No one will hire a nurse with only a Associates???

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I just talked to my school counselour today who said "No one will hire a nurse with only an associates, you better transfer and get a bachelor's or your wasting your time". WHAT? I am aware that the higher the degree, the better, but all I can afford is to get my associates. I do not qualify for financial aide. I have heard of all types of nurses getting great jobs with no degree at all. Is there any truth to this? I figured if worst comes to worst I could always work in long term care but no one at all will hire a nurse with only a Associates degree?

Eventually, I will get my Master's but I am just taking baby steps right now because of my budget.

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.
I just talked to my school counselour today who said "No one will hire a nurse with only an associates, you better transfer and get a bachelor's or your wasting your time". WHAT? I am aware that the higher the degree, the better, but all I can afford is to get my associates. I do not qualify for financial aide. I have heard of all types of nurses getting great jobs with no degree at all. Is there any truth to this? I figured if worst comes to worst I could always work in long term care but no one at all will hire a nurse with only a Associates degree?

Eventually, I will get my Master's but I am just taking baby steps right now because of my budget.

Well, first of all, does the school know that their counselor is giving such encouraging advice about the degree they are offering?!

Secondly, just WHERE are these "all type of nurses with no degrees at all" getting hired? I want to make a note of not being a patient there!!

Thirdly, of COURSE ADN nurses are finding jobs! It varies from region to region and facility to facility. Don't knock "only an associates degree"....

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Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.

The counselor is giving misinformation and not serving that university well. Do not listen to him. The market is more competitive and perhaps BSN prepared nurses have an edge but there are thousands of nurses with ADNs getting hired every day. I do not believe this guy knows what he is talking about and he is making some very absolute statements that certainly can not be proven. Ask to see his statistics proving that no one hires an ADN degree nurse...there are none!!! And do not ask for his counsel ever again...if that is what you can afford, go for the ADN and then bridge the BSN in the future..you will find a job.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

What part of the country are you at. I know where I am, that it is almost true. The University Hosptial in my area as just decided that they will no longer hire ADNs, must be BSN.

Another hosptial system in the area which has 3 hospitals and the truama center and burn unit, you can only get hired into their system as a new grad through the Versant program and then you must get your BSN within 5 years if you do not have your BSN. If you are an expierence nurse it is BSN preferred.

The other large system (5 hospitals) it is BSN required, and all RNs currently working for them they must get their BSN by 2018.

Now ADNs can get hired into LTC/SNFs, but even then it took me 8 months before I was hired. My graduating class of 70 all within a year have gotten hired some LTC/SNF, others were lucky to get into an internship and almost all of us are now working on our BSN.

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Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

As an ADN educated nurse I had a hard time getting a job, even with years of LPN experience. I was also asked, "You're planning on getting your BSN right?" wink wink. I did manage to get a job, not one I wanted, but I'm happy to have one. I did notice in orientation that the nurses with the hospital jobs were the BSN's and the nurses (like me) going into LTC had ADN.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
I did notice in orientation that the nurses with the hospital jobs were the BSN's and the nurses (like me) going into LTC had ADN.

In my last oreintation for a LTC peds place which is part of a large health system at the general orientation I noticed all of the RNs who stated they were new grads where BSNs and they got the hospital jobs.

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Specializes in SICU, MICU, BURN ICU, Trauma, CTICU, CCU.

We have a traveler on our unit that everyone absolutely loves. She has a ton of great experience, the managers want to hire her and everything but the hospital won't let them because she has an ADN and not a BSN.

One of our new policies is also about increasing our education in order to climb the clinical ladder (and get raises) - and that includes starting to push for masters degrees on our bedside nurses.

Insanity. You would think it makes more sense to hire the experienced ADN instead of the green BSN. Hospitals are turning into a strange animal recently.

They want you to have high degrees of education, but still insist on putting you in a uniform, giving you a script to follow and asking you to act like a waitress. Damnit - if you want me to have a masters degree, you better treat me like someone with a masters degree!

Some places have pay ladders based on how much education you have. For instance, an experienced ADN will ALWAYS make less than a BSN. Ugh.

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Specializes in OB (with a history of cardiac).

So was this counseler representing a college that has a BSN program? :rolleyes: I'll admit, yes there seems to be a lot of "BSN preferred" out there, but I still got hired with a "measly" ADN. Granted I'm in the middle of a BSN completion program now...so maybe that had some bearing.

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HUH? Then why there's an Associate degree for a Nurse? That is rude. :mad:

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Neuro/Oncology floor nursing..

I guess it all depends on the hospital. The hospital I used to work at required every nurse to have a BSN. They wouldn't even give you an interview unless you had a BSN. The hospital I work at now also requires Nurses to have a BSN...Again the hospital I work at now will not even give you an interview unless you have a BSN.

When I was in a car accident I was airlifted to a level 1 trauma center and the nurses there were able to work with associates. It all depends on the hospital. The hospital I work at is in Manhattan and the other two hospitals were in the suburbs of the city.

I don't understand why some hospitals require bachelors degrees. Nurses with associates degrees are just as capable...as long as they are licensed I don't see what the difference is with patient care. The care that I got from the nurses with associates degrees when I was in my car accident were stellar..extremely knowledgeable and provided excellent care to me and were extremely nice and to my family as well. They catered to my every need.

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Well, in my area, most nurses have associates and are getting hired, myself included 1 month after graduation. Not every area is the same, you may have to move around.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

Here in NYC so many facilities prefer BSN, and some only hire those with their BSNs, especially new grads. This is particularlly true for Manhattan..where I live and work.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Location, Location, Location........but I think that they are saying that to make money and boost sales of degrees. I also think nursing needs to take a serious look at itself and the education of the nurses.....Masters degree for the bedside??? Shameful. AND if no one's hiring the ADN...why are they accepting in to that program and taking money for a wothless degree.....What a scam:flmngmd:

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