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.

That doesnt sound legal. If people were hired on originally under the terms that having a ADN was enough and no BSN was needed, I dont see how they can legally fire someone who has done nothing wrong and has honored their original hire agreement. Requiring it of people who are NOW being hired is one thing, but it sounds like they may be opening themselves up to lawsuits for people who have been working there for years, who werent originally hired under those terms. *shrug*

Depends on the state and what the original terms of employment are.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

"at will" states an employer can let you go for any reason they want.. I don't think there is a whole lot one can do about it.

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As far as could remember, I had plenty of clinical hours with the BSN program. As to whether ADNs are better prepared to hit the floor than BSNs is questionable to me. Both are still going to have the same orientation and length of preceptorship at the beginning of their career.

I haven't posted here in a while, was just reading mostly. I have been hired after 4 mos of looking, working for almost 2 yrs now, it was tough landing a job for new graduates 2 yrs ago. It is not getting better. It is true that hospitals are encouraging ADNs to have their BSN and even offer tuition reimbursements. In a way, it is a way of promoting the field of nursing as a profession.

Good luck for the new grads. Don't give up! Something is out there for you :nurse:

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Specializes in hospice.
the local college here is THREE YEARS to go from ASN to BSN. I am in the Tampa Florida area

St. Petersburg College is three semesters that can all be done online.

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Specializes in School Nursing.
St. Petersburg College is three semesters that can all be done online.

Does that include general ed prereqs that one might not have needed with the ADN?? I have a friend who is an ADN going for her BSN and she has been taking general ed classes before she can apply, that the ADN didn't require.. (stats, government, history, chemistry, and several others).. then she can do the bridge online in 3 semesters.

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Specializes in TELE, CVU, ICU.

The classes you mention are all required for the ADN

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I am aware of this "problem" many of us ADN'ers are encountering. I am conscience of it, but not intimidated. I plan on working my tail off and proving to my co-workers and superiors that not having a BSN out of the gate will in no way interfere with my ability to provide the best possible nursing care. Magnet status doesn't mean they can't/won't hire ADN's, it just means I may have to try a little bit harder to stand out. :)

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Specializes in TELE, CVU, ICU.

Now that I am on my actual computer and not posting from my phone in between sleeping and working I thought I would clarify a few points so that people understand I am not a total idiot. I earned 132 credits at community college toward my Associate Degree in Nursing. I am actually looking at my transcripts right now.

The classes I took just to GET IN to the ADN program qualified me for two Associate degrees: an AS in Math/Science and and AA in Social Science. I had both degrees before I was finished with Nursing School.

Some of the required prerequisites for my ADN included Microbiology, and Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2. The prerequisite for micro was chemistry, so in the year before my ADN I took A&P 1, chemistry & intermediate algebra (a co-requisite for chemistry). In my second semester I took Mircro & A&P 2.

The degree requirements included English 101, Sociology, psych, communication, as well as other classes. I had already taken English and the other classes, so the semester I applied I took the other three classes and got in. Then I took two years (four semesters) of nursing courses. For most students, The ADN program ended up being four years, eight semesters. I had mine in three years, six semesters not counting the semester of degree requirements and the classes I had already taken. I took additional lower division classes for transfer, which added up to the 132 credits mentioned above. They have since INCREASED the requirements for entry into the ADN program.

The State University I transferred to accepted 70 of the 132 credits I had, not because I went to some BS for profit school (there were articulation agreements from my community college to every state university and some private universities as well) but because the Universities in my state do not accept more than 70 units for transfer. This is because they want people to pay more money. In addition to the required nursing classes (which were just a rehash of the classes I had already taken, without the clinical component) I had to take 9 units of upper division general ed classes. This adds up to 174 units of classes for a BACCALAUREATE DEGREE.

Now, from experience I am telling you, that I DID NOT HAVE ANY MORE CLINICAL EXPERIENCE IN MY BSN PROGRAM. There were clinicals for ONE CLASS- community health- that were no different than the clinicals I had in my ADN program. The BSN is no different than the ADN except for one thing--I paid more money and have a diploma that says "Bachelors of Science in Nursing"

Now, my recommendation for anyone considering nursing would be to take all the lower division and prerequisites at the community college level and then transfer to a University for the BSN. Anything else would be a waste of time and money. But to say that the ADN is somehow inferior to the BSN is selling a lot of people short. I worked damn hard for my Associate degrees (I have three of them, after all) and I got a helluva lot better education that those I know with BSN's that cannot even speak or write basic English.

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Specializes in School Nursing.
The classes you mention are all required for the ADN

Not all of them.. in this area, you need a few general ed classes but not nearly the amount you need for BS degree.

