I’ve had enough.
Enough of being told that people like me may be “smart”, but can’t make clinical decisions where it counts. Enough of having derogatory labels bestowed upon me.
It’s time to set the record straight. I present to you my favorite myths about second degree nurses and nursing students (SDNs).
- SDNs are ambitious/cutthroat/want to skip the whole “patient care thing” in order to climb the ladder faster and higher. My classmates and other SDNs I have met became nurses FOR THE PATIENTS. Or for the intellectual challenges. Perhaps a few for job security (too bad the economy proved nothing is recession-proof, not even nursing). But the vast majority are here because of the patients. Our nursing school admissions essays read the same as anyone else’s. The difference is we’re entering this field after a lot of life experience and deliberation, so we usually have a pretty good understanding of where we want to go with it. Hence why a second-degree master’s program, that culminates with the opportunity to advance our knowledge and practice, makes sense to many of us.
- SDNs only have “book smarts”. Oh please. I can name countless examples from my own cohort of how we were told that we entered our clinicals and jobs extremely well-prepared and capable. I was told by experienced critical care nurses that I had good instincts. Many of us are already being asked to orient new grads, only one year after being in their shoes. Because they trust us and our clinical knowledge. One of my good friends, an L&D nurse, has been complimented not only for seeking out opportunities to expand her professional understanding through certifications, but for also knowing the limits of her new practice and not being afraid to ask questions. With life experience comes wisdom. Which can be just as important as either book smarts or clinical knowledge.
- SDNs skimp on clinical hours. I can’t speak for all nursing programs in the country, but I can tell you this… My program is broken into two distinct sequences: pre-licensure, in which we prepared to become RNs, and graduate-level courses, in which I am now enrolled. Our pre-licensure coursework was insanely challenging and our clinicals were insanely intense. In fact, we had more clinical hours than our BSN counterparts at the same university. And our clinical rotations featured clinical instructors who supervised our groups and led post-conferences. Regularly. We were not left to our own devices any more than an ADN or BSN student would be.
- SDNs skimp on nursing content. The only reason we didn’t actually get awarded BSNs at the point we finished our prelicensure track was some mumbo jumbo about undergraduate vs. graduate status and confusing the financial aid office (plus we needed two university-required religion classes that they could have easily built into the curriculum). But don’t get me started on that. My point is, my prelicensure program lasted longer (17 months) than some accelerated BSN programs and contained the same nursing content. Because we all had previous Bachelor’s degrees, we didn’t need to re-do an undergrad core curriculum.
- Who needs a nurse with an undergrad degree in French (or Anthropology, or Business, or Math)? I do! I’d also like a nurse who’s traveled the world, experienced a loss, had his/her own children and worked on a team. We may need a few tries learning how to start an IV or put in a Foley (doesn’t everyone??), but the skills and life experiences we bring into our work are unique and offer opportunities to find common ground with patients, express empathy and simply share what it means to be human. When we are invited into the intensely human experience of suffering, these abilities are irreplaceable.
- SDNs are released into the wild with zero nursing experience. We completed our prelicensure courses, successfully negotiated 180-hour capstone rotations, sat for the NCLEX and became new grad RNs just like everyone else. We struggled to find our first nursing jobs just like everyone else. But as I work on my graduate courses, I’m a practicing RN with a regular job. By the time I finish my MSN in 2012, I’ll have almost 2.5 years of direct care experience under my belt.
- SDNs can’t be Advanced Practice Nurses/ Clinical Nurse Leaders with so little experience. See #6 above – I’m already building my clinical experience. And depending on our program, we may have many more years of school and clinical hours before we are licensed in an advanced practice role. Not to mention the certification process it takes to become advanced practice nurses – it’s no walk in the park. And then there’s the CNL, who is not intended to be all-knowing about all-things – we are equipped with a skill set that can be applied across multiple settings. CNLs are resourceful coordinators of care and advocates who can support direct care nurses by providing information about evidence-based practice. Graduates of my program have been tapped to manage departments and coordinate quality and process improvement programs at hospitals because of these skills. Being an effective leader is about clinical knowledge and then some.
