Lehigh Valley...still get positions with ADN?

Eric Cartman · Mar 30, 2012

My advice would be to go for the BSN. The nursing market is flooded with tons of new graduates and it's very tough to find employment right after graduating. Having a BSN gives you a decent advantage over an ADN in the job market. I'm not saying that you will not be able to find a position after obtaining an associate degree/ RN, but it will most likely be difficult. I live and went to school in Philadelphia for my associate degree of nursing/ RN, with hopes of securing employment, in order to gain tuition assistance for someday pursuing a RN-BSN program. I applied to jobs for almost a year, from as far west as Harrisburg, up to Scranton, south to Wilmington, DE. Finally, after around 10 months, I landed a job in Philadelphia.

My point being, it's tough getting a job as an inexperienced nurse anywhere. From my experience, friends that I have had, who obtained their BSN's, had a much easier time than I did trying to find a job.

MRN717 · Apr 1, 2012

Thank you for responding.

Do you see it improving over the next five years or so like I do? With the bill going down soon, the economy very slowly turning around and the mean age still going up I would expect another hiring surge somewhere dow the road, no?

I believe I will be going straight for the BSN, but the ~$30k-$60k difference in cost at my age is not insignificant.

Just five years ago, every single friend of mine who earned either an ADN or BSN were choosing their spot....sigh.

MRN717 · Apr 9, 2012

Still struggling with this choice. The ADN program said their students are still being hired after graduation, but I expected them to tell me that. After some leg work, the cost difference would be ~$33k for the BSN and ~$1500 for the ADN. Three years for the BSN with traditional daytime classes and traditional semester breaks. Two years for the ADN with essentially no breaks from start to end.(would be 3-4 after adn-bsn or adn-msn program)

I need to decide very soon...

ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2012

im a nursing student at st lukes. i also work part time as an aide at st luke's hospital. i cant speak for the other hospitals in the area, but i work with plenty of nurses who have graduated from st lukes, lccc, nacc, in addition to the nurses who graduated from 4 year schools. they really prefer to hire new grads who already work in the network as an aide prior to getting their RN..

its up to you but i would take the cheaper route and bridge to BSN later (and get it paid for by your employer). hospitals in the area are hiring adn and diploma grads. if its possible, try to get a job as a pca at your choice hospital while youre in nursing school. it will help you in school as well as help you get a job when you graduate.

MRN717 · Apr 13, 2012

Re the job: Is PCA the most appropriate postion to appy for? Would something like patient transport to start be enough? TIA!

MRN717 · Apr 20, 2012

I have decided to enroll in one of two BSN programs. I intend on getting my advanced practice degree so I decided to earn my BSN now to facilitate that more easily. Now I juts need to decide which program.(PT-2 years year round vs FT-3 years only spring and fall semesters)

If I was younger and lived in an area that didn't have a huge preference for BSN's I might have gone the other direction. And at that point I would have had to decide between St Lukes and LCCC/NCC.

ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN · Apr 29, 2012

good to hear you made a decision! i still recommend you go for a pca job if you have the chance at either of the hospitals. transporter is fine, but being a pca you really get to work closely with the nurses and get some really useful references and skills! also, if you can get a job on a floor that your really interested in (ie a specialty area new grads have a hard time getting into like peds, l&d, icu), it will really raise your chances of getting hired in that area as a nurse! good luck! :)

fireball78 · Jun 24, 2012

I went to LCCC and graduated in 2011. The LCCC program is very difficult and very well respected. I received a scholarship through Lehigh Valley and interviewed and received a position with them. I went through their critical care internship program (6 months) and whether you have an ADN or BSN, we were all treated the same. I think if you have your BSN you get $1/hr more, but it doesn't really come into play. LVH also offers tuition reimbursement for their employees which makes it nice to get a paycheck while going back to school part-time in an RN-BSN program. I would definitely encourage you to get a job as a CNA, PCA, or technical partner. Being a patient transporter will give you experience talking with patients, but experience with hands-on patient care prior to graduating from nursing school will help you immensely!! Good luck in nursing school. Form friendships and study groups -- I would not have gotten through without my study buddies!

