Compagnox2

@springchick1 I have done both. I first got my ADN at a community college that is 27 miles away because the one that is 2 miles away from me is so pretentious with a high degree of favoritism-but i digress. I did the ADN first because of the 5 nursing schools within the area, all were full and i couldn't get in. There were literally hundreds if not thousands in the area trying to get in. I took my Nclex then got a job, and then went back to school full time, online to get my BSN and am now working on my MSN, then onto my DNP. Which is harder? ADN or BSN. It depends on what you mean as "harder'. ADN or ASN school was "harder" in that i did not completely know what I was in for. A male friend of mine, who had been a nurse some 27 years told me "this will be the hardest thing you have ever done so far". He was right. I was 23 years old and our old family friend was telling me this. He knew what he was talking about. It was hard because I Wasn't used to getting up at 4am and driving to a clinical site one hour away and being away from home a total of 14 hours at times then studying and getting a good strong 4 hours of sleep and attending class the next day, etc and so on. It was tough, hard and busy- at times enough to drive someone bat-SH*% crazy. The BSN was hard in other ways. I was already an RN. I already knew what it was and is to work the floors, ICU, ER and Med/Surg as well as SNFs. The BSN offers more information that an ADN does not have or has studied. Its more than just taking "management classes" or "leadership stuff" that i have heard over and over. The BSN takes strong mental prowess to complete. The course adds things like statistics, theory, evidence based practice, advanced pathophysiology and more critical thinking. So if you mean who does the most grunt work in school? obviously the ADN (ASN). The BSN uses more of their time continuing to learn about nursing and the business world. It is only a matter of time before the majority of this country will go all BSN, which I used to think was a all BSN way of thinking. Not so. Research on this matter goes all the way back to 2003 with Linda Aiken's research where she found thru research on over 150+ hospitals that a hospital with 60% of Bachelor prepared nurses had better patient outcomes, fewer infections and better overall customer satisfaction. Thats huge. There are great and awesome ADNs out there. Some of which could run circles around many BSNs. However, why run? when you can critically think and not have to run but provide a different way of doing things? In the end both are nurses and i respect both. So which is harder? do you want to do more gruntwork? great. Do you want to use your brain more, experience more? Its up to who you are, where you are and how you think.

Congratulations!!! It was tough but will be well worth it. Merry Christmas :)

Yes they may choose to hire BSNs, and your correct, it doesn't make them a magnet hospital. Magnet status is hospitals with 60% of the nurses that are BSN. Linda Aikens' study was done in 2003 and other studies are continuing even now. All point to a need in a BSN. The study in 2003 was done on 168 hospitals. In addition, hospitals with RNs holding a bachelor's degree or higher ranged from 0% to 77% across the hospitals. a 10% increase in the proportion of nurses holding a bachelor's degree was associated with a 5% decrease in both the likelihood of patients dying within 30 days of admission and the odds of failure to rescue (JAMA, 2003). References Linda Aiken's Research is Changing the Nursing Profession, The Magnet program for hospitals is directly related to Aiken’s work, Elizabeth Hanink, RN, BSN, PHN 2014 retrieved from Linda Aiken's Research is Changing the Nursing Profession - Articles Archive - Working Nurse l Nursing Jobs, RN Career Advice in Los Angeles OC Inland Empire The Journal of The American Medical Association, Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality, Linda H. Aiken, PhD, Et. Al, 2003 retrieved from JAMA Network | JAMA | Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality

