Cammer

Thank you for the explanation Ivan.

Well said jazzymom. ...except that I believe the floor skills are a little better simply because of the additional knowledge that lead to better decision making abilities.

I had a different experience. I actually learned quite a bit more about nursing, clinically speaking and otherwise. I think that what you learn may depend as much on the quality of the program as what you make yourself learn. That alone would account for the many different perspectives in this thread.

You can't generalize a conclusion from a single datum. You are talking about a single specific test score, and I am talking about overall general knowledge and commitment to a goal in reference to most people. The only measurement of one's commitment are past achievements, and completing extra years of college education can be used as an example of that. Since you have already completed a bachelor's degree (in a different field?) then you have already shown you are an intelligent person with the capability and commitment to complete a significant level of college education. Once again, I am speaking of the general population here, not to specific cases. Most people who have a higher degree will possess more knowledge. But of course that doesn't always hold true in specific cases. I'm sure that you can give plenty of examples where someone with many years of education did not know the answer to a question, however, the person with the additional years of education is always considered to be more educated. I agree. However, a potential employer has no way of knowing your level of knowledge or commitment except through what you tell them at an interview and what is on your resume. Extra years of college, generally speaking, indicate higher levels of both knowledge and commitment. Once again I am in agreement with you. But we are not speaking about on the job training or the number of clinical hours. The difference between BSN and ADN/ASN is in the extra academic knowledge learned from additional classes in advanced physical assessment, pathophysiology, research application, basic management, pharmacology, and so on. In the ADN/ASN programs you only skim the surface on these topics. To be honest though, it isn't until you reach graduate school that you really get an indepth understanding of most of these areas. It is simply this; To a potential employer, someone with a BSN on a resume indicates that a person has had additional years of education beyond the ADN/ASN and, although given the option to go the easy route, has instead elected to commit the time and work necessary to obtain a higher degree with all of the academic knowledge that comes along with that. Therefore, once again generally speaking, because a potential employer can only know what is on your resume and in the interview, all else being equal someone with a higher degree will always sound more appealing. But, the funny thing about this is that someone who interviews well will get the job over someone who has a higher degree - almost every time!

And I think a diploma nurse takes the same exam as well. I guess the difference lies in the extra couple of years of education, the extra classes in pharmacology and physical assessment, the extra classes in basic management and research application, etc. I suppose that employers just like to hire people who have been proactive enough to learn extra detail about what they do. To complete a baccalaureate degree shows that someone has greater commitment and self actualization than someone who feels that a two year degree is just good enough.

Thanks! That sounds like great advice. :)

Switching tracks is not a possibility at my current school since adult health is the only track they offer. A post-master's certificate would be a good solution I think. Thanks for the reply.

There will ALWAYS be jobs available. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But one thing that you must never forget is that the people who are at the top of the game will never lack for a job. The trick is to present yourself as someone who is classy, hard working, knowledgeable, and easy to get along with. When you figure out how to pull that off then people will come to you looking to hire you. The secret is to learn how to network and showcase yourself. Put your name out there. Get to know people. Be friendly and approachable. Be a good friend to everyone and lines will form looking to hire you.

I am currently enrolled in a program to become an adult health nurse practioner. I have recently been thinking that my choice of this program could be somewhat limiting in the future. What are my options, post-graduation, should I decide that I would be better off as an FNP? What questions do I need to ask in order to discover a route to become an FNP, if I decide to do that? Thanks!

I completely agree with the idea presented above where this is a non-issue in real life. People who make negative postings on the internet represent a minority of those in real life. Don't worry about it. Do what is best for you.

I've been in critical care for years. Recently I switched into the ER. So I guess I fit the stereotype. Within a year I should be full time in education. This poll would have more meaning if we could compare it to the results from a similar poll from only female nurses.

While I am not insulted by the term "murse" I feel that its really not that funny. Nor is it very relevant to my profession. Much like the term "male nurse," it differentiates between male and female nurses as if we had different job descriptions. I am a nurse who happens to be male, and I do the same job as another nurse who may happen to be female. Gender is irrelevant to my profession, or at least it should be. Now, if you want to be funny about it then call me an XY-RN, but only if you are a female and prepared to be called an XX-RN.

