need to make life changing decision...any thoughts??

[salarany]

hi everyone,

i'm new to posting on this forum, but i have been lurking for quite some time now reading posts and trying to gain as much knowledge about nursing as possible. i've been thinking about going back to school to get a nursing degree. i am older than the average student, so i wanted to get the degree and get licensed as quickly as possible. i was accepted into BMCC for the Spring 09 semester to take my pre clinical classes. i have been having a really hard time deciding whether i should go or not. i have decided that if i do go back to school, i'm going to go into it 100%. i plan on quitting my job to devote all my time to this. being a poor student scares me..

my main concerns are the following:

1. i hear its getting harder and harder to find jobs with only an associates even if you intend on getting your BS while working.

2. i've spoken to a few nurses and some say that it doesnt matter what school you go to, some say it does. a few people have said that if i want a good job, then i should not go to BMCC. is any of this true? are there any BMCC alumnis that can give some input?

3. does any BMCC alumnis know what the employment rate is once you graduate?

i am trying to make a better future for myself by going back to school to get a nursing degree (also bc i have a passion for it), but all the effort will be pointlessif i am unable to get a job bc I went to BMCC and have "only"an associates degree...

i dont know what to do! any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...

[NeedchangeofPace]

Salara,

I am in the same boat as you..wanting to become a nurse, older student (53) deciding which school to apply to in Saratoga, Queensbury Ny or Bennington,vt. LPN now?? then to RN or just go straight to RN??

I would hope someone chime in here.......

Mark

[LisaTheNurse]

It doesn't matter too much whether or not you have a ADN versus a BSN when it comes to getting a job at a hospital.

I'll put it to you this way, every public/city (HHC) hospital in NYC will hire you with just an Associates degree and they pay pretty good as compared to privates, they also have the best pension and union.

The HHC's have over 20 or so hospitals in the city, so you won't run into trouble getting a job. (http://www.nyc.gov/html/hhc/html/facilities/directory.shtml)

With regards to private hospitals, you can ALSO get jobs at private hospitals with just an Associates degree. For instance, the following privates won't give you a hard time about having an Associates:

Beth Israel Hosp.

St. Lukes Roosevelt Hosp.

St. Vincents Hosp.

Lenox Hill Hosp.

North Shore LIJ

Now that I have given you an exhaustive list of over 25 hospitals (Private & Public), I hope you reconsider a little. While I don't recommend you stay with only an Associates, starting with just an associates will not close any doors for you.

On the flip side of the coin, let me play Devil's advocate and present you with a small list of private hospitals that will not hire you if you only have an Associates with no experience (KEY TO THIS PHRASE IS ONLY HAVING AN ASSOCIATES WITH NO EXPERIENCE). Once you have 2-3 years of experience with an Associates degree, pretty much everyone will hire you because experience tends to even out the playing field. On to the list of hospitals that will NOT hire you with only an Associates and no experience:

Cornell Presbyterian

Columbia Presbyterian

Mount Sinai

NYU

Hospital for Special Surgery

Key to remember here is that these big name hospitals have a huge list of applicants applying every month and while a BSN candidate fresh out of school will have an advantage over an Associates degree candidate fresh out of school, they both will get rejected when compared to a BSN nurse with experience or an ADN nurse with experience in the unit/specialty that they are looking to fill.

I've been a nurse for 20 years and I started with a ADN, attained a BSN and as of 6 years ago got my MSN and to tell you the truth, sometimes it boils down to who you know as opposed to how many little letters you have after your name..

Good Luck!

[salarany]

Thank you, PediatricNurse. I really appreciate all the input and information you have provided. It's a relief knowing that I shouldn't have a problem finding a job if I were to get my ADN first. That was basically the only discouragement. After talking to a few people and getting your feedback, I have decided that I would pursue nursing. I also intend on getting my BS, so it'll be a long road, but I'm sure it's well worth it!

Thanks again!!