yourself. I don't belittle the education of LVN/LPNs and ADNs and I expect the same from my fellow nurses. Respect is a two-way street.

Le-Lee_FNP, MSN, RN, NP · Nov 5, 2010

I just want to say that I wanna be like you when I grow up. I'm currently a LPN, will hopefull finish ADN by next year and start BSN after that. Congrats on you BSN.

Thank you so much! and you can do it! one thing i will say, my BSN has made it easier to apply to graduate school. I am trying to obtain my FNP. Although there are many programs out there that will accept RNs with Bachelors degrees in other fields (I also have a Bachelors in another field) I feel like its much less of a headache with the BSN. Wish me luck!

silentRN · Nov 5, 2010

I decided to get go back to school and get my RN-BSN after reading the post on this board. After almost 3 years of being out of school, I think it's time for me to return. I've already enrolled :)

SummitRN, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2010

This reminds me so much of the debate in EMS about whether Paramedics should have an associates degree as a minimum or whether a highschool diploma is good enough. Meanwhile many other countries have a 3 or 4 year degree as the minimum.

In the USA, we debate about ADN vs BSN while other countries debate about BSc vs a masters.

BluegrassRN · Nov 5, 2010

I'm pretty sure this debate won't be resolved in my lifetime but I'm really sick of ADNs griping about BSNs. The OP may have the degree but she still clearly identifies with the ADN group. If ADNs feel inferior and disrespected then look within yourself. I don't belittle the education of LVN/LPNs and ADNs and I expect the same from my fellow nurses. Respect is a two-way street.

I don't think anyone is belittling the education of BSNs or griping about BSNs. Myself, it's that I expected there to be a larger difference between ADN and BSN programs. The reality is there is extensive duplication, which I find personally very disappointing. I've covered most of this already, in my ASN classes. I dislike having to take a lot of classes where very little new material is introduced. It isn't a great use of my time or my money. Which, as I previously stated, leads me to believe that the ASN programs need to be absorbed into the BSN programs. I think historically there was a greater difference in the ASN and the BSN programs, but ASN programs have over the years expanded the subjects they cover, and have required an increasing amount of prereqs.

I don't have some sort of inferiority complex. I'm not belittling your BSN education. It has absolutely nothing to do with that, and I'm a bit taken aback that this thread would be interpreted in this manner.

Blackheartednurse · Nov 5, 2010

I decided to get go back to school and get my RN-BSN after reading the post on this board. After almost 3 years of being out of school, I think it's time for me to return. I've already enrolled :)

Good for you! Congrats,btw what school did you choose?

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Nov 5, 2010

I loved my BSN completion program. Mine was very rigorous, and I deeply appreciated the collegial relationships with the faculty. I learned a LOT. My ADN program was run like boot camp with only 1/3 of us matriculating. I deeply regret having gone the ADN route, as I know a "real" BSN program would have been even better, but you make the choices you must at the time I guess. I made a lot of professional connections in that program and got into a top rated grad school, for which I felt well prepared. I'm about to graduate the MSN and begin the DNP, and I'm already looking at PhD programs for afterward! I love being a student and it is a great privilege to get to learn from and alongside other great professional nurses what really want to contribute to the Science. I have gotten something invaluable from every class I have taken (even informatics, which I despised at the time, lol).

jkaee · Nov 5, 2010

What I took away from this post is this (and correct me, OP, if I'm wrong)...I think we are conditioned to want "instant gratification". Meaning, immediately after graduation with our brand spanking new degree, we expect to reap the rewards of our hard work...new jobs, new opportunities, new growth, more money. I know I'm like that...I have not gone back for my BSN because it would make no difference in my pay, my immediate job prospects or what my immediate plans for my career are. I simply cannot justify getting myself (my family) in more debt for something that is not going to benefit me at this time. Does that mean that if I did get my BSN, it would be pointless? Of course not. But, like others, in order for me to pursue that route, I'd want concrete results at the end. And with so many nurses of all types struggling to find jobs after graduation, I think this disillusionment in normal and to be expected.

dance4life · Nov 5, 2010

What I took away from this post is this (and correct me, OP, if I'm wrong)...I think we are conditioned to want "instant gratification". Meaning, immediately after graduation with our brand spanking new degree, we expect to reap the rewards of our hard work...new jobs, new opportunities, new growth, more money. I know I'm like that...I have not gone back for my BSN because it would make no difference in my pay, my immediate job prospects or what my immediate plans for my career are. I simply cannot justify getting myself (my family) in more debt for something that is not going to benefit me at this time. Does that mean that if I did get my BSN, it would be pointless? Of course not. But, like others, in order for me to pursue that route, I'd want concrete results at the end. And with so many nurses of all types struggling to find jobs after graduation, I think this disillusionment in normal and to be expected.

Agreed...

You can't expect a job in this economy. My friend told me who isn't even a nurse, get an education to learn, not to expect a job.

I am pondering whether I should go for my BSN, since I haven't had any opportunities for the past two years. Is it really worth it? Not sure if I want to be in debt. Even though I would have some of it paid for since now we are in the low-income bracket. Never though I would ever hear myself say that as a RN, but there just isn't any work for me. :crying2: I loved being a nurse, but it really doesn't mean when I graduate with a degree that I will be back in the game, because I am sure there are others out there like me. I really don't want to struggle being a starving college student with a family. I already did that once without one.

And I am sorry to the OP that she doesn't feel anything yet. Maybe you will. You should feel accomplished of something. Least you have a job and a new degree. Remember that.

pers · Nov 5, 2010

I don't think anyone is belittling the education of BSNs or griping about BSNs. Myself, it's that I expected there to be a larger difference between ADN and BSN programs. The reality is there is extensive duplication, which I find personally very disappointing. I've covered most of this already, in my ASN classes. I dislike having to take a lot of classes where very little new material is introduced. It isn't a great use of my time or my money. Which, as I previously stated, leads me to believe that the ASN programs need to be absorbed into the BSN programs. I think historically there was a greater difference in the ASN and the BSN programs, but ASN programs have over the years expanded the subjects they cover, and have required an increasing amount of prereqs.

I think many nurses get caught up by the title of the degree rather than the education. I don't think I'm superior to ADN nurses but my BSN does afford me more opportunities and since those opportunities are based on the degree, some of my coworkers are going back to school to get a BSN. When I went to school, I researched many programs and picked the one that offered me what I needed and wanted most out of an education and I've never regretted it. Most of my coworkers have a different approach, they are looking for the cheapest program with the fewest requirements possible. Is their degree worth as much as mine to an employer? Yep. But I think the better question is, are they likely to be as satisified with their education? So far, they haven't been. Only one of them went a different route and she's really enjoying school and feels she's learned a lot in the first half of the program. So while the degrees may be equal, the programs are not. If you aren't getting anything out of your program then perhaps you should review your choice of program rather than lumping it in as a problem with the RN-BSN degree.

I helped a friend review two local ADN programs and while the basics of both were similar, they offered very different clinical experiences and had different non-nursing requirements as well. One program had tons of prereqs while the other had none at all. They cost roughly the same and take the same amount of time to complete. One is substantially more likely to accept him but he didn't even apply because the other program fits his needs better.

Cost, requirements and chance of acceptance should certainly be factors when choosing a program but those factors have very little to do with the kind of education you'll get. If you want a better education, choose a better program. If you learned everything in your ADN program and chose a BSN program that is nothing but fluff, suffer through to get the degree you want but please try to be humble enough to recognize that not everyone could attend such a great ADN program and might benefit from a BSN program with more substance.

BluegrassRN · Nov 5, 2010

If you aren't getting anything out of your program then perhaps you should review your choice of program rather than lumping it in as a problem with the RN-BSN degree.

This is a fair observation. While I did explore my options, one issue was that the majority of learning had to be online. The program I went with had an excellent reputation among my coworkers and nurse managers, and was attentive and quick to respond with questions and inquiries. Once I was in, however, and realized the excessive duplication and emphasis on theory as opposed to clinical practice, I attempted to transfer to a different program. Unfortunately, the two other area programs do not accept transfers, you must simply start over in a new RN to BSN program.

I certainly see the value of a BSN. I see the value of education in general, I've got it coming out my ears (nursing was not my first degree). Perhaps in time, I'll look back on my program with an improved perspective. For now, though, it's an exercise in jumping through hoops, and it's maddening, and it's easy to paint all RN to BSN programs in the same brush. You're right, that's not really fair nor accurate. I'm glad to hear that *some* are challenging and worthwhile. I wish I were in one.

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 5, 2010

If you aren't getting anything out of your program then perhaps you should review your choice of program rather than lumping it in as a problem with the RN-BSN degree.
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Great post. Though I would also add that to get the most out of ANY educational program, the student has to make an investment. What we get out of a program depends a lot on what we put into it.

A lot of students think of their RN-BSN program as just another hoop to jump through. They do as little as possible to get a "B" and move on. That's not the way to learn a lot. That's how you just "buy" a credential rather than earning it. To really learn a lot takes making a special effort, being open to new ways of thinking, and realizing that you didn't know it all to begin with. With the right attitude, you can usually learn something from even a bad program. But with the wrong attitude, you might not learn anything from the best program.

We are not just "taught" things by others ... we need to "learn" them through our own efforts.