I am a new RN, graduated from one of the toughest nursing programs in the country.
I was lucky enough to land a job in this economy, even better in the department that I love the most!
Life is great, seriously..What could go wrong?!
Its another day in nursing orientation, a handful of us new nurses listening to lectures, performing skills, participating in work shops. FUN!
One day, for the head to toe assessment, a nursing instructor from a private school sits in with her clinical group to listen to the head to toe lecture.
She starts off by saying..
Congratulations you all have jobs!!!
Its because you all have your bachelors... be sure to tell that to all your friends who have their associates.
I was the only one in the group with an associates in nursing.
So I said, I have an associates, and last I checked I have a job.
I SOOOOOOOOO wanted to go on.
I wanted to ask her, with a genuinely dumb look on my face..
The nurses with their bachelors, do they take a different board exam from those associate nurses?
Wait for a response, then come back with EXACTLYYYYY!
I felt about 2 inches tall, but whatever. The school I went to had 1500 applicants, and I was the lucky person to be included in the 150 to get accepted ...of those 150, i was the lucky 70 to graduate on time (we had 90 something at pinning but we had about a dozen of LPNs and the rest were students who had to repeat a course)
Needless to say, I felt small. Was unable to concentrate, but I reminded myself of the little things..and began to feel better.
No student loans to pay back!! So my first paycheck, Im going to blow it and go shopping!!!
I am only making a whopping...drum roll please...50 cents less per hour than those with a higher degree.
I saved a ton of money by taking the NCLEX once and passing it on the first try, with 75 questions baby!
I am going back for my bachelors, my masters even (i would love to have that clinical instructor work for me one day) this time the place I work for is going to reimburse me for my tuition.
This post is not an invitation to flame and debate some more on why one is "better" than the other
This was an opportunity to share my experience, hopefully lift the spirits of someone who had a similar story.
Listen. Finish a nursing program, any nursing program, and we'll talk about how much you really know about nursing education. As it stands, you're just running off at the mouth with nothing to back your opinions up other than your individual experience with the requirements of one local community college's ADN program.
Those that make valid, informed points against your empty opinions are "grasping at straws", as you like to say over and over.
There's a term for what you're doing. It's called trolling.
I'm done here.
After reading this persons other posts, I agree. She is only here to argue about things she doesn't even understand. You guys are beating your head against a dead horse. ;-)
Specializes in Emergency, Case Management, Informatics.
After reading this persons other posts, I agree. She is only here to argue about things she doesn't even understand. You guys are beating your head against a dead horse. ;-)
You're absolutely right. Some people just aren't very receptive to facts that do not mesh with their superior knowledge of nursing and medicine (which I'm guessing comes from watching too many episodes of ER and Grey's Anatomy).
Pre-nursing students who don't agree with experienced nurses and who are not receptive to new information that goes against what they think they know are in for a rude awakening once their nursing instructors rip into them. I don't foresee a good outcome for any nursing student with this kind of attitude toward experienced nurses.
Time to start making judicious use of that Report button. Or maybe I'll just save myself the headache and add said persons to the Idgit List.
Go to the "My Account" tab. Click on "User Control Panel", then click on "Settings". You will see a button that will allow you to edit your ignore list. Type in the name of the poster you would like to put on "ignore".
You're absolutely right. Some people just aren't very receptive to facts that do not mesh with their superior knowledge of nursing and medicine (which I'm guessing comes from watching too many episodes of ER and Grey's Anatomy).
Pre-nursing students who don't agree with experienced nurses and who are not receptive to new information that goes against what they think they know are in for a rude awakening once their nursing instructors rip into them. I don't foresee a good outcome for any nursing student with this kind of attitude toward experienced nurses.
Time to start making judicious use of that Report button. Or maybe I'll just save myself the headache and add said persons to the Idgit List.
This is such an OLD debate...and I'm tired of it too! Back when I was in school (BSN, graduated 1983), we always heard about how ADN nurses were going to be "phased out", and I thought "whew, glad I'm in a BSN program". Well, hello....the ADN's are still here, baby.....and I'm glad they are! I teach in an ADN nursing program.
Don't let anyone make you feel bad. ADN, BSN, they all take the same test! Be proud.
Ha ha! OLD debate is right, like >30 years now lol.
