Hi! I am new to your site and so happy I found it. I am currently working a full time job with the US Government. My dream has always been to become a RN. But with work and moving up my career it seems though my RN dreams were fading away. Recently my love for the field has joined me again and I am looking to go back to school to become a RN.
My concern is which direction to go in. I was told by a few people I could go to my local community college and get my ASN and take the NCLEX and become a nurse. But I was also informed that most hospitals are now only taking people with a BSN. Please help me figure out what I should do.
Do I just go straight to my university and go for my BSN or can I go to my local community college and get my ASN? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-Raven
This question was asked in the nursing forum section.
S.L. Page says
Hey Raven! Welcome to the site and I’m very glad you found it too! This is a great question! First off you have to ask yourself what you plan on doing with your nursing career once you become a nurse. Do you plan on moving up in the profession (management/teaching etc) or may be one day want to go for your masters (MSN).
If so, the BSN may be the route you want to go. However, you can first get your ASN and work as a staff nurse for a few years to get experience and then while you work complete a RN-BSN degree program (these programs are many times offered completely online and some hospitals may pay for you to get this degree).
Now regarding the question about if hospitals hire only BSNs….this depends. I work in a very large hospital that employs many nurses and they hire both ASN and BSN nurses (they really don’t care as long as your a nurse). However, I know that some places are picky about it.
Before you make your decision I would contact hospitals in your area (Human Resource Department or look online at their job postings for educational requirements) where you would get a job and see if they only hire BSNs.
The ASN will be faster and cheaper than the BSN. But I would make sure you will be able to get a job quickly right after school. I hope I helped answers your question. Here are some additional resources about ADN vs BSN you might be interested in:
https://www.registerednursern.com/adn-or-bsn-nursing-degree-what-is-the-difference-between-adn-bsn-programs/
https://www.registerednursern.com/does-having-an-associates-degree-in-nursing-adn-limit-employment-opportunities-compared-to-a-bachelors-degree-in-nursing-bsn/
Sarah
Petra says
I am an ADN nurse and didn’t have a problem finding a job. I was immediately hired with BSN nurses. I took a job on a ICU step down unit. I think it depends on where you work. Personally (i’m bias of course) ADN is the way to go and if you want to go back you can for a BSN later but at least you will have a job making decent money.
RAVEN says
Thank you both so much for answering my question. I think I’m mainly looking to finish school and get working, and going the cheaper route would be awesome. I have a friend whose a nurse manager and she keeps advising me to just go straight for my BSN because at her hospital which is a major hospital they won’t hire you without a BSN, though they are affiliated with our local community college for the nursing program. So I’m just really stuck on what would be best. Part of me would love to just go for the ADN and see what happens with a job while I continue on for my BSN.
S.L. Page says
I totally understand where you are coming from and it is a hard decision especially since the hospital in your area prefers BSN nurses. I would follow your gut because you never know what will open up in the end.
Sarah
raven says
Super hard decision. But I thank you for answering, and I’ll be a frequent visitor of your site. I have already saved it to my favorites!