Will BSN get jobs over ASN in this recession?

I was just wondering what you think. Now that there is this recession and a lot of new grads are having a hard time getting jobs, do you think that BSN nurses will be hired over ASN nurses? I.E. similar back ground experience but BSN vs ASN degree?

I will tell all AA, AS degree nurses to RETURN to school for that BSN....You only have to go for ONE day a week for 3 years, part time.

Where I work, the educational preparation is a factor -- but not the only factor. The quality of the school counts, too, as well as the amount of experience and the "personality" of the applicant. We would "prefer" to hire BSN's, but only if the college has a good reputation, a track record of producing high quality nurses.

I work in an area where there are 3 local BSN programs, 2 of which are not very good. Some of the local ADN and Diploma programs produce a higher quality graduate. However, there are several excellent BSN programs a couple of hours away and we think highly of their graduates.

So ... we hire a mixture of BSN, AD, and Diploma new grads ... but our "ideal" applicant is a BSN applicant from a high quality school. It's a complicated choice made on a case by case basis.

Here's another thought from a hiring perspective. When we hire an ADN or Diploma grad, we will probably have to pay her tuition reimbursement and accommodate her scheduling requests as she goes back to school for the BSN. That adds to the expense of hiring those nurses. That's an expense the hospital doesn't have if they hire a BSN, who already has the educational qualifications for her first promotion.

Regions and hospitals vary, but for Oregon...

This spring 2009 Salem Hospital in Salem, Oregon had openings for 40 NEW graduates. These new graduate positions are only open to BSNs. Salem Hospital is looking towards Magnet Status so they are actively increasing their proportion of BSN nursing staff.

Are associates degree new grads getting squeezed out? In this case yes.

I'd be willing to bet that during these economic times, if a facility was looking at an experienced ADN resume and a new grad BSN resume, they'd be more likely to pick the experienced candidate who will be faster and cheaper to train/orient/precept. Magnet status or not.

They may also end up paying for the BSN person who wants their MSN or doctorate. Not being disrespectful or arguing, just a thought.

I asked a Salem Hospital (going for Magnet status) manager why they were hiring so many new grads... 1) they needed a higher proportion of BSN nurses. 2) this gave them the opportunity to train the nurses in their system from the get go. She added that it is often harder to "un-train" someone than start from scratch. They wanted new BSN grads so that they could invest in them – giving them a focused support system so that they could increase retention and in the long term, reduce costs...

Again this is just one example, and one hospital...