In the nursing world, it’s being acknowledged more and more how big of a step forward for your career pursuing a BSN degree is. Contemplating the idea of going back to school has many ramifications you need to consider – few of them are as pressing as finding an RN-to-BSN program that’s not only good but also affordable.
The financial aspect of advancing your nursing degree is definitely important to take into account. That’s why in this article we will examine the costs associated with pursuing an online RN-to-BSN and we will also tell you everything you need to know about the price tag that comes along with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing.
Why Should You Get a BSN?
First thing’s first: you may be wondering why spend money on getting your BSN if your ADN qualification is perfectly valid and it has landed you a good job in the healthcare environment? Why should you subject yourself to the stress, hassle, and expense of advancing your education further?
There are multiple reasons why becoming a BSN RN is actually a good idea.
Here are a few:
There’s a direct correlation between BSN nurses and better patient outcomes. There is no shortage of studies showing that higher nursing education leads to better clinical outcomes, fewer medical errors, and lower mortality rates.
Higher pay. Not only will you be a better nurse, but you will also be a better-paid nurse. Learn how much BSN Nurses earn in every state.
More job opportunities. BSN is increasingly becoming the gold standard of nursing education and employers do take notice. Many employers in the healthcare industry – about 41% – already make it a requirement that their new hires have a BSN degree while over 82% have expressed a strong preference for BSN graduates.
Expanded opportunities for advancement. A Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing will open the door to being hired for more specialized nursing roles, as well as leadership and management positions.
This is just a fraction of the benefits of getting your BSN qualification, even if you’re already working as a Registered Nurse. Find out more in our guide to why getting your BSN is important.
What Makes Online RN-to-BSN Programs So Desirable?
Online RN-to-BSN programs are gaining more and more traction due to the flexibility they offer to working professionals. The online degree takes a fairly short time to finish and many – Nightingale College’s RN to BSN program included – can be completed in as little as three semesters. The asynchronous nature of online RN-to-BSNs is also considered a big plus. Being able to fulfill coursework on your own schedule makes it easier for you to balance having a job and studying at the same time.
Online RN-to-BSN programs are meant to increase a nurse’s professional knowledge and expertise in order to improve the quality of patient-care. For that purpose, RN-to-BSN coursework is centered around community nursing, leadership, policy, ethics, critical care, disease prevention, informatics, and other essential nursing concepts.
How Affordable Is Advancing Your Education From RN to BSN?
Now that we went through the “why” of it all, it’s time to turn to the practical side and examine how cheap (or not) the process of obtaining your Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing is.
Online RN-to-BSN programs are different from brick-and-mortar options and that applies to costs as well. Pursuing an online degree will save you some money from the start, mostly related to living expenses and commuting to and from the campus. You may still be required to pay for certain applications and tools needed to pursue online classes, but that will vary from institution to institution. Also, the rates may vary depending on whether you are enrolled at an in-state or out-of-state school.
All in all, the average cost of online RN-to-BSN degree programs is situated in the range of $20,000 to $80,000. That is significantly less compared to on-campus programs, for which – when you factor in living and commuting expenses – you may be expected to pay from $32,000 to more than $100,000 yearly. So, online RN-to-BSN programs are definitely cheaper than their on-the-ground counterparts. For the most part, financial aid options are also available for online programs, just as in the case of traditional offline programs. Some employers might also offer tuition reimbursement for Registered Nurses who’ve decided to go back to school and get their BSN.
How Affordable is Nightingale College?
Our online RN-to-BSN program is designed with you in mind. We are here to help you pursue your dream nursing career while also elevating the future of healthcare and all that at affordable rates.
At Nightingale College, the tuition for the RN-to-BSN program stands at $400 per semester credit. So, the estimated total program cost for learners with an ADN who transfer in 68 credits from their previous degree is around $23,625 if the program they’re enrolled in commences on or after the summer 2019 academic semester. Tuition, however, does not include the nonrefundable application fee of $150. There are some additional fees for some courses that you can explore in our College Catalog. For instance, our learners can choose to pay a $100 course resources fee for their GE requirements or they may elect to personally purchase all general education required materials.
