"Don't waste your time getting your BSN..."

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People are always trying to tell me that I am going to waste my time by not stopping after getting my ASN. They say that getting your BSN just gets you management positions and that it does not pay more. I am going for my masters so I can be a CNM, so I have to have my BSN anyway but, how could it be true that a person with a BSN gets the same as a person with a ASN? (Aside from the fact that working in different dept can make a difference)

But other professions associate unions with blue-collar workers. **No flames please, I am not anti-union.** Just an observation.

---proud, well-paid graduate of a diploma thing :wink2:

No flames at all. :) I would just like to point out that many professionals are members of unions. Many medical residents are members of unions. Teachers and journalists are also union members. Every wonder why actors and directors are paid so well? Thank the DGA and SAG. None of the above are considered "blue-collar." I think the whole "union membership= blue-collar" mentality is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.
To suzy253 first of all I don't know what you already do in medical field but if you are about to graduate from a three year diploma program you should already know that this diploma thing is one of the main reasons the Government does not take nursing as a real profession as momandnurse was trying to explain. This is the main reason nursing is still considered blue collar jobs. I want to be considered a professional on all levels I take my career serious and some people just don't, for this same reason many RN's are being paid 14.00 or even worse 12.50 per hour in some states and you should already know the nurse should always act as the patient's advocate you are the first line of defense therapy and encourage for your patient and not to be considered a professional is terrible. Maybe that's why our work is so hard with little rewards some places don't even offer nurses a union or they do not have good employee incentives for the future retirement of nurses. There are so many nurses fighting to make this a real Profession so that we all can benefit. Start subscribing to peer reviewed nursing journals and read up on the real issues other than nursing shortage affecting our profession. Oldnurse(LPN) newnurse(R.N.-B.S.N.)

This diploma thing??? What is that all about? The profession of nursing includes diploma, ADN and BSN graduates. We are all professionals. Are you familiar what goes on in diploma programs? There are so many graduates and current attendees of diploma programs on this board who absolutely rave about the training and education you get in a diploma/hospital based school of nursing. I'm not sure what you think goes on in a diploma program and why it is such a "thing" to you. I have and will continue to serve as the patient's advocate....we are taught that from day 1.

I'm also well aware of the study in JAMA which cited the education level of nurses with patient outcomes and that study has proven to be fatally flawed.

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You have a valid concern with all of the options out there.

I have incredible respect for the certificate and ADN nurses out there with years of experience. Many have entire careers under their belt and it would be foolishto imply that the knowledge they have gained through experience

is not good.

But The marketplace is changing. More hospitals are requiring

a BSN. As a newcomer to nursing, a hospital would pick a BSN over

an ADN or certificate program for new grad programs. Whether the employer would pick a new grad BSN over an ADN with 10 years of experience is another story. As someone coming into the industry today I would highly recommend a BSN. Your four year degree is held in higher esteem, pays more and allows you to go to graduate school. A new nurse with only an ADN may not be as competative as BSN in applying for a new grad position. Many open positions I see listed even say they want only BSN prepared nurses for new graduates but will take an ADN with several years of experience. They say they will not take new ADNs.

Hope this helps.

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???

Maybe in your area they can afford to be that picky, but in mine a new grad there is no difference.

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Same here. I live in a city with 1 Diploma school, 3 ADN programs(community colleges), 5 BSN programs. All new grads are paid the same wage (aprox $18.60/hr)and all entry level jobs are open to all.

That said, I am in an ADN program. I want to work for a year, then I plan to get my BSN and hope eventually to get a masters. I have been taking required courses for the BSN summers & intersessions so I will be that much further ahead.

As someone else pointed out, if I had to get a BSN first I wouldnt have been able to afford it. With the ADN I can take boards, work for a hospital and have them pay for my education. So, whatever road gets you to your goal is the right one for you.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

geez! this is an old thread. well, having started out as an adn and gone back for a bsn it is very clear in my mind what the difference and advantages are. the difference is the college degree that has been earned by you and bestowed upon you. each college has it's requirements for this degree. if you get your rn first time around through a bsn program you're training is probably not as intense as my bsn completion program was where we were all rns with adns to start with. all schools of nursing have to give you, at minimum, what you need to pass your nclex to get your license. otherwise, the state board wouldn't have given them a license to operate a school of nursing. beyond that basic nursing education, every school is free to pile on extras. bsn schools tend to add more extra classes in nursing, but that's not always true. you just have to look at what their curriculum offers.

as far as a bsn opening doors of opportunity in management, that is true. but don't assume that the degree in your hand automatically entitles you. you also have to demonstrate the leadership abilities. if you don't have them, then you won't get the jobs for it.

