MN_Steve

I am a second career nurse. I have a couple of B.S. degrees already (but NOT in nursing, only in Computer Science and Engineering). I retrained under the U.S. Trade Readjustment Act (for workers who lost their jobs to foreign competition). They would only pay for two years of education. So I have a 2 year ADN degree. I work at a large hospital and know a lot of two and 4 year nurses, both ADN and B.S. Most of the nurses I know are excellent. I must say the pay IS excellent for a 2 year degree. A beginning 2 year nurse makes the same starting salary as a new graduate with a 4 year Computer Science degree (if the poor soul with a B.S. in Comp Sci can get a job, pretty tough to do right now.) Nursing darn well should pay as well (or better) since in my days as a beginning Comp Sci grad I never had anyone's life in my hands! I am sadly amused by the credential inflation in everything. I know a number of radiographers with 84 credit 2.5 year AAS degrees that are starting to be told 'we would really prefer a person with a B.S. in Radiography!'. So they are getting 'aftermarket' B.S. degrees in Radiography. Somewhere down the line I will go get a BS or MA in nursing, but I am in no hurry. (I already have 320+ semester credits in my life). I only learned 10% of what I needed to know in school. The rest I learned on the job (like everyone else).

Hello everyone, I am a middle aged nursing student about to turn into a middle aged nurse. I will graduate this Friday [the 13th!] with an ADN in Nursing. I live in SE Minnesota and it seems like the so called nursing shortage does not exist in the Twin Cities area or in SE Minnesota. The ADN doesn't seem to be 'what they are buying this year'. The Mayo Clinic has told me that they won't be hiring many ADN's and they want a BSN. I was formerly an engineer who lost his job when my company closed and went overseas. What would any of you think of me going back to an engineering job and chipping away at a BSN? Any suggestions about how to cope with a tough job market?