Nurse Follies: Lazy Is As Lazy Does

I went to nursing school at a community college. I don't regret this decision. It afforded me the opportunity to get my training done in an expedited amount of time, got me out into the workforce quickly, and I didn't finish with tens of thousands of dollars in student loans to pay off. I didn't feel short-changed in my education as the curriculum was challenging. Four years of training crammed into two years of school, with a heavily emphasis on practical stuff. For the most part, no patient cares where I went to school, just that I know what I'm doing and won't kill them. Six years later, I'm looked upon as a mentor, a leader, and a kickass-take names nurse.

In working at ACME Hospital, I get to work with a crap ton of newly-minted nurses with Bachelors degrees. I have noticed the big difference between ADNs and BSNs is life experience. A majority of those who were able to go to a 4-year college were in their 20's, sorority girl types, whose parents had footed the bill for their education. They come out with an adult title and are working their first real "adult job", but still have their foot in the door of the carefree life they enjoyed as a college student. It was a sharp contrast to those who mostly attended two-year degree programs. Usually a little older, some married with kids, some single parents. They were making a career change for various reasons...laid off, tired of working dead-end jobs, answering a higher calling, or just necessity. These were people who had to juggle mortgages, family life, bills, full-time jobs, and all those wonderful things that sets grown-ups apart from those who only can only claim to be grownups in age only. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying one is better than the other. I'm just saying they are different.

My contempt of Bosshole is legend. Now, imagine how that changed when I heard that he told a coworker in an interview that he felt "two-year degree nurses were lazy". Lazy in the respect that they chose the easy way, instead of going to four-year colleges like non-lazy nurses.

Really? REALLY??? This coming from a guy who comes in and holes himself up in his office all day, refuses to help his staff, doesn't stand behind his nurses, yet takes all the credit when we do something good. My floor has the highest turnover in the entire hospital, and he has convinced himself because our floor is stepping stone that nurses utilize until they are ready to move on to bigger, better things. No, nurses leave our unit in droves because you foster zero-loyalty to the floor, instead creating a toxic environment. That, and you suck hard as a manager.

To me, degrees are irrelevant. The best nurse I have ever known was an LPN. Meanwhile, the dumbest nurse I knew happened to have a precious BSN, and committed the most heinous drug error that cost the hospital she worked at millions of dollars, AND the patient subsequently died as a result. But thank God she had that degree!!

To break it down, two-year and four-year nurses receive the same training, but with the latter getting more focus on the leadership aspect, and the former the more-hands on stuff. In the end, both take the same damn test, work on the same damn floor, and make the same damn salary. Only BSNs are supposed to be poised for management positions, which might explain why Bosshole couldn't find his way around a bedpan. ADNs are clinically prepared, BSNs administratively so.

To make the comment of the Bosshole even more epic, the person he said this to happened to have finished her nursing school training from a two-year college, eventually bridging to a Bachelors degree (which leads us to believe that he doesn't read resumes). She called him to task for his poor attitude against "her sort", and he back-pedaled, offering some lame story about a nurse he used to work with who had a two-year degree. Needless to say, the rest of his lazy ADN nurses are aware of his comment, and are currently looking for other floors to transfer to. Who wants to work for a manager who thinks they are lazy??

I don't have attitude against BSNs. I know some really great BSNs who could give two-shits what your degree level is. In fact, when I reveal my lowly degree status, most are surprised. In fact, I am going back to school to get mine. It was the plan all along, as with a lot of those who go the two-year route, only Bosshole fails to realize that. A lot of people use community college as a stepping stone to get into a 4-year college. It's not lazy, it's not stupid. It's practical.

Hell, there are even those who are perfectly fine with an ADN and wish to go no further in their education. It grants them a solid job with a good income to provide for their families. And despite what my arrogant prick manager might think, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

When I am finished with the BSN, I plan on going on for a Masters degree. It is my plan to go retire as a teacher for a nursing program...at a two-year college.