RN to BSN Necessary in Urban Areas?

[lulain]

I have a Bachelor's degree in English, and an Associate's in Nursing. Fortunately I was able to start work right after graduation, as a mental health nurse, and will have worked in my facility a year this June... I am weighing the merits of going back to school for a BSN. Is it really worthwhile, in the job market, to have a BSN, assuming you have a couple years of experience with an Associate's Degree? I am especially thinking of moving to moving to a large urban area in a year or so, and would like to continue doing mental health related nursing, if possible.

Thank you for the input.

[mclennan, BSN, RN]

YES. You will definitely find the BSN worthwhile....anywhere.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Suggestion: Pick up a couple of the Sunday papers from that urban area, and see how many of the job postings say "BSN preferred / required." There's your answer. There will be more opportunities in the city, but more of them will require the bachelor's in nursing, too.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

Hospitals in my area require BSN within 5 yrs of higher

[Stephalump]

The trend in my local big med center is only hiring if BSN is in progress. So I can get away with an ADN, but I'll be enrolled in a BSN before I graduate.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

You asked about urban areas and I am going to say that from what I am seeing the BSN is much more essential for getting a job in an urban area than a rural area. I graduated from a diploma RN program and got a job right away, but then did an RN-BSN program and had my BSN before I moved to a very urban area (several million people). I am so glad I got my BSN as almost all the hospitals here will only hire nurses with a BSN. Experience does not seem to matter as much as those three little letters after your name

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Urban areas tend to have the big academic medical centers where competition for positions is FIERCE. So they can be more selective when they hire and, yes, are more likely to require BSN than a rural/community hospital. Every hospital in my city (major city in the Northeast with multiple nationally renowned hospitals) now requires a BSN.

[Music in My Heart]

I work at an academic med center and, while you can't get hired without experience, neither will all the experience in the world get you hired if you don't have a BSN.

As the market continues to be flooded with BSN nurses, this will only become more and more the case.

[maddiem]

If you want to work in a hospital in the ICU, ED, etc...yes. If you're ok working in LTC then you wouldn't HAVE to get your BSN...but it all cases it will be beneficial and earn you more money.