North Shore-LIJ Requires New Nurses to Have BSN

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Specializes in acute care.

North Shore-LIJ Health System said today that starting Sept. 1 it will require newly hired nurses to either hold a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree or earn one within five years.

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/NRS-253618/North-ShoreLIJ-Requires-New-Nurses-to-Have-BSN##

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A year ago, when I first looked into a career change (into nursing) I was very surprised to learn that nursing only required an Associates. I thought all nurses had BSNs. Since I don't yet hold a BS degree, I was happy that I could enter the field after a 2 year program but I don't intend to stop there. I'll continue my education just because I want it.

If NY implements this, other states will follow. I think it's great that the hospital group is providing time to complete it as well as tuition reimbursement. It actually sounds like a pretty good deal for all involved.

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ADN and BSN are basically equal in nursing knowledge as they each pass the same licensing exam. The major different is the BSN has more general education, more nursing informatics, more population-based care coursework, and more nursing research coursework. I'm opting to pursue the ADN route because it saves me A LOT of time & money. I already have the general education cousework done (previous bachelors degree) and I took a lot of the nursing informatics/research coursework with nursing students through my healthcare psychology degree so a RN-BSN shouldn't be too bad down the road :) I don't think lacking a BSN will make me less of a nurse.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

Certainly, going the ADN route may not limit your abilities but obviously, it will limit your job opportunities.

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Certainly, going the ADN route may not limit your abilities but obviously, it will limit your job opportunities.

I know - it is sad that the world today wants specific education and that is far more important than experience or any other coursework you may have taken. At my job right now, they just hired a new grad into the customer service position over someone without a college education who had worked in this type of customer service for 27 years and had stellar recommendations. It's ridiculous, IMO. Anyway, I can do the ADN + RN-BSN cheaper and faster than I could a regular BSN and ABSN isn't an option for me :) The RN-BSN program I'm looking at... I will have to take ONE class and it is a clinical at a community health center. They said I'll receive transfer credit for everything else. It is sad that ONE class like that is going to make or break a job lol.

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.
I know - it is sad that the world today wants specific education and that is far more important than experience or any other coursework you may have taken. At my job right now, they just hired a new grad into the customer service position over someone without a college education who had worked in this type of customer service for 27 years and had stellar recommendations. It's ridiculous, IMO. Anyway, I can do the ADN + RN-BSN cheaper and faster than I could a regular BSN and ABSN isn't an option for me :) The RN-BSN program I'm looking at... I will have to take ONE class and it is a clinical at a community health center. They said I'll receive transfer credit for everything else. It is sad that ONE class like that is going to make or break a job lol.

Many would say requiring the BSN is a step in the right direction as far as nursing being viewed as a profession goes.

Me, I'm from the other side of the fence on that issue entirely. I think nursing would benefit from giving up this identity crisis and accept that it is a labor. What is the phobia surrounding being a labor? It won't increase pay, benefits, work conditions..........being called a "profession" won't have any tangible benefits.

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Oh well, this is not going to be good news for many in both Manhattan and Staten Island.

NS/LIJ already owned Staten Island University Hospital, and recently just took over Lenox Hill Hospital. Now that the later joins Mount Sinai and NYP in only hiring or at least preferring the BSN, it could mean closing or changing of the ADN programs.

Staten Island in particular (my hometown:D) is a rather tight-knit sort of place, and for ages grads from the former St. Vinny's school and the College of Staten Island (once known as Staten Island Community College), were employed locally. Of the three main hospitals on the Island, NS/LIJ owns two (both sites of SIUH), so this is going to have a huge impact on grads from both CSI and St. Paul's.

CSI does have a RN to BSN program, however the only undergraduate four year nursing program is at Wagner College (about 78% NCLEX passing rate). St. Paul's would be difficult to retool into a BSN program, however the College of Staten Island could (with proper permission from NYS and NYC), move to a straight four year program.

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

Interesting, that they use the reasoning of better outcomes, per studies.

I wonder if they have also set rules about having a 4-5 to 1 MedSurg ratio, as most of those studies demonstrate the improved outcomes for those ratios.

(given the cost, I suspect not)

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Oh well, this is not going to be good news for many in both Manhattan and Staten Island.

NS/LIJ already owned Staten Island University Hospital, and recently just took over Lenox Hill Hospital. Now that the later joins Mount Sinai and NYP in only hiring or at least preferring the BSN, it could mean closing or changing of the ADN programs.

