Working during RN-BSN?

[aachavez]

For those of you who did a bridge from RN to BSN, did you work while in school?

Im super fortunate that I didn't really have to work during my ADN, (I am done in September) and Im wondering if completing the BSN is as challenging as the ADN program.

Have you seen many people struggle with working and in a BSN at the same time? Is it like the ADN, where everyone tells you NOT to work at all??

Input from other programs as well! Did you work during your MSN, or PA, or ARNP or CRNA program?

[TX911]

so I'm not sure why that doesn't count as "succeeding" too.

It does, that was my whole point.

[TX911]

*** Wow you gave up that schedule!? I left critical care transport when too many nurses with MSN behind their name decided that shifts longer than 12 would no longer be allowed. Of course the people making that decision had NEVER worked a single hour with us and had no clue what we did. I figured that if I was going to have to do 12 like everybody else I might as well make some money and left for WAY more money.

I miss many things about it. However it is nice to not have to listen to the prema-donna paramedics whine about how it wasn't fair that they only made half as much as the RN team leaders.

It's "primadonna" and those paramedics deserved every bit, if not more, money than any nurse "team leader." I've never seen a nurse "team leader" (whatever the that means) extricate anyone, intubate anyone, or really do anything on a scene that, frankly, wasn't just getting in the way of progress.

And I did both 911 and MICU transport. And yes I happily gave up that schedule. Our service averaged anywhere from 11-15 911 calls per truck per day plus transfer services. And our paramedic truck constantly got screwed by basics and intermediates who "just weren't comfortable taking that acuity of patient." Translation: "I'm tired. Call the paramedic unit."

[TX911]

TX911:

If you don't want to invest that much time in your education ... that's your choice too. But I know a lot of people with letters behind their names who didn't learn much in school because they "slid through the program" -- doing enough to pass, but not really getting a great education. The lack of quality and rigor in some nursing programs is partly due to the acceptance of such "slacking" by society in general. I want better for myself and our profession. I was hoping the OP did, too.

*redacted

I wrote about a 2 page hateful rant in response to this that, frankly, would've offended people it wasn't aimed at.

As for you specifically lg; if you want to continue to fool yourself regarding the actual difficulty of a BSN program or even the running joke of the degree having a BS instead of a BA designation that's your business. I'm sure you need that bit of delusion to maintain your self-important outlook. My first BS was in another field and I'll stand by my argument that the BSN can EASILY be attained from ANY program whilst working full time. And I'll also thank you not to embarrass the mathematics community by referring to what is taught in your class as "research." When your students are building logit regression and other functional statistical models in order to conduct actual research instead of churning out book reports and thinly veiled plagiarism from EBSCOHOST masquerading as meta-analysis, maybe it will be a different story.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Dude, llg isn't saying you can't work FT while going to school. She's saying that doing BOTH FT will mean that something in your life will likely suffer, which isn't an unfair point. In your first post you talk about sacrifice so it doesn't even seem like you actually disagree on that point.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

It's "primadonna"

*** Whatever.

and those paramedics deserved every bit, if not more, money than any nurse "team leader." I've never seen a nurse "team leader" (whatever the f*ck that means) extricate anyone, intubate anyone, or really do anything on a scene that, frankly, wasn't just getting in the way of progress.

*** Wow, talk about making my point about medics. _I_ was not responsible or the nurse / medic pay scale. I absolutely agree with you that medics deserve a lot more money. I find it amazing that you have never seen a nurse extricate or intubate anyone. All of our nurses where RNs and medics and could and did do everything the medics did. I am guessing your didn't work with pre-hospital RNs much.

Our medics were great and highly competent. My only complaint was the often heard complaining about how they pretty much did the same job but got half the pay of the transport RNs they worked with, and their sometimes fragile egos.

And I did both 911 and MICU transport. And yes I happily gave up that schedule. Our service averaged anywhere from 11-15 911 calls per truck per day plus transfer services. And our paramedic truck constantly got screwed by basics and intermediates who "just weren't comfortable taking that acuity of patient." Translation: "I'm tired. Call the paramedic unit.

*** Ya I know the feeling, except with us is was basic and medic units screwing us. Instead of "call the paramedic unit" it's "call the flight nurses".

[TX911]

I find it amazing that you have never seen a nurse extricate or intubate anyone. All of our nurses where RNs and medics and could and did do everything the medics did. I am guessing your didn't work with pre-hospital RNs much.

.

I am one of those Paramedic/RNs and I certainly didn't learn how to manage a scene, RSI someone, extricate an entrapped patient, or manage prehospital life threatening situations in nursing school. So I fail to see how a nurse operating within a prehospital environment deserves anymore money than a paramedic. There are plenty of ADN flight nurses and any paramedic at our company held the same Associates degree except it said - Emergency Medical Services-Municipal Fire Protection at the end of it instead of "Nursing." And it's pretty funny that medics are getting the tip of your sword regarding personality when nursing is populated with some of the biggest backstabbing, crybaby, gossip vomiting, passive aggressive people around.

