Associate Degree program a thing of the past...

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I am graduating in 3 weeks and just found out a few hospitals (magnet + tgh) will NOT be hiring AS degree RN's starting in Jan 2012. They have a new policy in place that requires all RN's to have a BS by 2018. That part is okay b/c I plan to get a BS degree by then. The part that has me freaking out is the fact they won't be hiring AS as of Jan. 2011. This makes me think the surrounding hospitals will follow suite very soon. I still plan to apply everywhere I can but just want to give people a heads up who have AS degrees and still looking for jobs and/or in school. --- Tampa,Fl area.

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p.s. this is in Tampa, Fl

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Specializes in Infusion.

This is all dependent on where you live. Sometimes living in a rural or semi-rural area will make the AS, ADN degrees more useful.

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I think most hospitals will end up going this route. With the abundance of nursing students they need to up the standards for hiring. I know that here in Los Angeles some hospitals right now are letting go of their LVNs because they are requiring at bare minimum a RN which I am sure will eventually turn into a BSN. DOnt fret though. Getting your BSN can be as easy as three months online from what I heard of nurses I know. You just have to make sure if you want to pursue a MSN that the schools you will be applying to will except your BSN degree.

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Not only can it be dependent on where you live, but what area of nursing you would like to practice. Some of the hospitals in my state will hire an ASN nurse for general practice, but will require a BSN for some specialty areas such as oncology or peds. There are a couple of hospitals--mostly urban, that hire BSN only.

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Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

There has even been speculation in some circles that entry nurses should have an MSN, now that new NPs as of 2015 may need to have the DNP. I doubt however that the entry nursing degree will be MSN anytime soon. But recent hiring trends in the metro areas seem to favor the BSN-trained nurse.

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This trend is nothing new or shocking. People have been advised for years to get their education from a BSN program if possible. Those who went that route when given the choice, don't have to worry about it now that employers are implementing higher hiring standards.

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good luck to all, regardless of ADN or BSN, if you stay on top, you will find a job. Otherwise, just keep on going to school then.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

Don't think it'll become obsolete, but as others have said the hiring depends on the area. I went to a nurses association brunch last week and got the opportunity to speak to Nursing Directors of a few hospitals around the area. They have said they don't hire ASN RNs, and all I kept thinking about was the rate of the surrounding CCs that are graduating ASN students. But, the economy is tough and graduating with a BSN doesn't guarentee you a job either.

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BSN is what makes you stand out, yet still, your chance of finding a job is still not guarantee. I see.

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I hear a lot about this but it definitely hasn't even gotten close to affecting my area. It makes me wonder how much of this is just dramatics from new grad BSNs that don't dazzle for their interview and therefor don't get hired. They can't fathom the notion that an ADN got hired over them.

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i just got accepted to the brockton hospital school of nursing which is a diploma program but will take an RN to BSN program at either umass darmouth or boston. is this an okay route? or should i try to get into the UMD nursing program since i am already going there? ( i am a freshman in my first semester) i don't know if they will even allow a transfer in, this is why BHSN seems like the best bet for me.

any advice would be awesome!

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