Getting hired with an associates degree?

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What are your chances of getting hired today or later in the future with an associates in nursing?

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I have my associates and have been recruited for every job I've had since becoming an RN, including my recent promotion. When I was still in school and doing my preceptorship at a local hospital, the unit manager asked if I would work there. Then I was recruited by my primary care doctor's office and accepted that position, and since was recruited by my regional manager to take the supervisor position at one of the sites that she regionally manages. :) I have been very happy with my education and it has served me very well in my career. ...HOWEVER, I must add that I've decided to attend BSN completion courses through the University of Phoenix online. The reason for this is because I've now been promoted into a management / administrative position, and I need my education to keep up with my career. (This is a choice that I am making, and is not being mandated by my employer.)

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Most hospital around me in NJ are only hiring nurses holding a BSN..some because they are Magnet, others because thats where nursing is headed. It will probably be difficult to find a job with an associates degree... if someone with a BSN also applied i almost promise they will accept that before an associates. I would suggest enrolling into a BSN asap

most hospitals will not hire associate degree nurses unless they already worked there and are in the process of obtaining their BSN. The nurses that work in my facility that have an associates had already been there before magnet status and this whole RN vs BSN thing started..

Today it is difficult to get hired... in future it might be damn near impossible with all the new BSN students running around...

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Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.

50/50.

Either you will get hired or you wont.

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I know lots of nurses. Seems to be a common trade among my friends/family :) They all have Associates and had no issues getting a job right out of school. Guess it just depends on the area you live in and where you are applying?

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Hi FutureNurse!

I am graduating from an ADN program this spring, and I am worried about the same thing. I have been a waitress/mom all my adult life, but I am thinking about applying for a nurses' aide position during my last quarter just to get my foot in the door, anywhere! I plan to eventually get my BSN, like in the next 5 years, but I would really like to work and get some experience now. Plus I am a single parent!

If I don't manage to find a nurses' aide job before I graduate, I am going to be super flexible about any job offer, and remember that any job is a good job as long as I can keep on learning.

Good luck,

Julie

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

New Grad ADN here in Southern California. Just got a position in ER. Some of my classmates have gotten jobs in ICU, NICU, oncology, med/surg, and step down. It's really a mixture of luck, timing, marketing yourself, and networking like crazy. I've gotten two job offers. I have LVN experience, and I've been accepted into a BSN program, which I think looked good on a resume and helped. You cannot be timid in this job market. You have go and get your job yourself. Nobody will hand you a job. Polish up your resume and sharpen your interview skills. Do an internship, especially if your school doesn't offer a preceptorship. Get some tech experience in order to make contacts and build a reputation for yourself. Try to apply to smaller community hospitals. A lot of them don't really care about the ADN vs BSN. "BSN preferred" is just a smokescreen to decrease the number of applicants. Take care of yourself (hygiene, weight). ALWAYS look your best at work, at an interview, and/or whenever you run into possible contacts for a job. Exercise. Being well-received is key.

DON'T LET NEGATIVE PEOPLE BRING YOU DOWN. STAY POSITIVE!

Good luck!

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Your chances depend on your location, the local supply/demand situation for nurses, and just how many colleges there are pumping out BSRNs. The trends have been urban areas with a steady supply of BSRN new-grads are not hiring associate degrees. But more rural and "less desirable" locations are. I read on this board a week or so ago that Charlotte, NC employers hire associate degrees. NW PA and NE OH do, and, in fact, those regions still have thriving diploma RN schools, equivalent to associate degree.

If you get an associate degree, there's nothing stopping you from doing an online completer for BS RN.

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It definitely depends on where you are at. I live near 2 major metro centers. Within an hour radius, I think there are 12 schools offering BSN degrees. On the various hospital websites, I've noticed that the job listings all say BSN preferred. That doesn't mean you can't get a job as an ADN but you may have to work it a little more.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

It depends on a lot of things: where you live, where you're applying to, what area you're applying to, what you bring to the interview table, and how you sell yourself in the interview. All of those factors can make a big difference in whether you can get hired as a ADN.

I don't have a BSN (yet), but I was able to get hired as a new grad within three months. I was even able to get hired in California, the land of "we really prefer BSN applicants." So it's not impossible. I'll admit that having the BSN already would have made me more competitive for a lot of positions, but I think I did pretty well and I'm very happy landing where I did :)

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

this is as old as the profession itself. search the site and weigh what you read. this subject has been discussed many, many times. https://allnurses.com/search.php?searchid=998125

the market is very tight. there is no nursing shortage. the jobs maybe posted but there are hiring freezes due to the economy. nurses have returned to the workforce because their s.o. is unemployed and nurses who planned to retire cannot because we lost our butts in 401k when everything crashed. there are nursing schools churning out grads at an alarming rate to take advantage of the economy and the flocking of society to the "recession proof" healthcare field...with no positions to fulfill. there are hospitals that offer "internships" or "residencies" that you pay them to train you available but they are few and far between and don't guarantee employment. right now it just stinks out there :sniff: hospitals are "short staffed" but they want it that way......due to budget cits and hospitals are still laying off.

https://allnurses.com/nursing-news/jo...ds-662139.html

https://allnurses.com/nursing-first-j...ew-636865.html

medscape: medscape access

the big lie?without a doubt, the main source of frustration experienced by recently graduated and licensed but still unemployed nurses is what could be called "the big lie."in other words, the television commercials that encourage young people to become nurses -- and then abandon them for months (or years) without employment; and the educators who tell them that the associate's degree is perfectly adequate to guarantee employment, that they will have their pick of jobs when they graduate, and that there is plenty of time to get a bsn later on. who knows whether it is greed, ignorance, or wishful thinking that underlies the fairy tales told to nursing students about their future job prospects? whatever the motivation, the disillusionment of our new grads is palpable. the jobs they expected after all of their hard work just haven't materialized, and some grads are getting pretty desperate.

adn, bsn depends on location, location, location. i will say that when there is a plethora of nurse you need to make yourself the best in the sea of new grads. i think that if you are young and just starting out you should think bsn eventually as it will be something you will need. but right now the market is tight for most new grads. this too shall pass....eventually. i wish you luck:heartbeat

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The hospitals in my area have recently switched to BSN only due to Magnet. The only chance you have with an associate's degree is to be a PCA at the hospital already. I figure worst case scenario I'll keep my PCA job and do the RN-BSN program as it will be free (I work at a university hospital and full-time employees get 10 free credit hours a semester). Not ideal, but could be worse!

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