How many times have you applied for jobs that stated “Bachelors Degree preferred” in the position qualifications section? How about “DNP or PhD required“? Although advanced degrees for nursing positions seems to be the new expectation, the incentive for clinical nurses to obtain these advanced degrees has yet to be clearly identified.
As a new grad in 2010, I remember thinking I would never find a job since I just graduated from an Associates Degree nursing program. This was primarily due to the fact that majority of the hospitals in my area were giving positions to Bachelors Degree prepared nurses first.
Fortunately for me, I was able to land a position right away after passing the NCLEX RN licensure exam at a sub-acute rehab facility. For my peers who were determined to wait it out until they got the position that they desired, well lets just say that they had an extended summer break – up to six months of no work! Once they did find employment, they were strongly encouraged to enter into a BSN program in order to keep their positions. Many of them did as they were encouraged and since then have completed their programs, earning their Bachelors of Science in Nursing. The unfortunate thing is that their Bachelors Degree did not earn them any additional benefit from that of an Associates Degreed nurse. Some of my colleagues reported a novel pay increase (literally cents on the dollar), while others were expected to take on more work responsibilities such as charge nurse duties, or unit preceptor duties for new hires without a pay increase.
To further elaborate on this inadequacy, earning my Masters Degree in Nursing Education has not provided me with a pay increase as a clinical nurse. In fact, over the past year of having my MSN, I have made a salary comparable to that of an Associates Degreed RN with the same amount of clinical experience. Enduring a three year RN to MSN program and racking up a student loan debt of over $80,000 has not improved my financial gain at all. If anything it has made me over qualified and extremely underpaid! NOW please understand that I do not regret earning my Masters Degree in Nursing Education, especially because this is the path I want to follow throughout my nursing career. It is my goal to become full time faculty for a college nursing program. However, I would like to earn just a little more money for my hard work, assumed responsibilities as Nurse Educator, and for my dedication of enhancing the nursing profession through continued education. Guess that’s too much to ask…
Regardless of my own grievances, this push for advanced degrees among clinical nurses is not being met with appropriate incentive by the organizations whom are responsible for demanding that their clinical nurses have a minimum of a Bachelors Degree – Doctorate Degree preferred.
Best Wishes!
-Damion
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very well written. I am so proud of everything you do.
Thank you Mom!
I have many opinions on this topic, and feel just as passionately as you do. This profession seems to have forgotten the importance of a solid foundation in clinical experience, placing an unjustifiable amount of emphasis on the pursuit of academic excellence. Again, this is just my opinion, but I have seen the same scenario time and time again over the last several years. New graduate RNs from high dollar universities often struggle not to sink in their first year of nursing, often because they have used their academic resumes and transcripts to gain entry into care settings no new graduate RN should be! On the other hand, you often see new graduate RNs from Associate Degree nursing programs who hit the ground running and in their first couple of months appear to have years of experience. This nurses know their limitations, but also know their stuff! And I mean clincally…not what the textbook says. Many of our BSN-prepared nurses are coming out cocky, assuming their textbook knowledge and big name school will equal success. Well guess what?! That is not the case, and we as a profession need to realize that.
I was a graduate of a BSN program from the beginning. However, the mentality possessed by my school and program at the time was much more in line with the way that ADN programs are typically run. I honestly believe that there was nothing of real benefit included in my BSN program to better prepare me for the bedside than an ADN program would have. I don’t regret that route, but I do believe we need to make the ADN approach the foundation of BSN programs and then build from there rather than focusing SO MUCH on the academics. And I sure as hell don’t think that we need to eliminate the ADN position. Come on now…with these shortages?! Are you kidding me?!
One final point and then I will get off of my soap box. Am I the only one that thinks the entry-level MSN programs that are popping up are absurd? What in the hell does a new graduate bedside RN need with a master’s degree? And I firmly believe that a new graduate RN, regardless of their degree, should have a required amount of experience at the bedside. Who wants a new graduate nurse practitioner caring for them that has never even been a nurse?! In a time of progressive demand and shortage for our profession, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We are trying to flood the arena with higher degrees, but for what purpose? We need nurses at the bedside. This should be the default destination for new graduate nurses so that they learn the necessary knowledge and skills and gain the experience needed to continue to feed and grow the profession. We need the nurses that have been at the bedside advancing their degrees so that they can replace the soon-to-be retiring nursing education workforce, bringing forth their valuable knowledge and experience. We do not need master’s-prepared new graduate nurses applying for teaching gigs or management positions. Degree levels exist for a reason. You advance your degree in order to advance within the profession. This should only be done and allowed once you have proven yourself – through both knowledge AND experience. Why as a profession don’t we focus on fixing the problems at hand (e.g. the projected astronomical shortage looming over our heads) before we create new ones (big headed new graduate MSNs)? We need more ADNs, not less, and we need to use degree levels as other professions do – coupled WITH experience for advancement within the profession and for the benefit of the profession as a whole.
Thanks for the awesome blog post!
B
Brandon, thank you very much for your thoughts and contributions to this discussion. You share many concerns that nurses across the spectrum of our profession are voicing. I invite you to continue to share this blog, and others that may come to be. Collectively we can raise awareness and collaborate to create change.
Best Wishes!
-Damion
I love your blog regarding your experience in 2 NYC hospitals. I can guess the first one (it’s pretty obvious where “amazing things happen” there mainly because of the nurses (not management) but not the 2nd although likely, you’re referring to the teaching hospital in the Bronx. Keep up the good work! You’re a good writer and I could tell you have a good heart!
Thank you very much Chito for your kind words! Your contribution to this discussion is much appreciated!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I have great admiration for your bravery, nursing ethics and advocacy.
Anthony,
Thank you very much for your kind words! It takes a lot of bravery to be able to voice concerns regarding unsafe practice, especially as close knitted nursing professionals can be with people in positions of “power”. I have been targeted many times in the short 5 years I have been practicing. Unfortunately for those institutions where poor management was allowed to “make an example” of me to strike fear into their staff, they lost an extremely valuable asset. Now I am onto bigger and better! Thanks again for your kind words and I look forward to hearing more from you in the near future!
Congrats on having your master’s, you will definitely be a great instructor when you get that job!! I’m sorry to hear that there aren’t really incentives for working and studying at the same time to get a higher degree. I eventually want to go back for a master’s degree but I’m not sure what of yet. The loans part scare me 🙁 so definitely going to take advantage of tuition reimbursement when I’m eligible. Please keep posting, your posts speak the truth!
Evelyn,
Thank you very much for your kind words! Yes, it is true that going for your Master’s is very rewarding on a personal and professional note, however, it is not to advance your financial situation, at least not in nursing at the bedside.
Do not be so afraid of the loan aspect if it’s the only way for you to achieve it. I do not regret it at all. I just wish we were recognized by our facilities and offered a pay increase as a reward for enhancing the profession through continued education.
Thanks again for your contribution to this discussion, and I look forward to hearing more from you soon!
Best Wishes!
-Damion