LiferRN

Actually, it was to the original poster ?

What most people don't seem to realize is that the educational difference in the diploma, associates, and bachelor's degree in nursing is that diploma and associates degrees are highly specialized to nursing. Bachelor's degrees include liberal arts courses. The diploma and ad grads have had all of the science, nursing, and leadership courses that bsn grads have had. And the diploma and ad students were having clinical experience in patient care while the bsn students were in music appreciation and English lit classes. This is simple fact, not judgement. There is never anything "wrong" with pursuing any educational path you choose, but on the other hand it also never gives you moral superiority over someone else because of theirs. To answer the original question, there is generally no difference in pay for a diploma, ad, or bsn graduate in the same position at the same level of experience. And I'll throw my own 2 cents in here... monetary compensation is not a good reason for becoming a nurse via any degree.

Why do you want to become an RN?

I think it's always best to listen to your intuition. And yours is telling you that you are not cut out for this kind of work. Maybe you would be happier in something nursing "related" instead of an actual nursing position in a stressful environment. I don't think enough emphasis is ever placed on the stress level of being a nurse, and that you need to be able to handle that stress well enough to maintain your skills while coping with the stress at the same time. I know you are torn about having spent time and money to become a nurse, but sometimes things just don't work out the way we thought they would. I don't think you're doing yourself or anyone else a favor by forcing yourself to do something you yourself say you can't cope with. Good luck.

Ugh. Is this what we want our profession to become??

Sometimes the best solution is to move on. It's unfortunate that all managers and directors aren't good at team building or have good leadership abilities, but the fact remains that some of them are really terrible at it and as long as they are the ones leading the ship, you have to decide either to sink along with it or set a new sail somewhere else. Good luck.

I always wanted to read any information for myself and decide whether or not it was useful to me. Learning is never a waste of time, whether or not the information shows up on a test. Good luck.

Hi, I would definitely secure a position before you make a move unless you can live without the income for a period of time. You also mentioned unions, there are very few hospitals in PA that are union affiliated and the ones that are, aren't necessarily the ones with great reputations. I live in the Lehigh Valley and work in one of the big hospitals here. We were just informed that there will be no merit raises or bonuses this year and maybe next. Any vacated positions must be evaluated by top management prior to being posted and there have been some layoffs and eliminated positions. So, it's not impossible to find a job, but it's certainly not like ''the old days'' when you could pretty much move into any town and start working immediately. Good luck!