I am sure many people have heard of the social issue/ cause "school to prison pipeline" that many civic groups are trying to eradicate. I am here to draw attention to a similar related problem , the college to welfare pipeline.
Due to an intricate , intimate, and covert relationship between big government politicos, higher education, Bureau of Occupational affairs, and the Federal/ State Department of labor, we have a serious student debt problem in the nursing field that is only going to get worse. Nurses need to wake up and take note of the LPN to RN hoax, and the RN-BSN hoax. These are all well publicized , propaganda driven falsities that are crushing nurses into debt driven higher education requirements. These propaganda driven requirements brainwash nurses into believing that without the extra education, they will not be employed.
And to a certain degree, they are correct, but its important for nurses to see the pitfall, before taking the dive. There is little to no difference in responsibility or pay rate from LPN to RN, and most RNs are taking the lower wage, just to have a job. There is zero difference in job responsibility or pay from RN to BSN, but the dollars spent to get there are substantial. The RN to BSN pipeline is a grotesque narrative that is being sung, for the sole purpose of enriching nursing schools. The NCLEX exam is identical for RNs and BSNs, the scope of practice is identical, and so are all the pay rates. A staff nurse is a staff nurse, is a staff nurse, too.
So why go for your BSN? Its because the hospitals and other various 24/ 7 institutional care providers say so. They have all built a united wall against the ADN RN. We are becoming an extinct species, because no one will hire us. Is the BSN a job guarantee? Of course not. Is any higher education a job guarantee? Nope. Big government politicos want student debt to skyrocket , so that they can fly in and save everyone with free bailouts, loan forgiveness, and thousands of more votes on election day.
May the buyer beware, until that utopia comes to fruition. In the meantime, take a serious look inward into the pitfalls, tricks and traps of higher education in the nursing field. The powers that be want you to keep jumping hurdles , spending more and more money, hoping to get hired, and falling deeper and deeper into debt, during the process. The higher you jump, the more you spend, and the less you earn. For many nurses who fell for these schemes, the financial devastation has been both swift and severe.
Hospitals and nursing homes were doing the same thing then, that they continue to do to this day. ADVERTISE jobs with sign on bonuses, but if you could find me even one nurse who actually collected the bonus, I would be surprised. This is part of the false propaganda that is continuing to brainwash people into thinking there is a shortage of nurses. I see these straight up fake ads all the time.
They should give the money up front! Then repay if you don't stay.
would you be willing to let me know where the "cheap" online RN-BSN programs are? As one of those 2 year RNs (with a BS and MA in other professions that is ignored as useless) , I've been completely locked out of hospital work, due to the fact that all hospitals in my area have joined forces in requiring the BSN for any job. I looked into the distance learning online venues and could not find a single class for under $1,000...classes ranging from $300 to $400 per credit hour.
Western Governors University, that is if your state has it, you pay by the time. If you push yourself you can get through in record time. I already had the knowledge, so just had to prove it. It took me 4 months of staying on the computer and in my pajamas. Sometimes, I couldn't see much when I was done for the day. I was only the second one that my mentor had that did it so fast. But, it was my experience and prior knowledge that takes the credit, that and my dogged determination of course.
Oh, but one more thing that I should have said earlier — OP, I am sorry for your struggles. It always breaks my heart when our profession becomes a source of sorrow. I wish you all the best.
Yeah, similar experience that I was invited to present a poster at a national conference after I sent in the abstract from my MSN capstone project that saved our ED more than $100K per year in terms of nursing time spent on a repetitive task that needed to change. It's not been point and click here either.
I hear ya, I worked my behind off and learned plenty.
I don't need a BSN or an MSN to identify the way hospitals and other facilities blow money and resources out the window by their outdated/ inefficient practices that are often the result of very poor leadership. For example, the standard computer documentation system in SNF is an inefficient and costly beast which basically prevents nurses from spending any time at the bedside, whatsoever. Redundant / repeat charting, and entering/ re-entered data, are just a couple of the inefficiencies. Pointed this out multiple times, fell on deaf ears. I could go on, but I digress.
Good lord, I think you need to mention your 3 degrees again. MANY OF US have multiple degrees. If it's not in what you want to do, then it's not appropriate for the job!
Your entire "everyone is out to get me" attitude and the "I don't have to do anything for THE MAN" might give a clue as to why you are having trouble getting a job...getting ghosted on interviews etc. Your ego is in the way. My mother's favorite saying is "It is what it is". IT IS WHAT IT IS. Either "play" by the rules or don't. But the game was well established before you got into it and no one asked you to join. I'm out too. You will not accept any other opinions and you don't want to do what needs to be done to further your career, so there is no point. The entire post was pointless if you don't want solutions.
