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

allnurses Guide · Nov 22, 2011

I am pretty confused by the statement in the OP about nurses being hired with no degree at all. OP, can you elaborate on that? Perhaps you are referring to medical assistants who call themselves nurses?

In DFW there is a big push toward BSN only nursing. Right now ADNs can still get jobs, but there is a huge squeeze and it isn't easy to get hired.

nyrn5125 · Nov 22, 2011

You should complain about that counselor. First of all your license is granted at the associate degree level.Same test as the BSN program. Most RN get online degrees for BSN after becoming ADN. It means you take online classes and are granted a title. You do not take a new licensing test. The facilities in the larger cities are requiring it. Because if you hire an ADN and they want to get a BSN they lose money by giving tuition reimbursement. If you already have the BSN they can pay you the same as the ADN cause it's the same license,not a higher license, and they save on tuition. Do not listen to her, depending on location they can be pickier and also have GPA requirements. But not everywhere. In any interview you can tell them you plan on getting you bachelors after you have some experience under your belt. This is what they want to hear. They have been arguing the required BSN for years and I will tell you that I am sure it won't happen for a long time and if it does you and the rest of us are grandfather in

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2011

I think the regionality component is important. Also, the job functions. We don't hire ADNs but we also need an unusual skill set; have to be able to work independently, have work comp and case management skills. Also, we get hundreds of resumes. Setting an educational minimum is just a way to help employers do an initial screening.

Like everyone else, I know ADNs who could clean the floor with me clinically. I really think a lot of the hiring issues are economic, not skills related.

vwde · Nov 22, 2011

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!

so, so, soooooo agree. I just did some more HCAPS training yesterday, and I could just about puke from all of the scripting they want. What about the fluid overload I just caught, or the SVT we just controlled? Where's that survey?

As a side note, I'm a BSN and I work in a hospital with ADNs and LPNs. Let me tell you, these nurses are some of the best I've seen. And I've been in those "highly ranked" hospitals. Talk about misinformation...

FloridaGatorRN · Nov 22, 2011

Where I live, 60-70% of nurses are ADN and Diploma nurses. BSN's are mostly managers and what not. We have PLENTY of openings also, we have a large nursing shortage.

netglow, ASN, RN · Nov 22, 2011

What I find hilarious about this talk of pushing even higher education for RNs, is, the more you lay out for education in time and money (not talking about the facility laying this all out, but, THE INDIVIDUAL laying out time and money) -- The resultant feeling of being one "of higher education" and deserving of being treated as a "clinician" and being respected is also something that escalates dramatically. YET, the workplace for RNs has not risen to this level.

The higher the entrance level of education gets for RNs, the faster they will leave the profession. And NO THIS IS NOT LIKE ALL OTHER PROFESSIONS WHO REQUIRE BA OR MS AS ENTRY. Nursing is down and dirty. There is no comparable profession outside of healthcare. Those that try to say "its the same no matter what profession you enter" simply, are, either very green, or using some kind of coping mechanism (God bless them, for trying to cope).

FACT: Those who have or have had self-worth. Those who are highly educated. These people look for better life situations.

Jael11 · Nov 22, 2011

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.

I wouldn't read too much into what your school counselor said to you. He was probably just generalizing the economic situation the U.S. is in and made an assumption that ALL ADN nurses would not get hired. Which is completely absurd!! Look at the feedback of nurses who have gotten hired. Yes, a higher degree would improve your chances of getting hired, since you have better education.

However, it really all depends upon certain criteria. First, where you apply, and what requirements the position is asking for. Second, how you sell yourself in an interview. Third, How you sell yourself in an interview. Fourth, confidence level, and how competent you see yourself.

My advice to you is, when you hear advice that is narrow and doesn't provide much options for you. Is digest the information, but don't let it affect you negatively. Hear it, move forward, and do your best.

I'm sure your a smart individual, capable of achieving any goal regardless of the odds of that current time period.

Good Luck to you.

:stdnrsrck:

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2011

IME, school counselors are usually good at explaining course sequencing and requirements for a degree (and sometimes not that) and that's about it. They're not in the profession you're going in to, so might not have the best understanding of hiring practices locally.

That being said, in some areas it's very hard to get a job without a BSN as a new grad (and those are areas where it's often hard to get a job even WITH a BSN). I would research your local market. Call some local hospital HRs and ask if they preference BSNs or grads from a certain school or if they ONLY hire BSN prepared nurses. Call some nursing homes as well. Post on the state forum here where you plan to work when you graduate. And regardless of what you decide to do about school (continuing the ADN or finding a way to afford the BSN), work your butt off in school, keep in touch with and network with your clinical professors, and try to get a job as a tech while in school.

noahsmama · Nov 22, 2011

Has it occurred to anyone that this school counselor might actually know what they're talking about? That maybe they're involved with trying to help the school's graduates get jobs, and they know exactly how tough it is in their area? That maybe they're doing the OP a favor by being so bluntly honest?

According to the OP's profile, they live in the Bay Area, which is one of the toughest job markets for nurses in the country. It's extremely hard to get a job here even with a BSN. It may not be literally impossible to get a job here with an ADN, but given the market for BSNs, it's going to be even harder for someone without a BSN (please note -- I'm not saying this is fair, or reasonable, it's just the way it is). Nursing schools in the Bay Area are still cranking out way more new grad RNs each year than can be absorbed by the job market here.

OP, can you relocate? If not, I think you should look into what it's going to take to get your BSN as soon as you can.

Good luck!!!

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 22, 2011

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".

I'm not a new grad, but today I start a hospital job that I was hired for while having "only an associates." An associates was all I could afford at the time. I'm in So. California.

Yes, since it's such a buyer's market for employers that they can afford to be picky about who they want to hire. Yes, there is a preference for BSNs among many employers, especially the Magnets, and that preference can be stronger in some parts of the country than in others. And yes, a BSN will give you more career opportunities and mobility than an associates would.

It may make the job hunt harder or limit your options, but an associate degree isn't necessarily a career killer. Places don't hire based on the person's degree alone. It's how you sell yourselves to them that can make or break you.

randoldx · Nov 22, 2011

The same statement was made to me by the advisor of the school I was just accepted into. I live in the Dayton, Ohio area. As a matter of fact, I have been accepted into the very last ADN program the school is offering. They are doing away with the ADN program completely because eventually all nurses will need to have a Bachelor's degree according to them. They told me the transition will be over the next 10-15 years, but it will be a requirement by then. The school started a 3-year Bachelors program in place of the ADN program. My SIL who is a RN tells me that the hospital she works in is requiring those that do not have their Bachelors must go back to school and obtain it witin the next 5 years or lose their job. I think this will be the new reality very soon.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Nov 22, 2011

Well if Nursing wants to be taken seriously, it needs to raise the standards from a two year degree to a four year degree for entry level. Think about it. How many accountants and Engineers are walking around with only a two-year degree? Not too many, yet they are taken very seriously.

Having a four year degree as a prerequisite to entering the nursing profession would weed out those who are only in it for a quick buck (because let's face it 2/3 years isn't as much as a 4/5 year commitment, is it?).

I was talking to a woman who has her master's in another field, and she vocalized to me how unsettling it is that nurses can work on people having only a two year degree and having someone's life in their hands. I thought that was an interesting perspective, especially since she is very educated.