ASN or BSN?

[olieve1322]

hello nurses! I'm new to this forum so please forgive me if this question has been asked a million times over :)

I'm in the bay area, specifically san Francisco, and I was wondering if a BSN would give me an advantage over those who only have an ASN? Is there a pay difference? do hospitals prefer new grads to have the higher degree?

Most nursing schools/programs in the bay area are incredibly impacted (even super expensive private schools!) making it very difficult to get in. would I be at a disadvantage to apply for a nursing job with just an ASN?

Thanks in advance for any insight!!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

The best place to find out whether one degree will help over another is to look at job postings for facilities in your area. They may state BSN required or BSN preferred. That can help you guide your decision.

In my experience, there is not a differential simply for having one degree or another. A BSN may help make you eligible for clinical laddering levels, which may come with a pay raise. My facility's level 4 comes with an increase of $2/hour but requires either a minimum of a BSN or specialty certification.