Question for Houstonians

[mw1179]

Fellow Houston Texas ladies....I have a question.

Is it uncommon for new RN grads with an associates, to find work? I have heard two sides of the coin so far. I've heard it isn't a problem, I've heard of some finding jobs and the employer helping financially with pursuing their BSN while employed..but I also heard recently a new associates grad can't find a job so she is now going back to school to get her BSN so she can be hired. The ideal would be to find an employer that would help pay for continuing education but I doubt the likelihood. Is it next to impossible to get hired with an associates and start working in the field while I get my BSN? Or should I just go straight for the BSN and not worry about looking for work till that is done? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[FarmerFNP]

I hate to break it to you, but difficulty getting a new grad RN job in Houston extends to those with BSNs as well. It took me 9 months after graduating with my BSN to get my foot in at a small regional hospital in the area. Sure, there are new grads that get their dream jobs here right out of school, but they are few and far between.

My advice is to seek work as an ADN first. Apply to the big TMC hospitals if that's what you want, but don't forget the smaller hospitals in the greater Houston area - there are a lot of them! The hospital I started at had more ADNs than BSNs and offered tuition reimbursement for continuing your education.

[mw1179]

Thank you NurseTiffer! And funny you said that because I thought about going for ADN first and then progressing from there.

Thank you for your input!!