robinsap

I heard about the proposal from the New York State Associate Degree Council. I teach in an ADN program in NY. If approved by the legislature, future nurses (key word here is "future" since this would not affect current RN's) prepared at either the Diploma or Associate Degree level would receive a provisional license. When the Bachelor's degree is earned that license would then be permanent otherwise the nurse would be granted LPN status.

Education is a good thing and I'm all for it. I'm a Masters prepared nurse. Pay is still not where it should be and service rarely makes a distinction based on education. This mandate will require that people who wish to enter the profession will have to double the time/expense it will take for their preparation with no guarantee that there will be any difference in their pay. Will our hospitals pick up the cost or assist all these nurses as they return to school? Who will replace them? Unlike teachers, nurses won't be able to go to school during the summer or at night. Nurses don't work an academic calendar. They work mandated overtime, 10 and 12 hour shifts, all shifts and weekends. I've heard that North Dakota lost some 200 people who left the state to become RN's in another state where the Associate's Degree was recognized and that North Dakota is reversing their decision requiring the BS for RN. Will all the schools that have closed reopen their programs? Will they all have clinical courses as part of the BS degree or will the courses be primarily theoretical as many of the RN to BS programs are now? With the shortage of nursing faculty and the average age of that population around 51, who will be teaching all those forced to go on? When will the NY State Board for Nursing be notifying nurses and health care agencies in the state about their resolution so that they can assess impact and implementation issues?

What do people think about the NY State Board for Nursing Resolution, passed December 7, 2003 to implement a requirement that future nurses with an Associate's Degree must earn a Bachelor's degree within 10 years of entering practice or be demoted to a Licensed Practical Nurse?