RN Career Advice
My granddaughter has begun an RN program at a community college. How important is it for her to get a Bachelors degree too?
0
-
Not very unless she wants her ARNP or to get out of direct care and teach, etc- specializations like dialisys, OR, anesthesia, etc. can bring the big bucks. One dialysis nurse I know works 3 or 4 days a week and is paid a flat rate of $150 per patient, up to 10 patients in a 12 hour shift. Edit - in education, she'll get *lots* of time off and still make a fairly good salary, and can still moonlight, etc. 0 -
I'm not an RN, however, I have taught review courses for the NCLEX exam.
A College degree in nursing (RN as compared to LPN) brings along not only more responsibilities, but also a much larger paycheck.
I'd say, go for the degree.
Edit for grammar.0 -
In NC it's possible for her to get an RN without getting a Batchelors degree. This is new to me. I was suprised. 0 -
Listen to PP.
My wife is an RN and she also sez get the degree.0 -
Im an assciate level RN and If I could have I would have gotten my bachelors. Really no difference in money really. Actually I make as much now as the bachelor level nurses. Its later in life when those managment opportunities come up etc. that the BSN comes in handy. Makes know big difference in the nursing world but its always better to progress. So, I would tell her to work and go to night school or get her bachelors online and have fun. Thats what Im doing.
Take care and congratulate her,0 -
around here(ma) you cant get many rn jobs with an associates. there are also many jobs you may have trouble getting at that level, depending upon the urgency of the opening . for example, er position at Boston Medical Center is preferenced to bachelors prepared rns.
principal drawback to going directly intoa four year program, you have no license for four years. where as if you went assoc rn, then bsn, in two years you have a nursing license. you get a med/surg/tele job and go back for your bach. your in the field in 2-3 years.
both my parents are rn's. mom assoc. dad bsn. i am currtenly in the nursing school process.0 -
Stick it out and get the accreditation; you never know when some correspondence course caregiver will vie for a vaunted position against you, and it's better to have a Bachelor's Degree with experience than lots of experience and an Associates in anything.
A friend just got made ER Nurse Manager in a Dallas Hospital over a VERY experienced(21 yrs.) and well-trained Associate simply because he had a "real degree" and 18 years of ER, Trauma Center, and rural EMS experience. And he was much better qualified.0 -
If you can manage a four year BSN program in a well recognized college
you should be better grounded in the profession than having taken a shorter path.
My wife took the longer route and spent 20 years in an ICU/CCU.
She had to take continuing courses to maintain certification in that specialty.0 -
I think it really depends on what part of the country you live in. My wife is an MSN RN, when we met she worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and all the nurses there were at least BSN. With many having MSN and even PHDs in Nursing. I then got transferred to Arizona and the RNs there were a mix of BSN and Associates. Then transferred to Virginia and most of the RNs she worked with are BSN, but there were still quite a few Associates. Then I got transferred to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas and an RN having a BSN there was rare. Most of them, including the managers, were Associate Degreed. We are now back in Virginia and there are still lots of Associate Degree RNs here. The nursing shortage is so bad all over the country, if she does not mind moving around to find a good job, my wife says it does not matter what degree she gets, as long as she is an RN and got good grades. The LPN/LVN is what is being phased out around here, all of them are being told to go back and get their RN, and that the Associates Degree is fine. But, again there are lots of openings for LPN/LVNs out west. It really varies with the state and what they are looking for. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by gunnut505
...real degree" ...
i find that statement mildly offensive. an assoc is no less a real degree than a bachelors, master or doctorate. its just a lower level. you work just as hard for an associates level degree, just shorter in time. you still have a piece of parchment from the university.....0 -
I'm an RN in S.D.-you can go to a hospital and get a diploma, a two year school and get an Associate Degree, or get a 4 yr. BSN-all qualify you to take state board exams. S.D. has no mandatory continueing education like alot of states. I think she should go for the BSN as alot of places don't hire anything less if they can help it and you get a higher starting wage. Also, getting it now will spare her the rath of fellow females, alot of which I've witnessed while they cower and preen, unless they're emasculaters, around male RNs (Navy Corpsman '69-'73) like me. There's a book written about how females treat other females on the job.
