Secret agenda of doing away with the associate program?

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Hi, so probably will get some gripe for this. However, noticing with the job market up North and hospital where I work as a tech there seems to be an increase in hiring nurses with LPNs & BSNs.

Now I work at one of the largest hospitals in New England and owns several hospitals, 6 I believe. Noticed with my job 6 to 8 LPN openings at outpatient clinics. Additionally, per diem LPN positions for the flu clinics coming up. Add in more and more LPN jobs are increasing with several states and within State jobs. Noticed a nursing home hiring LPNs and requiring RNs to have a BSN.

It makes you question the purpose of the associates program. Why not just require nurses to fulfill LPN clinical/education requirements and have LPN to BSN bridge programs. Other option Health Science/LPN program at the associate level, most take 4 semesters to complete. Additonally, there is one up North I know of and believe found one online in regards to LPN to BSN bridge program.

Whats your thoughts on this?

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

My thoughts? Too many schools churning out grads, leading to job market flooding, depressed wages, and other not so great things for nurses. Employers love it though. They get to pay lower salaries, pick all sorts of things to reduce the number of applications they have to sort through (no BSN? round file you go!), and even more bonus, they won't have to pay tuition assistance for BSN completion.

The purpose of the ADN program is the same as the diploma programs and the BSN programs: to produce nursing grads who will hopefully go on to pass NCLEX and find employment. There are good school and not good schools within each of those types of programs.

As long as students are willing to go to an ADN program and as long as the school can provide the required curriculum and clinical hours, they will never disappear.

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As long as students are willing to go to an ADN program and as long as the school can provide the required curriculum and clinical hours, they will never disappear.

They (ADN programs) also won't disappear because community colleges are v. popular with and have a lot of support in state legislatures, and TPTB in nursing have been unsuccessful (for several decades now) in convincing state legislatures that BSN preparation is necessary for nursing.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Interesting you are seeing more LPN jobs posted. Seems like most outpatient clinics are reducing the number of LPNs in favor of MAs.

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Specializes in NICU, RNC.

What you're describing is specific to your area. I'm in CA, where there is a state-mandated RN-to-patient ratio. Because of this, LPNs are rarely employed in hospitals because they don't count toward that ratio, and there is a high demand for RNs, both ADN and BSN. In my area, the ADN program isn't going away anytime soon! Most students have job offers before they even graduate!

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Interesting you are seeing more LPN jobs posted. Seems like most outpatient clinics are reducing the number of LPNs in favor of MAs.

Where I live it is the exact opposite. Hire LPNs to work in MA roles for the same pay as an MA.

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