The whole "nursing shortage" is completely dependent on area. My friends in Florida are basically being thrown money to work in a hospital. My friends who live in Boston aren't getting interviews unless they have a BSN. I live in NH and am a new grad. There are a good number of job openings but it is still pretty competitive. If OP lives in a competitive area (just look at the Job postings and see if it says BSN required or required by X date) she is likely to have a difficult time getting a job. If those postings only say BSN preferred, she may still get a job with an ADN, but having a BSN will put her way ahead in terms of likelihood of getting a hospital job.

If OP has a bachelor's degree her best bet is to do an accelerated BSN program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pick the one with the cheapest tuition, that's convenient to your house. RNs are in demand and they don't care about what school you come from. I've worked with some from Duke and they get asked all the time why they went there instead of state college. RN is more about the certification than your college.

There is no nursing shortage.

I work for a local hospital in the IT department. Our hospital is so desperate for nurses that HR is offering $10k bonuses if you refer someone and they last one year. $1000 just for getting hired.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GMU for BSN
NoVa for associates

Get the associates degree first, then start working. Most area hospitals have tuition reimbursement programs that will help pay for your BSN. New grads with associate degrees start at about $28+ an hour, before shift differentials.

Where do new grads start at $28/hr before differential! I want to apply there!! I've heard a measly $23/hr for new grads....

NP but in my hospital we're so desperate for nurses that we give sign on bonuses too.

Anonymous wrote:I would pick the one with the cheapest tuition, that's convenient to your house. RNs are in demand and they don't care about what school you come from. I've worked with some from Duke and they get asked all the time why they went there instead of state college. RN is more about the certification than your college.

There is no nursing shortage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GMU for BSN
NoVa for associates

Get the associates degree first, then start working. Most area hospitals have tuition reimbursement programs that will help pay for your BSN. New grads with associate degrees start at about $28+ an hour, before shift differentials.

Where do new grads start at $28/hr before differential! I want to apply there!! I've heard a measly $23/hr for new grads....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you already have a bach degree? Look into an accelerated program. Don't waste money with an ADN and don't do an online only place for your first nursing degree.

ADN works out fine, you can more than pass your state boards and get your license. Let the hospital you work for pay for your BSN later. Why do you discourage the ADN?

As a new RN grad (career change) most hospitals won't even look at ADN grads. Obviously it depends where you are but getting a hospital job as a new grad is competitive enough just for BSN grads. Sure, you can start in a nursing home, but again, depending where you are it can be tough to get into a hospital later.

The ADN route isnt terrible but I'd make sure that a BSN program would not work out at all.

Agree with previous posters about going the cheapest route possible. Once you get your license nobody cares where you went to school. I know a lot of nurses swimming in student loans. Don't be one of them.

I went to a cheap community college to get my associates in nursing to start working while getting the BSN.
Then, just before I finished my prerequisites to apply to their nursing school they lost their accreditation after lying about it at first. We found out from the bon.
I'm now in a super expensive program because no one would take my schools credits and it would have added another several years of school to graduate. Sucks.

Good luck with your schooling.