terra105 · Jul 15, 2012

I went to LCCC and graduated in 2011. The LCCC program is very difficult and very well respected. I received a scholarship through Lehigh Valley and interviewed and received a position with them. I went through their critical care internship program (6 months) and whether you have an ADN or BSN, we were all treated the same. I think if you have your BSN you get $1/hr more, but it doesn't really come into play. LVH also offers tuition reimbursement for their employees which makes it nice to get a paycheck while going back to school part-time in an RN-BSN program. I would definitely encourage you to get a job as a CNA, PCA, or technical partner. Being a patient transporter will give you experience talking with patients, but experience with hands-on patient care prior to graduating from nursing school will help you immensely!! Good luck in nursing school. Form friendships and study groups -- I would not have gotten through without my study buddies!

I was accepted into LCCC's ADN program starting in August and St. Luke's School of Nursing starting in January 2013. It is coming down to crunch time and I really have to make a decision as to where to go. I currently work at St. Luke's as a PCA, so I am very familiar with their nursing program. However, I don't know much about LCCC's program.

fireball 78 and ashelyisawesome...can you please give me info on your experiences with either program?

Thanks!!

fireball78 · Jul 17, 2012

fireball 78 and ashelyisawesome...can you please give me info on your experiences with either program?
Thanks!!

Terra105,

You should pat yourself on the back for getting accepted into nursing school, 2 programs at that!!! Congratulations :)

LCCC's program is very difficult. They prepare students very well for passing NCLEX. IMHO, real nursing takes place on the job after schooling is complete. LCCC instructors provide additional support if you need it. I was a mess during school because of my low self-esteem, but I asked for help when I needed it and I rose up to the challenge --sink or swim.

If you choose LCCC's program, you could be completing clinicals at Lehigh Valley-Cedar Crest, St. Lukes Bethlehem and Allentown campus', Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, and Palmerton and Gnaden Huetten Hospital. I like LCCC's program because even though there is not an additional medication administration class, they go through medications every semester in each lecture they give. The instructors of the program are very strict. If they deem you as unsafe, they will either provide remediation after hours or fail you from clinical and the program. If you fail clinical they are not likely to take you back into the program. If you fail a class, you can reapply and come back the next year. You can only repeat one class though.

The instructors are tough, very tough, but they are human too and they are just trying to put competent, assertive nurses out into the world. They do a great job and I have high respect for most of the instructors. (They won't admit this, but they do curve the grades! They have to or 40-50% of the class would have failed out each semester which wouldn't look good for their program. The 1st year is the toughest, specifically 2nd semester - med/surg nursing)

Nursing school is definitely not a party! Get ready for long nights, lots of paper writing, and lots of studying the next 2 years. If you're like me, there will also be plenty of crying and 'curled-up-in-fetal-position' moments. The journey is all worth it though in the end.

Good luck in your decision and congratulations!!! If you have any more questions let me know. :)

terra105 · Jul 18, 2012

Fireball78,

Thank you so much for your reply. I am pretty sure that I will be attending LCCC. I did a lot of research and I think it is the best school for me (cost-wise, NCLEX pass rates). I was wondering if you were able to work while attending LCCC's program. I currently work 24 hours per week (three 3-11) shifts. Since I already took all of my non-nursing classes (AP, chem, stats, etc.), I will only have to take my ADN classes. I was just wondering if I will be able to do well even though I work part time.

Also, where did most of your fellow nursing graduates end up getting jobs at? I heard that LVHN is mostly hiring nurses who have BSN's. Eventually, I will go back to get my BSN, but since this is my second time around (I already have my bachelor's in something else), I wanted to do it the cheapest and fastest way possible.

Thank you again for your helpful response!

:bow: