ADN vs BSN

[nursingjourney]

I am an ADN student about to start my first semester of nursing school. Once completing this program, I do plan on finishing my BSN through an online program (possible Texas Tech or Tarleton) as quickly as possible. But I want to know a couple things...

1. Am I likely to find an employer who will pay for/reimburse me for completing my BSN or is that just a rumor?

2. Will future employers take me seriously when they see that I finished my BSN through an online program?

3. What kind of job opportunities are there for ADN RNs? I had a non-nursing student make a very snide comment about how I wouldn't be able to find a job as an ADN, and although I usually make a point to ignore negative Nancys like that, this one stuck because I understand that there might be some truth to it.

Thanks in advance!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I assume you are in Texas. There are plenty of opportunities for ADN grads in Texas, but most of them are not in the acute care hospital.

Employers will have no way of knowing you completed your BSN degree online unless you earned it from a school with a mega online presence such as University of Phoenix, Kaplan, Walden, Grand Canyon U, etc. Stick with the online programs offered by state universities and you should be fine.

I cannot speak for all areas of TX, but I am in the DFW area. Some hospital systems offer tuition reimbursement, but you'll need to land that hospital job as an ADN grad in order to take advantage of it.

[Miss Infermiera2b, BSN, RN]

I'm not in Texas, but at the hospital I work at (a magnet hospital, by the way) they hire lots of ADN grads, and yes, they also pay for the BSN. They do require a commitment to earn your BSN within 2 years. Like the other poster said, I would definitely look into an online program through a reputable university or state college.

[s2bLuluRN]

I had a hard time chosing between ADN and BSN when I started school. My advisor told me that most hospitals in TN are moving away from hiring those with an ADN. I chose to go with BSN because I currently have a really nice job and can do a nights and weekend program while I continue to work. Larger hospitals, such as Vanderbilt, have required nurses with an ADN to complete their BSN in two years like Miss Infermiera said. Vanderbilt did pay for their nurses to go back to school. Research your area and see what the requirments are.