2 semesters of history

2 semesters of government

1 humanities *

2 semesters of comp *

1 behavior science (in addition to lifespan)

2 semesters of science w/labs*

1 speech

1 semester of college math*

1 semester fine arts

This list does not include the nursing prereqs (though the AP1/2 can fill in for the sciences)- here, the ADNs don't require statistics, nutrition, or chemistry either, which are all required for BSN)

I put a star by the ones the ADN degree requires. A couple of the ADN programs throw one of the history classes in there or something of that nature, but most of the gen eds are not required.

It amazes me how different community colleges must be around the country to have such vast differences in the requirements. I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around a REQUIRED 110+ hours for an associates degree.

Having said that, I'm not surprised you didn't have more clinical for your BSN, since you did them for your ADN. For students going straight to BSN- the program is different, requiring the same amount of clinical course/hours an ADN gets.

I'm just glad I'm not at a school where they are making me retake any of the classes I've already taken.. and the BSN bridge for ADNs seems to be a lot smoother here in Texas. After reading your ordeal, I'm glad to be in Texas. ;)

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The State University I transferred to accepted 70 of the 132 credits I had, not because I went to some BS for profit school (there were articulation agreements from my community college to every state university and some private universities as well) but because the Universities in my state do not accept more than 70 units for transfer. This is because they want people to pay more money. In addition to the required nursing classes (which were just a rehash of the classes I had already taken, without the clinical component) I had to take 9 units of upper division general ed classes. This adds up to 174 units of classes for a BACCALAUREATE DEGREE.

Now, from experience I am telling you, that I DID NOT HAVE ANY MORE CLINICAL EXPERIENCE IN MY BSN PROGRAM. There were clinicals for ONE CLASS- community health- that were no different than the clinicals I had in my ADN program. The BSN is no different than the ADN except for one thing--I paid more money and have a diploma that says "Bachelors of Science in Nursing"

Now, my recommendation for anyone considering nursing would be to take all the lower division and prerequisites at the community college level and then transfer to a University for the BSN. Anything else would be a waste of time and money. But to say that the ADN is somehow inferior to the BSN is selling a lot of people short. I worked damn hard for my Associate degrees (I have three of them, after all) and I got a helluva lot better education that those I know with BSN's that cannot even speak or write basic English.

The reason schools only accept a certain amount of units from other schools is because in order to get a degree at a school, you need to take a certain amount of units there. Otherwise you could go to school A, take all but a couple classes, transfer to school B and graduate with a degree saying you graduated from school B. Another reason is that community colleges only provide lower division courses and you need a certain amount of upper division courses to get a BA/BS. I am a second degree student and during my first degree, I changed schools and majors resulting in me having to take a lot more classes. Since we were on the quarter system, 180 units were required for graduation and many people went over that for various reasons. It took me 5 years to get my BS in Computer Science and I had 350 units at graduation. I was a bit amazed by having almost double the minimum units required but it was because transferring schools and majors set me back.

Another thing I'd say from my experience is that universities don't always cost more so I say apply and do what is best for your financial situation. I was able to get scholarships and grants for my first BS and my expenses were very minimal. For some people doing their lower division coursework and pre-reqs at a community college would make sense, for others, possibly not. There is nothing wrong with going to a community college but there is also nothing wrong with going straight to a university especially if you are able to get into a pre-nursing program that guarantees you a spot.

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Hi I am new to this site, I was wondering to the students and nurses in tampa.... How did u pay for school. I am a 21 year old and desperately want to get into school, but money is the problem. I have to include my parents on financial aid and they make too much $ for me to get a grant. Hcc takes too long after pre req's are done, galen too expensive, uma too expensive, and erwin takes too long to start up. I want to start school asap and I know for a fact my parents wont help with $... And I live on my own working retail right now. What is your advice? I want a school thats affordable with a few loans and I dont have to wait 6 months to start class.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Hi I am new to this site, I was wondering to the students and nurses in tampa.... How did u pay for school. I am a 21 year old and desperately want to get into school, but money is the problem. I have to include my parents on financial aid and they make too much $ for me to get a grant. Hcc takes too long after pre reqs are done, galen too expensive, uma too expensive, and erwin takes too long to start up. I want to start school asap and I know for a fact my parents wont help with $... And I live on my own working retail right now. What is your advice? I want a school that's affordable with a few loans and I don't have to wait 6 months to start class.

If you live on your own....why do you include your parents income. I am not sure this was the place to put this in this thread. You are young, what is the hurry that 6 months is too long. Even if you get financial aid it doesn't mean you will get accepted into a program right away. Call the local schools financial offices and ask them how to proceed. Many are choosing nursing right now because of the economy and it's a recession proof job....which it isn't. There are MANY new grads right now with thousands in loans and haven't been able to find work. Try re-posting this in the FLA forum or the student forum, there is even the one with colleges that may help you.....I wish you the best.

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