I doubt any of those people blamed you for their pay scale, but when there is no logical reason for a nurse to make more than a medic in a prehospital environment I can certainly understand their frustration. However, the EMS community has no one but ourselves to blame for pay scales and reimbursement rates. If they'd quit responding until Medicare/Medicaid decided to quit reimbursing roughly 5 cents on the dollar of ambulance bills, perhaps the industry could afford to pay more. I also find it funny that communities want to sub-contract out their emergency services to the lowest private bidders but are just shocked when they wind up receiving sub-par emergency services. The whole system needs to be blown up and done over.

[aachavez]

I was thinking I would probably do part time, I'm not sure I could work full time and school full time...

As far as people 'sliding' thru school, I'm seeing plenty of it now. Students getting caught blatantly cheating, not turning in work, sleeping in class, late everyday, do NOthing at clinicals... and they're still getting passed along and all we have left is preceptorship before graduation in September.

Back to the original question... it sounds like a class or 2 at a time, in addition to working full time should be doable. Thanks for the info :)

[PMFB-RN, RN]

I

am one of those Paramedic/RNs and I certainly didn't learn how to manage a scene, RSI someone, extricate an entrapped patient, or manage prehospital life threatening situations in nursing school.

*** Nope, I imagine that no nurse ever did. However a few have learned to do those things as nurses. Lots of nurses intubate as part of their jobs.

So I fail to see how a nurse operating within a prehospital environment deserves anymore money than a paramedic. There are plenty of ADN flight nurses and any paramedic at our company held the same Associates degree except it said - Emergency Medical Services-Municipal Fire Protection at the end of it instead of "Nursing."

*** All of the nurses on our service are associates degree RN, or ADN RN who later did an RN to BSN. I agree that they don't deserve more money. However who deserves what has nothing to do with how compensation is awarded.

And it's pretty funny that medics are getting the tip of your sword regarding personality when nursing is populated with some of the biggest backstabbing, crybaby, gossip vomiting, passive aggressive people around.

*** Heck ya it is! FWIW I find ER nurses to be just as big of primadonnas as medics. I expect it from RNs, and not medics. Mainly cause of the gender differences.

I doubt any of those people blamed you for their pay scale, but when there is no logical reason for a nurse to make more than a medic in a prehospital environment I can certainly understand their frustration.

*** I think it would be better to bring medic pay up to RNs doing pretty much the same job on a crew. However saying medics deserve to make the same as RN (I agree) is a very different thing than saying there is no logical reason for medics to make less. There are perfectly logical reasons.

H

owever, the EMS community has no one but ourselves to blame for pay scales and reimbursement rates. If they'd quit responding until Medicare/Medicaid decided to quit reimbursing roughly 5 cents on the dollar of ambulance bills, perhaps the industry could afford to pay more.

*** Maybe. Another problem you have is romance. Face it movies are made about paramedics and it's a glamorous job that one can be come qualified for in a short amount of time. It attracts too many people.

Nursing is on the same path and it is catching up with us.

I also find it funny that communities want to sub-contract out their emergency services to the lowest private bidders but are just shocked when they wind up receiving sub-par emergency services. The whole system needs to be blown up and done over.

*** Yes shocking that the lowest bidder isn't the best performer.

[twinkerrs]

I worked full time and did 15 hours a semester. My program actually encouraged working. It was actually only 9 hours a semester but I landed a scholarship when I graduated from my asn program that required 15 but I managed. I continued to work full time up until this semester in my FMHNP program but I had to quit. No way I could do 20+ hours clinical time and work m-f 7-3. I graduate in 11 months so ready to be done...lol... I will start my dnp a year after graduation at UAB.

[edmia, BSN, RN]

Yes, it is very possible to work while completing an RN-BSN program. The classes are just busy work so you'll need time to write endless papers, but it can be done. Unless, writing is not your strength. In general, there's no highly intellectual anything going on -- no matter what many try to make you think.

If I were you, I would skip the BSN altogether and find myself an ADN-MSN bridging program. Better use of time, effort, and money.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

[IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

When I did my RN-BSN I worked 3 12 hr nights a week, had 4 kids and was pregnant. Yes...it is doable. I had a 3.7 or 3.8 GPA. I went with an online program because couldn't commit to being in class on specific nights...my work schedule was the issue there. So online for me!

[future_anesthetist, BSN, CNA, RN]

When I did my RN-BSN I worked 3 12 hr nights a week had 4 kids and was pregnant. Yes...it is doable. I had a 3.7 or 3.8 GPA. I went with an online program because couldn't commit to being in class on specific nights...my work schedule was the issue there. So online for me![/quote']

What online program did u do? I'm looking at u of Texas Arlington...