ASN vs BSN

[AM326]

I spoke to one of the new nurses in my unit for a bit about schooling and she informed me that starting 2015 you will need a BSN instead of an ASN to even practice nursong in a hospital. It worries me some because my plan was to get my ASN, work as a nurse at my hospital, then study for my BSN. What she said worried me What have you heard? Thanks :)

[eyesopen_mouthshut, CNA]

With the healthcare laws being pushed back, I wouldn't worry about it so much at this point... But eventually, depending on how much you love nursing, work on furthering your education to make yourself more applicable to future FUTURE jobs, and open more possibilities for yourself. Hope this helps.

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[BostonFNP, APRN]

What have you heard? Thanks :)

It is very variable at the moment with individual employers setting the bar; the best thing you can do is talk to the NMs in your hospital about what they require of applicants, especially an internal applicant like yourself (assuming you currently work at the hospital).

If you graduate with your ADN and can't find a job you can always bridge to a BSN while you look.

[zoe92]

What have you heard?

I can not speak for the rest of the posters. But it is very hard to find a job here without your BSN. Community colleges are trying to compete but with the over saturation of nursing graduates, hospitals have preference and most are choosing BSN graduates.

This is just the situation where I am because I live in one of the most educated areas in the county. I say talk to more nurses in your hospital & get their opinions.

[Stephalump]

I can not speak for the rest of the posters. But it is very hard to find a job here without your BSN. Community colleges are trying to compete but with the over saturation of nursing graduates, hospitals have preference and most are choosing BSN graduates.

This is just the situation where I am because I live in one of the most educated areas in the county. I say talk to more nurses in your hospital & get their opinions.

My area is the same way.

I wouldn't say the ADN programs around me are trying to compete - they know what's up. The idea is that there aren't enough BSN programs to educate nurses, so associate degree programs still play a vital role - the growing demand for RNs is lying outside of the hospital, where ADNs are still a-ok, and everyone is being pushed toward BSN bridge programs. I think most people planning to attend nursing school just think the hospital is the end-game for everyone, and it isn't.

[hazel30, BSN, RN]

My hospital won't hire ADN's anymore, they're phasing them out.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

ADN's are not being phased out.....this has been talked about for at least 20 years. The current job climate which has a surplus of nurses allow hospitals the luxury of hiring whom they wish and why they wish. With the plethora of nursing grads and the decreased quality of SOME ADN programs ....BSN grads are being given preference in many parts of the country.

This is one of those subjects here on AN that has been debated/discussed ad nauseum use the link I provided for some of the pages about this subject or you can search the site itself by using the search feature in the upper right hand corner/side of the page and type in ADN vs BSN

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

In major metropolitan hospitals this may be the case, but most rural still depend on ADN nurses-- I don't believe we will see them phased out anytime in the near future. I do think having a BSN gives new grads a leg up- but an ADN with years of experience I think will always be more valuable than a BSN with none.