Anyone else regret this?

lindarn · Oct 24, 2014

What is really sad, is that nursing is not DEMANDING that present ADN/Diploma grads, be grandfathered in for the BSN requirement. Or is that the reason the push for a BSN is NOT coming from the ANA, like it should be. It is coming from hospitals to capitalize on the present nursing new grad glut, and make nurses scrounge for jobs.

All other health care professional, PTs, OTs. Pharmacists, grandfathered in all members who were licensed. No one was penalized. Classes were held on campus in the hospitals, for those members who wised to pursue the higher degree. And it was paid for by the hospital.

Why has nursing got itself into this rut??

Nurses need to DEMAND that the ANA finally take a stand on the entry into practice issue. By sidestepping it, they are allowing the marketplace to decide the type of education an individual should have to enter into practice. That is not an function of the marketplace, it is a function of the governing body of a profession.

I fully realize that when it comes to the function of the ANA, as we say in Brooklyn, are as useful as tits on a bull. They are a dysfunctional organization, who purports to support the nursing profession, but does absolutely nothing to protect nurses. They stand ready at the get go, to throw nurses under the bus at every opportunity they have.

Employers should not be making professional decisions as to entry into practice. I am not saying that nursing should no go to a BSN as entry into practice. It should have been done 30 years ago. But hospitals are happy to maintain the status quo, and allow nurses to infight at every opportunity. Divide and conquer, is what they strive for, and it is working.

I encourage nursing to join the NNOC, and their fight for nursing. They are THE ONLY PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION, that has nursings' back. God knows, that the ANA, and State Nursing associations do not.

JMHO and my NY $0.02

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN(ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2014

How about we stop telling kids they have to go to college right after high school and allow them to make that decision through living, I guarantee some of them with realize the importance when they are flipping burgers. How about we let kids flip burgers full time, while partially supporting themselves, while attending college full time or part time. Give them time to pick a career, slowly take courses that they may be able to pay for as they go, instead of saying you must go into a four year university make lots of debt for yourself, pick a career you may not even end up liking because you have to make the decision right now, and work to pay off debt for the next 30 years.

Bingo! You've hit the nail on the head, although some parents would cringe that Junior isn't going to college at age 18.

Here's my story. I had been accepted to three regional state universities while in high school, but entered the entry-level workforce after graduation because my parents steered me away from college. As an only child with a poorly developed sense of self, I was strongly influenced by what they wanted me to do. Hence, I worked a string of poorly paying dead-end jobs in fast food, retail, temp agencies and factories for five years before enrolling in a trade school LVN program at age 23.

I worked full-time as an LVN for three years while gradually completing prerequisite courses at the local community college. I enrolled in a trade school LPN-to-ASN bridge program at age 28 and attained RN licensure the next year. At the present time I am enrolled in an online RN-to-BSN degree completion program with 7 more credits to go before the BSN degree will be conferred.

Our trajectories in life have transpired for one or more reasons, all closely intertwined. I admit I was bitter and sullen for many years for not having attended university immediately after high school, but in hindsight, my educational path in life has fallen neatly into place.

I am student-loan debt-free, due in part to the academic path that I took. Meanwhile, countless people from socioeconomic backgrounds and upbringings similar to mine are crushed with figurative balls and chains better known as intractable student loan debt. At 18 years old I wanted to major in history or social science and become a teacher.

Looking back, I'm now relieved I didn't become a teacher or spend 4+ years at the university. Even though the traditional college experience would have benefited me, I would have generated tons of debt and have been qualified for a low-paid job. Also, now that my identity is formed, I realize I would have been a lousy schoolteacher.

Some people will always bash educational offerings at trade schools and community colleges because of the perception that the courses are watered down. There's also the perception that many of the students are not quite 'college material.' I'm a product of community college and trade school, and if anyone thinks poorly of me for taking that educational route, that's their problem, not mine.

subee, MSN, CRNA · Oct 30, 2014

I must agree with one poster who said there isn't a need to go into huge debt from college, it is all about making smart choices in life.
I graduated with 2 associate degrees 3 years apart and have been paying those loans for a while, about 10 years, they are now whittled down to 3500.00 total which I can pay off soon. I made the choice to take classes over a long period of time rather than jumping right into a 60,000.00 BSN program. I was about to jump into a BSN program in 2001, but my brain said, hey, this is going to cost you 60K, is it really worth that. I was smart and realized it wouldn't pay off in the end... I am so glad I made the choices I did, I am now enrolled in an RN-BSN program and paying as I go. I am making the same amount of the staff nurses who are BSN grads, even the ones that I hear complain daily about there high student loan amounts.
I was told by my high school guidance councilor that I needed to go to a four year college after high school, luckily I refused, I knew I wanted to work on an ambulance and be an EMT for a while, but had no idea what I really wanted to do for a career. In the end the reason I had the smarts to say hey, this loan amount isn't going to be worth it is because I was a bit older (24 to be exact) and had some life experience. We pressure high school kids to go right into a 4 year college without thinking twice about it, one of the biggest investments in life. We expect kids to know what they want to be when they grow up in a very short time, yet we take months to pick out what car we want to buy. Kids are dumb when they get out of high school, they have no idea what the real world is like, no idea what it will be like to work full time and support themselves etc. How about we stop telling kids they have to go to college right after high school and allow them to make that decision through living, I guarantee some of them with realize the importance when they are flipping burgers. How about we let kids flip burgers full time, while partially supporting themselves, while attending college full time or part time. Give them time to pick a career, slowly take courses that they may be able to pay for as they go, instead of saying you must go into a four year university make lots of debt for yourself, pick a career you may not even end up liking because you have to make the decision right now, and work to pay off debt for the next 30 years.
The problem with this country is that it cost a ridiculous amount of money to go to a four year college full time. Kids are not taught life skills in high school, things like money management, savings etc. They come out being wonderful at math problems and history lessons and understanding how important academics are and how important that ivy league college that will cost you 120,000.00 is, but they do not understand the future consequences of high debt. Until we offer more education on such things, youngsters will continue graduating with absurd amounts of loans that cause them to not be able to afford a home, a reliable car etc. END rant!
Just my two cents
HPRN

