Hospitals no longer hiring nurses with their ADN?

breeziRN · Aug 10, 2010

I am an ADN nurse with 10 yrs experience, just moved to Dallas and been applying to Parkland for 4 months...15 applications..not one response???

belgarion · Aug 11, 2010

There's around 500 hospitals in the state. I doubt very seriously that all of them are going to start requiring a minimum of BSN. Even the ones that SAY they do probably won't.

ms_miyagi · Aug 11, 2010

Right now this is not the case, but there is a trend toward preference of BSN given the current economic climate and overabundance of nurses looking for work. It just depends on the facility.
Do you already have a bachelor's degree? RN to MSN is only for those who already have a bachelor's in another field, plus an associate's degree RN. They then can bridge to Masters without having to get the BSN first.

Actually, TWU is now offering a RN to MSN program, you still do all of your Bachelor's Classes, but you don't graduate until you have completed your Master's program. It does require that you have 1 year of hospital experience prior to applying. This is the program I will be shooting for once I complete my ASN.

breeziRN · Aug 11, 2010

I spoke with a recruiter at Baylor yesterday and I asked her about the BSN only thing so I would know if I was wasting my time applying and she stated that for a hospital to be a magnet facility it has to have a certain percentage of BSN nurses but by all means I should not stop applying and the fact that I have a semster left in the BSN program would also be considered.

Sandrizzle86 · Sep 22, 2010

My HPRS instructor works for Coleman, which is part of Houston Community College and it offers an ADN program. Anyways my instructor said that 99.9 percent of students end up getting hired by the hospital where they are doing their clinicals.

Guest 360983 · Sep 24, 2010

It is going to be tough for you to find a job in the med center with an ADN. A lot of BSN students I go to school with aren't counting on med center jobs. Be prepared to look a bit farther out.

The best thing to do is to look for the hospitals offering student nurse externships. You need to do this NOW since the deadlines are coming up.

Sandrizzle86 · Sep 27, 2010

My professor told me that your clinicals hire you 99% of the time.... good luck.

Katydidit34 · Sep 27, 2010

The general trend in nursing is that the more education the better. There are so many opportunities provided to ADN's from their employers to continue their education with tuition reimbursement. Floor managers are very in tune with the fact that ADN's come out of school stronger clinically because there is a strong clinical focus in ADN programs. While you are in school use whatever connections you might have with your peers to get a job as a tech. That is your "in" to getting a job when you graduate. There is not currently a "ban" on ADN's but the trend is definitely leaning toward more education. I am a PROUD ADN and don't regret my choice to get an ADN but I know I will be going back to school at some point in the future which is really ok with me. Nurses are curious, knowledge seeking type people, learning is GOOD. Good luck to you!!

noctanol · Oct 4, 2010

I keep reading that places are only hiring nurses with their BSN. Is this true? If it is, where is it that this is going on and do you know by experience or hear, say? I am just now getting started in an ADN program and would be completely bummed to find out that it could mean nothing at the end of my journey. I plan to get into an RN to MS program after working for a year. I live in Houston Texas and plan to stay here. I hope to somehow get a job in TMC as a new grad as I hear that they accept new grads every year. However this issue with the ADN vs BSN is really making me freak. I'd hate to waste my time on a degree if it truly will not be acknowledged. I would really like to get more informed on this topic. Thanks

this is true but not all places, they only do it so they can get more money from insurance/medicare/medicaid. also, most professional jobs need a person to have a bachelors to hold that job, accounting, business administration etc. and its a good thing that nursing is stepping up to that ladder. to answer your question, methodist hospital hires BSN only, and they have quality nurses, memorial hermann is doing away with lvns and pushing for their staff to get into bsn programs, i have a friend there so this is actual facts, most specialities will require you to have a BSN, but you will still get hired, at least to work the med surg floor

Argo · Oct 5, 2010

So strange. I just got hired as a surgery director at a large hospital system with my ADN. Mainly got the offer because of my proven work history.

goingCOASTAL · Oct 6, 2010

It really depends. I've heard the Med Center is mostly BSN only, but Houston is a REALLY large town, and I know a lot of happily employed ADNs ... me being one. Of course, I see the writing on the wall, an am nearly done with my BSN track (and yes, I've learned a lot - even after 15 years of acute care experience), and there is some new research coming out about patient mortality compared to nurse education levels.

I would agree that BSN programs need a little more intensity when it comes to clinicals, however, I think it will be really difficult in the next 10-15 years to get a job in ANY hospital without a BSN, and to get promoted (as I've also recently been) without that and/or higher.

I'm actually enjoying returning to school, and am looking at opportunities beyond my BSN as well. ADNs are awesome nurses (I like to think I'm one of those), but it is a trap to think you'll learn all you'll ever need to know in those twenty-four months of nursing boot camp.

Education will move our career forward, and for each of us individually, it will create job-security for those of us who plan on STILL being nurses in the next 20-30 years.

belgarion · Oct 6, 2010

I would agree that BSN programs need a little more intensity when it comes to clinicals, however, I think it will be really difficult in the next 10-15 years to get a job in ANY hospital without a BSN, and to get promoted (as I've also recently been) without that and/or higher.
When you say ANY hospital are you talking about the rural county hospitals around the state, the specialty hospitals, rehab hospitals, small psych hospitals, etc? ANY covers a lot of ground, especially in a state with around 500 hospitals in it.