WHY do I need a BSN?

Guest757854 · Jan 22, 2014

Yes I do feel like we are are being "pushed" to go back to school and obtain the BSN. So I have started looking into schools myself. LPN was the big thing wen I first started out. Once I acheived that license couple months later there was a big push for RNs. Only for it to be years later where I finally obtained my ADN only for the big push to be BSN. And I feel once I doTHAT, the next big push will be for MSN. But im stopping after BSN. Im sooo over school :-).....

Nickiey · Jan 22, 2014

Well I just graduated with my ADN also just passed my boards but I am already enrolled in a BSN. Time is ticking and it seems that everyone wants you to have a BSN so gotta do whatcha gotta do

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2014

I am taking classes towards my BSN because like other nurses with a diploma or ADN I am being "forced" to return to school for my BSN. I have had my ADN for 9 years. My question is HOW is statistics, critical inquiry, and the other classes going to make me a better nurse? Isn't hands on training the best way to learn? I feel like they are requiring BSN now and in 10 years want MSN so that we wont need doctors working on the floors, because nurses will do their own orders!!
I am 42 y/o and rally don't want to do this, but I have a minimum of 23 years left of working and had to be forced to stay where I am due to not having a BSN. Sure they say we may be "grandfathered" in, but that limits us to stay put.
Anyone have any input on this, as to what am I going to learn getting my BSN and why the requirement now?

Why now? Because the academics have been trying to push it FOREVER. Why now? because everyone and their brother has gone to nursing school and there is a surplus of nurses. Why now? simply because they can. Anytime this has been attempted legally...they have to grandfather already licensed nurses in or pay out of their pocket to re-educate...they can't take away your license. They can however refuse to hire you.

However, with the current climate and bad behavior of the powers that be...I wouldn't out it past them to try. So they do the next best thing....they will not hire without a BSN.

and the argument continues.

Will the classes you take after your ADN really ADD to your practice at the bedside? No...they won't....other than the ability to find work.

j0yegan · Jan 22, 2014

In the BSN program, you're honestly just repeating the same classes you took in the ADN program. If the programs are so different, why make them take the same exact board exam in the end? Case in point.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Jan 22, 2014

As nurses, we should be committed to the spirit of scientific inquiry, critical thinking and all that stuff, right? We call it 'evidence based practice. Well, there is now a sufficient amount of compelling evidence that increased numbers of BSN nurses make a significant positive difference in clinical outcomes in acute care settings. American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce I haven't come across any information that extends this finding to non-acute care environments.

Health care is increasingly complex. It's only logical that the educational preparation of clinical professionals has to keep pace. Since our professional regulators (BONs) are largely silent on this issue, employers have stepped up and adopted the IOM recommendations - just like they incorporate CDC guidelines or National Patient Safety Goals - as part of their efforts to improve care. It's not going to go away.

elkpark · Jan 22, 2014

In the BSN program, you're honestly just repeating the same classes you took in the ADN program. If the programs are so different, why make them take the same exact board exam in the end? Case in point.

Perhaps that was your experience, but the BSN completion program I did many years ago (of my own free will, without anyone forcing me :)) had very little repetition. The content covered was mostly content that had not been covered in my previous education. If someone completed an ADN or diploma program and then went through an entire pre-licensure BSN program, there would obviously be a lot of repetition (most or all of the clinical nursing content). However, BSN completion programs, for those who already have an ADN or diploma and are already licensed RNs, are designed to build on the education already completed, not repeat it (as well as fulfill the additional general ed requirements for any baccalaureate degree).

Altra, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2014

My question is HOW is statistics, critical inquiry, and the other classes going to make me a better nurse? Isn't hands on training the best way to learn??

If, as a nurse, you were using your hands *only* ... I suppose it would.

However, as a nurse, you sort, filter and apply an enormous amount of data and background knowledge. You make critical judgements which can affect your patients' lives. And you need to seek out your own continued learning in medical, nursing and scientific literature.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 22, 2014

This push for higher education isn't unique to nursing. Jobs that didn't require a high school diploma thirty, forty years ago are now demanding a four-year degree. It seems as though everyone wants to see that Bachelor's, even if the job really only needs a basic high school education.

I would be for raising the standards IF it would raise wages and improve working conditions. I don't see that happening anytime soon, however.

enuf_already · Jan 22, 2014

I've been an RN for 30 something years and initially graduated from a diploma program. I completed my BSN last summer. Did I learn anything in my nursing classes? No. Some of my non-nursing classes were interesting and thought provoking. Why did I do it? Because my workplace strongly encouraged it and I could not apply for any type of transfer without a BSN. Without a BSN, I would be stuck at my current position forever...or until they decided a BSN was required for the job.

Now I believe my BSN has given me job security plus the ability to transfer out of my department if I so choose. I did not get a raise and plan on staying where I'm at but I no longer have to worry about competing for a job because I don't have a BSN. It was not easy going back, working full time, having a family and being in my 50s, but in my opinion, worth it.

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 22, 2014

Will the added education give you more technical skills to use when following directions written by others on how to do something? Probably not.

But should the added education give you a broader and deeper perspective on the world ... and add to your abililty to make decisions for yourself? It should.

But it will only help you if you let it. There are some people who take full advantage of what the additional education has to offer and they use it to further develop both professionally and personally. There are other people who refuse to make that effort -- and just get the academic credit without really learning anything. The "learning" part is up to you. You'll get out of the education depends upon what you put into it.

Garbage in = Garbage out

arbldj1234 · Jan 22, 2014

Will the added education give you more technical skills to use when following directions written by others on how to do something? Probably not. But should the added education give you a broader and deeper perspective on the world ... and add to your abililty to make decisions for yourself? It should. But it will only help you if you let it. There are some people who take full advantage of what the additional education has to offer and they use it to further develop both professionally and personally. There are other people who refuse to make that effort -- and just get the academic credit without really learning anything. The "learning" part is up to you. You'll get out of the education depends upon what you put into it. Garbage in = Garbage out

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-education