higher pay for BSN grads?

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

Published

Quick poll here...

Does your hospital pay BSN nurses more?

If yes, how much?

If no, what are your thoughts on this?

On a side note:

Does Magnet status tie into BSN nurses?

I have heard that in order to become magnet, a certain percentage of nurses at your facility must have BSN degrees. Just a question..

Thanks!

I'm an ADN RN, and I think BSNs should be paid more, but they usually aren't, in my experience. I've worked with BSNs who not only have more education than me, but more experience, as well. Still, I made more $$ than they did. I don't know why.

My mil is a PhD RN, and I'm an ADN RN. However, I make $21./per hr more than she does. I do direct pt care and charge. She's a researcher and a college professor.

No way is this fair, but that's reality.

My facility offers a "career ladder" which offers bonus pay per hour for participating. The higher the degree the higher the bonus pay. Since we all do exactly the same job, work the same hours, have the same skills and provide the same care, this seems unfair to me. I think sometimes that the BSN is better at writing the B>S> into their career ladder proposals, so maybe thats why they rate the higher pay. Start pay for nurses used to be the same, but I haven't heard if that still holds true. We are "forbidden" to discuss pay rates among ourselves.

Specializes in Critical Care.
Since we all do exactly the same job, work the same hours, have the same skills and provide the same care, this seems unfair to me.

This is just untrue. We don't all have the same skills, and we shouldn't all get the same pay.

I've been an RN for 13 yrs. I make MUCH more than a new grad - and I deserve it. My skill set simply far surpasses 'minimum entry'.

We pay different people to do the same jobs in most every profession across the board, depending upon skill set. And however you gain those extra skills, be it through experience or education: it deserves to be rewarded.

If I walked into a job and they offered me starting out of school RN salary: I'd laugh in their face. BSNs should do the same when offered ADN salary for commensurate experience.

IF BSNs did just that, there wouldn't be an ADN/BSN debate. With a real incentive to do so, the education mix would rapidly begin to change. But, that would benefit ADNs as well. As those ADNs 'capped' out their salaries, as most of us eventually do, it would provide an avenue to 'break the cap'.

More pay for education would be a win-win for all nurses. I've said this many times on this board: you want me to go get a BSN - then give me a real reason to do so.

~faith,

Timothy, ADN.

Specializes in ER/Geriatrics.

Pay should be based on EXPERIENCE plus education...there is no way someone with no life or nursing experience and their BSCN should make anywhere near the money I make after 20 plus years of experience...nor should they get all the monday to friday jobs....I am only a few courses away from my degree...it is a personal goal and unfortunately one of the hoops we have to jump through to get some of the better jobs here...though I am doing fine at the moment....but want to work another 20 years...so want to keep my options open. I am unimpressed with new grads who come out of university with their degree and no other experience...they are for the most part less than adequate nurses.....as long as they know they still have alot to learn they usually manage to do ok with some experience....the others not so good.

Liz

Specializes in ER, Occ Med, ICU, Psych..

My wife works as an RN at a local hospital and gets a whopping 25 cents more an hour for her BSN than she did with her ADN. Not much incentive for someone who wishes only to remain at the staff nurse level to get their BSN. It seems to benefit only if you want to go into managerial or pursue a higher degree and licensure. As far as experience and pay level, I have always started out at the highest pay level for any facility I've worked at in the last 20 years. Even starting as a new grad 23 yrs ago I had an advantage due to a big background as a medic first. I believe they are doing good locally in that aspect. Too bad about the BSN incentive. Most prospective RN students I have talked to are going for their ADN's due to the fact that they have less school time and are aware of the mostly equal pay for the ADN level.

Nursing an educational headache.

Specializes in NICU.
I am unimpressed with new grads who come out of university with their degree and no other experience...they are for the most part less than adequate nurses.....as long as they know they still have alot to learn they usually manage to do ok with some experience....the others not so good.

Unimpressed? Well new grads really aren't there to impress anyone, they're there to learn and start their nursing careers. Less than adequate nurses? Well of course, they have never been a nurse before. We just learn the basics in school, and when we start as new grads we begin the real learning .... on the job training, it's how we all start out, right?

Specializes in ER/ ICU.

Same pay, unless you take a management position.

