Is ADN sufficient to ba trauma RN?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am in my thirties and have no desires to be a head RN or anyone's boss. I have passed the TEAS, taking micro starting next week, and hopefully transferring to Georgia Perimeter College to acquire my ADN. I would like to hurry up and start my career as I am not getting any younger. Would I be able to be hired as a trauma RN if I only possess an ADN? Are the rumors true that many medical facilities are only hiring nurses with their BSN? Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Welcome to AN! The best way to find out what degree is required is to look at job postings in your area. Yes, there are some facilities that state "BSN preferred" or "BSN required" on their job postings that are available on their websites. That's not to say it's impossible to be hired with an ADN, but it can be more difficult. In some areas, new grads are having difficulty finding any job regardless of degree. You may find that you need to take a position that isn't in your first choice specialty or relocate.

Trauma nursing covers a lot of territory. It could mean ED, surgical ICU, surgical stepdown units or othopedics and eventually rehab. Nobody gets exclusively trauma patients, even at a big level 1 trauma center. Just something to keep in mind.

A lot of your trauma centers are located in university towns and bigger cities. These places really do have a BSN preferred mindset. I did get hired many years ago as an ADN, but there is a push for BSN and certification in your specialty. You could contact nurse recruiting and ask what percent of new grad hires had a BSN.

Sure can. All you learn in BSN is management, research and public nursing.

Sure can. All you learn in BSN is management, research and public nursing.

And you base this on what?

Which part? ADN sufficient.....that's self explanatory. We have all the critical thinking skills and nursing knowledge we need. BSN being research, management & public health.......look at the curriculum. I quit the BSN program once. Been there, done that.

And you base this on what?

that pretty much describes the additional material in most BSN programs.

When I was in the military a lot of the nurses I worked with in the ER had an ADN. The hospital is a level one trauma center.

Actually there were a couple that had been there for years and years and are still there. They have no desire to get a BSN unless they absolutely have to.

Specializes in OR.

Check the requirements of the hospitals around you. In Atlanta, you have hospitals that require BSN degrees and you have hospitals that hire ADN-prepared nurses. It's all going to depend on which hospital you're hoping to get into.

I would call the nurse recruiter of a few hospitals and ask them to be honest with you about whether or not they're hiring ADN grads. That's what I did.

I'll be finishing up my BSN shortly.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Oncology.

Definitely depends on the hospital you're looking into. I work in the ER right now, and according to the nurses there, BSN is preferred but ADN is considered sufficient. In terms of directly relevant nursing knowledge, a BSN shouldn't be completely necessary.

Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.
I would call the nurse recruiter of a few hospitals and ask them to be honest with you about whether or not they're hiring ADN grads. That's what I did.

I'll be finishing up my BSN shortly.

I did the same. I'm in an ASN program :) it all depends on your area and the hospitals.

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