ADN

allnurses Guide · Dec 16, 2014

My hospital employs a lot of Assoc. degree nurses, our local college offers both Assoc. & Bach. programs. Obviously the Assoc. has fewer classes, but they all study the core of nursing together; it is a newish program and still working on the details.

To find a hospital that hires new grads, etc. you may have to relocate. Smaller hospitals, smaller towns, even go rural (I did some rural rotations as a student, was really interesting and a lot more autonomous and generalized).

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 16, 2014

In many hospital systems across the US, new grad RNs without BSN degrees stand no chance of being hired. So if you want a hospital job in your area, you will most likely need to earn a BSN degree.

USMCRN2015 · Dec 16, 2014

Depn if you are in the Boston area or not?

ArtClassRN, ADN, RN · Dec 16, 2014

The hospital I worked at as a CNA when I graduated with my ADN was not hiring any new grads - and when it did it wasn't hiring any ADNs at all. So I got hired at a much better hospital. In the years following my ex-coworkers suffered many unit closures, layoffs, and job rebids at the other hospital.

Meanwhile, I am happily cranking along at my hospital, who are paying for my BSN.

Make of that what you will.

crossfitnurse · Dec 16, 2014

I've been working on my floor as a PCT since this June and just graduated with my ADN this month and got hired for a new grad position that starts this coming January. It's possible, my friend who graduated with me also got hired, as well as 5 others I know with ADNs. The people who were already employed at the hospitals doing tech work are the ones who were able to get hired on with ADNs. It's not impossible if you set yourself up correctly!

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Dec 16, 2014

Prestigiousness is in the eye of the beholder.

There are hospitals out there who will hire you as an ADN new grad.

There are also hospitals which will allow you to work as an ADN while going back to school and they will pay for your education. Look for Those hospitals.

klone, MSN, RN · Dec 16, 2014

Yes, you should get your BSN. No, you should not spend $30,000 to get it. After you finish your ADN program, look at the myriad online RN-BSN programs out there. You should not have to spend more than $10,000, all in, to get your BSN.

Nurse-Prestige · Dec 17, 2014

You should get your BSN.

Do not settle for ADN. Many hospitals (and increasing) are not hiring low level degrees such as the ADN or Diploma certificate. They only hire BSN nurses. These are usually magnet and/or teaching hospitals.

When you do go for your BSN, don't listen to certain people when they say find any cheap RN-BSN program and go for it. Pick a really good reputable RN-BSN program (regardless of price, a really good quality education is more important then price, were taking care of patients after all).

Nursing is not suppose to be a quick way to have a career by having a low level degree (and having the shortest amount of time to be in school, and the cheapest) and saying that's it, i have career now. Nursing is Not like that, and should not be.

AJJKRN · Dec 22, 2014

You should get your BSN.
Do not settle for ADN. Many hospitals (and increasing) are not hiring low level degrees such as the ADN or Diploma certificate. They only hire BSN nurses. These are usually magnet and/or teaching hospitals.
When you do go for your BSN, don't listen to certain people when they say find any cheap RN-BSN program and go for it. Pick a really good reputable RN-BSN program (regardless of price, a really good quality education is more important then price, were taking care of patients after all).
Nursing is not suppose to be a quick way to have a career by having a low level degree (and having the shortest amount of time to be in school, and the cheapest) and saying that's it, i have career now. Nursing is Not like that, and should not be.

It may serve you well to proof read your posts before actually sending them or when at work...think about how to better word a condescending comment to peers...we get it...you're hot :sarcastic: :no:

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 22, 2014

It may serve you well to proof read your posts before actually sending them or when at work...think about how to better word a condescending comment to peers...we get it...you're hot

Although I am one of the so-called 'low level' degree holders of which Nurse-Prestige spoke (vocational nursing diploma '05, ASN degree '10), we cannot deny the societal perception that students of community colleges and trade schools are not quite college material, even if this perception isn't always realistic. And like it or not, associate degrees and diplomas are associated with community college and trade school education, even though they can be conferred at many state universities in the US.

I was accepted to three regional state universities during my high school senior year, but instead joined the entry-level workforce after graduation because my parents had steered me away from college. I was an only child with a poorly cultivated sense of self, so I had been influenced heavily by what the parents wanted me to do with my life. So I worked a series of dead-end jobs in fast food, downscale retail, temporary agencies and a factory for five years before enrolling in a trade school vocational nursing (LVN) program at 23 years old.

After working full-time as an LVN for three years while slowly completing prerequisite courses at a nearby community college, I enrolled in a trade school LPN-to-ASN transition program at 28 years of age and received my RN licensure the following year. Now I 'attend' an online RN-to-BSN program and have 7 more credits to complete before conferral of the baccalaureate degree in nursing. I will be 34 next year.

Our differing trajectories in life took off for a variety of reasons, all somewhat related. I had been bitter and sullen for many years for not having attended university right after high school, but when looking back, my academic pathway in life has validity. I have no student loans, which is partly attributable to the academic path I pursued. On the other hand, many people from my socioeconomic background of origin are smashed with the invisible weight better known as intractable student loan debt.

Some individuals will always frown down upon trade schools and community colleges because of the perception that the coursework is watered down and the pervasive belief that the degrees are 'low level.' There's also the viewpoint that some of the students are not exactly 'college material.' I am a product of community college and trade school education, and if a person thinks condescendingly of me for having taken that educational path into nursing, that shall be their problem, not mine.

klone, MSN, RN · Dec 22, 2014

When you do go for your BSN, don't listen to certain people when they say find any cheap RN-BSN program and go for it. Pick a really good reputable RN-BSN program (regardless of price, a really good quality education is more important then price, were taking care of patients after all)..

The good thing is that it doesn't have to be either/or. You can get a degree from a good, reputable program without breaking the bank.

And I think it's unrealistic to say that price should not be a factor in people's decisions. Of course it should, especially when many nurses spend several months or even a year+ looking for their first nursing job.