Why are ADN programs fading.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 6, 2017

It's a reality of the job market. Several areas are seeing more new grads than open positions. BSN preferred/required is one way for employers to filter applications.

It's also part of an Institute of Medicine report supporting an 80% BSN prepared nurse workforce, which apparently Magnet has also taken up.

If you want to attend an ADN program, it would be in your best interests to research the job market in your area and see what jobs you'd qualify for.

Nursing is one of extremely few professions that has multiple entry level degrees, ranging from a diploma to graduate. I don't see that changing in laws, but it will be employer driven as to what degree makes one a competitive applicant. In many areas, anything less than a BSN isn't competitive.

katie2017 · Jul 7, 2017

Thanks for your feed back but what do you mean about Institute of Medicine report supporting an 80% BSN prepared nurse workforce, which apparently Magnet has also taken up. I am not in the medical field yet and would like to know more. Would you please explain? Thanks

GmaPearl BSN RN · Jul 7, 2017

katie, you might get more responses if you post your question on the nursing school/student nurse forum. Here we are School Nurses (we take care of kids in schools) and most are out on summer vacation. Good luck!

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 7, 2017

The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health : Health and Medicine Division

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 7, 2017

katie, you might get more responses if you post your question on the nursing school/student nurse forum. Here we are School Nurses (we take care of kids in schools) and most are out on summer vacation. Good luck!

I've asked to have the thread moved rather than starting a new thread in another forum.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 7, 2017

Welcome to allnurses.com

Thread moved to Pre-Nursing student forum.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 7, 2017

Katie2017,

There is research showing that facilities in which the nurses have higher levels of education (mostly BSN's rather than ADN's) have better patient outcomes. Some people don't like that and will argue against that research, but most of the highest levels of decision-makers in America feel that the research is valid. Therefore, several important groups of people (government agencies, nursing organizations, employers, etc.) have set goals to have 80% of the nursing workforce educated at the BSN level or higher. Employers are working to meet that goal by hiring more BSN's than ADN's and by encouraging their existing ADN staff members to go back to school for the additional education.

The "Institute of Medicine" is associated with the US government. They form panels of experts who review the evidence on key topics and make recommendations for the nation. Based on their review of the evidence, they published recommendations for 80% of the US nursing workforce to have BSN's by 2020. I don't think anyone seriously thinks the nation will reach that goal -- but a lot of hospitals are making a strong effort to get as close as they can. Some will succeed.

"Magnet" is a program originally developed by the American Nurses' Association. It recognizes hospitals that provide the best care possible and also provides a great working environment for nurses -- and awards those hospitals with a special certification. (Those hospitals are referred to as "Magnet hospitals" because they attract and retain the best nurses who give the best nursing care. That's the intent, anyway. Once again, not everyone supports that program. But regardless of some people's opinions, the Magnet Program is large and powerful.)

The Magnet program does not require a specific number or percentage of BSN nurses -- but it does require that the hospital be working towards meeting the 80% goal recommended by the Institute of Medicine. Hospitals striving to achieve the Magnet award for excellence work to increase the percentage of nurses on their staff with BSN's -- and usually do that by limiting their hiring of nurses who don't have their BSN.

So it is nothing personal against you -- or against any of the many good nurses who don't have BSN's. It's the result of our health care system becoming more sophisticated and complex. The educational requirements for nurses are increasing in response to the increased demands placed on nurses in contemporary practice. Right now, we are in a period of transition and no one can be sure how it is going to settle out in the long run. That is why every nurse needs to assess the job market in their region, their resources, and make a decision about their education that is best for their situation.

Good luck to you.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Jul 8, 2017

Thanks for your feed back but what do you mean about Institute of Medicine report supporting an 80% BSN prepared nurse workforce, which apparently Magnet has also taken up. I am not in the medical field yet and would like to know more. Would you please explain? Thanks

Into Google, type "Institute of Medicine BSN prepared nurses" and you will easily understand what Rose_Queen meant.