So I work in homecare where RN and BSN make the same pay. While some places want you to have BSN for leadership type role which doesn't matter in some places because RN is what's essentially needed for a leadership role. Places like hospitals want you to have the BSN or jobs where you are a director of nursing. Other than that doesn't matter. Should I get my BSN just in case I change plans in the future which is only a 12-16 month program. Or Just focus on what I have? plus once you get your bsn you can go bsn to NP ( nurse practitioner). But still there are more RN jobs than nurse practitioner.
Stick to what you have because if you're not getting a pay increase for that additional degree then don't do it
Yes get the bsn, it's good to have incase you decide you want to switch over to management. Then you'll already have it
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I love u guys thank you
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Thank you everyone for being so supportive and helpful
I'm in an ADN program right now with the option to do a BSN during the summers and finish up after in a shorter period of time. I'm curious to know what programs you are looking at that are 12-16 months and are they online? Can you work full time while doing them?
I plan on doing ICU for a year, then travel nursing here in California. I am planning on doing the BSN because why not, especially now with COVID it's not like I'm doing much else with my time socially or anything, might as well forward my career and finances. Also I have looked at the NP or even DNP to get the CRNA (it's a doctorate position starting soon (2025?)).
I mean, do what makes you happy. I don't actually need the BSN for travel nursing either, and I feel you on that, but I also like to keep developing myself and learning more, and having more options is a good thing. Also, the degree is not that expensive, the BSN I was looking at it's another $10K.
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You have to already be an RN. You have to have passed your NCLEX. So you have to finish your ADN and pass nclex. Once you're an RN the RN to BSN Program is only 12 months. But if you take one class at a time it's 16 months. You can actually get done in 8 months but I work full time so I'm not going to push 8 months.
2nd Do not pay for the bsn. If you plan on working at a hospital the hospital will pay for the bsn for you. So do not pay out of pocket. Apply to your hospital of choice with an ADN then they will offer you the bsn. Wilmington state university bsn is only 6k. Again do not pay out if pocket or get loans if you plan to work for a hospital. Hospital will pay
Ok thanks. The hospital I am planning to work for has a $4K loan program, but I think you have to work for them for a couple years after for it to be forgiven. I may borrow it anyway and just pay them back, but I don't plan to work there that long. My current employer also has an employee student tuition program, but again, I'll likely be moving on.
The CSDH program I'm looking at is a bridge program, meaning you don't have to have your license yet to do your BSN, you just have to be working on your ADN concurrently.
Why would you pull out a loan? The hospital pays for tuition. I found out it could be less than 12 months due to the fact I've done my gen Ed's. I haven't started the application process yet thinking. Classes start every 8 weeks
As an ICU nurse that's seen A LOT of travelers come and go over the last 2 years, this is the way. I should have just started traveling after my first year. Work that for a few years, make my money, and find something way less stressful.
Also good luck with the CRNA. A friend of mine from nursing school is starting that this year. He is seriously one of the smartest people I know.
I don't know about your hospital's program, but here and all the places I've seen it is not "we'll pay your tuition and you don't owe us anything". If that were the case, people would get hired, get tuition paid for, then quit the job. It's actually a loan (at least here), but you don't have to pay it back (loan forgiveness) unless you stop working for the hospital.
My current work is not a hospital, it's more a mental health facility. They have a similar program. They will "pay for college", but if you stop working here, you have to ;pay them back. If you work a year,, you have to pay back 75%. Two years, 50%. You basically pay back the loan by working, but if you stop, you have to pay cash.
@SecretsofKB thank you, I'm looking forward to it. I think I should be able to make a good amount of money and also balance with about 3 months vacation each year as well between gigs.
I think whatever makes you happy I've always felt independent and I always liked working for myself and it sounds like you have the leadership and the knowledge to go anywhere anyway so you're going to succeed no matter what you do you just have to wait it out and see which one makes you happiest and how far you can take each one of them either one you're going to succeed
Hey there! BSN here! I'm currently working bedside.
If you're looking for leadership roles and any higher up admin positions, then I'd say go for it! It'll just open the door for whatever steps you want to take in your career down the road.
If you just plan on staying in bedside or patient care positions, I'd be a bit more hesitant.
But for future career purposes, wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and get it.
Good luck! Stay safe!
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Thank you, so far bedside is what I like because i do one on one. I did snf- skilled nursing facilities and didn't like it due to the patient to nurse ratio. Felt it was unsafe and too risky for my license especially with state coming in. I've done group homes and health and wellness clinics loved it. But so far what has been fun is private duty home care and private duty school cases. So that's what I've stuck to. May change in the future who knows but so far this is what I've been doing for years now and love it
Yeah it's getting crazy a lot of nurses are backing out and going travel then plan to retire by the end of 2022. The program is $250/month no interest. Total program cost 10k
Yeah! I really think you should the more I think it over!
Yeah. I did burn/wound care for a few months first then got this position when it opened. I graduated in 2019 so technically, most if my career has been in the pandemic.
Compared to what I paid for my degree, you're golden lol
And yeah, wound care was fun, gross but fun lol
And hell no I didn't feel ready lol. I was so nervous my first day lol. The clinical rotations in school helped A LOT. When I stated working, I did better than I expected. It was just the nerves that got to me.
I got nervous again when I started in the MICU but I caught on pretty quick so that was a better transition.
Just keep what you have now. Especially since there’s not much benefit to the other one and it’s just for “what if”. No reason to add on more student loans.
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I wouldn't pull out a student loan. I would pay cash just like with my rn.
Get your BSN then BSN-NP. Maybe it won't pay off immediately but the added certifications plus your ongoing experience as a nurse. Will eventually pay off and open more doors for you in the future.
Sounds like a good investment. Timing when to start that's best for you then follow through no matter what is key. The real question that remains is if you want the responsibility that goes with the potential higher positions that require a BSN. I'm not talking about the material, but the moral responsibility that goes with it. These days, everybody is being personally scrutinized. The higher you are, the harder you can be expected to take a fall if someone under you screws up. If you're good with that for what the BSN positions provide then you know what to do.
If you ask me, and I know you aren't, but I'll tell you anyway. You sound like an overall decent person. I know you do stupid things, but overall as long as you try to be fair and just and do right by others you're decent and can survive today's moral scrutiny even if you make a mistake. Take the responsibility because if you don't some crummy person is going to grab at it since they like power. They'll get busted doing something bad but another crummy person is ready to take their place unless someone like you does it.
Rn and bsn essentially make the same. Depends on where you work. If you work for a hospital the only difference in pay you'll see in pay is when you apply as a director
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