Quick Q's about Career Options!

Yes, a RN with an Associate's Degree can work in an physician's office or clinic. But those jobs usually pay less than hospital nursing -- and sometimes, it can be difficult to get a job in those places if the work environment is really nice. Also, some specialty physicians prefer hiring office staff who have inpatient experience working with them and their patients. But that is not true all of time or everywhere.

Working in a hospital can be either full time or part time (though some hospitals require new grads to work full time until they get well-stablished on the job.) Some hospital nurses work 8-hour shifts, some work 12-hour shifts. And those shifts usually include some night shifts, weekend shifts, and holidays. Of course there is time to have a family -- Nurses have families all the time. But if your work requires some night, weekend, and holiday shifts ... then you have to be prepared to be flexible and arrange for child-care at those odd times. That can be a challenge, but people do it every day.

For beginner-level staff nurses, the highest pay is in hospitals ... working those shifts that most people don't like to work -- the nights, weekend, and holidays. The lowest pay is in the least stressful, most popular jobs with "nice" hours, in doctor's offices, clinics, etc.

That's the general lay of the land ... but note that the details vary greatly from one geographic region to another. In some areas, ADN graduates are in high demand to work in most settings. In other areas, with lots of BSN nurses, the new ADN grads have very limited opportunities and most often begin their careers working with the elderly in long-term care facilities. You really need to research your local job market to find out what the situation is in your area.

Good luck to you!