Nursing Debate Essay

In Ohio, there has been an increased push for hospitals to mandate for their RNs to all be BSN prepared nurses within a certain amount of time. Although this idea has been proposed, it has not been enacted into law just yet. While this may not be the case, many hospitals are now requiring a BSN within 5 years of hire. There was been recent developments in other states as to making a BSN within 10 years the standard. Recently, New York was the first state to actually put a BSN in 10 into law for their state. Senate Bill S2145 of New York now requires for registered nurses to obtain a BSN within 10 years of initial licensure by provides exemptions on those who are already licensed and those who are enrolled in nursing programs. This bill was sponsored by John J. Flanagan of the Second Senate District with John Bonacic, David Carlucci, Phil Boyle, and John

At some level, I agree there should be a standard level of entry into nursing. Even though I admit, it can be confusing when trying to describe the many various ways a person can become a nurse to general population it does not take away the fact that just because someone has BSN behind their name does not make them a better nurse or present a better outcome. I feel that this issue should not be something that is discussed in Congress with people who do not understand what the role of the nurse entails. On my unit, there seems to be a general understanding or consensus that it does not matter if a person is a BSN, ADN, diploma taught nurse. A RN is an RN. While I like the idea of everything being a standard; it is not exactly a realistic scenario. By making this issue a congressional and legislative issue it makes it political and takes away the nurse’s choice on whether or not they would like to pursue higher education. There are many nurses on my unit who chose not to pursue the BSN because they simply wanted to or had no desire to further their