rn vs. bsn - preping for bsn while completing asn with no interest in administrative?

The idea that the BSN is just about "administrative stuff" is hogwash -- hogwash that has been perpetuated by people who have some sort of disdain or resentment towards those with higher education.

Like most persistent myths, it was built on a few facts -- but it is a myth nonetheless. The purpose of most of the BSN curriculum is to enrich the practice of nurses in ALL roles, not just those in administrative positions. In the past, in some communities, the only people who went from ADN to BSN were those interested in career advancement in roles that were away from the bedside. That's what their interest was, so that's what the local schools emphasized in their curricula. However, not all RN-BSN programs did that, are like that, etc. There is more to it and more possibilities.

The bedside nurse has much to gain by the more advanced knowledge available in a good RN-BSN program (and I admit there are bad schools as well as good ones). For example: Every professional nurse should be able to read the nursing literature, understand what they read, review it critically, and interpret it wisely for application to their practice. To do that, you need a foundation of knowledge about nursing research and theroy -- usually only taught in BSN programs. That knowledge and skill should not be possessed by the "administration" only. The nurse at the bedside benefits from that knowledge.

The vision of the Magnet program is that the bedside staff nurses actively participate in the decision-making about practice policies, the design of systems and processes used in the workplace to deliver care, etc. Bedside staff nurses whose education includes an introduction to the nursing literature, management, education, leadership, etc. are better able to participate as bedside caregivers in these decision-making processes. They aren't just token members of the committee, they are key members who influence the work and outcomes of such committees. Such nurses will also have a stronger foundation to strengthen their performance as staff nurse leaders -- mentors to less experienced nurses, preceptors, charge nurses, etc.

If staff nurses want to have a strong, meaningful voice in the running of their own work environment and how they care for patients, they need a knowledge of the organization, how it works, how to effect change, etc. The introductory content of such knowledge and skill is the type of "administrative" content found in most BSN programs. It's "administration" at the staff nurse and unit level only -- content which should be of interest to a bedside nurse who wants a say in his/her own practice.

And note that I said "introduction" in the above paragraph. An introduction is all that BSN students get. They get an introduction that qualifies them only to move up slightly on the career ladder. A Master's Degree is preferred for most really advanced roles.

Then there is also the expanded perspective that comes with greater education -- greater understanding of the world and its people that comes from some of the social science and humanities courses ... the stronger and more varied intellectual skills that should develop with the study of different disciplines ... and the broader perspective of health, illness, health care, etc. that comes through the study of community health.

In summary, the added education gives staff nurses more tools to use, a stronger voice, and ultimately more influence within the health care system -- influence we hope they will use to make improvements in their work environments and the patient care they deliver.

That's the drive behind the move to upgrade nursing education. It's just plain wrong to think of a BSN as only preparation for management roles. Look closely at the backgrounds and biases of people who tell you that it is only about administrative roles. Those people are either woefully mis-informed or have an axe to grind.