Filed in Category Pediatric Associates
I’m taking pre-requisites to enter the Nursing program at my community college which offers an associates degree. I want to find a job after this, like in pediactrics, and then continue working on my bachelor’s degree.
Does that degree do anything or have a title when you get it? Are you able to get a job in a hospital and finish school to get your bachelors?? I guess I am wondering if there are different types of nurses and different schooling to complete them. I was hoping I can get a job in a hospital as something with my AA in nursing, and continue my education so I can get my bachlors. Does anyone know how this all works? Is getting your bachlor degree in nursing the same as nursing school?? What kinda of jobs can I get with an AA in nursing or is there a title for that position?? How much would I start out as with an AA in nursing and eventually get paid when I become a nurse. I am interested in being a pediatric nurse as I love working with children.
6 Comments so far
If you have a medical need please consult a physician.
The posts here are created by users and unverified.
Netpediatrics.com does not offer medical advice or recommendations of any type.
Do Nurses With Aa Degrees Have A Hard Time Finding A Job?
You can syndicate both the entries using
Pediatric RSS Feeds and the Pediatric Comments Feed
You will have NO problem getting a job with only an Assoc. in Nursing. The license you earn after passing your NCLEX exam is the most important thing. Hospitals will hire you. The benefit of having a BSN is usually long-term, it helps you advance into more leadership / supervisory / administrative positions in nursing. Some hospitals will say “BSN preferred” in their job ads, but always apply anyway. With the current nursing shortage affecting most areas, hospitals can “prefer” all they want but at the end of the day they will hire whomever they need to get the job filled. When I was a new grad I filled out several apps for jobs saying BSN preferred and I had several interviews and the job I was offered and took said the same thing.
The difference between an ADN and BSN is with the BSN you get more gen. ed. and elective courses, and the extra nursing courses you get focus on nursing theory, models of care, nursing research, professional issues, leadership issues, and public health. The ADN programs teach you all the fundementals of nursing practice to be eligible for licensure, to be a competent RN. The BSN just expands your professional knowledge.
You can work in just about any hospital specialty with only the ADN degree, including pediatrics. You don’t get any special or additional training into specialty settings with the higher degree. Your ADN program teaches you the basics to care for all patient populations, which includes peds and you will have clinical rotations in pediatrics. The bulk of your learning really comes from your employer once you’re hired. You will have several weeks or months of orientation which includes both classroom learning and working with a preceptor nurse on the unit doing patient care. It’s a gradual process.
As for salary, new grad RNs working in a hospital could make anywhere from $25-$35 per hour depending on the area of the country you live in. Your pay does not change based on what unit or specialty you work in, pay increases for nurses in a hospital are based on years of employment. So an RN working in the ER will make the same as a Peds nurse or an OR nurse or a regular med/surg RN if they have the same number of years of work experience.
The BSN degree doesn’t really make you all that much more when you’re working as a regular staff nurse in a hospital. My hospital pays $1 more per hour for the BSN grads. Pay increases for BSN grads come in the form of having more positions available to them that are outside of regular staff nursing, such as case management, patient care supervisor, nurse manager, etc.
Associates degrees work the same in the job field if there is a lack of Nurses as the Bachelors. Of course, the more education, the better Nurse you will become. Study and there are so many fields in Nursing, try them out and when you find the one you enjoy the most, stick with it.
Yeah, there are a lot of jobs in the medical field so finding one with just an AA will be fairly easy. Working on getting your BA is a good goal, it will open many doors to you.
Depends on the institution where you plan to work. It has been my experience that RN is RN and we all get paid the same. Unless, that is, the position calls for a BSN.
Take it from me. I’m graduating from a two year program in June and honestly it really depends on location. In NYC, they are so darn picky. A lot of the hospitals will tell you that they prefer BSN nurses, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get a job. In other areas where they are disparate to find nurses, you won’t have a problem at all. There are certain areas in the country that are don’t really need nurses like the east coast as much as other parts of the county so they can afford to be picky. Hope this helps.
Good Luck
It’s probably on the top list of reccesion proof jobs. Whether you get a diploma, AA, BS, MS, Phd.It’s depending on what state you live in the average hourly wage starting out is about $20- $25hr. You should have no problem finding a job, the Bach & Masters degrees are for nurse management positions, administration and nurse practicioners. The “occupational outlook handbook” can also give you more information an resources, this book can be found at your local library, you can also read the information on line. Nursing is a great field, your on the right track.