Why aren't there better incentives for obtaining a BSN degree?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm a BSN nurse, and I was just wondering why is it that there are so few incentives for obtaining a BSN degree as opposed to an ADN degree? I know that an RN is an RN, but I feel there should be greater incentives for obtaining a BSN degree. BSN nurses only get paid generally an extra 50 cents to $1 an hour than ADN nurses from what I've seen so far, but it doesn't make sense to me. On top of that, MSN prepared nurses don't seem to make much more than BSN nurses. At various hospitals I saw that their MSN differential is $1300 a year. I 've also seen that certification differentials at these same hospitals are around $1200 (not much different than a BSN or MSN differential).

Why is this the case? I've come across nurses with ADN's who would like to get there BSN but don't because there are no real incentives, given the additional schooling and extra tuition involved. From ADN to BSN to MSN to Doctorate there should be much larger wages as one progresses from one degree to the next. I think there should be at least a $10,000 difference in yearly salary. In many ways, money talks, and it seems that what facilities that hire nurses are saying to us is that they only wan't ADN nurses.

*** I know that the community college is the path the RN practice taken by the vast majority of men I know in nursing.

You are right about the accelerated BSN programs. They do tend to bring in many men and other non-traditional types of students.

Aside from your coworkers, most of the nurses you know would have been your classmates, right? So it's not surprising that you know so many more people who went the ADN route first?

Nearly every single one of the guys I know who went in to nursing as second degree students went to the same accelerated program I did...

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Aside from your coworkers, most of the nurses you know would have been your classmates, right? So it's not surprising that you know so many more people who went the ADN route first..

*** I don't know any of my classmates. It was a long time ago and I went to school in a different part of the state than where I work now and I was the only male in my class. I do work with a lot of male nurses though. Of the 56 nurses who work in the same unit I do slightly over half are men. I work in two hospitals, plus casual for a critical care transport company, plus I do per diem in various places. I am also in contact with a lot of new nurses as I am an instructor in my hospital's nurse residency program. I only do critical care, ER, transport and now rapid response team so if it is different in nursing homes and med-surg I wouldn't know.

Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

I am semi-retired and in 2 more years will be very happy to walk away from all the drama.

If the BSN becomes the entry level requirement, any of you who think that will mean you are going to earn the big bucks right out of the shoot are going to be disappointed. Entry level is still entry level, and you will be paid according to your experience and knowledge NOT by what kind of course work you were able to complete. It's still going to come down to some very strong negotiating by your unions, or how much experience you have.

On the topic of BSN's earned in other countries, some of those are not at all like what they are here. One of our nurses, who earned nursing education (BSN equivalent) in S. Africa tells a far different story. They do a lot of specialty training while students...And they are paid as students too.

I am semi-retired and in 2 more years will be very happy to walk away from all the drama.

If the BSN becomes the entry level requirement, any of you who think that will mean you are going to earn the big bucks right out of the shoot are going to be disappointed. Entry level is still entry level, and you will be paid according to your experience and knowledge NOT by what kind of course work you were able to complete. It's still going to come down to some very strong negotiating by your unions, or how much experience you have.

If nursing schools keep flooding the market with BSN RNs, in years to come an MSN will be the entry level.

If nursing schools keep flooding the market with BSN RNs, in years to come an MSN will be the entry level.

So.....they should flood the market with ADN's instead?

*** I know that the community college is the path the RN practice taken by the vast majority of men I know in nursing.

You are right about the accelerated BSN programs. They do tend to bring in many men and other non-traditional types of students.

From the clinical groups I've observed in my facility, the local traditional BSN program in town appears to have a larger percentage of male students than the ADN programs in the area. That's just from what I've observed in passing, however; I'm not in a position to comment definitively on any of the programs.

So.....they should flood the market with ADN's instead?

Why? Then to require them to get a BSN and add to the issue?

Why? Then to require them to get a BSN and add to the issue?

Did you notice the question mark after my remark? I wasn't making a statement, I was questioning the post I quoted.

Specializes in OR Hearts 10.

We have tuition reimbusment & $1 an hour for BSN. Also, with ADN you can only go to Clinician 2, BSN Clinician 3, MSN Clinician 4 all of which have thier own incentives.

If the posts at allnurses.com are any indication, it's painfully apparent that many, many nurses could benefit from more education.

I'm not talkin' 'bout nursing learnin' either.

Critical reading skills? Fail.

Critical thinking skills? Fail.

Ability to use basic principles of grammar and syntax of the English language? Fail.

If I had found this forum before I went to nursing school, I would have had serious, serious doubts about going, and not because the vent threads would have scared me away.

While I found my communications 101 course absurdly easy and even a bit insulting, a frightful number of would be (and "currently are") nurses need it.

More education is a good thing for nursing. Regardless of the amount of nursing education one needs to enter the field, the truth remains that if we continue to portray ourselves as minimally educated, we will be perceived as such. So, whether or not an ADN or BSN is better in regards to nursing education is irrelevant. The fact is that both ADN and BSN programs, in general, leave a great deal to be desired in terms of nursing education. But, there is more to education than just nursing, and more education in a wide variety of subjects will not only make you a better nurse, but a better person. I developed my critical thinking skills in my literature and philosophy courses, and those courses did MORE for me in regards to critical thinking than anything I learned in nursing. Nursing school was memorizing, testing, and making sure we passed the NCLEX, it wasn't thinking. Two thirds of my instructors couldn't write their way out of a paper bag. Half of them were minimally competent to grade a paper. In nursing school I did not do anywhere near the kind thinking I had to do in my humanities courses. But, I digress.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

if the posts at allnurses.com are any indication, it's painfully apparent that many, many nurses could benefit from more education.

i'm not talkin' 'bout nursing learnin' either.

critical reading skills? fail.

critical thinking skills? fail.

ability to use basic principles of grammar and syntax of the english language? fail.

*** hence my suggestion that we make direct entry masters the entry to practice for rns. make nurses get educated then study nursing.

more education is a good thing for nursing. regardless of the amount of nursing education one needs to enter the field, the truth remains that if we continue to portray ourselves as minimally educated, we will be perceived as such.

*** what i have learned from reading this forum is that some places, places i have never practiced, have big perception problems.

so, whether or not an adn or bsn is better in regards to nursing education is irrelevant.

*** also indeterminable.

the fact is that both adn and bsn programs, in general, leave a great deal to be desired in terms of nursing education. but, there is more to education than just nursing, and more education in a wide variety of subjects will not only make you a better nurse, but a better person. i developed my critical thinking skills in my literature and philosophy courses, and those courses did more for me in regards to critical thinking than anything i learned in nursing. nursing school was memorizing, testing, and making sure we passed the nclex, it wasn't thinking. two thirds of my instructors couldn't write their way out of a paper bag. half of them were minimally competent to grade a paper. in nursing school i did not do anywhere near the kind thinking i had to do in my humanities courses.

*** if we make rns get degrees in chemistry, or women's studies, or english, or business administration and then sent them to nursing school the "profession" (i have a hard time calling anyone who punches a time clock and is given scripts to read to their patients a professional) would greatly benefit.

i have not yet figured out how to attract people to the nursing field with a direct entry masters in the numbers needed. rn compensation is ok for a community college grad but not enough to attract the bright students we willing to devote the time and money for a masters.

Specializes in acute care.

Will the hospital pay for their BSN? I would do it in a heartbeat if they paid for it. I am trying to keep my head above water trying to get my ADN loans paid off.

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