Is having a ADN useless these days?

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

Published

Do employers favor those with a BSN ?

Not in my area either. BSNs only get $1/hr. The CC I went to has a great reputation and the local hospitals love to hire them.

So it does depend on the hospital and the area. Call your local recruiters to see what they are hiring or check the local want ads. That should give you a basic idea for your area.

Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

with my AAS, ADN... I was hired into critical care after a year in a step down, became the head charge nurse in one year. The assistant manager the next year is what I was selected for, my manager with the BSN and no ICU experience couldn't handle the ICU personalities, so I basically ran a CCU and CVICU for many years until I burnt out.

I ran two units, did scheduling, hiring, counciling, firing.. attended every meeting with MSN's running units, was on every committee, opened a new heart unit, merged two very different units together... and that was hell but I did it. Was taught to budget, chop the budget... meet with the financial people and learn to outspeak them to get what I needed, be politically correct, forge allies, watch MY BACK.

Then have to take call as the house supervisor, run a 900 bed hospital, deal with the press, the CEO, the doctors... Ultimately to have to take crap back to staff and sell them roses and get buy in.

After 15 years as an almost BSN, a hair away... my on the job training.... has provided with me more than any paper writing BSN degree writing crap will ever do. It's all about the letters behind your name.

But... if you are in a competitive state, the BSN will open the doors sooner and faster. In a competitive state, as an ADN, you will not have your choice of positions and will have to work your way up and may even need to go back to school while working to compete for your next position of your "choice".

There is always work, it's usually never as we see ourselves as we start. I have a very successful career... but I moved out of state to make it so. It was a tough choice we made so I can be where I'm at, and it didn't come without consequences.

I'd advise anyone thinking of nursing school to get her BSN, and I say that as an ASN. Not that I think the education is superior (that depends on the individual and the school) but you'll need it for career advancement. Hospitals, at least in my area, are wanting a certain percentage of their RNs to be BSN. So even with my almost 20 years of experience I might be passed over for a BSN to fill that ratio.

Siits my opinion that it depends on the region of the Usa. For instance,the northeast in general tends to have more college grads, so I know in these areas the bsn is prefered. Here in the south,they seem to lean toward lpns because they are more cost effective than Rn's.

Even though some poaters are saying on here you won't make more for the adn,with a bsn you will probably land a job quicker. So,the incentive is to to be more employable. The VA prefers bsn's.

Siits my opinion that it depends on the region of the Usa. For instance,the northeast in general tends to have more college grads, so I know in these areas the bsn is prefered. Here in the south,they seem to lean toward lpns because they are more cost effective than Rn's.

Even though some poaters are saying on here you won't make more for the adn,with a bsn you will probably land a job quicker. So,the incentive is to to be more employable. The VA prefers bsn's.

Screw the VA. A veteran nurse gets 5 point advantage in becoming employed. Yet, even the VA hospitals have few if any openings, and they are mostly Admin/Mgmt positions due to retirement attrition.

Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

No problem in my area of WA. I could climb the ladder if I wanted with my ADN. I don't even know what my co workers have for a degree. I know some are 4, as they talk about the university they went to. I really don't care what they have as long as they know what they are doing.

Specializes in MS, OB, PEDI, VNA, TELEM.

My ADN has provided well for this family since 1989---I work in a hospital where the BSN differential is $1.25 per hour--hardly worth the extra time and expense to get a BSN. And BTW a BSN doesn't make you a better nurse. Life experience is a better teacher.

No nursing license is useless. Gets you a better entry level salary than a lot of jobs. Can always go back to school and get a higher degree. Back in the day I got only a diploma from hospital school. It has served me very well for many years.

Specializes in Critical Care Nursing AKA ICU.

-"useless": hospitals ARE moving towards hiring BSN prepared nurses, it's not a useless degree but it will make it a little harder to obtain a job

-ADN and BSN make the same amount of money

Every job posting in my area says "BSN preferred" or "BSN required." Not ONE posting in my area does NOT say anything like that.

I believe that if an employer is given a choice between a person with an ADN or a person with a BSN, all other factors remaining constant, they will choose the person with the BSN. BSN does give you an advantage among new grads when competition is high.

An Associates degree in nursing will be useful for a while, and it's holder will be able to get jobs. I believe, however, that the future of nursing lies in the BSN. The increase in magnet programs is going to fuel that drive. I also wonder if the increased liability that we face in our practice will also spell the end of the ADN.

This melarchy has been rumored for years. So has phasing out LPN's. It "aint gonna happen." Every so many years hiring trends freak nurses out to boost the BSN programs. Associate Degree RN's and LPN's are here to stay. We are cost effective. You do the math.

I agree so far with most of the comments about ADN vs BSN, but both hospitals where I work, as well as others in my area, have greatly reduced the number of LPNs that they are using. One hospital recently announced that they are almost completely eliminating their LPN workforce. I know this has been rumored for many years, but it seems that the economy has given employers the opportunity to put it into practice. It's possible that some will be rehired when things turn around, but I'd be surprised if the number of LPNs reaches previous levels.

+ Add a Comment