BSN from 4 year program required

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

Published

Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

A friend of mine was recently looking at utilization review positions and ran across this:

BSN from a 4 year program required.

So that means of course that an ADN who chose to advance their education to a BSN, will be excluded, even though they come with years of experience.

There will be no reason for ADN's to advance their education if they do not have any opportunity in other fields.

I'm sure this is money driven. Why else would an employer limit their applicants to 4-year program BSNs who may be new grads with little to no experience?

Thoughts?

Specializes in UR/CM, Managed Care.

Sigh… I have seen this popping up in job requirements while searching online. In the olden days it was simply “Unrestricted RN license required”, then it moved to “BSN preferred”, then “BSN required”, and now this. Yet another barrier that will make RNs (because we’re all RNs at the core of it all) like myself have to try and explain why an ADN with 20 years’ experience who then completed an ADN-BSN program is not someone you want to pass on! That’s assuming I even got the interview though… Oy.

I see this as a knee-jerk reaction to weed out ADNs who may have chosen a less-than-stellar BSN completion program. Rather than doing their homework on an applicant’s quality of education, HR departments will just not bother with us? I may cost a bit more, but Magnet status can still be met with a BSN that has years of experience under his/her belt as an ADN who then pursued BSN later. On paper, I’m exactly what you want. On the floor (or in the office), I’m even better because of what I bring with me. Isn’t the true intention and spirit of the IOM’s push for advanced education to have experienced personnel on board that improves clinical outcomes of those in your charge? Don’t weed me out because I didn’t go to a 4 year program 20 years ago; I, like many others, took the ADN route at the time because I couldn’t afford the University and needed to be out on my feet earning a paycheck in 2 years. What I have learned along the way is priceless and can’t be obtained from any program, anywhere, of any duration. My beloved ADN has served me well for all these years, and frankly I would have been satisfied with that if not for the relatively recent 80% by 2020 issue. Alas, I find myself halfway through an RN-BSN program (a good one), because of the changing landscape. Now I may have to contend with ignorance at the application level. Yay.

Specializes in None yet..

This is really discouraging. :(

I already have a B.S. degree and I'm starting an ADN program this fall because I'm older and didn't want to spend extra time repeating my undergraduate education. I want to get started on that invaluable learning you can get only from practicing in your field. It's very discouraging to think I may be making the wrong decision.

I didn't have enough volunteer/work hours to get into my local university BSN program. I just started work as a PT CNA in LTC and plan to work through school. Does anyone think it might be a good idea to apply to the BSN program for fall 2015? I may lose some of my community college credits but work and clinicals will give me plenty of "work in health care" hours.

My head is spinning. I'm not sure I trust academic advisors but I do trust experienced nurses on AN. What do you all think?

tokmom, I'm understanding the wording differently, as in "BSN from a 4 year program required" would include ADN-BSN's who participate in the last several semesters of a 4 year program.

Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

Jess,

By going by your username, I don't see this as a problem quite yet in the Seattle area. In fact, ADN nurses are still being hired in many hospitals.

It is up to you, of course.

Like Prism, I was an LPN, who bridged to an ADN program and worked as an ADN for years and recently completed a BSN program because of the IOM fears.

I had to take the LPN route, because the ADN programs were waitlisted 2 years back in the 80's. The LPN was immediate and it allowed me to eat and have a roof over my head. I would have given anything to go to a 4 yr right out of high school, but lack of parental support and money kept me from my immediate dreams.

You would think someone who has numerous awards, certification and BSN would stand a reasonable chance of employment.

Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
tokmom, I'm understanding the wording differently, as in "BSN from a 4 year program required" would include ADN-BSN's who participate in the last several semesters of a 4 year program.[/quote

What makes you say this?

Maybe I'm confused. I have never heard of an ADN merging into the last 2 years of a BSN program. Those students are always in their own program, away from the typical 4 yr nursing student. In my neck of the woods anyway.

Specializes in long-term-care, LTAC, PCU.

If I had my bsn and went the diploma/adn to bsn route to get it I would certainly apply for that job. I have years of experience to bring to the organization. Who knows, maybe they didn't

In WHAT area of the country are employers spewing such nonsense?!

I wanna know, so I can completely AVOID that region all together.

Specializes in long-term-care, LTAC, PCU.

Mean to make it sound like you have to have gone to a four year bsn program to get your bsn.

tokmom, I'm understanding the wording differently, as in "BSN from a 4 year program required" would include ADN-BSN's who participate in the last several semesters of a 4 year program.[/quote

What makes you say this?

Maybe I'm confused. I have never heard of an ADN merging into the last 2 years of a BSN program. Those students are always in their own program, away from the typical 4 yr nursing student. In my neck of the woods anyway.

I bridged into a BSN program at a state university approximately 18 years ago, and the ADN-BSN students took all (or definitely most) of the nursing classes together with the BSN students. As far as I know the same situation exists today at the university I attended.

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

I (as a ADN-BSN) would still apply even though it says "BSN from a 4 year program required." IMO, whoever wrote it up for HR probably didn't know that there's several ways to become a BSN; instead they must have thought that that BSNs only came from 4 year programs.

I (as a ADN-BSN) would still apply even though it says "BSN from a 4 year program required." IMO, whoever wrote it up for HR probably didn't know that there's several ways to become a BSN; instead they must have thought that that BSNs only came from 4 year programs.

I hope you're right... I think these HR people should have more hoops to jump through themselves. There have just been too many times we wondered what HR was thinking when they hired some crazy, rude, unreliable new people.

+ Add a Comment