employers in many different fields, not just nursing, like to hire bachelor degree graduates. part of the reason is because they feel that having gone through the rigors of a bachelor degree program they have learned and proven that they can follow rules and produce a desired result. hey! all those term papers were good for something! almost every other person i've spoken with who has earned a bachelor's degree in any field has told a similar tale of increasing assignments that included writing papers involving research and more and more independent thinking as they went into higher level senior classes. i'm not belittling anyone in community college programs because i went to community colleges, but there just is no comparison between 2 year and 4 year programs.

so, you need to realize that there is a difference between the job of an rn and the college degree you earn. the two are just not the same. you can have a diploma, aa or bsn and still work at the same job as a staff rn doing the same level of work. no doubt there are also people working in many other jobs who have more education and degrees than the job requires, but they still make the same wage because that is what the job pays. where the idea that bsns have some entitlement to higher wages came from i have no idea. however, equal pay for an equal job seems fair to me. if you are contemplating getting a bsn, be very clear in your mind why you are doing it. you should be doing it, first, for yourself.

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Up here in the great white north the only way you will become and RN is to get your BScN, so there is not need to worry about which degree to get.

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In order to become a Charge Nurse, do you need a minimum of a BSN? As an ADN, can you promote at all? Thank you for any input!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Dialysis.

This is definetly an old thread, but we know the subject will never go away unless they somehow make it where you 1st degree has to be a BSN. In regards to which route and advancement opportunities are availalbe , there is definetly a difference. The field that I work in is not as strict, we have Area Managers who only have ADN, but because they possess strong leadership skills have been promoted. I would say this, if you are content being a floor nurse and know that you don't want to teach then just getting your ADN degree will be sufficent. In general whatever year you become a nurse then you can have an ADN and BSN graduate come out an make the same amount or maybe a $1.00 difference. In regards to being a Charge Nurse, I have seen any many settings, ambulatory and acutes where the CN has and ADN degree it just depends on where you work. There are several institutions that only allow nurse with BSN degrees to hold CN positions. I really don't look at title as much as the body of work a person has done in the field. But if you want teach I believe that having your BSN and then MSN is a must, the ADN program only goes so far in what is taught to you. But in the Universities they have classes that prepare you to teach and how to develop leadership skills, which is essential for those that it does not come naturally. Choose the route that is best for you. If you want to teach then a higher degree will be required. :monkeydance:

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Specializes in OR.

Let me also add my 2 cents worth... Here in Australia, there is no such course as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing(BSN).They only offer Bachelor of Nursing (BN)-a three year nursing degree. This also applies to higher degrees(Master of Nursing-MN, Doctor of Nursing-DN).The reason why there is no "science" in the Australian nursing degrees is that science courses like physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, etc. are all covered in high school. These so called science subjects are specialty (advanced) subjects of years 11 and 12 high school students here. They are examined on these subjects on their final year (you have the general exam SAT for HS students in the US) and depending on their University admission index (UAI), they can enrol in a science degree of their choice. That means first year nursing students here have all "real" nursing subjects (clinicals subjects included)...no unnecessary, nuisance subjects like chemistry. Universities here assume that you already know these science courses when you get into the Nursing course. The good thing about this setup is that nursing students here can concentrate on all nursing subjects on their way to their degree. The disadvantage of this setup is that CGFNS/ICHP in the USA assesses Australian Nursing degrees as equivalent to a diploma in Nursing (LESSER than a BSN). But I can assure you, the quality of Bachelor of Nursing (BN) graduates in Australia (equivalent to a Diploma in Nursing in the US) are comparable to that of any BSN graduate in the US..The only difference is that the former finished all their science subjects in high school (hence, the conferring university can not put the science in the title) while the latter had their science subjects in the university.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

One think I can say about getting your BSN to start is that if you decide to change "careers" mid life like I did, it would be a lot easier to have a BSN under your belt. I was a diploma nurse for 17 years-excellent education. Several years ago I decided to become a school nurse which took 2 years of college for BSN plus an additional 1 year for CSN (certified school nurse) Wish I'd have gotten the BSN when I was 20 before the husband, kids, house dog, cat....

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
One think I can say about getting your BSN to start is that if you decide to change "careers" mid life like I did, it would be a lot easier to have a BSN under your belt. I was a diploma nurse for 17 years-excellent education. Several years ago I decided to become a school nurse which took 2 years of college for BSN plus an additional 1 year for CSN (certified school nurse) Wish I'd have gotten the BSN when I was 20 before the husband, kids, house dog, cat....

I'm feeling ya. Here I am aged 47, been a nurse for 15 years going for my BSN...oh well, hindsight if foresight. :lol2:

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