Local hospital now says "BSN or MSN preferred" for all bedside positions?!

Nola009 · Apr 9, 2014

I just read an online article that reported that medical assistant students were injecting one another with a substance that was not intended for human or animal use. It said so right on the label. Their professor was a BSN (although another reference says that she is MSN prepared). This educated nurse just instructed dozens of students to inject one another multiple times (~10 injections per student) with a substance that was NOT designed, sold, or promoted as safe for human or animal use. Her education did not improve her judgement and critical thought apparently.
Having said that, more education is generally a desirable thing and I would encourage all of my professional peers to continue educating themselves throughout their careers. It will, generally, enhance your job satisfaction and your professional care delivery. IMHO

Oh, dont even get me started on medical assistants! When I was getting my work physical, one of them tried to take my BP with a manual cuff and no stethoscope!

I hear you loud and clear, but dont believe one needs an advanced degree to understand that injecting students with a substance that isnt proven safe is a no-no!

klone, MSN, RN · Apr 10, 2014

I wonder why people just assume that if you have an ADN, you got it from a "community college?" I received my ADN from a large 4-year university.

Because that's extremely rare. The vast majority of 4-year universities do not offer associate's degree. In fact, I thought that was one of the difference between a "college" and a "university."

BrandonLPN, LPN · Apr 10, 2014

Oh, dont even get me started on medical assistants! When I was getting my work physical, one of them tried to take my BP with a manual cuff and no stethoscope!

I worked with an aide who got manual BPs this way. She claimed she could just watch for the needle on the meter to jiggle a little. :no:

Nola009 · Apr 10, 2014

I worked with an aide who got manual BPs this way. She claimed she could just watch for the needle on the meter to jiggle a little.

Ha, I think (hope) this MA was newish and nervous. I didnt say one word, and she remembered the stethoscope after trying it without once. She then took my radial pulse without a clock or watch in sight.

Nola009 · Apr 11, 2014

By the way, I have called this hospital, got patched through to a real, live HR person (yay!), who didnt know the answer to my question (boo), and so she put me through to someone else who didnt answer her phone. I left a nice message, bc inquiring minds wanna know --- 'Do you consider ADN-holding RNs for employment?'. Havent received a call back yet. More education cant be considered a bad thing, but as mentioned before, we all prepared for and passed the same NCLEX. I have to wonder if the stats that say there are better pt outcomes for BSN RN rich facilities take into account the length of time RNs in the study have been practicing. Dont compare 100 new grad ADNs with 100 new BSNs who had plenty of clinical practice with their ADN education prior to obtaining the BSN!

Gentleman_nurse, MSN · Apr 16, 2014

Every BSN beside nurse I have spoken to states they don't use the knowledge gained from upper level nursing subjects in the workplace. Their practice is the same as an ADN.

1. Why are hospitals requiring new nurses to have a BSN when their knowledge will not be utilized?

2. Has anyone encountered a workplace where bedside nurses were required to have a BSN for a real legitimate reason? For example: A hospital where all floor nurses are regularly required to do conduct research, sit on committees, or do policy analysis or other duties that are covered in a BSN curriculum.

I'm trying to understand why is this the case. I keep hearing Magnet certification like just the presence alone of BSN is going to be enough.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2014

Every BSN beside nurse I have spoken to stated they don't use this part of their education. Their practice is the same as an ADN.
1. Why are hospitals requiring higher educated nurses when their knowledge will not be utilized?
2. Has anyone encountered a workplace where bedside nurses were required to have a BSN for a real legitimate reason? For example: A hospital where all floor nurses are regularly required to do conduct research, sit on committees, or do policy analysis or other duties that are covered in a BSN curriculum.

IN 35 years...no.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2014

My employer now states all new hires, experienced or not, must have BSN minimum.

They also must be available for all three shifts, and every other weekend.

I've seen the all three shifts thing- I have co-workers being scheduled all three shifts in same week.