Not only that, but the diploma programs have evolved and adapted, and are still going strong in rural Pennsylvania, and they are off the radar screen of the high school guidance departments, who are funneling students almost exclusively into BSRN. So, some of the diploma programs get far fewer applicants than either the AS or BS RN programs, perhaps maybe only 160 applicants for 70 seats, but some get in the ballpark of 350 for only 35 seats. And with all of the college credits that modern diploma programs require, many diploma programs are at least equivalent to an AS degree, and in some cases are much stronger in clinical experience than many AS or BS college degrees. Penn State and other online BS degree completer programs accept diploma RNs just like AS degrees. And in the more rural areas, new-grad diploma RN or AS RN still can be hired.
I am a recent grad of a diploma school from a hospital. Unfortunately 2011 will graduate its final class not because of declining enrollment (because they had over 300 people come in for open house) but because of politics from the "big" hospital corporation they are affiliated with.
I too found it to be difficult to get away from the need to have a BSN when getting a job (especially when they have no more nursing experience then I do). I have been to job fairs with Diploma, ADN and BSN's in attendance and some of the nurse managers did say they preferred BSNs. But surprisingly the former LPN's (now RN's) with experience from LTC facilities are getting hired fast at major hospitals. All of my friends who were LPN's in LTC facilities got job offers back to back!
I think experience (in years) for the most part outranks whatever comes behind your name. With that being said, I do feel that having a BSN gives you a slight advantage over everyone else but the pay is no different. And I must say that a lot of my friends work at large regional and some at world renown hospitals with just that diploma degree! And I just got a job offer from a large magnet hospital to start in the new year. Some of us plan to stay with just that diploma while others are choosing to continue to pursue more education. I know I will continue on to get my BSN and other nursing credentials but not because I feel I am less of a nurse but I just want more opportunities and options.
The debate over who is the better nurse is nonsense! I have seen poor nurses on all ends of the education spectrum! But I will not stand by anyone saying a diploma school is easier because in my school we had 3-4hr classes 2x's a week and clinicals starting the second week of the start of term 2x's a week and scholarly papers, essays, speeches etc for every class! Yes we worked our butts off and had a high percentage of grads passing the NCLEX the first time! And all of us are damn good nurses!
I think it all depends on how you choose to begin your nursing path. Some choose a university to get a BSN while others choose to get a ADN or diploma in 2-3yrs it just depends on what your situation is. But in the end all of us have RN at the end of our names, and good, caring, professional nursing care is what dictates the kind of nurse we will be. I don't think a patient will care one way or the other how you got to be a RN as long as you treat them respect, compassion and dignity and get job done!
There is more than one semester difference between a person who has no college trying to get an associates or a bachelors degree. I'm not sure why you keep saying this.
A bachelor's degree requires at least one more year of school, sometimes two more years of school.
my friend and I completed preqs at the same time and both applied to different nursing schools. she aplied to a ASN and I applied to BS program, and we are both going to finish in five semesters.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
my friend and I completed preqs at the same time and both applied to different nursing schools. she aplied to a ASN and I applied to BS program, and we are both going to finish in five semesters.
*** Your friend it being taken advantage of by the community college. An ADN should be able to be finished in two years (assuming the student arrives ready to take college level classes). Here in Wisconsin the ADN program is set up to be finished in two years with no college class pre-req's, just high school grad or GED, CPR, CNA, & background check.
This is like those people who already have a bachelors degree taking supposedly "accelerated" BSN programs that take two years plus pre-req's. Two years in the standard, NOT accelerated.
*** Your friend it being taken advantage of by the community college. An ADN should be able to be finished in two years (assuming the student arrives ready to take college level classes). Here in Wisconsin the ADN program is set up to be finished in two years with no college class pre-req's, just high school grad or GED, CPR, CNA, & background check.
This is like those people who already have a bachelors degree taking supposedly "accelerated" BSN programs that take two years plus pre-req's. Two years in the standard, NOT accelerated.
the 'accelerated' BSN programs take 18 months not counting the pre-reqs. even when trying to speed the program up, only 6 months gets knocked off of the standard 2 years.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
the 'accelerated' BSN programs take 18 months not counting the pre-reqs. even when trying to speed the program up, only 6 months gets knocked off of the standard 2 years.
*** Yes I understand that some are 18 months and I guess you could call knocking off 6 months "accelerated". But some are a couple years. How is that accelerated?
*** Yes I understand that some are 18 months and I guess you could call knocking off 6 months "accelerated". But some are a couple years. How is that accelerated?
if it's a 2 year program taken after 2 years of pre-reqs then it's not accelerated - that's standard. i haven't seen anyone say that.
:yeah:
backatit2
368 Posts
some people appear to looove dead horses!
:yeah: