To Close This Window Click Here General Nursing Discussion   Dumb newbie questions 06-02-11        Dumb newbie questions - (EliseR)     06-02-11 Hi everyone. This is my first post here. My girlfriend has decided to go back to school to be an RN. Her background is, she has an AS degree in environmental technology. She was laid off from an engineering firm in January and has not been able to even find a waitressing job.  We have kinda figured out the school part. I was surprised to learn that the RN program was an associates program. I was curious. When I see ads about RN jobs paying $ 30-40 an hour, is that for any RN or are those more for RN's with bachelor's degrees? Also, I see a lot of home health ads. She is not really interested in that type of work. She wants to work in a hospital. Are jobs there? I guess if I had to boil it down to one question. If she gets her RN associates, what are her realistic prospects for type of job and salary? Can you do well from there? Or is a BS degree the ticket to success and $$$? I know, that wasn't one question. Sorry. Thanks everyone. Have a nice day   Date=06-02-11    Name:EliseR    ReportAbuseClick here to have the Board Manager review this message.    General Nursing Discussion      Dumb newbie questions (EliseR) 06-02-11          Re: Dumb newbie questions (Amanda) 06-02-11        Re: Dumb newbie questions - (Amanda)     06-02-11 As a regular staff nurse, she will make the same $ whether she has a BS or Associate's. But without her BSN, she will not be able to move into any type of management or leadership positions. Nurses with an Associate's can make up to $40/hour as a regular staff nurse, but not as a new grad. Specialties like ER, OR, ICU tend to make more than med/surg nurses, and the more experience you have, the more you will make.   Date=06-02-11    Name:Amanda    ReportAbuseClick here to have the Board Manager review this message.