If you read these threads it's hard not to get the impression that ADN new graduate Nurses are significantly less likely to find employment after graduation, this claim gets thrown around with a surprising lack of data to support these claims.
At 4 months after graduation:
69% of Diploma grads were employed as an RN
68% of traditional BSN grads were employed as an RN
(65% of all types of BSN grads were employed as an RN)
65% vs 61%. A BSN averages $30,000 and runs as high as $150,000, compared to around $10,000 for an ADN. That's a lot of money for a 4% difference in probability of landing a job in 4 months.
It depends on where you live. There is no push for BSN in my area. Employers seem to understand that we take the same NCLEX, and do the same job. Also, you might get 25 cents more per hour for the BSN, and you might not.
I think it depends on where you live and what the competition is like, if you worked as an aide before you were a nurse, whether or not you did a preceptorship, etc. From personal experience, I received 2 job offers, both in the ICU a month and a half before I took boards. I have an ADN, but I also worked as an aide for a year at the same hospital system and I did a preceptorship for 96 hours in a SICU during my last semester. I think that made me look more attractive than a BSN who didn't work as an aide at the hospital. For what's it worth, I live in Ohio and there are 3 major hospital systems near me.
I'm a little skeptical of the "it depends where you live" argument. If the overall National numbers are fairly equal, that would mean that for every job market where BSN grads have a large advantage there is a near equal number where ADN's have a large advantage.
Specializes in Medical Surgical/Addiction/Mental Health.
I think it depends on one’s goal. I decided on the ABSN route because I already had an earned Master’s degree in Adult Education. I also know that I am driven by success. That being said, it only made sense for me to complete a BSN. Now, I am in a PhD program in nursing, a PRN House Supervisor at a facility, and a Program Chair for the School of Heath Sciences at a local college. An ADN would not have afforded me the opportunities I have today. Many leadership positions require at least a BSN, mostly an MSN. I think that my quick success also stems from being a Director of Operations for a restaurant chain before pursing nursing. If I was planning on doing bedside nursing for the rest of my career, I would have completed the ADN, not the BSN.
applewhitern, BSN, RN
1,871 Posts
It depends on where you live. There is no push for BSN in my area. Employers seem to understand that we take the same NCLEX, and do the same job. Also, you might get 25 cents more per hour for the BSN, and you might not.