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

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Nov 23, 2011

Education does not necessarily equal intelligence...nor common sense.
Nor does it provide nursing perspective if one is not a nurse.

But it does provide a look at how OTHER professions view Nursing...as a joke.

noahsmama · Nov 23, 2011

Let me clarify a few things: I live in the Bay Area, specifically, Livermore,CA and I attend Las Positas college which is an affiliate of Chabot college. When I say that it will be more expensive to attend a BSN program, I am not only accounting for program costs but resources as well. The closest 4 year that I know of is San Jose state, which, is about 35-40 miles away(probably slightly more for me, considering I live of the far side of town closer to Tracy,CA). I pay for college by myself and still live with my parents, and I doubt I would be able to move out on a CNAs salary while going to school full time. The school I attend now is about 5-10 miles away. When I say nurses without a degree I mean LPNs and Diploma nurses. I admit, they are even stingy about hiring CNAs that don't have the Acute certification around here sometimes. The thing is, I am literally willing to take any job once I graduate even if it it's not one I want and work from there. I guess my area is somewhat "crowded" with new grads but I am willing to relocate (or, become a travel nurse for awhile). The closest hospital near me and the one that I have always wished to work for is valleycare. The three programs I am considering are: Ohlone, Merrit, and Chabot.
Valleycare:http://www.valleycare.com/careers/careers_opportunities.html
Las Positas college:http://www.laspositascollege.edu/
Chabot college:http://www.chabotcollege.edu/

Here's a list of all of the BSN programs in CA:

http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/rnprograms.shtml#bsn

The closest one to you is Cal State East Bay, in Hayward, or Samuel Merritt or Holy Names in Oakland. Still pretty far away, but not quite as far as San Jose.

If your goal is to work at Valley Care, give their nurse recruiter or HR department a call, and ask if they require or prefer BSNs, or if ADN nurses are considered equally.

Keep in mind though that in the current economy, you will have to apply to a lot more than just your top choice hospital to get a job. You may want to call the HR departments of a few more major hospitals/networks (Sutter Health, Kaiser) and ask for their preference regarding BSNs as well.

It's great that you're a CNA -- that's valuable experience and may help you to get your first nursing job.

Good luck!

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 23, 2011

But it does provide a look at how OTHER professions view Nursing...as a joke.

Your friend only provides how one person views the profession of nursing...unless of course, your Masters' friend is the only one of her profession. If that is the case, then she can claim spokesmanship rights for that profession; otherwise she's just one opinion that's not necessarily representative of either the public's opinion or her profession's opinion. So if SHE wants to think nursing is a joke, that's her opinion and she is entitled to it. But in fact, do a variety of literature searches, and you'll find that opinion on the profession of nursing is quite the opposite than what your friend thinks.

Also, you will find that most of the debate/argument about nursing as a profession is within the nursing profession itself, not across professions.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 23, 2011

I guess my area is somewhat "crowded" with new grads but I am willing to relocate (or, become a travel nurse for awhile).

If you are willing to relocate, you will still find a lot of areas of the country that aren't as BSN-driven as the Bay Area. Rural areas as well as the Midwest, Southwest (excluding CA) and Texas seem to have a lot of opportunities based on all the recruitment ads I see in my nursing journals as well as all the chatter seen here on the forum. You could work there and start on the RN-BSN right away; tuition reimbursement still exists in a lot of places, and there are many affordable--and accredited--RN to BSN programs online so location becomes less of an obstacle. Travel nursing may not be an option as a new grad but it never hurts to try.

Best of luck whatever you decide!

FrogKissingNurse · Nov 23, 2011

From my experience the closer you are to large cities the harder it will be to get a job with an ADN. I moved from the Chicago area out to Springfield for a hospital job. Part of the issues is the Chicago area has a lot of BSN programs so the market for BSN is higher. In the Springfield area there are more ADN programs than BSN programs so they are more willing to hire ADN nurses. But like all magnet hospitals they do really encourage everyone to further their education. So to answer your question location seems to play a large role as to the type of degree required to get the RN job.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Nov 23, 2011

I live near, and work in, my state's capital, and I'm both an ADN and a director of nursing who was recently offered a promotion to regional director of nursing. (I turned it down because I don't want to travel all the time.) Somehow, I don't think my lack of a BSN/MSN has hurt me much in my career, and now that I'm in the sunset years I see absolutely NO reason to run up a whole new mountain of student-loan debt pursuing a degree I don't need.

If I were 20 or 30 years younger, I'd go for the MSN in a heartbeat because I would have liked to teach; but otherwise, I'm satisfied with how my career is going, and I'm only about a dozen years from retirement anyway.

DizzyLizzyNurse · Nov 23, 2011

And you know what? It is shame that someone straight out of high school "gets it" moreso than a lot of people twice her age. I've done my research, and I'm pretty aware of the economy and what employers want, and they want someone with experience AND a higher level of education. So...
If you want to be condescending, do so in a way that isn't so obvious or better yet, don't talk to me. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have been so rude if I was some forty year old.
I have nearly three years of COLLEGE and nearly five years worth of hospital experience behind me. Don't assume things. It makes you look silly.

Yet LPNs don't have all the responsibilities that an RN has. So, moving right along....

Speaking of condescending...Why are you being snotty? You mentioned "if a nurse had schooling for 9 months". I assure you an LPN is a nurse and I had a 9 month education. When you are an RN you will probably work with some and I hope you have more respect for them then.

I have nothing against students (I was one up until December) but why is it the people with attitudes and who like to tell someone off....are in school and have never worked as a nurse?

I've never had someone think I was dumb for being a nurse BTW. Usually people think it's cool, or assume I must be really smart. The only reason I'm looking to get a BSN right now is because of the economy. Just because your one friend thinks more education = better nurse (I have friends who are engineers, dr's, and lawyers actually as well) doesn't mean everyone does. You realize I passed the same NCLEX as a BSN right?

PeepnBiscuitsRN · Nov 23, 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.

I'd just love to know what her background is, what generation nurse she is. "It's unsettling that nurses with only a 2 year degree can have someone's life in their hands..." would she like to say that to one of the 65+ year old nurses out there who have been nurses 1967 and got trained in at a hospital?

I resent the comment that a 2-3 year degree doesn't reflect a commitment of quality- I went through an LPN to RN program and it only took a year to complete the second half of the education. Right now I'm in a BSN completion program, and guess what we're completing? PAPER WRITING! RESEARCH! Is any of that being applied to my actual nursing job? NO!

Education and degrees are like ages- they reflect a mere number and nothing more. 4 years of school versus 40 years of working...but I guess that's my associate level opinion. Maybe I'll write back in a year when I have more letters behind my name.

CNA1991, CNA · Nov 23, 2011

I got hired full time in July with an Associate's. I had to sign a paper promising to get my bachelor's within 4 years, and after 6 months of employment my hospital will pay for my education so.....there were 3 out of 12 of us with Associate's degrees hired at the same time.
I could only afford the Associate's degree also.
Stick to the plan that works for YOU.
I did already apply and have acceptances to RN to BSN programs to put on my resume - and I would have continued on with school no matter what.
It is true that you will be looked at as less appealing than a BSN candidate - not because you don't know the same stuff and have passed the same exam, but because the hospitals have to hire BSN nurses to achieve magnet status. So get good grades, do good extra curricular work, impress your clinical professors so you get good letters of rec, and make yourself marketable!

Thank you so much for the encouragement! I am going to try to do as much as possible to sell myself. I never told that counselour that I wouldn't get a higher degree just that I plan on starting with the ADN.