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
Unimpressed? Well new grads really aren't there to impress anyone, they're there to learn and start their nursing careers. Less than adequate nurses? Well of course, they have never been a nurse before. We just learn the basics in school, and when we start as new grads we begin the real learning .... on the job training, it's how we all start out, right?

So frustrating when you have to acticulate the obvious. $.40/hr. more. I know I was just adequate 30 something years ago when I just graduated but I sure knew where to look it up.

This is just untrue. We don't all have the same skills, and we shouldn't all get the same pay.

I've been an RN for 13 yrs. I make MUCH more than a new grad - and I deserve it. My skill set simply far surpasses 'minimum entry'.

We pay different people to do the same jobs in most every profession across the board, depending upon skill set. And however you gain those extra skills, be it through experience or education: it deserves to be rewarded.

If I walked into a job and they offered me starting out of school RN salary: I'd laugh in their face. BSNs should do the same when offered ADN salary for commensurate experience.

IF BSNs did just that, there wouldn't be an ADN/BSN debate. With a real incentive to do so, the education mix would rapidly begin to change. But, that would benefit ADNs as well. As those ADNs 'capped' out their salaries, as most of us eventually do, it would provide an avenue to 'break the cap'.

More pay for education would be a win-win for all nurses. I've said this many times on this board: you want me to go get a BSN - then give me a real reason to do so.

~faith,

Timothy, ADN.

I have said it a thousand times, and I will say it again. The reason that hospitals don't pay BSNs a higher wage, is because if they did, nurses would flock to get their BSNs. They would demand higher pay, and that is exactly what the hospitals don't want to do. It would also unify us, and remove a source of contention among us. Hospitals are a big believer in "divide and conquer", and nurses are stupid and naive enough to buy it hook, line, and sinker.

They fail to grasp the devous reasons behind what the hospitals are doing. It is internalized by the ADNs and Diploma grads, and made personal. They make it a personal attack on their self worth and self esteem. Everytime they refuse to fight for a higher rate of pay for BSNs, (and I don't mean $.25), you play right into thier hands. And continue the problems and divisions in nursing.

It will never stop until entry into practice is elevated to a BSN with the pay increase that accompanies it. The ADNs and Diplomas should be grandfathered in so they don't have to go back to school to earn the degree if they don't want to. LPN/LVNs should be fit into this somewhere, but they should become RNs.

Hospitals can make it easier by offering on site BSN programs for employees, like they did for Pharmacists who wanted to get the Doctorate but worked full time. They have this at Long Beach Memorial Hospital in Southeren California, and are also paying for Masters Degrees with an agreement to work at the hospital for two more years. IT CAN BE DONE!!

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

OTOH, if all nurses are BSN's there is still an entry level rate of pay, and there's nothing keeping hospitals from making it low. Entry level is entry level: you're still inexperienced.

OTOH, if all nurses are BSN's there is still an entry level rate of pay, and there's nothing keeping hospitals from making it low. Entry level is entry level: you're still inexperienced.

Absolutely! It's entirely fair for a newbie BSN to make less than someone experienced. However, why not have a financial reward for any RNs who earn their BSNs?

A bachelor's degree is socially recognized as an indicator of higher education. People who earn bachelor's degrees aren't smarter or anything like that. But they have been to exposed to the type of academic work that usually constitutes a bachelor's degree. The degree simply lets others know that that nurse has studied at a university level in addition to learning nursing skills. Would that be a bad thing? To get into most other medical fields you first need to earn a bachelor's before even applying. And we know that it's not like nurses have less responsibility or don't need to know as much as other health personnel.

OTOH, if all nurses are BSN's there is still an entry level rate of pay, and there's nothing keeping hospitals from making it low. Entry level is entry level: you're still inexperienced.

I would include in a BSN program the concepts of Independant Contracting, and bargainling for higher wages. Nurses should be taught what their skills are worth in the workplace, and that they should bemaking comparable to an Occupational Therapist as a starting salary. No one ever tells nurses what they are worth while they are in school, and that is one of the reasons that nurses settle for the HS dropout wages that they do.

I would think if nurses were taught what their skills are worth, they will negotiate for a higher starting salary. A BSN entry into practice would also lessen the sheer numbers of nurses graduating, and market forces would increase the pay for nurses. That, by the way, was part of the thinking when PTs, OTs, Pharmacists, increased their educational levels. Less of them = more money to obtain their services. They actually take business classes as part of their curriclum.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

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