ADN or BSN...how much does it really matter?

U.S.A. Washington DC

Published

Hello everyone. I am not a nurse yet but rather applying to get in to a nursing program. My original plan was to just get my ADN, make contacts, and get a job upon graduation so I could start earning money sooner. Now I am worried I will have trouble getting a job without the BSN in this economy/job market. I am hoping to go into L&D, OB, PICU, NICU...you see the idea. I hope to go back for a BSN or RN-MS later on with the financial assistance of my employer. I'd appreciate any feedback from nurses who have taken different paths as well as those in charge of hiring.

Thanks so much!

Nikki

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
It's becoming more of an issue these days. Veterans Hospitals/clinics are advertising "BSN preferred". My current hospital is going with a "BSN in 10 (years)" approach with the goal being an all BSN staff. As I have glanced through job annoucements in other states (my husband is military and we'll be moving in the next year to 18months), I have seen a lot of "BSN preferred". My advice, look at the agencies in your area, see how they are advertising vacancies and make your decision based on that. Good luck to you!

The key word is "preferred", so I would still encourage someone with their ADN to apply. I have beat out candidates with higher levels of education during the interview process in the past. Thankfully personality and experience still counts for something in many cases.

Love hearing this news ladies. I am so conflicted. I'm afraid I will make the wrong decision.

Ahem (sound of throat being cleared) - some of us nurses leave the seat up when we exit the water closet . . .

Sorry chuckster, you are right. ;-)

Where I live hospitals don't really have a preference..same pay and everything. Even the magnet hospitals will hire ADNs who have the right interviewing skills or who were CNAs during nursing school. The hospital I work at has plenty of ADNs in ICU, L&D, ER, etc.

If the BSN isn't too hard financially and you can finish it around the same time as the ADN I'd say go with that. Then you don't have to worry about working and going back to school, although around here most of the RN-BSN completion programs are almost completely online which is nice.

Look at the job market you want to work in too. If you live in an area with a lot of BSN schools you might have a harder time finding a job, but if you live in an area that has mostly ADN programs it might be a lot easier.

I live in the DC metro area. There are a lot of schools around here...university and community college. Being a politics oriented town though I'm not sure how many nursing students stick around or if most go off somewhere else to school. I really don't know. But like you, job descriptions/requirments I've seen online don't specify that a BSN is required and I think many of the courses for the RN-BSN or RN-MSN are online.

Specializes in CVICU.
The key word is "preferred", so I would still encourage someone with their ADN to apply. I have beat out candidates with higher levels of education during the interview process in the past. Thankfully personality and experience still counts for something in many cases.

I never said don't apply. All I am saying is that if someone is trying to decide between ADN and BSN for school that they should take a look at how agencies are advertising in the area. The VA where I worked for 3 years prior to specializing and changing hospitals has hired only BSN in the last several rounds of new grad hires (which started with the new grad program I was hired into in 2008.) The only ADNs that have been hired in my time there were not new hires, but were LPNs who already worked for the VA and had gone back and gotten their RN.

Also for someone who is an experienced nurse, degree doesn't matter as much as experience...but for a new grad, it matters a lot more than it used to. :twocents:

Specializes in NICU.

You won't be eligible to work in the UK if you get an ADN...but it's not likely you're looking to work there :)

Do you already have a degree? Depending where you live, I'd look at George Mason and UMD. They are state schools and a bit cheaper. If you already have a degree, it is a bit more expensive but GWU has a 15 month accelerated BSN program. George Mason has an accelerated BSN program as well and UMD either has a 21 month traditional BSN or 16 month accelerated MSN-CNL.

I know 2 recent nurse grads. 1 got a BSN from one of the 'lesser' nursing schools in the area. She got a great new grad residency position in a hospital before she graduated. The ADN went to one of the better CCs in the area and it took her 6 months to find a part time job, and a few more months to eventually find a full time job but neither job was in a hospital.

I was also just reading the Johns Hopkins says that their hospitals are about 78% BSN RNs and that their goal is 80%. So I imagine they will heavily favor BSN nurses but that is just a single example of hospital attitudes in the area.

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