Nursing - Diploma or Degree???
I am thinking about training to be a nurse (adult) but I am confused by Diploma and Degree. Which would be best? Is a degree better for your career or are they equal?
Thanks for your help.
Sam xx
Thanks for your help.
Sam xx
Scroll to see replies
Any degree is a good thing to have, but not so much now. There is still a difference in the average wage people earn with having/not having a degree. If you changed your mind later in life it's possible the degree could open other doors for you, whereas the diploma may not.
When my mum trained to be a nurse there was a snobbyness about the degree - people considered the diploma second rate. Unfortunately I have no experience with this, so I'm not sure if that is still the case. Are you clear about the differences between them? If not you should look them up and consider what is best for you personally - with the degree you would have to do a dissertation, but I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor. Letting avoidance (or laziness
) affect your future is not a good idea!
Anyway, hope I've helped a bit!
When my mum trained to be a nurse there was a snobbyness about the degree - people considered the diploma second rate. Unfortunately I have no experience with this, so I'm not sure if that is still the case. Are you clear about the differences between them? If not you should look them up and consider what is best for you personally - with the degree you would have to do a dissertation, but I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor. Letting avoidance (or laziness
) affect your future is not a good idea!Anyway, hope I've helped a bit!
jinglepupskye
are you a Nurse?
I am a nurse
my suggestion - do whichever you can affrod to do or find a HEI that does 'Advanced Diploma' so you get diploma funding but still study at level 3 pre-reg and only have one module and your dissertation to do to complete the honours degree...
diploma vs degree will not make the slightest difference until you come to apply for your first line management job usually with at least 3 but more likely 5 or 6 years post basic experience, by which time as part of showing your commitment to continued professional development Most Diplomates will have completed their degree.
there is probably greater difference in actual quality clinical placement time style between HEIs than between Degree and diploma at the same institution - just you run a greater risk that messing up your academic slows or prevents your professional registration with degree vs . diploma
are you a Nurse?
I am a nurse
my suggestion - do whichever you can affrod to do or find a HEI that does 'Advanced Diploma' so you get diploma funding but still study at level 3 pre-reg and only have one module and your dissertation to do to complete the honours degree...
diploma vs degree will not make the slightest difference until you come to apply for your first line management job usually with at least 3 but more likely 5 or 6 years post basic experience, by which time as part of showing your commitment to continued professional development Most Diplomates will have completed their degree.
there is probably greater difference in actual quality clinical placement time style between HEIs than between Degree and diploma at the same institution - just you run a greater risk that messing up your academic slows or prevents your professional registration with degree vs . diploma
zippyRN
jinglepupskye
are you a Nurse?
I am a nurse
my suggestion - do whichever you can affrod to do or find a HEI that does 'Advanced Diploma' so you get diploma funding but still study at level 3 pre-reg and only have one module and your dissertation to do to complete the honours degree...
diploma vs degree will not make the slightest difference until you come to apply for your first line management job usually with at least 3 but more likely 5 or 6 years post basic experience, by which time as part of showing your commitment to continued professional development Most Diplomates will have completed their degree.
there is probably greater difference in actual quality clinical placement time style between HEIs than between Degree and diploma at the same institution - just you run a greater risk that messing up your academic slows or prevents your professional registration with degree vs . diploma
are you a Nurse?
I am a nurse
my suggestion - do whichever you can affrod to do or find a HEI that does 'Advanced Diploma' so you get diploma funding but still study at level 3 pre-reg and only have one module and your dissertation to do to complete the honours degree...
diploma vs degree will not make the slightest difference until you come to apply for your first line management job usually with at least 3 but more likely 5 or 6 years post basic experience, by which time as part of showing your commitment to continued professional development Most Diplomates will have completed their degree.
there is probably greater difference in actual quality clinical placement time style between HEIs than between Degree and diploma at the same institution - just you run a greater risk that messing up your academic slows or prevents your professional registration with degree vs . diploma
Are you shouting at me? I simply repeated what my mother told me was her experience when she was working as a nurse. It was obvious from that comment that I was referring to the past as that was what she had knowledge of.
As you are, apparently, currently a nurse presumably you know what the current situation is. There is no need to jump down my throat. I gave the information that I had. If you don't like it then that's your problem, not mine.
where's the shouting? i see no shouting , on the main problems with TSR is it's full of people spouting off apobut stuff they don't really know
'johnny briggs' is probably lost on the demographic here but " my mother, Who's a Nurse " tends to bring out a reflexive attitude in some, especially when the information given is inaccurate.
At the current time in England those who choose to do pre-registration degrees find themselves at a disadvantage because of the lack of novelty of the Degree ( compared to 30 years ago when those who did pre-reg degrees were high flyers and first line promotions wereeasier to come by,but perhaps less meaningful ) and the way in post basic educatio nad training and the job market works.
elsewherei nthe Uk the situation is different as the devolved governments have slightly difference policies towards Student health professional support
'johnny briggs' is probably lost on the demographic here but " my mother, Who's a Nurse " tends to bring out a reflexive attitude in some, especially when the information given is inaccurate.
At the current time in England those who choose to do pre-registration degrees find themselves at a disadvantage because of the lack of novelty of the Degree ( compared to 30 years ago when those who did pre-reg degrees were high flyers and first line promotions wereeasier to come by,but perhaps less meaningful ) and the way in post basic educatio nad training and the job market works.
elsewherei nthe Uk the situation is different as the devolved governments have slightly difference policies towards Student health professional support
top -up is often funded by the WDC as are metnorship courses and other professional development module,s the biggest problem is getting the paid study leave for 'long' courses (i.e. the successors to the old ENB 1nn/2nn courses) rather than 'short' courses which you can fudge your shift pattern to do ( what i'm currently doing to do the module i'm doing at present to round out KSF/IPR stuff
stokesy10
What is the main difference between the degree and the diploma??
The degree has different funding, and is extra credits, you graduate with a DEGREE not a diploma of higher education
this thread is rather old- to anyone considering it, definately do the degree, it's going all degree in a few years!
What do you mean different funding? and yeah i heard this is the last year for the diploma. So do you mean that a degree is definetly the right way to go? I am worried that at my interview they will ask me why i want the degree rather than the diploma and i am not sure what to say??/
stokesy10
What do you mean different funding? and yeah i heard this is the last year for the diploma. So do you mean that a degree is definetly the right way to go? I am worried that at my interview they will ask me why i want the degree rather than the diploma and i am not sure what to say??/
if you have the grades to do the degree, do the degree! It's going to be all degree in the next 1-2 years. Funding wise the only difference is the NHS bursary, it's means-tested for the degree
Well i do not have any grades at the momment i am currently on the access to nursing course so hopefully this will be enough... i have been reading some peoples comments and a lot are saying the diploma is better, but i actually think that the degree is due to the fact that you get to graduate and yeah you have to do extra essays but in the end it is worth it isn`t it, i just want to be a qualified nurse lol.
stokesy10
Well i do not have any grades at the momment i am currently on the access to nursing course so hopefully this will be enough... i have been reading some peoples comments and a lot are saying the diploma is better, but i actually think that the degree is due to the fact that you get to graduate and yeah you have to do extra essays but in the end it is worth it isn`t it, i just want to be a qualified nurse lol.
its rather outdated, i dont think any nurse today would tell you do the diploma if you could do the degree- the graduates a few years after you will have degrees and you won't
I'm gonna be doing the diploma and hopefully top up to degree in 2nd/final year. So I still get the funding (around £500 per month for at least 2 years!) They are encouraging people who have places to start the diploma to do this as they will be getting rid of it in England.
Its degree-only in wales but you still get payed the same bursary as someone who does the diploma in England.
Its degree-only in wales but you still get payed the same bursary as someone who does the diploma in England.
Subcutaneous
its rather outdated, i dont think any nurse today would tell you do the diploma if you could do the degree- the graduates a few years after you will have degrees and you won't
If you have no interest in getting to management level then it makes naff all difference. If you change your mind when you are qualified you can "top up" your diploma.
Trigger
If you have no interest in getting to management level then it makes naff all difference. If you change your mind when you are qualified you can "top up" your diploma.
Not true, there is talk about in the next 5 years all band 5 nurses who currently hold diplomas will be encouraged to get degrees, not necessarily loose their jobs, but heavily encouraged. A top up of a diploma is a waste of time if you had the chance to do it as a student, extra work on top of being a qualified and time which could be best spent doing furthur study if they wanted, it's a bad idea to do the diploma now and all students DOING it are encouraged to convert in 2nd/3rd years purely down to how it will affect their employability in 5-10 years time, not necessarily in managment but also in band 6 nursing and specialist roles (which all will require a masters, i think they're talking 2015?)
Subcutaneous
Not true, there is talk about in the next 5 years all band 5 nurses who currently hold diplomas will be encouraged to get degrees, not necessarily loose their jobs, but heavily encouraged. A top up of a diploma is a waste of time if you had the chance to do it as a student, extra work on top of being a qualified and time which could be best spent doing furthur study if they wanted, it's a bad idea to do the diploma now and all students DOING it are encouraged to convert in 2nd/3rd years purely down to how it will affect their employability in 5-10 years time, not necessarily in managment but also in band 6 nursing and specialist roles (which all will require a masters, i think they're talking 2015?)
First, for goodness sake use a full stop.
Just because you are encouraged to so something means nothing. They won't take your registration and i work with plenty of nurses who are happy at band 5 status and hold diplomas. Some people (ie me when i was studying) can't afford degrees and also would have struggled with doing a dissertation but make perfectly good nurses. At the end of the day if you have been proven to be a good nurse for 10 years i highly doubt your degree status will count for that much, same as my GCSE's count for nothing when i am applying for jobs 6/7 years after i completed.
Yes i realise i have been out of the nursing game since 2007 but i work on a ward with these people and they are going to be aware of these changes and we discuss them regularly.
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