When to go for BSN?

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I will be starting an ADN program in January, and am soooo excited. I've been wanting to go into nursing for about as long as I can remember, and always thought that I would definetly eventually get my BSN. But I'm wondering if it would really be neccesary. I haven't really decided exactly what in nursing I want to do, thought about trauma/ER, but waiting till i get some clinical experience before I really pursue something.

Basically, what types of positions require/would benefit from the additional degree?

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

It dependsd on where you live ... and what your local job market is like. In some areas, it's difficult to get a job -- any job -- in a hospital without a BSN. In other areas of the country, the lack of a BSN will not prevent you from getting a staff nurse job in any specialty. The job market varies significantly from place to place, but the trend is definitely towards prefering a BSN for staff nurses -- particularly in the higher level hospitals and with patients who are more seriously ill/injured.

Note also that the current job market is not friendly to new grads of any kind. In some cities, it's hard for everyone to find a job.

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It dependsd on where you live ... and what your local job market is like. In some areas, it's difficult to get a job -- any job -- in a hospital without a BSN. In other areas of the country, the lack of a BSN will not prevent you from getting a staff nurse job in any specialty. The job market varies significantly from place to place, but the trend is definitely towards prefering a BSN for staff nurses -- particularly in the higher level hospitals and with patients who are more seriously ill/injured.

Note also that the current job market is not friendly to new grads of any kind. In some cities, it's hard for everyone to find a job.

I agree with this poster, it does depend on where you live. Where I live, you can get almost any nursing job with an ADN but from what I understand, there are many areas that are requiring a minimum of BSN for some jobs.

Around here, the only jobs I know for sure that require a BSN are school nurse and public health nurse. I have an interest in public health so I plan to start work on my BSN asap.

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Depending on where you are in the country. Rural areas probably only require mainly an ADN. But urban areas require more BSNs for anything. ER/Trauma nurse you would pry want a BSN & Maybe even a Master's, as those jobs need very educated/experienced nurses.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

First off, congrats!! I will also be starting my ADN program in January :)

I live in GA, about 30 minutes outside Atlanta, and around here most nurses start with LPN or ADN degrees. I have already planned to go a university part-time after I graduate for my Master's. I have found 3 schools around me who offer a bridge program for ADN nurses to Master's degree. You do a one year bridge and then begin your coursework to become a NP and depending on what you specialize in you can be done within 2/3 years!

To me, this seems a lot more beneficial than bridging to a BSN and then later doing a graduate program. From what I have been told from the nurses in my area, the hospitals view ADN and BSN nurses the same because at the end of both programs you sit for the same exam (NCLEX) and have the title "Registered Nurse". But that's just my opinion!

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Specializes in Operating Room.

My area is suburban and the hospitals are pushing BSN's hard. I am glad (less competition!) because I plan to get my MSN anyway. I have NO idea how ADN nurses are faring here, perhaps nursing homes and doctor offices?

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