Question For Nurses

[XMcShiftersonX]

I've heard of some recent graduates having difficulty finding jobs, right within Seattle. I think this has more to do with the economy and broken health care system than a overflow of new graduates. Ultimately though there are tons of hospitals out here, so I'm pretty confident you will find A job when you graduate, it may not be first choice (depending on what first choice is), but you'll be able to find something.

I work at Tacoma General in the ICU and we always have new people coming in (this is the south end, outside of King County). Most places don't pay you more or anything for having your BSN (The VA will, but that's the only place I'm familiar with doing that). But, I have my BSN and I think when someone is choosing to hire, between new grads and they have an AA nurse, and a BSN nurse, they're probably going to choose the BSN. A lot of the nurses in the ICU setting have their BSNs, so I guess it also depends where you plan on working. You could always get your AA, and go back and finish your BSN later, alot of my co-workers have done that. It's hard to work as a nurse and go to school, but if you can make it work, that would be good! Also, most hospitals have education money and may help you pay for your degree.

On a day to day basis, I don't think BSN vs AA makes much of a difference. A lot of nursing is learned on the job over a period of time, it's all about experience! Good luck!

[Crankin]

I am not a nurse, but my closest friend works in hospital admin. It is very hard for new grads to get jobs here. Older nurses just aren't retiring because of the economy. And this doesn't apply just to MGH and the Brigham, where everyone wants to work; it even is happening at community hospitals.
I do think the nursing shortage is real, though, in most parts of the country.
Go for the bachelors, Amanda. From what I know, it opens up a lot more options and the pay is much better, at least around here.

[XMcShiftersonX]

And adding on to what Crankin has said, by the time you finish college in 2-4 years, things will most likely be looking better in the economy department, so you'll probably (and hopefully) have better opportunity. It is a risk though I suppose. At least you have another career you could always fall back on.

[sfa]

Two or three years ago nurses in our program (I work at a community college) were being offered signing bonuses to take jobs and they had their pick of locations and shifts. Now they are still getting jobs, but it is taking longer and there aren't the same incentives there were a few years ago. This is a short term thing, though--the long term outlook is still very good for employment for nurses.

It doesn't matter if you do a BSN or an ADN program to become a nurse--the qualifying exam is the same. Where it matters is if you want to move forward for a master's degree or PhD in nursing. Since you already have a bachelor's degree, though, that combined with the ADN might qualify you for admission into a master's program. If it's something you are thinking about, you might want to check on that before you get started. Most ADN programs are also transfer programs to four year degrees, so you can start with the ADN and transfer to a BSN program if you choose that route.

Sarah

[Jolt]

Since you already have a bachelor's degree, you could look into accelerated BSN programs. The BSN does give you more options than the ADN. As far as the job outlook, I think it depends on where you are--as Crankin already said, it's horrendous here right now for new grads (that's how I ended up working in that nursing home when I finished the RN portion of my program...I tried everything to get into a hospital but just couldn't) but other parts of the country may be different. The economy right now doesn't help, but health care is supposedly one of the less affected areas.

[FlyingScot]

Heck...get your BSN whether the traditional route or accelerated. Hopefully by the time you graduate the pendulum will have swung back the other way (and it always does) and there will actually be some jobs for new grads. It's bad pretty much everywhere. Worse in the "desirable" areas of the country (read warm and beachy) or major metro areas (NY, Boston). Critical access hospitals are hiring but they are often in very small, sometimes isolated, rural areas.My friend works at one in Texas. They keep a ball bat at the nurses station but it isn't for the patients. It's for the snakes (usually venomous) that sneak in through the EMS doors. Her count so far is 5. I got lucky. I changed jobs and hired in to a huge hospital system (unionized) literally 4 weeks before the bottom fell out of the economy. The nursing openings there went from over 200 to 4!!!! Yes 4 openings in a matter of a few weeks. If you want to do ADN go for it though. I don't have my BSN but that hasn't kept me from doing anything from NICU to flight nursing. I'd rather have nails pounded into my eyes than do any type of management anyways.

[Chicken Little]

Get the two year and make the hospital pay for your BSN. It's good economics. It doesn't matter anyway. We all take the same test, and no matter what's after your name, every patient poops.