Question for Career Nurses

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Hello all,

I am a student nurse and have a question for you all who have been in the field. I have had a lot of people tell me that there is no point in going for an associates degree in nursing because the jobs are scarce nationwide and the same people allege that the pay is not competitive. Now, I have no experience in nursing, but I imagine that for someone who wants to be a nurse an associates is a fine starting point.

Thanks!

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All those people are right. An ADN is not a sentence to unemployment, but the ADN is phasing out. The ADN is becoming useless. Unless you want to work in LTC or something similar, you should get your BSN.

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Specializes in Public Health.

Lies. ADNs make up over 45% of the nations nurses and the overwhelming majority of people are employed in the field. My hospital in particular is only 40% BSN. You can find a job, people hear about the jobless more often because they are the ones complaining about the job market.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

The only way to know is to find out what the local facilities are hiring.

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Specializes in CVICU.
Lies. ADNs make up over 45% of the nations nurses and the overwhelming majority of people are employed in the field. My hospital in particular is only 40% BSN. You can find a job, people hear about the jobless more often because they are the ones complaining about the job market.

This is true now, but boiler room BSN programs are popping up nation wide like weeds flooding the market with new grad BSN's.

This does not affect an ADN with experience. But new grads will experience increased difficulty getting a gig.

The ADN/BSN ratio you speak of is due to supply. but that is changing.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatric Critical Care.

I think it depends what geographic location you live. I live in a more rural area, and it is definitely helpful to have a BSN, but by no means required. I estimate less than 30% of the nurses have a BSN where I work.

I'm currently working on my BSN online, and from what I hear from my classmates, in some areas, it is hard to even get an interview without a BSN, for a new grad.

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In Southern California, ADN's will NOT be hired by the major hospitals. I went to a career fair, and 95% of the hospitals were BSN ONLY! The only places that took ADN's was the prison system.

There is no need to put yourself at a major disadvantage. Every year, it gets harder for ADN's. Where I did my clinical, maybe 45% of nurses who have been working there for 10 years have ADN's. But the new grad program ONLY takes BSN's! So even though the hospital has ADN's who were hired in the past, they are only taking BSN's now!

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Thanks so much for all the info guys!

Def think I will be considering going for a BSN at some point :)

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Agree with the above post about it varying by location. By 2020 all nurses in my health system (and those surrounding throughout our state) will have to have a BSN. The very same healthsystems i've been told are not even considering ADN graduates. Seems sad but I guess is the reality.

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Specializes in Public Health.

And I don't live in a rural town either. Vegas baby!

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