I must add to the thread by mentioning that a number of years ago, I came into a discussion about higher education with an MD from a foreign nation, who practices medicine in one of our local hospitals. He was aghast at the American system of education, which requires a new education every time you turn your head. ...and his continued remarks about how a degree in his home country was portable, and qualified people to work in any number of different jobs, not just a single sector. Of course, his home country does not have a student debt crisis, because there is no such thing as a government backed student loan. One of my most memorable conversations with an MD.
Graduated in 1975 with BSN because, even back in the times of polyester hot pants, the word was out...gotta have a BSN and jobs at a prestigeous hospital in NYC required them. I understand that college has become relatively more expensive (I managed with a part-time job, food stamps and scholarships) so I understand not having the luxury of BSN being the first degree. But, for heavens sake, as soon as you graduate with an ADN, keep on going for that next degree..even if it's one course at a time. I just don't get it how people are complaining about getting a BSN since we've been warned since 1975.
Hello, I can certainly understand your views and frustration. The good thing to remember about the education levels, employment rates and pay of nurses is...
1. A college degree in Nursing can open the doors to many careers, not just nursing
2. Yes, it is unfortunate that there are unemployed college educated nurses but perseverance pays off. When people are greedy and unfair, government assistance helps
3. There is no requirement to pay back loans when income is not high enough and there are income based payment plans too.
Cheer up it gets better... Go on a vacation to clear your mind ?
I just don't get it how people are complaining about getting a BSN since we've been warned since 1975.
No disrespect intended, but I don't understand the relevance. I don't agree with all the comments and ideas in the thread and am not anti-education whatsoever, but I do think the BSN thing is a convoluted mess that overall doesn't make as much sense to the front line as it apparently does to the engineers of the nursing profession. I'm not even sure it's panning out exactly how they planned, anyway. I think there might have been a decent vision/goal about how it could improve the profession, but it seems like the requisite "stakeholder buy-in" was never in the cards.
My main thing is that although BSNs are desired in many entry level positions, I don't see any indication that anyone (particularly in acute care) is prepared to regard BSNs as professionals. BSNs will still be looking at positions classified as "variable days, shifts, weekends, holidays," floating here and there/getting pulled mid-shift, being mandated and/or put on-call, getting written up willy-nilly, being threatened and disparaged, punching a clock and still fighting ludicrous fights in 2019 like whether they should really have to "punch out" when they couldn't take a break. IMO, all of this is the main reason why the BSN has steadfastly remained a point of contention - - - it hasn't tangibly changed anything for a lot of people who enjoy taking care of sick patients, yet it is being increasingly "desired"/demanded in those very roles.
I think it majorly depends on what you are willing to do to get hired.
I'm in a suburb of chicago. I was just pinned on Wednesday from an ADN program. I already have 4 job offers (2 tele, 1 ICU, and 1 stroke). I started sending out personalized resumes, with 3 letters of reccomendation and personalized cover letters, at the end of March. I plan on taking the nclex mid June, but not starting an RN position until med August (I want to spend time with my kids this summer).
I got a very part time job my 2nd year of school (even though I went full time and have 4 young kids) to give me a better chance at getting a new grad position, but only 1 of my offers is from the hospital I work at.
I know people who graduated in December from the same school as I did and also local bsn programs, who sent out 40+ resumes and only got 1 call for an interview.
I think that whether you are hired quickly (or at all) really depends on networking and making sure that you have a STELLAR resume (eyecatching but professional, very tailored/personalized to the job, hit all the key words in the job listing, addressed to the right person (by name), and absolutely free from error).
Sometimes I think of nursing as a gentrifying line of work. Like a gentrifying neighborhood, some areas are affected more than others. Higher degrees are asked for where once a diploma or ADN was enough. Like gentrification, some people are going to lose out. Where I work, there is pressure for full-time staff to get certifications too. Getting into nursing school is a whole lot more competitive.
Sadly, a college education doesn't buy us financially what it once did. Most of my ADN classmates had college degrees in other fields. We were educated but unskilled. What I paid for my college and nursing education is far less than what is charged now.
It is like people see student debt as normal now. That wasn't always the case.
Specializes in Nursing Education, Public Health, Medical Policy.
On 5/16/2019 at 4:31 PM, panurse9999 said:
Um, sweetie, you have not even had your first day of work yet, and you are on here giving us all career advice. BTW, I used to live out in the Pittsburgh area...by far the most saturated area of the state, next to Philly. My friends live their, and I hear the stories of complete market saturation for nurses. So either you are a bot trying to silence the truth, or your a fluke. Good luck.
Hey- let’s keep the comments professional here- you are looking less than stellar here with this kind of patronizing language pannurse9999..
Forest2
625 Posts
They should give the money up front! Then repay if you don't stay.