University Graduates

What kind of positions can I get with an ADN in Nursing?

I am considering joining the Associates in Nursing program at my community college, and I was wondering what positions would be available to me when I graduate. I know that in order to get a speciality you would need a BSN, so what jobs would be available? Could I work in a private doctors office? A hospital? What jobs could one expect with a BSN?

Public Comments

1. You can work in just about any direct patient care setting - including clinics, hospitals, surgical centers, jails, nursing homes, etc. You CAN work in a specialty area with only an ADN. Every nursing job in a hospital essentially IS a specialty area - orthopedics, med/surg, cardiac, obstetrics / L&D, OR, ER, psych, etc. You don't get more of an education in specialty areas of nursing when you complete your BSN - this is all on-the-job training that you get when hired into these specialty areas. Some jobs might say they prefer a BSN grad, but most facilities can't hold out for only BSN grads and will consider ADN grads. I tell people to apply to any job they want, the worst they can do is not interview you. Regardless, you won't have any trouble finding a job. A BSN won't benefit you immediately as a new grad, as you almost always have to start out working doing direct patient care. But a BSN grad will have a better likelihood of advancing into leadership positions such as managers, care coordinators, supervisory positions, etc. A BSN grad is also eligible for Public Health Nurse certification and could work for the state human services division, for example.
2. talk to your recruiter at the college & the local hospitals.
3. Basically you can do whatever a BSN nurse does, except sometimes a BSN is required for management jobs. I have worked in surgery and on the floor as a charge nurse with an ADN.
4. An adn is a person that is able to take the test to become an RN. After that you can do anything that says that it requires an Rn.