RN vs BSN, is a BSN really worth it?

817nurse · Aug 25, 2015

It depends on your local job market. In some cities and states, you will not be hired in acute care without a BSN. If you want a job upon graduation, I suggest you jump through the extra hoops to earn a BSN degree.

It is not about salary. It is about getting a job in the first place.

icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2015

Yes. The BSN is preferred or required in many parts of the country for entry level positions in acute care hospitals.

Jules A, MSN · Aug 25, 2015

If the OP isn't set on acute care or a hospital job maybe its not all that big of a deal? If that is something they decide down the line they can always do RN to BSN which although a bit costly imo was stupid easy and something that can be done while working full time.

I would have not gotten my BSN if I didn't want to become a NP because I only got $1 an hour raise and in my field, psychiatry, there hasn't been such a glut of nurses who want in that even at large hospitals its not usually difficult to get a job.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2015

Agreed. The BSN is becoming the standard entry point for RNS in many areas of the US. Furthermore, if you decide to travel outside the US at some point, a BSN is the minimum requirement for Canada, Australia and the UK.

You never know where you might decide to end up. It is worth it.

calivianya, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2015

Around here no one offers a pay difference between ADN and BSN prepared nurses. The ADNs are just more likely to still be working at their restaurant jobs waiting tables than the BSNs.

BeachsideRN, ASN · Aug 25, 2015

For me it was more cost effective to do adn then run/ban bridge than to do the ABSN or traditional BSN. And my market is still hiring adn prepared nurses

Upward_Bound · Aug 30, 2015

The difference in student debt if I go ASD or BSN is the difference of about 30,000.

The prerequisite time difference would be 1 year since most schools start Fall only.

So is getting a BSN worth 30,000 of debt? If so how quickly can I make that money up.

Purple_roses · Aug 30, 2015

The BSN opens more employment doors.

Purple_roses · Aug 30, 2015

The difference in student debt if I go ASD or BSN is the difference of about 30,000.
The prerequisite time difference would be 1 year since most schools start Fall only.
So is getting a BSN worth 30,000 of debt? If so how quickly can I make that money up.

You do not *have* to get into 30k more debt to go the BSN route.

For my current situation, it is financially wiser for me to get my ADN at a community college, get a job, then apply for a bridge program. In my area, hospitals are still frequently hiring ADNs. If I lived in an area that only hired BSNs in the hospital setting, I would go straight for the BSN.

featherzRN, MSN · Aug 31, 2015

Get your ADN, then do an RN to BSN program - stay away from the high priced schools and it won't cost you anywhere near 30K. Even here in rural upstate NY our hospitals want BSN now. If you don't have one they expect you to get it within three years of hire.

QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 31, 2015

To me it's worth it even without a potential pay increase. There's nothing wrong with having more education, and I say this as someone who has an ADN. I am going back to get my bachelors. I was raised to have more education, so not stopping at an ADN, even if I never made one cent greater in salary with a BSN, is a must for me.