I will be a new RN graduate soon, at the age of 57. It is strongly recommended at my school that we pursue our BSN. My family & friends are advising against doing this. After much thought, I think they may be right. I'll have loans to pay back, & won't have my BSN until I'm 60-61. I plan to work for about 13 yrs. (& 3 of that will be working on degree)
Is it worth the investment to go for the BSN?
What type of nursing positions are there that do not require a BSN?
If the job market where you are at isn't so competitive that they are demanding BSN-prepared nurses, then I wouldn't bother. At sixty-one, you would be VERY close to retirement age, and do you really want to pay off your student loans into retirement? Plus, BSN schools can be ridiculously overpriced; I personally would want to enjoy my "golden" years without the stress of having to pay those loans off.
If your age is a deciding factor for you, do your research. You will find that there are LOADS of RN-BSN programs online in which you will have your degree in 12-13 months.
I think the areas more likely to hire ADN RNs are outpatient facilities. I was an older new ADN RN at 42yo 2 years ago. I had no problem finding jobs.....school RN, ASC and now outpatient endoscopy. IMHO outpatient is really the way to go. No twelve hour shifts, weekends, nights or holidays. Kind of the perfect job! I will probably never work in a hospital because of the BSN preference (I do have a BS in psych, though), but I am absolutely okay with that!
Good luck!
School nurses in my area are not hired without a BSN.
I say go for it. Find an employer that has tuition reimbursement so you won't take on any debt. I work as an RN at a community mental health agency and I work with a case manager that is 70 years old and I don't think she is quitting any time soon. There is also a clinic nurse that is 70. You have plenty of working years ahead of you as an RN. Figure it this way, you will be 59 eventually anyway, would you rather be 59 with or without a BSN?
I say go for it. Find an employer that has tuition reimbursement so you won't take on any debt. I work as an RN at a community mental health agency and I work with a case manager that is 70 years old and I don't think she is quitting any time soon. There is also a clinic nurse that is 70. You have plenty of working years ahead of you as an RN. Figure it this way, you will be 59 eventually anyway, would you rather be 59 with or without a BSN?
You could work till you're 70 to break even with getting a BSN, or break even at 65. Personally I don't see anything good about having the opportunity to work till you're 70 so you can pay off your education.
I think it's only reasonable to figure out what you cost-benefit is. Ongoing education is a great thing, but you don't have to pay $20,000 to further your Nursing knowledge, there are arguably better ways to further your knowledge outside of RN to BSN programs.
I would avoid facilities that are affiliated with BSN granting institutions as they do tend to hire their own grads. I wouldn't necessarily write off facilities that say "BSN preferred". My facility puts that on all of our job postings, at the suggestion of one of our CNS's, but the managers who actually do the hiring don't have a preference, they just want someone who can take a full patient load with minimal training.
You could work till you're 70 to break even with getting a BSN, or break even at 65. Personally I don't see anything good about having the opportunity to work till you're 70 so you can pay off your education.
MunoRN,I think you're right. After I started this topic, I've carefully considered everyone's comments on this thread & appreciate each one who replied.
Since then, I have also asked many people, including an academic advisor, nursg. instructor, my parents, friends & family all this past week, & it is unanimous that it's not worth my financial investment or added stress to continue on with the BSN. I am very content with this advice, & believe they're right. It's also a total shame, we have no $compensation here in my area for the extra degree! I think the "magnet status" is more of a "competitive marketing status". Why not hire the ADN's & diploma RN's , & save the BSN for those who choose to go into management. Not all of us want to do that.
If the job market where you are at isn't so competitive that they are demanding BSN-prepared nurses, then I wouldn't bother. At sixty-one, you would be VERY close to retirement age, and do you really want to pay off your student loans into retirement? Plus, BSN schools can be ridiculously overpriced; I personally would want to enjoy my "golden" years without the stress of having to pay those loans off.[/QUOT
ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP
1 Article; 2,594 Posts
If the job market where you are at isn't so competitive that they are demanding BSN-prepared nurses, then I wouldn't bother. At sixty-one, you would be VERY close to retirement age, and do you really want to pay off your student loans into retirement? Plus, BSN schools can be ridiculously overpriced; I personally would want to enjoy my "golden" years without the stress of having to pay those loans off.