- SDNs are inflated/egotistical/think the nursing profession didn’t exist before we came along. I have enormous respect for the nurses who have taught me in my clinicals and on the job. Except for instructors and professors, very few have had advanced degrees (heck, most had ADNs and were just fine with that). The knowledge and wisdom I gain from your clinical expertise should never be dismissed or negated, and I hope that I have expressed (and will keep expressing) how much I learn from you. But as a long-time outsider looking in, and now as a newbie nurse, I have a fresh pair of eyes that sees a health care status quo that is unsustainable. I am not here to threaten your job or question your judgment. But I am also not afraid to question the way things work and wonder if it could be better. And believe wholeheartedly that nurses can lead the way.
Feel free to agree or disagree. There may be concerns about individual second-degree nursing programs, and those concerns may be valid. Might I also point out that not all ADN or BSN programs are created equally, either.
But please avoid making gross generalizations or attacking an entire population of well-educated professionals. We’re here to stay and we’re in it for the same reasons the rest of you are.
So if we could refrain from the eating of the young, I would greatly appreciate it. 
8 comments
Denise says:
February 1, 2011 at 5:35 am (UTC -8 )
Who needs a nurse with an undergrad degree in French (or Anthropology, or Business, or Math)?
I’m not in a second degree program but my ASN is my second degree. My first degree is in Spanish, and let me tell you, that has REALLY come in handy! I’ve done quite a bit of translating during clinicals and some at work too (I’m a PCT at the hospital).
Danielle says:
February 1, 2011 at 7:01 am (UTC -8 )
Thank you for this. While I may not have had such…extreme opinions regarding the MSN route as an entry to nursing, I was unclear on how the program worked. This helped clarify, I think, a lot of misconceptions.
John says:
February 4, 2011 at 4:47 am (UTC -8 )
My Friend is SDNs and i completely agree with you. Really, you’ve done a great job in busting myths about SDN
RehabRN says:
February 4, 2011 at 6:24 pm (UTC -8 )
Tenny:
I’m an SDN, too. Yes, I’ve got that other experience and my more experienced coworkers appreciate that, just as I appreciate their nursing experience.
It’s only the bad ones that don’t make a habit of appreciating the good things they find in each person.
LaurenB says:
February 6, 2011 at 5:56 am (UTC -8 )
I”m in an SDN program now – thanks for your post! I hope others in the field realize what a huge sacrifice and how difficult it is to become a SDN. We’re so dedicated that we put our careers and families on hold to do the exact same course and clinical work in a third of the time of regular nursing programs. I hope others (especially hiring managers!) realize how much time management, perseverance, intelligence, and dedication it takes to get through one of these programs.
UnsinkableMB says:
February 12, 2011 at 8:29 am (UTC -8 )
I did not go through an SDN program, but nursing is my second degree. My first degree is in business; I spent 11 years in the corporate world.
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been dealing with those labels. It will be different once you get out of academia.
When I went through my program, professors tried to tell me about the “Real World.” Ha! Seriously? I had enough of the “Real World” to know that I had to go back to school to do something more meaningful (to me) with my life.
Once I graduated and started practicing as an RN, my past never came up unless I actually said something. In fact, when I told one surgeon about my background, he said, “No wonder you’re so good at what you do.” So there.
Deb, RN says:
February 20, 2011 at 8:55 pm (UTC -8 )
We all take the same state boards. That’s all I have to say.
MisterCooper2011 says:
May 19, 2011 at 9:53 am (UTC -8 )
This is a really helpful thread. Does anyone have suggestions on how I could confirm — before admissions — whether my credits will transfer? college will count when I get to my next school? I’ve looked at http://www.kambeo.com and a few other sites for this information, but it’s hard to find.