getting hired in a hospital with an associates degree?

Junebug903, LPN · Feb 13, 2017

How much do you make and what speciality? Thanks!

Jules A, MSN · Feb 13, 2017

The pay is lower, but the cost of living is significantly less here than many parts of the country. .

But other than the obvious outliers like CA and NYC is it really much cheaper? I have friends who moved from NJ to FL and while they love the climate from what I hear their expenses aren't much different and their pay rates are very low. I'd love to take the plunge but am very attached to my current income.

Sour Lemon · Feb 13, 2017

It is still an RN license so shouldn't be a hang-up anywhere. An RN is an RN is an RN. I think some facilities 'like' to have BSNs, but it is not a requirement for hiring.

In some saturated markets, it actually is a requirement.

DoGoodThenGo · Feb 13, 2017

I wonder if the no experience part is as much of a hinderance as the ADN? Maybe get whatever job you can to gain some valuable experience before you go moving across the country somewhere.

Nah, OP is on the money; most every major hospital/healthcare network in NYC wants the BSN for new grad hires. Not only do they want that four year degree it is often specified their "preferred" candidates will have an overall GPA of at least 3.4 or higher, and or "B" grades in all nursing and science courses.

A new ADN grad with experience (working say in LTC or something) and is currently enrolled in a bridge program sometimes does get hired. Also every now and then you hear about an ADN grad being hired who has enrolled by not started her/his bridge program, but that is the exception rather than rule.

Sad thing is ADN programs far outweigh four year and ABSN schools here in NYC; especially when it comes to low cost options like CUNY or SUNY programs. So grads Associate grads often find themselves having to immediately enroll in a bridge program, or start looking elsewhere such as up or out of state to find work.

It also isn't helping fifteen hospitals have closed in NYC since 2003 (make that 16 since Beth Israel is now closing as well), so there are less hospital jobs to go around for both new grads and seasoned nurses.

Mount Sinai claims it will find jobs in system for all nursing staff affected by the closure of Beth Israel, but going forward is anyone's guess. They are replacing a 856-bed hospital with a smaller 70 bed facility, stand alone urgent care/ER and several ambulatory places. Either way it is a sure bet when the dust settles Mount Sinai system will not be recreating all the inpatient nursing jobs lost in this downsizing.

Across the river in Brooklyn things aren't looking good either. With the blessings of the Cuomo administration Northwell (formerly North Shore-LIJ) is looking to stream line the last four unaffiliated hospitals in Brooklyn (Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Interfaith Medical Center and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center), which surely means one or more places will close and be replaced by urgent care or whatever.

All this is going on while like everywhere else everyone and their mother wants to become a nurse in NYC.

Programs are packed and when you add new for profit programs (Saint Paul's of Queens and Staten Island, Swedish Institute) along with more ABSN (Phillips Beth Israel just joined that rank offering second degree BSN), you have a new grad nursing market that is saturated. All this comes on top of scores if not hundreds of experienced ADN grads either working or not being pretty much forced by circumstances to get the BSN.

calivianya, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2017

A lot of the bigger cities in NC (200k+ people) have plenty of places to live where you can walk to the grocery store, walk to nightlife, walk to shopping... but the hospitals are not necessarily downtown. You'd have to have a car to get to work because public transit here sucks.

That being said, my job readily offers new grad ADNs jobs. You'd make around $22/hr to start at my hospital, and if you wanted to live downtown where it's highly walkable, you'd have to drive 15 or so minutes to work and pay $1100+ for a one bedroom apartment. If you were willing to live somewhere you couldn't walk to your amenities, but still in the city limits, you could pay around $700+ for a one bedroom apartment instead. You could pay $500 or less if you were willing to have a 30 minute commute and live in the middle of nowhere.

smartnurse1982 · Feb 13, 2017

Nah, OP is on the money; most every major hospital/healthcare network in NYC wants the BSN for new grad hires. Not only do they want that four year degree it is often specified their "preferred" candidates will have an overall GPA of at least 3.4 or higher, and or "B" grades in all nursing and science courses.
.

Wow,it is getting really hectic in NYC.

I would tell the OP try Jersey City or Hoboken in NJ,but it is pretty much similar to the job market in NYC.

Plus the housing costs are out of control.

