Published
Hi,
I don't recommend that anyone get an ADN anymore. Especially if you live in a high-demand area with a lot of hospitals or nursing schools.
I had a previous degree in Biology and thought that my BS+ADN=BSN, at least for a little while to get me a job when I graduated. Not true. Even the hospital that I worked at while in school, and who paid for my nursing education, would not hire me as a nurse without a BSN. It took me 3 years (with prereqs) to finish my ADN and by the time I was out, I was so burnt out from school and didn't want to immediately enroll.
Yes, I got a job after graduation (at a SNF, and then a LTAC hospital), but I had to settle, and now I need to go back to school for my BSN anyways. I wish I had just done it from the start. All I want is to start a family with my husband, as I'm almost 30 now, and I have to continue school in order to be competitive in this market. Unless you live in the middle of the country and have rural hospitals who are willing to hire ADN nurses, I wouldn't bother.
I graduated with an ADN and didn't find a job for 8-9 months because of it. Everywhere I applied wanted BSN nurses. I finally got a job at a smaller community hospital that was still hiring ADNs. I'm now working on my BSN so I can hopefully get on at a bigger hospital some day! But even the hospital I work at now is encouraging ADNs to get their BSNs.
Most of the new grads (all BSN or even MSN) I worked with in my MSN practicum were looking for work for a year or more as well, so it isn't limited to just ADNs.
grantchatt
47 Posts
Chattanooga tn