Personally, while somebody HAS to do it, and I'm hoping there'll
be nurses there when I need them, I've talked two nieces outa goin' into it. I will be retiring in June. I did disgusting things to disgusting people and allowed them to do disgusting things to me (verbal and physical abuse of nurses is rampant) for money-much like that older profession.....0 -
quote:Originally posted by KEVD18
quote:Originally posted by gunnut505
...real degree" ...
i find that statement mildly offensive. an assoc is no less a real degree than a bachelors, master or doctorate. its just a lower level. you work just as hard for an associates level degree, just shorter in time. you still have a piece of parchment from the university.....
ha. it doesn't matter how hard you work for it. it doesn't matter how hard a worker you are, as long as you don't get fired. all that matters is the letters on that peice of paper and what school they came from. the system, man, the system.0 -
The system? Are you talking the healthcare system? Ive been in it for 17 years and BSN's dont make any more nor do they have any more power in the hospital than two year RN's. Some hospitals are trying to reach "MAGNET" status which means all RN's are BSN or above. Its for prestige and prestige alone. Yes its good to get a bachelors. Its always good to improve yourself. Necessary in todays system? Absolutely not. Only one state in the union requires BSN's and thats North Dakota. Unless a move there is planned its not mandatory.
Have a nice day[:D]quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
quote:Originally posted by KEVD18
quote:Originally posted by gunnut505
...real degree" ...
i find that statement mildly offensive. an assoc is no less a real degree than a bachelors, master or doctorate. its just a lower level. you work just as hard for an associates level degree, just shorter in time. you still have a piece of parchment from the university.....
ha. it doesn't matter how hard you work for it. it doesn't matter how hard a worker you are, as long as you don't get fired. all that matters is the letters on that peice of paper and what school they came from. the system, man, the system.0 -
quote:Originally posted by gun_runner
The system? Are you talking the healthcare system? Ive been in it for 17 years and BSN's dont make any more nor do they have any more power in the hospital than two year RN's. Some hospitals are trying to reach "MAGNET" status which means all RN's are BSN or above. Its for prestige and prestige alone. Yes its good to get a bachelors. Its always good to improve yourself. Necessary in todays system? Absolutely not. Only one state in the union requires BSN's and thats North Dakota. Unless a move there is planned its not mandatory.
Have a nice day[:D]really? both my parents got their LPN, RN, BSN, my mom has a MBA and some kind of doctoral stuff in nursing, she's been a head nurse, run hospice programs and been the director of nursing at 2 hospitals. my dad also has a MSW and advanced degrees in psychology, he gets referrals from hospitals. I grew up having to listen to the crap they had to deal with at work longer than you've been at it, and they've been at it since age 20. that's almost 40 years now.
like I don't know what I'm talking about.
have a nice day.[:D]0 -
no, I wasn't talking specifically about healthcare anyways 0 -
quote:Originally posted by mowart
My granddaughter has begun an RN program at a community college. How important is it for her to get a Bachelors degree too?
I'm no expert, (i did take a class where we had to give each other IV's once) but the nurses I know work tons of OT, that's how they make money otherwise the salary just don't cut it. Operating Room nurses do real good too. The Degree will come in handy when she's older and can't stand on her feet all day long, she'll be looking for a supervisor/administrative nursing position...
God Bless the Hospitaliers,0 -
Unless your a nurse yourself, you really dont know what your talking about.
And yes, have a nice day.quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
quote:Originally posted by gun_runner
The system? Are you talking the healthcare system? Ive been in it for 17 years and BSN's dont make any more nor do they have any more power in the hospital than two year RN's. Some hospitals are trying to reach "MAGNET" status which means all RN's are BSN or above. Its for prestige and prestige alone. Yes its good to get a bachelors. Its always good to improve yourself. Necessary in todays system? Absolutely not. Only one state in the union requires BSN's and thats North Dakota. Unless a move there is planned its not mandatory.
Have a nice day[:D]really? both my parents got their LPN, RN, BSN, my mom has a MBA and some kind of doctoral stuff in nursing, she's been a head nurse, run hospice programs and been the director of nursing at 2 hospitals. my dad also has a MSW and advanced degrees in psychology, he gets referrals from hospitals. I grew up having to listen to the crap they had to deal with at work longer than you've been at it, and they've been at it since age 20. that's almost 40 years now.
like I don't know what I'm talking about.
have a nice day.[:D]0 -
go for the education ..will always benefit resume & easier to do when younger ...my wife was a licensed RN director of nursing at local hospital,went back while working full time graduated BSN cum laude at hays, then graduated Masters at wichita & went on to ARNP licensure & was head of nursing services at state hospital supervising about 300 employees & $15m budget....i am proud of her accomplishments...now retired but with offers from all across the country, she manages one fellow with a lot smaller budget...SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED 0 -
quote:Originally posted by gun_runner
Unless your a nurse yourself, you really dont know what your talking about.
And yes, have a nice day.yeah, you too0 -
My family experience says get the degree. My mother, brother and sister are all RNs. And, I work in a doctors' office as well. 0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
20 comments