Hmmm... well I have been a nurse for 6 years and I practice nursing in Florida which has a reputation for being one of the lowest paying states for nurses. After 20 years of nursing you are making approximately $62k. Last year I did not work any overtime and I made about $66k. I have a 36 hr work week, 3 weeks of paid time off yearly, and my health care insurance for my entire family of four costs me approximately $2000 yearly. My health care insurance also covers short and long term disability. Short term is up to 60 days of full pay. Beyond 60 days it kicks over to long term at 80% salary. Long term benefits can last up to 5 years. I also have good eye and dental coverage. I do not pay union dues. And, since income taxes are due next month, I have all the paperwork sitting in front of me that will back up my claims. I do not know how a similar standard of living in the UK compares to mine, but just based on pay rate it seems that we are much better compensated. Note: in the USA there are very few, if any, jobs that will give you 41 days of vacation yearly. It just doesn't happen here. Personally if I had that much vacation time I would probably get a second job to cover me whilst I was on "vacation." :) The conversion that I used was $1 = .67 GBP.

I'm glad I could help! If you have the personality that would enjoy flight nursing then that is what you should go for. But you will need to get some experience before an employer will consider you for a flight position. Because flight nursing requires the ability to work independently in an unpredictable environment a nurse needs a level of confidence that a fresh grad just doesn't have. You may be on the job for a couple of years before you can reach your goal. If you want to go the flight route then here is my opinion of what to do if I were in your shoes: Finish your ASN and get your RN license. Start working in oncology while finishing your BSN. Learn all you can about critical care and emergency nursing and push for a position in one of those areas, preferably critical care, but check with your flight service to find out what they look for in prospective employees. Maintain a network of contacts in the areas where you want to work. Nurture a good reputation for being smart, hard working, ambitious, dependable, and easy to get along with. Do not get involved in gossip and drama. That will kill a career faster than anything. One thing to never forget no matter what you decide to do - the people you meet in healthcare now will be the same people you will be working with five years and ten years from now. For example: I am currently working with the wife of a guy I worked with back in 1990 when I was just an EMT on a private ambulance. Healthcare is a smaller community than you might think and your coworker today may be your boss or employee tomorrow. Don't burn bridges. I have seen it happen. Your reputation will carry you when all else fails. Good luck!

I can't argue with that. One thing that I didn't get in my nursing prereqs was a chem class. I ended up teaching myself the chemistry that I needed to know for critical care, but in retrospect it would have been nice in order to better understand certain things as I entered the job. Since then I have taken a couple of chem classes just to familiarize myself with the major concepts. But I really can't comprehend the need for four chemistry classes unless you are going for pharm, premed, or anesthesia. * nevermind - I just read the correction to your original post. In my area helicopter flight nursing positions are somewhat limited and competitive. They will look at your work history and experience before looking at your academic achievements. But all else being equal, the nurse with the higher degree will have the edge. There is also a specialized flight nursing class available at our local 4 yr college that is required before getting hired by our local helicopter services. That may not be the case in your area. You may enjoy fixed wing transport. That is a nice job but the work is inconsistent and generally on an on-call only type schedule, from what I learned a few years ago when I looked into it. It didn't fit with my lifestyle. Your plan for both oncology and flight nursing is interesting and seem at odds with one another. Those two fields of nursing don't share much in common. I'm not an expert in oncological nursing, but from what I know, in the hospital oncology is much like typical floor nursing except that cancer patients have more than average needs in regard to blood transfusions, hematological changes, pain management, nutrition, self-image, and social dynamics. It is generally a longer term care situation. This is in contrast to flight nursing where you are dealing with acute trauma and disease processes that require immediate transport. You are only providing care to a single patient that may need a large number of immediate interventions initiated to save their life, and you are only with that patient for a relatively short time, ideally less than an hour in the case of helicopter transport, and just a few hours in the case of fixed wing transport.