ADN student feeling discouraged and seeking advice from working RN's

Nurses New Nurse

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Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU, Emergency, Psych, Art Therapy.

Hello everyone~!

I am about to enter into an RN program at the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland. When I graduate I will have an ADN. I'm pretty excited about starting the program, but also discouraged that many hospitals are preferring to hire new grads with a Bachelors over Associates. I would have to take at least one more semester of pre-reqs to be eligible to apply for the Bachelors programs in my area, and now that I've been accepted into the ADN program I just feel like I should go for it. (I've been taking prereqs for almost two excruciating years now! Taking more pre-reqs over starting the ADN program would be like pulling teeth...)

What can I do while I'm in school to give me an edge? Should I look into Student Nursing Jobs? Do Student Nurses usually get paid or is it more like an internship? Or tech positions? Would I have to get specific certification to be eligible for tech positions?

I would want to get a position that has limited and flexible hours, so I don't stray too far from my school work, but would also be worth the experience and a resume builder.

Should I wait until my first semester is done and then try to get a temp CNA job over the summer? Or are Student Nurse or Tech positions better? I'm thinking some experience would be good for my resume, but I don't know what direction to go in... I currently work as a nanny and have a prior Bachelor's in fine art, so I really don't have any reputable clinical experience at all :(

Living in Baltimore, I'm surrounded by lots of hospitals, but I also feel really lost as to how to prepare myself for all of this. It would be such a disappointment to complete the RN program and not be able to even get my foot in the door, so I figure I should start thinking about it *now*!

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! THANK YOU! :)

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Specializes in ICU.

I think the tech/CNA/student nurse thing is going to depend a lot on the laws in your state. I'm not terribly familiar with MD, but the job titles "Nurse Tech" and "CNA" are exactly the same thing where I lived before now (NC). NC also did not allow nursing students to work - you had to get your CNA certification - but I understand that some places do have jobs for nursing students who do not have their CNA certifications.

It's not hard to get - after the first skills lab I was eligible to take the CNA I exam, and after the second skills lab I could just fill out a piece of paper and mail it in to be listed as a CNA II - once again, this is a little state-dependent so checking out the MD Board of Nursing website would probably give you better answers about how this process could work for you. There's no reason not to get certified, IMO, since it increases your chance of getting a job. Jobs as a CNA/tech/whatever can be pretty flexible, so they're a good choice for nursing school. I spent my senior year working as a tech in a hospital. Working as a tech will absolutely look fabulous on your resume when you graduate, which may ultimately help you get hired later on as a nurse, but tech jobs can be insanely difficult to break into if you don't have connections. I put in more than 80 applications before I had a bite for a tech position. I would advise you to start applying to tech jobs as soon as you are qualified and to apply to as many of them as you possibly can to maximize your chances of getting hired.

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Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU, Emergency, Psych, Art Therapy.

Thank you so much for your response. According to my advisor, after completing my first semester of my program I will be eligible to take the CNA exam. Is that exam hard, or did you feel like your labs prepared you for it? I had to take the TEAS exam to apply for my program and though in hindsight it wasn't too difficult, I felt so stressed about it. I guess I should get used to testing by now! I do know a few nursing acquaintances I could try to network with... but I'm pretty much on my own, and this is a whole new world for me. I didn't even know a the term Tech and CNA were synonymous... :) Anyway, thanks again so much for your response!

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More school = more options, more pay, and at some point *MSN/PHD* hopefully less stress. Atleast that's what I am hoping for.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
More school = more options, more pay, and at some point *MSN/PHD* hopefully less stress. Atleast that's what I am hoping for.

In my experience...more pay equals more stress. They pay may be lucrative but the expectations that you earn it increase as well.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Sorry to say, but if hospitals are only hiring BSN grads, there's probably nothing you can do to overcome this. But acute care is only one sector of nursing practice. "Real nurses" also practice in LTC, community health, physician offices, clinics . . .

As for 'less stress' with higher degrees - not really. There is a rule that has not changed over time - organizations do not ever pay more for a job than the amount that it takes to recruit and retain qualified staff. So, if a job has a high salary, there is always a reason for it. The type of stress associated with jobs that require advanced degrees or have higher salaries may be different than a staff nurse, but it is still there.

IMO, the hardest jobs in healthcare are those roles that entail responsibility for both clinical quality & administrative oversight!!!! Those folks are in a continuous squeeze play; trying to meet the needs of patients, staff, physicians & Administrators simultaneously. It is astonishing to me that we have so many nurse leaders who can carry this off.

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Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU, Emergency, Psych, Art Therapy.
Sorry to say, but if hospitals are only hiring BSN grads, there's probably nothing you can do to overcome this. But acute care is only one sector of nursing practice. "Real nurses" also practice in LTC, community health, physician offices, clinics . . .

As for 'less stress' with higher degrees - not really. There is a rule that has not changed over time - organizations do not ever pay more for a job than the amount that it takes to recruit and retain qualified staff. So, if a job has a high salary, there is always a reason for it. The type of stress associated with jobs that require advanced degrees or have higher salaries may be different than a staff nurse, but it is still there.

IMO, the hardest jobs in healthcare are those roles that entail responsibility for both clinical quality & administrative oversight!!!! Those folks are in a continuous squeeze play; trying to meet the needs of patients, staff, physicians & Administrators simultaneously. It is astonishing to me that we have so many nurse leaders who can carry this off.

Thanks for your response! I do know some people who just got their ADN from the same school as me and were hired at hospitals, but I know it's not easy. I just want to get out there, and any experience is better than none for me. Prior to this, I have a degree in art, and ended up working as a pseudo "art therapist"/social worker for a non-profit for adults and children with special needs, which was an incredible and redeeming experience, but paid nothing, so I'm used to not making much money lol. Maybe in the future I'll go back for a BSN/MSN program but I was hoping to get some experience first. I guess I'll see how it goes, it all just feels very shaky :(

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Specializes in ICU.

I definitely felt like my labs prepared me for the CNA exam. The written part was not hard, and the practical part just involved the test administrator picking three random skills for you to do. I got dressing a client with an affected right arm, measuring urine, and cleaning dentures. It was pretty simple. The scariest part of it all for me was my partner in the skills part said she'd failed three times already. Some people in healthcare are scary...

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Hello everyone~! I am about to enter into an RN program at the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland. When I graduate I will have an ADN. I'm pretty excited about starting the program but also discouraged that many hospitals are preferring to hire new grads with a Bachelors over Associates. I would have to take at least one more semester of pre-reqs to be eligible to apply for the Bachelors programs in my area, and now that I've been accepted into the ADN program I just feel like I should go for it. (I've been taking prereqs for almost two excruciating years now! Taking more pre-reqs over starting the ADN program would be like pulling teeth...) What can I do while I'm in school to give me an edge? Should I look into Student Nursing jobs? Do Student Nurses usually get paid or is it more like an internship? Or tech positions? Would I have to get specific certification to be eligible for tech positions? I would want to get a position that has limited and flexible hours, so I don't stray too far from my school work, but would also be worth the experience and a resume builder. Should I wait until my first semester is done and then try to get a temp CNA job over the summer? Or are Student Nurse or Tech positions better? I'm thinking some experience would be good for my resume, but I don't know what direction to go in... I currently work as a nanny and have a prior Bachelor's in fine art, so I really don't have any reputable clinical experience at all :( Living in Baltimore, I'm surrounded by lots of hospitals, but I also feel really lost as to how to prepare myself for all of this. It would be such a disappointment to complete the RN program and not be able to even get my foot in the door, so I figure I should start thinking about it *now*! Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! THANK YOU! :)[/quote'] I thought I was the only one feeling like this. I have applied to an ADN program in Houston....although I have not gotten accepted I feel pretty good about it. Acception letter will not go out until next week. I have also been bouncing back and forth on whether or not to accept it or try for a Bachelors program. My predicament is there is a BSN program I would like to attend but it is very..very competitive and I too would need another year of pre-req to even apply..and what if I don't get in..then on the other hand what if I go to the ADN program and can't find a job afterwards..So I feel you..we are both in exactly the same spot right now in which we are at a cross road ...I just hope we both pick the RIGHT road.
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Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU, Emergency, Psych, Art Therapy.

I've been in the hospital many times (I have an array of health issues myself) and have had *the worst* nurses! Part of my interest in nursing is from my extended stays in the hospital and wanted to know how to help people, because I've been in situations where I have not been helped and I know it doesnt have to be like that. That being said --- Catherine Douglas --- I think trying to work as a tech, maybe even on your summers off from school (if you get them,) might give some experience in the field that would look good for your resume. I guess that is my potential plan... Also, maybe talking to advisors and asking what they think you can do to prepare yourself to actually get a job. I haven't had my orientation yet, so all of these 'what if's' are driving me nuts. *Also* here in Baltimore, at the University of Maryland, is a two semester program for RN's who want to get a BSN. They even allow students to go part time, so I'm thinking once I'm done with this ADN program, and hopefully get a job anywhere, I could perhaps go into this RN-to-BSN program part time while working. AKA I'm going to be in school forever :x3: Maybe where you live there is a Uni you could consider for a BSN bridge program while you're finishing up your ADN so at least you'll have some skills under your belt. Plus, once you finish your ADN and pass the NClex, or whatever you need to do to be an RN in your area, it will probably look good for the more competitive BSN programs you might be interested in.

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I would highly suggest going the bsn route AND getting a patient care job while in school. The market is rough and I can't imagine it getting much better any time soon, more like it's going to get worse. The more that you have going for you, the more doors will open for you.

It isn't just magnet hospitals that don't want new grad adns. From my own personal experience ltachs, snfs, clinics, etcetera are also being more selective due to the oversaturation of applicants they too are receiving.

I'm a new grad RN who, having just graduated a few months ago, will be starting school for bsn in a month. Although I always intended to go back for bsn, I wasn't thinking to do it this early in the game.

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I know someone who got hired with an ADN at a hospital but they have to make sure they sign up for a BSN program within a year I think and finish in 5. You will really have to sell yourself is all. :)

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