Hello! I am currently an RN with my BSN and have worked in a NICU for 1.5 years. My husband just got accepted into an accelerated ASN program in the area (Northern Virginia). We are obviously very excited at his acceptance, but with the whole BSN/ASN debate, I'm wondering if he should even pursue it. I am not trying to downplay the abilities and experiences of associate's level nurses in any sense; I just know there are hospitals out there that have stopped hiring ASNs.
No hospitals in the DC area will hire ASNs, including the hospital system for whom I work. The plan would be for him to go right into a bridging program when he graduates, but I assume that he would no longer be eligible for "new grad" positions once he completes the BSN, because it would be more than a year since he got his RN license at that point.
The other plan we have would be for him to apply literally everywhere in the country, and then I would apply to jobs in the vicinity that he got a job, but that would obviously require that we both got hired someplace else.
He's planning on starting the program no matter what, which is fine, but I can't help but be incredibly worried that he's going to be sorely disappointed when he graduates.
