What can I do with my BSN that Assoc. RN's can't?

RoaminHankRN · Jun 17, 2004

We should do away with all the extra letters at the end of your name on the badge and stick with RN. Do you really think a patient, physician or other healthcare provider cares if you are BSN, ADN or what have you?

Also, there are many in nursing management that got there with an ADN. Granted working toward a BSN is important to further your management track but not having a BSN does not mean one is not capable to manage or lead. Nowadays many job postings say BSN preferred.

TexasPoodleMix · Jun 17, 2004

Also, there are many in nursing management that got there with an ADN. .

My MIL had a management position (no idea on the specifics) and she has an ADN. She was getting paid quite well .

Sheri257 · Jun 17, 2004

I am sure that what you say is true about your particular hospital. But on a national level, the trend is that an increasing number of employers would "prefer" to have most of those positions filled with nurses with a BSN or higher. They will fill those positions with nurses without BSN's if there are not many well-qualified BSN's in the area interested in the job -- but in communities in which BSN's (who also have the right job experience) are available, the BSN's are usually given a preference.
Also, people in school now in school or recently out of school and who are looking ahead to another 20, 30, or 40 years of nursing practice ahead of them should be thinking about what employee preferences will be in the future -- not at what someone was able to do 5 years ago or even now. Their career will be mostly in the future (not the past or present) and they need to prepare for that. If you look at the historical trends, it indicates that nurses with more advanced education will have more job opportunities than those who don't -- and those opportunities will be in clincial positions as well as management and educational ones.
And just because that trend has not held true for a few individuals in the past (or present) in a few jobs, that doesn't negate the trend. Why do you think all those nurses with ADN's and diplomas are going back to school? -- because they see that the jobs that they can get now will not keep them happy forever. They are smart and taking care of their futures.
llg

Nah ... I'm all for getting a BSN. But I think you're wrong on several counts. It's not the simple.

The nursing shortage is growing by more than 10,000 additional vacant postions per year and will increase at an even higher rate, mostly because of aging baby boomers. In the next 16 years, the shortage will be 800,000 vacant positions nationwide, even worse after that.

If you take California as an example (where we have 35 million people and the shortage is already acute) there are more than 70 ADN programs and only 20 BSN programs. Even if you assume that employers truly have a preference for BSNs, now or in the future (which is doubtful), they don't and won't have much of a choice. You'd have to shut down every hospital in the state. They don't have enough nurses now, and they certainly won't in the future, even with the existing system where ADN programs far outnumber BSN programs.

Employers are also in the education business, since they do pay for staff (like LVNs, CNAs etc.) to become RNs. Of the six nursing programs within a 60 mile radius of where I live, two are BSNs. One is a good program, but costs a fortune ($30,000). The other is a more affordable state university, but the NCLEX pass rate barely meets the state's minimum 70 percent requirement, 15 percent below the state and national average (not to mention much lower than the surrounding ADN programs, which are even cheaper than the state BSN program).

Because of these factors, some employers actually prefer the ADN programs in this area because, obviously, they prefer paying less, and they like paying for a school that has higher NCLEX pass rates. It's risky to pay more for a BSN program where the grads have less of a chance passing the NCLEX. And, for those people who aren't LVNs, etc. some employers do prefer the ADN programs because they do obtain more clinical experience, since the above mentioned state BSN program is accelerated.

The fact is: employers know which schools turn out well trained grads, and which schools don't. A title doesn't always mean as much as cost, NCLEX pass rates, clinicals, etc. The individual school's track record can count a lot more.

However, I do think a BSN is a good idea in general. And if you're talking about getting a BSN so you can go on to CRNA school and things like that then, yeah, they will have better job opportunties. But if we're only talking about BSNs versus ADNs ... ADNs will probably do just as well as BSNs in the future, if that's as far as they want to go.

I know plenty of ADNs who work in management positions and the like. Unless there's state mandated educational requirements for certain jobs, it really doesn't matter. Work experience often counts more than anything else.

mawbellRn2Bn04 · Jun 20, 2004

Well I just have to reply to the post that said the hospitals prefer BSN to ASN. From what I have seen here in E. TN the hospitals could care less and considering that 80% of the RN work force in the US are ADN holding nurses, a hospital in shortage would be shooting themselves in the foot to require more than an ADN. Its makes no difference what your degree is on that floor. As a new ASN graduate on the operating room floor I am working side by side with a new BSN graduate training to do the very same thing. Long term, a BSN is gonna help her to do more if she wants. And after I am done with my perioperative trianing, I am thinking of going to ETSU and doing a once amonth ASN to BSN program because long term, I would like to get my CRNA. With that said Congratulations on your BSN and hang in there. Unfortunately the hospitals around here only give more pay based on experience and not degree for the BSN and ASN's. take care Tracy

AcosmicRN · Jun 20, 2004

Where I work, less than a dollar an hour is given for new grads with a BSN. The hospital makes no descrimination in hiring between ADN or BSN. The managers are BSN, but not necessarily the assistant managers. In the education department, they have masters, and the main instructor isn't even a nurse, he has an MPH.