Staten Island in particular (my hometown:D) is a rather tight-knit sort of place, and for ages grads from the former St. Vinny's school and the College of Staten Island (once known as Staten Island Community College), were employed locally. Of the three main hospitals on the Island, NS/LIJ owns two (both sites of SIUH), so this is going to have a huge impact on grads from both CSI and St. Paul's.

CSI does have a RN to BSN program, however the only undergraduate four year nursing program is at Wagner College (about 78% NCLEX passing rate). St. Paul's would be difficult to retool into a BSN program, however the College of Staten Island could (with proper permission from NYS and NYC), move to a straight four year program.

I honestly don't get why CSI doesn't have a four year program. I mean they have the ADN and then the RN-BSN, isn't that technically the whole thing right there? All they'd have to do is combine it into one full program.

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I honestly don't get why CSI doesn't have a four year program. I mean they have the ADN and then the RN-BSN, isn't that technically the whole thing right there? All they'd have to do is combine it into one full program.

Am only guessing, but perhaps it is because of how the college and it's nursing program developed.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_of_Staten_Island

The nursing program was originally part of Staten Island Community College, and when Richmond College and SICC merged, the nursing program remained an AAS degree (probably for several reasons up to and including the bother of totally redoing the program versus the demand (then) was still strong from local hospitals for diploma (Saint Vincent's) and ADN (SICC later CSI) grads. The RN to BSN program wasn't started until 1982, and was seen as a way for local diploma and AAS RNs to obtain their BSN without having to leave the Island.

At one time Saint Vincen'ts student nurses took their general education (sciences, english, etc) at CSI (still remember seeing blocks of classes such as A&P reserved for "St. Vincent's Students Only", in each semester's class catalog.

For those whom haven't lived on Staten Island it is rather hard to imagine how provincial SI was then and perhaps still is now. Both St. Vinny's and CSI churned out grads that were good enough for staffing the four local hospitals at the time, not to mention various clinics, doctor's offices, etc, so there wasn't much of a push for the BSN. Indeed often heard many not so nice remarks regarding grads from the Island's only four year nursing program's grads (Wagner College), from nurses one worked with.

Now that NS/LIJ has dropped this bombshell on SI, am willing to bet sooner or later CSI will have no choice but to phase out the AAS program and move to a four year undergrad BSN.

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Am only guessing, but perhaps it is because of how the college and it's nursing program developed.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_of_Staten_Island

The nursing program was originally part of Staten Island Community College, and when Richmond College and SICC merged, the nursing program remained an AAS degree (probably for several reasons up to and including the bother of totally redoing the program versus the demand (then) was still strong from local hospitals for diploma (Saint Vincent's) and ADN (SICC later CSI) grads. The RN to BSN program wasn't started until 1982, and was seen as a way for local diploma and AAS RNs to obtain their BSN without having to leave the Island.

At one time Saint Vincen'ts student nurses took their general education (sciences, english, etc) at CSI (still remember seeing blocks of classes such as A&P reserved for "St. Vincent's Students Only", in each semester's class catalog.

For those whom haven't lived on Staten Island it is rather hard to imagine how provincial SI was then and perhaps still is now. Both St. Vinny's and CSI churned out grads that were good enough for staffing the four local hospitals at the time, not to mention various clinics, doctor's offices, etc, so there wasn't much of a push for the BSN. Indeed often heard many not so nice remarks regarding grads from the Island's only four year nursing program's grads (Wagner College), from nurses one worked with.

Now that NS/LIJ has dropped this bombshell on SI, am willing to bet sooner or later CSI will have no choice but to phase out the AAS program and move to a four year undergrad BSN.

Wagner College is a fantastic program...your misinformed. Theres many PAs, NPs, and RNs in north shore LIJ (the very hospital in question) out of Wagner...if they're so awful they would be hired? Be careful before you bash an entire program...bad nurses can come out of anywhere. No school can train a nurse to be patient, have interpersonal skills, have an even mood and perform well under duress. Passing a bunch of tests and state boards guarantees nothing.

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Specializes in Trauma.
ADN and BSN are basically equal in nursing knowledge as they each pass the same licensing exam. The major different is the BSN has more general education, more nursing informatics, more population-based care coursework, and more nursing research coursework. I'm opting to pursue the ADN route because it saves me A LOT of time & money. I already have the general education cousework done (previous bachelors degree) and I took a lot of the nursing informatics/research coursework with nursing students through my healthcare psychology degree so a RN-BSN shouldn't be too bad down the road :) I don't think lacking a BSN will make me less of a nurse.

If you already have a Bachelors, why go backwards and make more work for yourself? Why not just get your MSN instead of taking the longer, more costly route?

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