Any ADN-BSN programs without ridiculous papers?

allnurses Guide · Mar 15, 2013

I could finish all of medical school easier than I could write a 6-8 page paper about a single word. It is RIDICULOUS and I don't expect to be handed nothing, but I do expect assignments that make sense.
I guess I just got to have faith that a school exists with common sense nursing assignments.
No BSN for me I guess.

You should quit and go to med school instead.

classicaldreams · Mar 15, 2013

I have to agree with the OP. What drivel and you have to pay for it too!

This whole BSN is bs.

I have a BA and did that type of stuff many years ago. Sure, it was helpful and interesting 30 years ago.

It is insulting, at this age, to pay to produce such nonsense so I can be a better bedside nurse. Experience is by far the better teacher.

Lesson learned. If I must obtain the dreaded BSN, ask to see more than just course names.

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2013

While I think it would be a mistake to abandon all of the intellectual exercise of papers such as the one described by the OP I do think that the soft assignments are in excess and should be better balanced by more math and hard science.[/quote']
But...why? I don't need physics or calculus to practice as a basic floor/ICU nurse. Or even organic chem. Even within medical schools, there's a slow trend towards moving away from purely scientific-based undergraduate degrees and a stronger emphasis on the humanities. Plenty of clinical MDs will tell you that advanced courses in the hard sciences and mathematics are useless to their current practice.
I feel like placing an emphasis on "mathematics and hard sciences" is just a way to justify/prove intellect, if that makes any sense? It's an arbitrary measure taken to make something or someone seem smarter because, at least in the US, students have a harder time grasping those concepts and getting good grades in them. It narrows the potential student pool without necessarily contributing anything to the knowledge base that said student will eventually rely on to practice.
You don't need hard science to impart critical thinking and reasoning skills.

Student Mom to Three · Mar 15, 2013

6-8 pages on an emotion?? That's just busywork. Ridiculous.

Student Mom to Three · Mar 15, 2013

Topics such as caring, hope, trust, and fear are central to nursing practice. These are so complex - it easy for me to imagine writing a 50 page paper on one of these topics. I'd look deeper and be grateful you have an assignment with so much flexibility.

Go for it....50 pages that isn't just a bunch of BS and drivel? Can't happen.

BrandonLPN, LPN · Mar 16, 2013

The assignment is just too vague.

I agree, you can have an assignment focusing on the human side of nursing. The art of nursing, as opposed to the science. But assign a paper on a "concept analysis" of hope and all you get is 6-8 pages of nonsense and clap-trap.

How about an 8 page essay on "realizing your actuality"? When instructors base their assignments around silly academic buzz words, they end up with work that indeed is pure fluff and filler.

RNperdiem, RN · Mar 16, 2013

I am sympathetic to the frustration of the OP. You feel like you are doing fluff and paying a whole lot for it too.

retiredlady · Mar 16, 2013

I know that you are frustrated with the assignment, but I think it will help you in the long run. Just start by taking a deep breath and define the word, then tell what it means to you and give examples that were in your life. I think it would be one of the easier writing papers, at least to me and if you only have 1 week to go, I know that you can do this. Remember when you start working that there will be a lot of things that you think don't make sense, but you will have to do them if you want to keep your job. Good luck, you can do this!!

Music in My Heart · Mar 16, 2013

But...why? I don't need physics or calculus to practice as a basic floor/ICU nurse. Or even organic chem. Even within medical schools, there's a slow trend towards moving away from purely scientific-based undergraduate degrees and a stronger emphasis on the humanities. Plenty of clinical MDs will tell you that advanced courses in the hard sciences and mathematics are useless to their current practice.
I feel like placing an emphasis on "mathematics and hard sciences" is just a way to justify/prove intellect, if that makes any sense? It's an arbitrary measure taken to make something or someone seem smarter because, at least in the US, students have a harder time grasping those concepts and getting good grades in them. It narrows the potential student pool without necessarily contributing anything to the knowledge base that said student will eventually rely on to practice.
You don't need hard science to impart critical thinking and reasoning skills.

I suppose it's a matter of philosophy and what constitutes sufficient foundational education.

Much of education in many fields isn't strictly needed in order to practice the vocation. However, foundational education does allow one to more easily understand the systems or situations that they are studying.

BrandonLPN, LPN · Mar 16, 2013

I suppose it's a matter of philosophy and what constitutes sufficient foundational education.
Much of education in many fields isn't strictly needed in order to practice the vocation. However, foundational education does allow one to more easily understand the systems or situations that they are studying.

But the OP (presumably) already took prereqs that included English and composition. Thus the foundational education is already there. I'm under the impression the OP was assigned this paper within an actual nursing class. Once one hits the actual nursing program itself, the curriculum should become more focused.

One spends a year or two in a BSN program doing general Ed classes before beginning the actual nursing program, after all.

AJJKRN · Mar 16, 2013

"I find no educational value in writing a 6-8 page paper on a word."

Me either but this is how they have figured out how to give us our credits and graduate us. I knew I was going to have to do papers, they're easier once you discover that you can just about BS anything...so start BSing and see how far you can get! :roflmao:

I'm just grateful I found a school with no clinical requirements. I get that in every 12 hour shift I work!!!

Chin up, don't look before you leap...when this is all over...it'll be worth it to your employer (or any new employers)!

(I do believe in continuing ed, not knocking it people, but I do feel at this point that my 10K ADN education was leaps and bounds over this 20K RN-BSN though, but yes, they shouldn't just hand us a degree)

netglow, ASN, RN · Mar 16, 2013

The fact that you have "absolutely no idea what to say" on one of these topics suggests to me that this is a perfect assignment for you.
If you could sit down and whip out a quality paper with little thought would indicate that this was a ridiculous assignment for you.
The point of education is to get you to think and examine.

No. I think I am with the OP on this. You know the times in life when you are so disgusted at other's mediocrity that you want to just walk away. +1000 when you just wrote a check for more of that mediocrity and you are so tempted to turn your back on all this stupidity. Really, somebody should be paying us to put up with the mediocrity that is nursing edu. A person can feel like they are the largest stooge.