Career changer

[loriidel]

I am interested in nursing and am taking pre-reqs now. I am a career changer and have as BS degree. I live 60 miles south of St Louis, MO. I want to know if a BSN is necessary or will an ASN suffice. At what rate would I be paid, on an ASN scale or BS scale. I am thinking about going to a community college because it is cheaper. Any help to clarify information will be appreciated.

[JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN]

If you haven't already, you might want to post your question in the "region" section. Nursing pay is all over the map, all over the map : )

Some hospitals have a slightly higher pay for BSNs. Some hospitals in my state will only hire BSNs for new grad positions. That being said, the hospitals in my area hire ASN graduates that they have seen in action (like in clinicals). In Oregon, starting wage for RNs is around $30/hour for acute care and about 80 to 90% of that for long term care.

[iPink, BSN, RN]

Definitely check your area for that answer of a ADN vs. BSN. I did some homework in my area as well, before deciding to go back to school for nursing, and the answer to that is a BSN is desired. All the sites where I do my clinicals have BSN or higher prepared nurses. The one or two ADNs on the floor are required to go back to school to get their BSNs. Again, this may not be the case in your area. Pay differential for ADNs vs. BSNs vary, but I heard it's not that much.

If you decide to go the ADN route to save money, you can always do a RN to BSN bridge program, which is about 1 year. Or, you can go the RN to MSN route. Good luck. Visit: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/second-career-nurses-614991.html to see other career changers like us. Good luck.