I'm sure having that BSN trumps getting proper sleep when working A shift one day, C shift the next day, and B shift the next.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2014

Has anyone encountered a workplace where bedside nurses were required to have a BSN for a real legitimate reason? For example: A hospital where all floor nurses are regularly required to do conduct research, sit on committees, or do policy analysis or other duties that are covered in a BSN curriculum.

Actually, yes. my place keeps asking us to join committees, present research posters, unit councils, etc.

Kind of hard to be a member when I am elbow deep in poop x 4 + pts. Or I am needed for 1:1 confused pts that I'm assigned that keep falling because they will not stay put.

This is where I don't understand the Bsn thing in regards to Patient care. They want to take away aides, techs, etc, so that leaves the nurses to do the work . Do I really need a Bsn to do the nitty gritty of patient care??

Very simple- corporations want to have their cake and eat it too.

I know the value of a BSN- I am actually 3 classes away from completion. But the way it is being used is NOT the intention of the degree. I still think it's the corporation's prestige component.

I only finish it because I had hoped to get away from bedside care, and also saw the writing on the wall that employer was going to require it for continued employment anyway.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Apr 16, 2014

Every BSN beside nurse I have spoken to states they don't use the knowledge gained from upper level nursing subjects in the workplace. Their practice is the same as an ADN.
1. Why are hospitals requiring new nurses to have a BSN when their knowledge will not be utilized?
2. Has anyone encountered a workplace where bedside nurses were required to have a BSN for a real legitimate reason? For example: A hospital where all floor nurses are regularly required to do conduct research, sit on committees, or do policy analysis or other duties that are covered in a BSN curriculum.
I'm trying to understand why is this the case. I keep hearing Magnet certification like just the presence alone of BSN is going to be enough.

I meant to respond when you first posted but better late right?

First off, I seem to be the only one, but I feel like I gained a tremendous amount from BSN completion. I rediscovered my love of nursing, redefined what I perceive nursing to be as potentially a great force in healthcare. I also became (in my own view) a better nurse due to my new found ability to read and digest research, search the evidence for relevant information, understand strategies for instituting change and understanding the process enough to be an effective change agent. whew! I'll continue my response in the next post as my phone likes to delete long responses.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Apr 16, 2014

2. Has anyone encountered a workplace where bedside nurses were required to have a BSN for a real legitimate reason? For example: A hospital where all floor nurses are regularly required to do conduct research, sit on committees, or do policy analysis or other duties that are covered in a BSN curriculum.

So. . . These are not absolute requirements but I would say the majority of our non-PRN staff does some if not all of the above. Since starting my BSN work (now completed), I have joined 3 committees, at least one of which I'm enthusiastic about. Many participate in research which is almost always ongoing (not just QI projects). One of our nurses (ONLY a BSN), is the driving force in the majority of it. The committee I spoke of that I'm passionate about is charged with reviewing policy and instituting new ones when appropriate.

And yes, I'm a bedside nurse, cleaning poop regularly (granted baby poop ain't so bad).

Dodie_A · Apr 17, 2014

I wonder why people just assume that if you have an ADN, you got it from a "community college?" I received my ADN from a large 4-year university. The grading standards were much, much higher for the ADN program, than it was for the BSN program, plus the admittance requirements were much tougher. You had to have a much higher ACT score to even get in the ADN program. I just wanted to point out that not all ADN degrees were obtained from a 2-year "community college." We took the same classes as the BSN students did, but we had to make an 84 or higher on everything; the BSN students could pass with a 70. The classes were the same; if you went back for the BSN, you just took more humanities. It was designed to put you in the workforce quicker, but only if you could handle the intensity of the program. It just gripes me that people assume if you had an ADN, you must have went thru a "lesser than" program. Not true!

What's wrong with "community college"? Why is it "lesser"? Does one not still have to pass the NCLEX? Or is there a special NCLEX for "community college" students?