Guest1033582

Emily-Joy out. Thanks for the lively debate, but I'll stick to the advice of my professors and peers. See you around the AN community.

You've never seen me with patients. I put on a great "nurse" front. I actually was awarded outstanding student this semester.

Healthcare Policy & Intro to Professional Nursing are not pre reqs. Maybe I am. But I'll still be a damn good nurse.

I was accepted into multiple direct admit programs. There's quite a few around the nation. I currently attend UNF. Why don't I do some math for you: Freshman Fall & Spring: Prerequisites Sophomore fall: finishing prerequisites + healthcare policy and intro to professional nursing Sophomore Spring-Senior Spring: fully nursing courses + clinical

I ended up not going there. Just saying.

No. I have 3 total, 2.5 of clinical experience. I had theory-based nursing classes first semester sophomore year. It's not an ego. I know I can be a physician if I wanted to. I graduated salutatorian of my college prep private high school (class of 400 kids). I know my intelligence and my worth, and do not let strangers try to bring me down. Nurses truly eat their young.

A CNA course is 2-8 weeks, an RN requires an actual degree so this is quite laughable. And our fundamentals course is actually much more in-depth, since I go to one of the top schools in my state. I learned how to start IVs, Foleys, place NGs, provide trach care, change sterile dressings--and I got to apply many of these in the clinical setting as well.

I clearly won't reach a consensus with anyone trying to refute me on this thread. I hear your opinions, though I (and honestly, my entire nursing faculty) will respectfully disagree. I am proud of myself for choosing to be a BSN nurse and I wish our entire profession would rise to that standard. ALL allied health professionals are worthy of respect. I use the word "even" because unfortunately, some of my classmates have had...run-ins...with some CNAs/LPNs at our clinical facility thinking they know it all. I respect the knowledge that comes from experience, as the daughter and niece of two experienced nurses. I know I will be a great nurse. I don't need validation from strangers who only know me through comments on a computer screen. While my tone may suggest one thing, I know I am intelligent and willing to learn the art and science of nursing for the good of my patients. I bring a passion and sincerity to the profession that many of my classmates seem to lack (many of them view RN as a stepping stone to APRN). I am linking some studies below, for those of you curious as to where I have gotten my statistics. I truly do thank you all for your service as nurses and am excited to join the workforce as an RN, BSN in two years. I will continue to stay here on AN because I know many of y'all have an abundancy of knowledge that I may glean so I can better my practice. https://journals.lww.com/nurseeducatoronline/Abstract/2016/07000/RN_BSN_Students__Perceptions_of_the_Differences_in.15.aspx https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1b38/518e2e47686ac57f38ba991053d775862835.pdf https://sigma.nursingrepository.org/bitstream/handle/10755/616155/3_ONeill_M_p79302_1.pdf?sequence=1

They're allowed to sit for the same NCLEX because they have the core nursing skills essential for safe practice. However, all I am saying is BSNs have a broader, more developed patient care knowledge set. I never used the "you're just jealous" stance. I was simply reiterating what one of my professors, an esteemed figure who is on multiple boards including ANA and NANDA, was saying. Again, I respect everyone--I even respect the CNAs and LPNs because they are essential to us doing our jobs. I just have my own opinion based on my schooling. You are allowed to disagree and respectfully present your side to me. But I too have a right to advocate for a BSN entry nursing profession so we can be elevated and lauded as the skilled professionals we are.

I have a professor who used to be an ADN before getting her BSN and PhD in Nursing. She asserted that the ADNs who bash BSNs and claim there is no difference in their competency (yes, I know what that word means) do so because they feel threatened. I am certainly in no place to either agree or disagree, but it is food for thought coming from a former nurse who worked on the floor for 35+ years and has been associate dean of my program for 5. I do respect all nurses and I even treat the CNAs at my clinical with respect because I can learn from them too. I don't mean to make it sound condescending, I was just voicing an opinion backed by research, word from my family members, and word from my professors.

I'm on a full scholarship, but thanks for looking out! I love my program and the fact that they care enough about the nursing profession to push a professional degree and higher standard of care.

I HAVE been on the floor, actually. Just finished Fundamentals and clinical. My clinical was in an LTC, LTAC, and hospice. I get a lot of my perspective from my family members who are currently nurses (again, one with an ADN and one with a BSN). I wholeheartedly believe that BSN nurses graduate more competent and ADNs will catch up, but they just aren't there yet for the most part. I am sure there are good and bad nurses on both sides--but I think a BSN should be the entry degree for nursing. My school requires us to introduce ourselves as BSN students because they said we should be proud of our further education and competency. And we are only allowed to have BSN prepared preceptors. In my Intro to Professional Nursing class that I took last semester, we had to write a whole paper about ADN vs BSN nurses and there was some interesting research I'd encourage you to peruse about pt outcomes and such. And yes, I have been to clinical (see my above comment).

I will start off by saying, I just finished my very first semester of nursing school so I am not on the field. But I have perspective: my dad has been an ADN nurse for almost 40 years and my aunt has been a BSN nurse for about 15. The objective viewpoint from people in the field currently: Both have to pass NCLEX-RN. Both have to complete a similar number of clinical hours. The ADN degree is more bare-bones and clinical focus, whereas the BSN degree combines a clinical focus with some extraneous courses such as Leadership, Research, and Healthcare Policy/Economics. Moreover, (at least in my area) BSN programs offer at least two semesters of pathophysiology and two of pharmacology while the ADN programs seem to focus solely on pharmacology. My dad says his years of experience has made him a good nurse, better than most if not all bachelor's new grads, but he would have been better prepared at the get-go with a BSN. My aunt says when she was first hired, there was a slight knowledge gap between ADN and BSN new grads but with a few months' experience, it virtually went away. My personal, humble, not-at-all experienced viewpoint: My parents never even let me entertain the idea of an ADN because they want all of their children to get at least a bachelor's degree. So BSN was always my only option. I took Microbiology transiently at a community college over the Summer to ease up my schedule and let me say--10x easier than my other science prerequisites that I took at my private, 4-year university (#2 nursing program in my state). Do I find it a bit unfair that the people who got an easier education will have similar job prospects as I do? Absolutely. Do I believe ALL RNs should be required to get a BSN eventually? 100%, and my father and aunt agree. But I know that when I graduate, I will have an edge over ADN grads at least in my area for jobs. I want to end up in the ED--hard for a new grad, but a BSN with a 3.5 vs an ADN with a 4.0--the BSN should win because employers know that BSN programs have much higher standards. Many hospitals in my area won't even hire you with an ADN anymore. TL;Dr: Based on mine and my family members' observations, I believe an ADN nurse can become as competent as a BSN one. It will take more time and I do believe BSN is the superior degree to begin with, but I have just as much respect for experienced ADN nurses as I do for experienced BSN nurses.

You see, I'm not the only one who feels this way though. My friend group who has been with me since the very beginning (some of whom are already entering senior year) are breezing by with 4.0s as well while hearing 75% of our classmates complain about how "hard" everything is. I think it's an attitude problem. The people who are struggling and feel the need to complain are my biggest issue. It fosters such a negative culture and honestly...if you're struggling either 1) reevaluate your career choice or 2) work harder and don't complain because that takes up time. My own roommate, actually, is entering senior year and has been struggling, getting B's in her theory classes. Does she have to work harder? Yes. Does she complain about it? Not once. Bottom line--if you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the damn porch. And don't scare the poor prenursing students by making it sound as if nursing school is the hardest thing EVER. That not only drives away some potentially brilliant minds, but it is also a "Debbie Downer" to the people around you who are actually working hard without being whiney. Yes, nursing school is time-consuming. But it's nursing--not exactly med school, engineering school, etc.

I just don't think nursing is any harder than other science majors that don't get nearly the amount of hype as you call it. As I mentioned, my prerequisites that I took alongside premeds, bio majors, etc were much harder conceptually than my nursing classes. Nursing classes, on the contrary, are quite a breeze but they do require more time just because of the useless busywork. I just think my peers and professors need to get over themselves and realize that no, nursing school isn't anymore "special" and certainly not as difficult as other science majors. That negative hype is detrimental on every level.

Coming on here just to vent and see if anyone has noticed a similar culture: I just finished my first semester of BSN nursing school (fundamentals w/ clinical, health assessment, & pharm I) at a private 4-year university. I absolutely love what I am learning and have never been more sure that nursing is my calling. However, I notice there is a huge culture of fear-mongering among nursing students and professors. Before I actually started the program, students were telling me to be prepared for how hard the classes would be. Even advisors and professors would try to emphasize that nursing school is the hardest thing you would ever do, how it would push you to your limit, how you would have no social life and study all the time, etc. As a pre-nursing student, I was terrified to enter nursing school and what it would hold. But after a semester...I find that their comments are almost unfounded. The sheer volume of work is a lot but the actual content of what we are learning is--dare I say--easier than my prerequisites. I feel as if nursing students and professors go around saying how hard it is, wearing it as a badge of honor. My friend group feels the same way I do, but among my classmates, all you hear are nursing students complaining about how hard their life is, how nursing school is impossible, how they're being pushed to their limit. I wouldn't say nursing school is "easy" because there is so much time just completing busywork (I.e.- care plans, concept maps) that goes into it...but it certainly isn't rocket science, like there's a reason so many people make it through nursing school vs. how many people make it through medical school. Pharm is the most conceptually heavy and even that just builds off A&P course (my university has very challenging prerequisites so maybe we were just well prepared). So all of that to say--have any of you experienced a culture of fear-mongering in your nursing school and found it to be completely asinine? I feel as if it's a negative environment that is toxic to morale, and I just don't understand why PROFESSORS continue to propagate it. How do you separate yourself from the negativity? It is hard for someone who is already anxious to hear all this hype that I will be so pushed and so challenged, and having to deal with the constant influx of "LOL yeah good luck" is emotionally draining.

Okay, AN. I seriously need some advice here... I have offers from two different nursing schools--UMass Amherst and PBA. Both freshman direct entry programs and from what I know, both solid programs. Here's the thing. PBA is much less expensive than UMass and closer to home. But, PBA doesn't have a very recognizable name from what I've gathered talking to current nurses. So here are my questions... 1. Do employers care where you went to school? 2. Will going to UMass, a highly acclaimed program and one of the best in the country, give me an edge over other new grads? An edge worth the cost difference? 3. How feasible is it to pay off student loans with a nurse's salary? I definitely want to get my BSN because in my area, ADN jobs are few and far between. Plus, for they money I'd spend on my associates, I would just rather get more and better training in a reputable BSN program. All input is appreciated!! Thank you!!

Just a curious soon-to-be nursing student... What is the difference between med-surg and telemetry/step-down units in terms of pt load, acuity, etc.? I've seen the two used interchangeably but I've also seen them be listed as completely different.

Just got accepted into PBA upper division nursing for Fall 2018!! Anyone starting that term??

Thank you for your response! I'll definitely check that out. :)

Hi! I just finished reading Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth...an amazing book. It impacted me so deeply that I have started to consider pursuing being a CNM later in life (yes, I know I'm only a high school senior, buuuut I'm quite interested) So here is my question...realistically, how are the job prospects for CNMs going forward? Are jobs few and far between or is there a possibility that one can make an actual living off this career? Thanks in advance!