Perhaps those writing skills you learned in your BSN program will have to come to the fore when you're in grad schools. ALL nurses should have good writing schools - don't know why you resent having to prove your ability in BSN program. The quality of some of the nursing notes only proves that people don't write critically and just keep making the same stupid comments in notes that we made 30 years ago. Conciseness has to be taught. How could a community health rotation be considered fluff? It provides insight into what patients have to face when they get home - lack of support, inadequate teaching re: difficult meds, the list is endless. How could the broader picture of health be dismissed as useless?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2014

The quality of some of the nursing notes only proves that people don't write critically and just keep making the same stupid comments in notes that we made 30 years ago

I totally agree. Some of the very same nurses in our ranks who demand the utmost professionalism cannot even write at an eighth grade level.

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Nov 5, 2014

Perhaps those writing skills you learned in your BSN program will have to come to the fore when you're in grad schools. ALL nurses should have good writing schools - don't know why you resent having to prove your ability in BSN program. The quality of some of the nursing notes only proves that people don't write critically and just keep making the same stupid comments in notes that we made 30 years ago. Conciseness has to be taught. How could a community health rotation be considered fluff? It provides insight into what patients have to face when they get home - lack of support, inadequate teaching re: difficult meds, the list is endless. How could the broader picture of health be dismissed as useless?

??? I am not sure if you meant to address someone else, I don't recall saying I resent having to prove myself in my BSN program. I am enjoying the learning actually. I was simply stating I am glad I did not go right into a BSN program out of high school, so that I have less debt.

HPRN

Palliative Care, DNP · Nov 6, 2014

Not a waste for me because I knew the BSN was the stepping stone to furthering my education and career. I have one year left beginning in January until I graduate with a DNP. For my family it was not waste but I also did not rack up $65,000 the BSN. I went t a local state university and paid as I completed it. I did not take loans until grad school.

allnurses Guide · Nov 6, 2014

I just noticed the elderly nature of this thread! Hoping WindyhillBSN made peace with her BSN situation!

subee, MSN, CRNA · Nov 6, 2014

??? I am not sure if you meant to address someone else, I don't recall saying I resent having to prove myself in my BSN program. I am enjoying the learning actually. I was simply stating I am glad I did not go right into a BSN program out of high school, so that I have less debt.
HPRN

You are correct Happy ParamedicRN. This was not a reply to your post (which I liked!). It's not even supposed to be a reply on this thread. Not sure how this happened.

prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP · Nov 7, 2014

Actually no. I came out of nursing school three times with out debt. My LPN cost about 4500 in 2008 goverment paid and it was out of town my parents paid for my apartment. I saved from my hospice job and paid for me and some of my sister and niece's college tuition. My LPN-AND was around 13k that's not counting gas and hotel rooms it was out of town add about another 4k. My RN-BSN was around another 10k and I will be finished 12/13/14. It took me a while to get in and get accepted but it was worth the wait and saving money.

SoaringOwl · Nov 22, 2014

Bingo! You've hit the nail on the head, although some parents would cringe that Junior isn't going to college at age 18.

Your post cracked me up because you would have become me. I went to a 4-year school straight out of HS, picked teaching as a major because it seemed like a cushy job, and found out it's a crap job that pays crap, advancement is non-existent, and you get treated like crap by the politicians, public, parents, kids, and administrators. So I had to go back to school years later for nursing. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up until I grew up!

karebear87 · Nov 24, 2014

We are responsible for our own decisions with education and finances. It is in your control to make financially responsible life decisions.

I have learned to be patient with my goals and take my time to not go into to debt. I was the reduced lunch kid, so I started to work and save money to provide the extras I wanted for myself. In high school, there was a program available to get obtain your Associate of Science a year after graduation. The program offered to reimburse students their tuition money after maintaining good grades. Although, it was a ton of work, I felt I had better take advantage of it. The next challenge was what to do next. As others have posted, I wasn't ready to make my lifelong career decisions at 18. I didn't feel comfortable taking out loans without a direct path. It was tough not following the crowd and going to a university, but I also didn't have the financial help as others did and a great fear of debt.

I decided to gain a trade instead and go to cosmetology school. I had to take $10,000 in loans. After graduation, I accepted a haircutting job at a chain company because they helped with tuition reimbursement. It wasn't glamorous, but I am one of the few who paid my loans off in a few years. I've built my business and am now self employed, allowing me the freedom to finally feel comfortable to go back to school.

After 2 1/2 years of pre reqs and a full time job, I've been accepted into an affordable, but highly competitive community college. Full time starts in January. I've done my research, set a plan and budget, and have saved almost enough to pay for school and to live for a few years. If need be, I'll take out some small loans.

Again, our lives are built on our choices. Keep moving forward and learning from past decisions. Do the research for your education options and be patient while working towards your goals, even if that means not getting immediate gratification.

dbr913 · Dec 4, 2014

And be wary of the nurse that "knows all the answers."