Finding a job after school.

so getting a job as a RN isn't super important to me

I'd open any job interview with this :icon_roll

What happened to the "shortage of nurses" I keep hearing about? Am I wasting my time? Am I even going to be able to find a job while I get my BSN?

There is a shortage of experienced nurses, not new grads. Your post shows only a superficial understanding of even the basics of the career field you're entering; even if you become a CRNA, you're still going to be a nurse.

even if you become a CRNA, you're still going to be a nurse.

I understand that. I have three friends that are CRNAs. Getting a job as nurse with only a 2 year degree isn't that important to me because I plan on significantly continuing my education beyond an associate's degree.

Good luck getting into a CRNA program.

A article in the Arizona Republic yesterday stated, 'It has been a tough couple of years for those looking for work in health care.' The article did say there are some hospital jobs for experienced nurses in highly specialized areas. 'It's almost as if the nursing shortage has gone into remission, but it will come back in the next two or three years' per Colleen Hallberg, chief nursing officer at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. A spokesman for ASU's College of Nursing and Health Innovation expects hiring to improve as the economy stabilizes and stated, "The message we send to our students is that the mid to long term is very positive.' He did not clarify what he was mid to long term. As I understand it, the push to increase the numbers of RNs is because the average age of current RNs is increasing and the population is aging.

There's a lot of new RNs that can't find a job. At all. What happened to the "shortage of nurses" I keep hearing about? Am I wasting my time? Am I even going to be able to find a job while I get my BSN?

There's also alot of accountants, autoworkers, builders, etc that can't find a job. It's called 15% (real) unemployment - No career is an island - when I was doing cna clinicals, the census on the floor was low because people were putting off any elective care, even if they had insurance. It'll get better, or - it won't... if you can find a career with better prospects, please pass along tips.... FWIW, while I don't deny the veracity of internet postings - that's what they are - postings from people you've never met.