Associates vs Bachelors Degree

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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I currently have a bachelor's degree & have been contemplating to change careers. Will I have the same job opportunities if I get an associates degree in Nursing. I would like to continue to get a Masters degree in the future. Will my current bachelors degree be enough with an associates degree in nursing or should I just get another bachelors degreee?

Sorry, but it is NOT TRUE that hospitals will only hire BSN's.

Well - this quote absolutely depends on where you live! Acute hospitals here in Massachusetts are phasing out hiring of LPN's AND ADN's. They allow current LPN's or ADN's to stay but are pushing them to also try and get a BSN in the future.

I actually got a job as a new graduate at a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH). The average stay of our patients is about 30 days and is primarily a respiratory hospital. Lots of very sick, medically complex patients - lots of trachs, vents, etc... As an ADN I was very surprised to even get an interview and then even more surprised to get a job offer. I found out a bit later that they ONLY hire ADN's IF they graduated with honors. Thank you Lord for that "Cum Laude" on my diploma! lol I absolutely plan on going for my BSN after I work for a year. I just needed a little bit of a break from going to school! And,I was even more pleasantly surprised that I would be making $30/hour for the night shift after a 2 week orientation and another 4 weeks of preceptorship.

So, my point is, TRY to get the BSN if at all humanly possible. It will save you a lot of trouble in the long-term (took me 6 months to find a job after graduation). However, if you're willing to look "outside the box" and not just apply for the local acute-care short-term stay type hospital, you might just get an awesome experience. Once I get my BSN, because of all my trach & ventilator & tube feeding experience, many of the nurses who start where I work wind up in an ICU setting - which is where I really want to be in the long run.

Good luck in your Nursing education! Hope you love it as much as I do ;)

P.S. Nursing is my 2nd career and am loving every fast-paced second of it!

-Alissa:heartbeat

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Specializes in Medical/Telemetry. Now ICU.
BSN...there are several accelerated BSN programs out there that would allow you to get that second bachelor's degree in something like 12-18 months. My program is 15 months. I've been looking for jobs and many of them say, "BSN preferred."

Def go for a BSN. I got my 2nd bachelor degree in nursing...accelerated 16 month BSN, after I already did 4 years and got a B.S. in Exercise & Sports Science. :cool:

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Has anyone attended Azusa Pacific University RN to BSN online? If so, did you complete it and how was it and do you recommend it?

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