Battle of the RN's ADN vs. BSN

Let's be clear. Nursing is taught at the bedside. Numbers, facts, diagnoses - assess, anticipate, intervene... all the stuff we 'think' we learn in school mean nothing until it's seen and felt in action.

The battle between Associate and Bachelor nursing degrees and/or credentials is legit. Like catty breakroom, high school, mean girls shenanigans. Much of it stems from a 'im better b/c my education was .. blahh blahh blahh.' This kind of crap can lead to toxic workplaces and nurse to nurse bullying. It sucks.

I think it's important to disclaim... I'm a BSN. I've worked in the ER at a level 2 trauma center seeing 98,000 pts a year for 11 yrs. 5 of those years I've worked congruently in the Neonatal ICU, specializing in Lactation Support and Education. I'm a nurse unicorn, and over the last decade I've seen lots of nurses. Good. Really good. Bad. Really bad. And even... dangerous. And it has little baring on what letters come after a person's name.

I could get into the subtle differences between the two degrees, (Stats-which means shit, research, which means shit, following around a manager-which means shit to name just a few) But the bottom line is... a piece of paper doesn't treat patients. A piece of paper WILL NEVER identify early stages of shock, or give you a 95% IV success rate. And it sure as shit can't give comfort to the sick, or dying.

Patients don't care. Why do we (other nurses) care?? If your patient is trying really hard to die...  what are you going to say... wait, hold up. where did you go to school again? 

In the last 5 or so years the push to making all nurses BSN prepared (at some time in their career) has become popular. It's a known fact that some hospitals won't hire adn's unless they're currently enrolled in a BSN completion.

Why? Because it looks good for Magnet designation? I'm sorry folks... Magnet means bupkiss. I don't want to work for a Magnet facility if they've run off all their seasoned, experts in the name of young, cheap, BSN replacements to make our hospital appear all fancy and smart. Because... once again, a piece of paper is not who i look to for help when my patient is circling the drain.