Hiring outlook for ADN vs. BSN in your town?

U.S.A. Texas

Published

Hey y'all,

I am wondering what the job outlook is like in your town for an ADN vs. a BSN. Are hospitals still as willing to hire ADNs? ADNs, how fast were you able to find work when you graduated? Where are y'all located? I am in the Dallas, TX area and would love if anyone had any information on this area specifically. I am getting ready to apply to school (I will probably apply for an ADN program and a BSN program to cover all my bases)... I've read more than once that BSN is really the way to go in Dallas and need some feedback! Thanks!!

sugar you live in Dallas now right? With BSN degree in Dallas you can't go without a job...hello you are in nursing field...job oppurtunity is there. you might not get the specialty you want right a away but you will get job some where.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac Critical Care.

TA, do you think my chances would be as good with an ADN in Dallas?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

80 grand in debt for an undergrad nursing degree is insane. Do not do it. Seriously.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Big hospitals in Dallas medical center will prefer BSN, but you can get by with ADN at small private hopstals.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
(Also, with the 80k I was factoring in loans for living expenses I'd need during the program! Forgot to mention that :))

I see. That makes a little more sense. Still seems like a lot of money though...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I owe 60k for my undergrad. im not not happy but its worth it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My advice? Go ADN and save your money, but plan on bridging to your BSN RIGHT AWAY!! That way you can save money, and if your goal is hospital nursing you will still be able to do it! Plus any and all experience helps. It is still my understanding that LTC's don't mind taking ADN's. If I were you I'd get my ADN, apply for hospital jobs and if it didn't work out I'd apply for jobs at an LTC all while simultaneously getting my BSN online :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac Critical Care.

Thanks for the great advice y'all! It's a tough decision with pros and cons on each side. People outside Dallas, how do you feel about ADN/BSN hiring in your area? Anyone have any personal experiences to share?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

What would be great is if you could ask some of those graduating near you what the deal is. If your college is near you, go and haunt the nursing department and find someone close to graduating, some have contacts with past grads and know what's what. If you ask college admin, they will ALWAYS tell you that the future is excellent for you in nursing. Heck ours kept it up and still does despite not having many grads from the past few graduating classes able to find gainful employment as RNs. People with jobs of a few years in your area won't know what the situation is since it's drastically changed in the past few years. They might have had a much better market when they were new. Hospital recruiters will always put the glowy face on their facility hiring practices. Some however might give you the straight shot on the BSN thing (but remember they must outwardly appear to be equal opportunity employers).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Everyone talking about how difficult it is to find a nursing job is scaring me!! I have always flipped back and forth between teaching and nursing and part of the reason I am going to do nursing now is because where I am living there is a demand for nurses... any job board is about 90 percent full of jobs looking for RN's....but its a smaller area where I live and I am afraid it will soon follow the bigger cities and have too many RN's. Its so difficult in this economy!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You have to look further than a job board looking for nurses. Many places just leave the same old postings up year around but do not hire. Many will not hire nurses with under 1 or even 2 years acute care experience (means hosptial RN experience, not LTC, not HH). So, you are left with the dilema of how to get that experience in a hospital if you can't get a job there... many times, all this info is not listed in the actual job posting. That is why it is very important you get the inside info from actual RNs, new RNs and if and how they are doing -- specifically those from the schools you are thinking of attending. It's gonna take some work. Some are very afraid of saying anything, thinking it will lessen their own chances of finding a job, so, you will really have to dig.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you all so much for the information. Around here, everyone is saying "if you want a job, go for nursing" but when I graduated high school in 2005 and started my first two years of college, everyone told me "if you want a job, go into education" which I did for two years..and...now there isn't a teaching job to be found around here. I sometimes think my best bet is playing the lottery daily! ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment