Will a BSN be required for an RN in near future?

[steph0502]

I recently overheard a student say that Michigan will require a Bachelor degree in order to be a RN in the year 2013 and that an Associate degree after this date will not be eligible for the RN license. This is NOT a reliable source, but I was wondering if anyone has heard this or where I could find that information.

I believe this student did not understand what they were saying and I believe this student gave false information.

I thought I'd post the question here and see if anyone else has heard this or read this.

Thanks!!

[IHeartPeds87]

Rumors like this have been going on for years. In some states they are closer to coming true than in others (I've heard grumblings, something in New York about this).

I wouldn't worry about it for 2013, seems like that would have to be incredibly fast. I don't think they could do it that fast, they'd have to give plenty of notice (think about all the two year RN programs out there, they would lose plenty of interest if this were true and so would need time to adjust accordingly).

The fact of the matter is, I would encourage everyone to aim to get their BSN as soon as possible....but I don't think the associates RN is going to be rendered useless anytime soon.

[Anne36, LPN]

If that was true wouldnt there be a lot of schools that would have to close their Nursing programs? Im just starting Nursing school and it will be several years before I finish because I plan to go through a bridge program LPN-RN. The program at my school is designed specifically for this transition but I wont finish by 2013 because the program is only offered every other year. Where would that leave current LPN students?

[llg, PhD, RN]

I don't think the BSN will be mandatory in many places any time soon. However, the profession has been moving steadily towards making a more definite distinction between the ADN and BSN degrees for several years -- a 2-tiered structure of roles, responsibilities, available job opportunities, etc. The Great Recession has accelerated that movement as employers have suddenly found themselves with a surplus of nurses to choose from whenever they have an open position.

Of course, the details will vary from place to place.

[ProudRN13]

It is not true that this will happen in 2013, however it is better to get you BSN for many reasons. One being that more and more hospitals hire mostly BSN's nowadays and it is more difficult to find a job with an associates. Some places are making current associate degree holders go back to get their BSN, one plus side is that some hospitals will pay for your schooling.