*if you only read a bit of this. Read paragraphs 4-6 for sure. Dr. Linda Aikens information and research is invaluable. I don’t understand why there aren’t real, substantive answers as to why it seems that more hospitals and nursing in general are moving to all BSN status as a minimum. First, allow me to just say that there are some really GREAT ASNs out there. Their experience, caring and thoughtful nursing skill sets are invaluable. I know of quite a few myself whom I would have care for me or any of my loved ones, due to the fact I know they care and are extremely good at what they do. Secondly, the field of nursing is a great, well respected career path. Any degree in Nursing is indeed a good choice, but why not make a great choice? There are many career paths within the field of nursing and different areas of nursing one can follow or get into. The major two types are the ASN and the BSN. The associate degree nurse is commonly called the “associate of science in nursing” or ASN degree nurse. An associate degree nurse has commonly completed approximately two years of nursing school training. However before entering any nursing program the student must have completed the prerequisites in order to be accepted into that program. Many times this entails having completed one to two years of education in order to meet the requirements for nursing school. Many students finish much more quickly but not without, arguably, hard work and a lot of time and energy. The latter being true for nursing education in general. ASN nurses take courses in, most obviously, nursing. However, the curriculum includes many other facets of learning. ASNs take courses in psychology, nutrition, microbiology, chemistry, physiology as well as social and behavioral sciences. One thing all nursing schools and curriculums have in common are hours of supervised clinical experience. While the course is technically only two years, it can turn out to be 3-31/2 years due to prerequisites. Many students, young and old alike say it’s one of if not the toughest program they have ever encountered. How does it differ from a nurse who has an associate degree compared to a BS in nursing? Are there any differences other than being in school a little longer? Is the pay different? Is it only for a “managers job?”. The baccalaureate in nursing program adds to the educational development of the registered nurse by including several other aspects of nursing. Baccalaureate or commonly called “bachelor” nursing programs contain all of the course work taught in ASN and diploma programs plus a more in-depth treatment of the physical and social sciences, research in the field of nursing, public and community health, nursing management and supervising, as well as the humanities. The additional course work can continue to enhance the nursing student’s professional development It also prepares the new nurse for a broader scope of practice, and provides the nursing student, whether already an ASN or not with a better understanding of the economic, political, cultural, and social issues that affect a patient and influence health care delivery. Throughout the last decade, policymakers and nursing practice leaders have recognized that education makes a difference. One of the major differences is in the area of “people”. That is to say, BSNs’ learn more on how to deal with people and the dynamics of the people in the workplace as well as effective management and productivity of those people. Also, registered nurses with a BSN possess a substantial chance for advancing their careers. As an example, a bachelor’s in nursing degree is needed for acceptance into a master’s nursing program, which could result in a career in health care administration, health services, or on to specialty nursing roles like nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner or clinical nurse leader. A BSN is also favored and frequently necessitated for military and public health nursing and other more specialized jobs. Thus, a BSN should probably make more than an ASN. Now, with that said. Education is a great way to become enlightened on even more nursing information and for creation of change in the profession. All one has to do is look up Linda Aiken, RN and the information from her years of research on nursing will enlighten and brighten ones’ thoughts on this matter -of magnet hospitals and/or facilities. Dr. Aiken and colleagues found (in over a decade of research) that hospitals that employed a higher percentile of BSNs had lower surgical patient mortality rates than hospitals that staffed with fewer BSNs (Hanink, 2014). The study was done in 2003 and other studies are continuing even now. All point to a need in a BSN. The study in 2003 was done on 168 hospitals. In addition, hospitals with RNs holding a bachelor's degree or higher ranged from 0% to 77% across the hospitals. a 10% increase in the proportion of nurses holding a bachelor's degree was associated with a 5% decrease in both the likelihood of patients dying within 30 days of admission and the odds of failure to rescue (JAMA, 2003). I would strongly recommend that any and all nurses read Dr. Aikens’ research paper on this. It can be found in the link below. Everywhere nurses look, other professions are taking on additional responsibilities, given more credibility and even more respect (PTs, OTs, Pharmacists, RTs etc) while nurses are seen as the pill pushers, IV starters, buttocks wipers etc. We need to educate ourselves and be proactive in all areas of patient care. That would include management, and lobbying congress for better nurse ratios as well. On a personal note, if you are someone in nursing school or are considering nursing. Consider going for the BSN. The ASN is good if you are considering working and THEN going for your BSN, however as most nurses will tell you. Its hard to stop then start again, and sometimes expensive. Just keep going. Don’t stop. If there are any issues with the link below I have included it here as well. Simply cut and paste into your browser. JAMA Network | JAMA | Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality References Linda Aiken's Research is Changing the Nursing Profession, The Magnet program for hospitals is directly related to Aiken’s work, Elizabeth Hanink, RN, BSN, PHN 2014 retrieved from Linda Aiken's Research is Changing the Nursing Profession - Articles Archive - Working Nurse l Nursing Jobs, RN Career Advice in Los Angeles OC Inland Empire The Journal of The American Medical Association, Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality, Linda H. Aiken, PhD, Et. Al, 2003 retrieved from JAMA Network | JAMA | Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality