What Does a BSN have to do with CRNA?

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I have just finished my BSN and I was thinking of someday working on an going back to an CRNA.

To tell you the truth I don't feel like I learn much of anything. I learn a couple some Med-Surg clinical skills and some disease knowledge, but not much more. I have been reading about CRNAs for years and I cannot even understand why I had to get a BSN to get CRNA.

They seem like apples and oranges, which would make me happy because I didn't enjoy my nursing courses they seemed more like BS then BSN courses.

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Nurse anesthesia is a graduate (masters level) program. Very few grad programs in any field permit students to enter without a four-year degree. Admission to CRNA programs is also pretty competitive, so for every person who might complain about the requirements, there is another person who is willing to complete them.

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I am not complaining about the requirement. I am just having a difficult time seeing what I have learned. I have a previous degree and it does not seem like a BSN taught me much of anything that is relevant to being a CRNA.

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Specializes in I know stuff ;).

Hey J

I think it totally depends on where you go as to how good your BSN program is. Mine was a BScN program and it was awesome.

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A year or two managing vents and critical patients in the ICU is a good proving ground for future CRNA's. You'd never get that experience without an RN license.

You have to walk before you can run...

They want to know you an be a good nurse before they train you to be a good Nurse anesthetist.

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Specializes in I know stuff ;).

UGH

This is absolutely wrong.

I got twice the clinical time than ANY diploma or ADN program in the USA. Now my program was in Canada, but there are programs in the USA easily as good. Our clinical time was 2 months every summer and 2 months throughout the year. Thats a total of 4 years Univ. which = 16 months of clinical time. This is as long as some programs.

Please, dont insult what you have not done/know. There is no blanket statement to be made about a BSN. That would be like me saying that Diplomas or ADNs "Dont know anything about WHY they do things, they just read and follow the orders the Doctor tells them to", CLEARLY not true. While i agree many are simply BS and full of "touchy feely" crap (especially post grad BSNs it seems), the truth is not all are setup that way.

Also, those who go forward and get a BSN set themselves apart from all those who do not. Seperate from the clinical side of nursing is the drive to go further and work harder. All those who take their CCRN, CEN, CFRN etc and do their BSN, MSN, PhD are to be commended as people who didnt take the easy way and went the extra mile. Type "A" personalities.

However you see it, the requirement of a professional degree is a way to weed out those who arent willing to put in the effort. Do you want the advanced practitioner who "didnt think a degree was worth anything" being the one to take care of you? This absolutely reminds me of people i have worked with in the ER/ICU saying "I could do what the doctor does" after working somewhere for so long. What hubris. The truth comes to mind that "you dont know what you dont know"

Nursing is one of the only health care professions left that allows for a non-degree (ADN isnt a degree) entrance level. Hell, half them are MASTERS entry now or Doctorate entry. This needs to change to advance the profession in the USA. What it says to both the general public and the academic community is that nursing is little more than "technical school" akin to plumbing and electrical work. Thats NOT good for the profession.

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HOW the heck this this evolve so quickly into a BSN vs every other nurse degree debate???

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UGH

I got twice the clinical time than ANY diploma or ADN program in the USA. Now my program was in Canada, but there are programs in the USA easily as good. Our clinical time was 2 months every summer and 2 months throughout the year. Thats a total of 4 years Univ. which = 16 months of clinical time. This is as long as some programs.

My program was similar - started clinicals first week of college, continued up until the week before I graduated. Excellent experience.

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Mike,

What is a BScN program? What does the "c" stand for?

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Specializes in I know stuff ;).

Hi Kann!

Its the same as your BSN in the states.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

In Canada any science degree is abbrev. with Sc where in the USA its S. so BScN = BSN ;)

Mike,

What is a BScN program? What does the "c" stand for?

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UGH

This is absolutely wrong.

I got twice the clinical time than ANY diploma or ADN program in the USA. Now my program was in Canada, but there are programs in the USA easily as good. Our clinical time was 2 months every summer and 2 months throughout the year. Thats a total of 4 years Univ. which = 16 months of clinical time. This is as long as some programs.

Please, dont insult what you have not done/know. There is no blanket statement to be made about a BSN. That would be like me saying that Diplomas or ADNs "Dont know anything about WHY they do things, they just read and follow the orders the Doctor tells them to", CLEARLY not true. While i agree many are simply BS and full of "touchy feely" crap (especially post grad BSNs it seems), the truth is not all are setup that way.

Also, those who go forward and get a BSN set themselves apart from all those who do not. Seperate from the clinical side of nursing is the drive to go further and work harder. All those who take their CCRN, CEN, CFRN etc and do their BSN, MSN, PhD are to be commended as people who didnt take the easy way and went the extra mile. Type "A" personalities.