I hope they make BSN the entry level position and grandfather in ADNs like me so I will get paid more as the salaries go up.

Acosmic

nursecookie1 · Jul 6, 2004

I am 54 years old and will graduate with my BSN in May 2005. It has not been easy, but I am preparing for the future in case I decide to get away from critical care and the ER. I expect to work until I retire and the BSN will give me an opportunity to find a nursing niche more suitable as I grow older.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2004

AAS nurses will not laugh at you. :imbar I think a good number of us are wondering if we should have gone for the BSN in the first place, or if we should go back to school for it.

Where I work, the regional administrator is an AAS nurse, the DON is an AAS nurse, and so is the director of staff education. The PD dept. coodinator is a diploma school nurse.

There are four BSNs at my facility and they all work the floor doing direct pt care.

My employer does not pay BSNs any more than AAS nurses. In fact, I just found out that I am making $4.00/hr more than one of the BSN nurses, because I've been a nurse for 12 years, and he's been a nurse for 4 years.

Even though the BSN is not valued over the AAS in some areas, it is in others.

I think Dixielee has a very good point.

Her BSN has enabled her to do a job that "she could do from a wheelchair" and it is still nursing. Nursing is a physically demanding job. My back is wrecked, and I wonder where I'll be when it fianally goes out for good. I think I'd feel much more secure if I had a BSN.

In my mind- more education = more security.

bobbiesal · Jul 6, 2004

I started my career w/an associate degree - wouldn't have done it any other way! Why? Because the board passage rate for my school compared to the two 4 year programs was close to 100% compared to their 75% and 60%. Also, I received a scholarship based on GPA only, so was able to attend for $14/credit hour, compared to $10,000 a semester. It wasn't a difficult decision... That was in 1986...

I worked as a staff nurse for 12 years, straight nites, all ICU - loved every minute of it. I wouldn't have been paid a dime more for a BSN. I went back to school because I wanted to go to grad school - THAT is something you can do with a BSN that ADNs cannot do. I'm a PNP now, and will start my PhD in the fall of 2005 - because I cannot believe we turn away tens of THOUSANDS of students per year due to lack of instructors, then raid other countries' supply of nurses because - damn(!) - we have a nursing shortage...

As for quality of nurses? It depends on motivation of the person - not the degree you hold. If you are motivated to keep up on latest practice, commit yourself to being the best you can be, practice evidence based medicine/nursing..that's what makes a quality RN, NOT what the letters are behind your name...

Bobbie Salveson MS RN CPNP

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2004

Congrats. On the floor you're not going to notice a difference. You never know though if hospital floor nursing is where you want to spend your entire career. It's nice to have options and education.

Good luck!

NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2004

We should do away with all the extra letters at the end of your name on the badge and stick with RN. Do you really think a patient, physician or other healthcare provider cares if you are BSN, ADN or what have you?

I disagree. If you've earned those degrees, you deserve to be recognized for it. We all know it won't be in the paycheck. That ADN, Diploma or BSN is something that can't be taken away from you. Whatever way you got the RN, you should wear it loud and proud! This dance is what I'll be doing when I complete my ADN in May!

ADNCyn · Jul 6, 2004

This all very interesting... And most know what I am about to say... The only letters I care about belong to G O D!!! He is the reason for the season in the first place. I congratulate anyone, if I knew they had a higher degree in nursing and/or in anything else, unless they made it a point to let me know at every moment we had a conversation. That happens in every working situation, all different levels of education of people working together for a common cause. God Bless us all :rotfl: with or without a "degree".

JWaldron · Jul 6, 2004

>snip

but don't think you're above those other ADN nurses... they will surely put you in your place, real fast. just because you're a BSN and the others are ADN doesn't mean that you are a "better" nurse. it just means that you had a few extra classes (around here, those are humanities) than they did. a lot of ADN nurses have bach. degrees in other fields.

remember, you can always have something to learn from an experienced RN. and most likely, based on the fact that most RN's are ADN nurses, some of the best RN's in your hospital are ADN nurses!

we all take the same NCLEX, and we all put our pants on one leg at a time.

And that's the truth. On my (evening) shift, on my unit, we have 6 RNs - 4 of us have BAs in something other than nursing, and 2 of us have Master's degrees, so don't assume you are better educated than those around you. And NEVER forget that an education doesn't make you smarter, only better informed. Lots of nurses have lived their education. See point made above. and don't forget that you can learn a lot fron the CNAs and the LPNs or whoever else you work with.

It has been my experience that the BSN nurses have the LEAST clinical experience, the AND nurses have a middleing amount and the LPN/LVN nurses have the greatest amount of clinical experience coming out of school, at least in the area (NYC).

Good luck on your boards - I found it a terrifying experience, tho I did well, and congratulations on graduating - it's a major accomplishment, but is is just the first step of learning the skills of nursing.

Savvy