$2100 for a 1 bedroom in Jersey City in a decent area.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Feb 13, 2017

Research all areas, you need to go to where there are openings for new grads with an ADN.

Work is the priority, not style of living. You may find you like living in a small town.

I had a travel assignment that required living in a high-rise in a densely populated area. I was dreading it, as I am a small town girl. I ended up loving it. Be flexible.

Best of luck in your search.

tcvnurse, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2017

University of Virginia is actively hiring ADN nurses currently. We have a RN-BSN program at UVa and a generous tuition reimbursement. Charlottesville is gorgeous also.

**LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM** · Feb 13, 2017

But other than the obvious outliers like CA and NYC is it really much cheaper? I have friends who moved from NJ to FL and while they love the climate from what I hear their expenses aren't much different and their pay rates are very low. I'd love to take the plunge but am very attached to my current income.

As a Florida native I can tell you it is a fairly nurse-unfriendly, actually generally worker-unfriendly state. The governor is a former CEO for the HCA hospital chain, if that clues you in at all to the atmosphere for healthcare workers. And you're right, other than cheap(ish) housing, the overall cost of living is not much cheaper at all. But don't worry, you get paid plenty of sunshine! :rolleyes:

DoGoodThenGo · Feb 13, 2017

Wow,it is getting really hectic in NYC.
I would tell the OP try Jersey City or Hoboken in NJ,but it is pretty much similar to the job market in NYC.
Plus the housing costs are out of control.
$2100 for a 1 bedroom in Jersey City in a decent area.

You'd be surprised at how many NJ nurses work in Manhattan or even Staten Island. They come down from Westchester as well to places in Bronx or Manhattan.

Saint Vincent's was ideal because the PATH train was right there on Christopher Street and IIRC 12th Street. But still the PATH trains run up to 33rd Street which means the Eastside hospitals are only a cross town bus or taxi ride away. There is Lenox Hill Downtown (on the former Saint Vincent's campus), but that is an UC with not many RN positions. Further south you have NYP "downtown" (the former Beekman hospital). Both are easily reached by PATH.

The new Second Avenue subway has a stop at East 72nd and is just five stops (IIRC) from 33rd Street where you can transfer to the PATH or Port Authority Bus terminal.

As such Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark/Oranges and anyplace else with easy bus or train access from NJ to Manhattan is fair game. The commute may seem a bit much, but in these days of 12's you are only doing it three days a week then you're done.

DoGoodThenGo · Feb 13, 2017

Wow,it is getting really hectic in NYC.
I would tell the OP try Jersey City or Hoboken in NJ,but it is pretty much similar to the job market in NYC.
Plus the housing costs are out of control.
$2100 for a 1 bedroom in Jersey City in a decent area.

FWIU things have gotten a "bit" better in that places are hiring again in NYC, even Manhattan. They still want the BSN and so forth, but new grads are getting hired; it is just there aren't enough slots for everyone. Things are probably much better than the previous eight to ten years between the recession, introduction of ACA and endless places closing, but still there is no huge shortage.

Am thinking sooner or later some of these ADN programs are going to start closing as what happened with diploma schools. If no one will hire grads locally at some point of what is the end game I shouldn't wonder.

Saving grace for ADN programs is that as mentioned previously they far out number BSN programs in the New York City area. This is especially true of the lower cost CUNY and SUNY programs. CUNY only has two undergrad BSN schools for the entire system (Hunter-Bellevue and Lehman). IIRC one or more of the community colleges have "agreements" with four year schools that allow students to get a start on their BSN, but it isn't a seamless process.

Another issue is that a handful of major players (NYU-Langone, NYP, Northwell, Mount Sinai, Montefiore, Sloane-Kettering) pretty much have the remaining hospitals in Manhattan and a good part of Bronx, Staten Island and slowly Brooklyn, carved up between them. So a decision by say Northwell, NYP and Mount Sinai, to mandate the BSN has implications across many hospitals. Would have to look it up but don't think there are any unaffiliated hospitals remaining in Manhattan, or Staten Island.

OR-RN2011 · Feb 15, 2017

CMC in Charlotte hires ADN, they would prefer BSN degree nurses. They have an education benefit as part of the compensation package. The amount you get reimbursed depends on if you are PT or FT. The cost of living is lower than in the North East.