However you see it, the requirement of a professional degree is a way to weed out those who arent willing to put in the effort. Do you want the advanced practitioner who "didnt think a degree was worth anything" being the one to take care of you? This absolutely reminds me of people i have worked with in the ER/ICU saying "I could do what the doctor does" after working somewhere for so long. What hubris. The truth comes to mind that "you dont know what you dont know"

Nursing is one of the only health care professions left that allows for a non-degree (ADN isnt a degree) entrance level. Hell, half them are MASTERS entry now or Doctorate entry. This needs to change to advance the profession in the USA. What it says to both the general public and the academic community is that nursing is little more than "technical school" akin to plumbing and electrical work. Thats NOT good for the profession.

Mike,

I agree with you and the multi-entry levels of education that are allowed in Nursing. This does need to change, and has been an on going debate for a long time. I disagree, however, that an ADN "isnt a degree" as you stated, because it IS a degree...an Associates degree, which is more education than a person coming out of a hospital diploma based program, for example. It isnt a BSN though...but perhaps halfway--if I could do it over again, I would of went straight through a BSN program, rather than ADN and then BSN because it seems like it is more years and money spent in the end. You are very right though, in that the publics view of Nursing still remains for many that one can jump into a program, just about anywhere, and become a "nurse"--like a technical school! This is bad! And all of the media campaigns out there now and such that are trying to lure people from anywhere and everywhere to Nursing will not be a good thing for our profession either.

Education is a key (with time and experience) and there are obvious differences in educational levels that present themselves through this profession in all the different areas of practice. I can see this where I work; there are many with advanced practice degrees as well as many who have held a diploma and have been a nurse for 25 years. Some of these people are interested in pursuing more education, yet some believe that the 25 years of "time" and experience is enough. What I found out for myself was that while time and experience do matter and make differences, pursuing higher education makes more difference, and keeps you thinking outside of the box. There is just so much more to know, and learn, for anyone.

My original ADN program (here in the USA) was "clinical" from the start. Clinicals increased each semester and it was because of the clinicals and the tough expectations of the faculty toward the students made such a difference. I remember many nights, that we called clinical "eve", spent up all night preparing for the assigned patient(s) in order to present yourself and plan of care at 0630 the next morning before the shift started. Maybe my ADN program was unique, though, because I work in a teaching hospital now and see many students come through unprepared AND with no clinical instructor present.

Anyway, I asked you in another post, but incase you miss it, what is a BScN?

Kim

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Specializes in I know stuff ;).

Hey Kim

What an awesome explanation!

I guess the reason that i dont think of an ADN as a degree is related to the education structure in Canada. There are either Community Colleges that teach ONLY technical jobs like plumbing, mechanic etc and there are Universities. Nothing taken in a CC can ever transfer to a Univ. nor is i given a title other than diploma.

The ADN has always confused me but i think i get sortof understand how it works ;)

The BScN is just the Canadain Univ system which uses Sc for science degrees. Same as the Brits.

Mike,

I agree with you and the multi-entry levels of education that are allowed in Nursing. This does need to change, and has been an on going debate for a long time. I disagree, however, that an ADN "isnt a degree" as you stated, because it IS a degree...an Associates degree, which is more education than a person coming out of a hospital diploma based program, for example. It isnt a BSN though...but perhaps halfway--if I could do it over again, I would of went straight through a BSN program, rather than ADN and then BSN because it seems like it is more years and money spent in the end. You are very right though, in that the publics view of Nursing still remains for many that one can jump into a program, just about anywhere, and become a "nurse"--like a technical school! This is bad! And all of the media campaigns out there now and such that are trying to lure people from anywhere and everywhere to Nursing will not be a good thing for our profession either.

Education is a key (with time and experience) and there are obvious differences in educational levels that present themselves through this profession in all the different areas of practice. I can see this where I work; there are many with advanced practice degrees as well as many who have held a diploma and have been a nurse for 25 years. Some of these people are interested in pursuing more education, yet some believe that the 25 years of "time" and experience is enough. What I found out for myself was that while time and experience do matter and make differences, pursuing higher education makes more difference, and keeps you thinking outside of the box. There is just so much more to know, and learn, for anyone.

My original ADN program (here in the USA) was "clinical" from the start. Clinicals increased each semester and it was because of the clinicals and the tough expectations of the faculty toward the students made such a difference. I remember many nights, that we called clinical "eve", spent up all night preparing for the assigned patient(s) in order to present yourself and plan of care at 0630 the next morning before the shift started. Maybe my ADN program was unique, though, because I work in a teaching hospital now and see many students come through unprepared AND with no clinical instructor present.

Anyway, I asked you in another post, but incase you miss it, what is a BScN?

Kim

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