[MeeMee]

Hello. I was wondering who gets a better salary, a RN with a diploma or one with an associate's degree. Someone told me that the associate's degree helps you get paid more but I noticed on the "all nursing schools" website that an associate's takes 2 years while a diploma takes 2-3 years. Which do you recommend for someone who is just starting?

[Old_School]

Hi MeeMee, welcome to the forums. Diploma schools, historically, were implemented by hospitals as a means to augment their staffing at slave wages. Labor costs are the most expensive factor of production. Most diploma schools have now merged with community colleges for prereq courses. They are pretty much dinosaurs now.

O_S

[WRRN]

RN's take the same national test,NCLEX, no matter their educational background. There are very few diploma programs left in the US. You might find one that's true. And IMHO they prepared a nurse with the most OJT of any program.

As nursing is trying to become a profession, IMHO it always was, we should be following the professional route just like others and obtain a professional degree.

If you go the associate route you might get credit for some of your bachelor courses but it will probably still take you 2 years to complete. With your present bachelor's courses meeting some of the requirements of a BSN you should be able to finish that in 2 years too. Many ADN programs have long waiting periods. Many BSN programs also have long waiting periods. But in the long run, to be in the game and play the game, IMHO again BSN is the wave of the future.

As far as salaries you won't see much difference in them as far as your degree is concerned. In some areas of the country you might see a pittance for BSN and maybe some upward mobility in the field, but at the bedside most probably not.

WR,,, three commas for Becca

[Old_School]

I agree with WR. If you can swing it financially, BSN is the way to go these days. You won't see much up-front but you are most assuredly better positioned as your career advances.

O_S

[NEPhillyRN]

As a ADN I'll agree with Old School. Go for your BSN if you can. I enjoy my job, but know that I dont want to do it forever. I'd like to advance in the field but am stuck by my degree. I have to go back and get my BSN or my MSN to do what I want to do and it is so hard to go back and start all over again after you're out of school. Not to mention, you can get your RN from a community college and do all of your clinical experience there but when you go back for your BSN you have to do your clinical experience over again. I haven't started it yet but I'm sure that I'll find it hard to be a charge nurse on Sunday and a student on Monday... having someone check up on everything that I do.

As far as salaries... staff RN's at the hospital that I work at make the same no matter what the degree. For now anyway.

[Old_School]

Greetings NEPhilly, welcome to the forums.

O_S

[nursinghumor]

If you already have a bachelors, check out Accelerated Programs as well. Assuming you have your prerequisites, they can graduate and have you sitting for the NCLEX in as little as a year.

Again, no matter what route you take to become a nurse (RN preferably for pay/career advancement) the pay is basically the same whether you spend a year, 2 years or four years in school to get there.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinga2z.com

[liquidblue19]

Seeing that I'm a nursing student, I've asked a lot of people the same question, should I go for the ADN or BSN. Everyone I've talked to has encouraged me to go for the BSN, which is what I'm planning on doing. I actually would like to go further some day, maybe nurse anesthetist or nurse practitioner.

[debyoung2]

A BSN is your best bet...it will allow you to move into management in the future, if you so desire.

[nursinghumor]

It's an individual decision to be sure.

When I decided to go into nursing, I had no aspirations to go into management, supervisory, administration (besides doing charge here/there).

With the large number of practicing nurses out there without BSNs, many with diplomas. They cannot hold it against you when apply for a staff nursing job if you don't have one.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinga2z.com