Are There Financial Aid Options?
There is a large and diverse selection of financial aid options that prospective learners can access based on their individual needs. Our financial aid staff helps you explore what options you have available. But in general, financial aid resources includescholarships, prepaid college savings plans, personal savings, and income or institutional, state, and federal student aid.
At Nightingale College, we understand how essential continuing education and degree advancement is. That’s why we offer several scholarships opportunities that you can apply to your student account once you’re enrolled in the program. Our financial aid department is always ready to help you review the financial opportunities best suited for your situation. You can always request more detailed information here.
We know how complex financing college can be. Finding affordable RN-to-BSN online programs without sacrificing the quality of education can be quite challenging. But with the right amount of research, you can find an affordable, accredited, and valuable program that will help you become the best BSN Registered Nurse you can be.
There are two main educational paths that will result in Registered Nurse status. You can either pursue a Bachelor’s Degree right off the bat or you can enroll in an Associate Degree nursing program and start practicing as an RN as soon as you pass the NCLEX-RN. However, having a BSN is increasingly becoming the gold standard in the nursing field, it being associated with more job opportunities, greater benefits, and higher pay.
Regardless of the track you’re considering – BSN or RN-to-BSN – you may find yourself wondering: is pursuing a more advanced nursing education really worth it? Will the paycheck truthfully reflect the money, time and energy I invested in getting the degree?
Let’s find out.
How much does a BSN make starting out?
The BSN starting salaries can be an argument in themselves for advancing your education. The annual entry-level salary for BSN Registered Nurses is $47,127, or around $22.66 hourly. Bear in mind that this figure (as reported by ZipRecruiter, a major online job search platform in March 2021) is just an approximation; the starting off wages of an RN with a Bachelor’s Nurse can vary significantly depending on location, employer, or industry. Generally, at the beginning of their nursing career, BSN RNs can expect to earn between $33,500 and $51,000 yearly.
The best way to interpret these nursing starting salaries is to see how they compare on a larger scale. The average base salary for all entry level positions in the United States is $40,153 per year. That puts BSN starting salaries almost $7,000 higher than the national average. The entry level wages for Registered Nurses with a Bachelor’s Degree can increase even further based on previous experience as an RN. So, if you are pursuing an RN-to-BSN degree after having already gained experience as a Registered Nurse, in a BSN position you are likely to be better remunerated than your counterparts who just graduated.
Enroll Now
Is It Better to Have a BSN or RN?
To become a Registered Nurse you must pass the NCLEX-RN exam and earn your RN license. Obtaining an RN diploma or an Associate’s Degree in Nursing are still viable options for an RN career. However, these paths are losing ground as BSN is quickly becoming the benchmark for pursuing a nursing career.
The reasons why a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing is strongly recommended for aspiring professionals are manifold and multifaceted, with the quality of care being at the forefront. Studies have shown that higher levels of education are associated with better nursing outcomes, lower mortality rates, and fewer medication errors. That’s at least part of why major institutions, such as the Institute of Medicine, are strongly encouraging nurses to pursue BSN degrees.
For many employers, having completed a BSN is a requirement. For instance, Magnet hospitals already require that all Nurse Managers and Nurse Leaders they employ hold a BSN degree. To achieve Magnet status, hospitals must have clear plans on how to reach the IOM recommendation of an RN workforce constituted of at least 80% BSN graduates.
If you want to pursue a more out-of-the-box nursing career, such as working as a flight nurse or an Active Duty U.S. Armed Forces RN, a BSN will be the minimum requirement.
According to an annual survey conducted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), in 2020 over 41% of hospitals were already requiring their new hires to have a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, while 82% of employers expressed a strong preference for BSN graduates.
One Medscape 2020 survey also indicated that 53% of RNs reported having a BSN degree, while the percentage of Registered Nurses with an Associate’s Degree was 24%. This shows that pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing will give you a competitive edge in the field, helping you secure the nursing position you are interested in.
Pragmatically speaking, it is better to have a BSN than an ADN; it offers higher job security, a wider pool of career opportunities, and higher pay.
RN vs. BSN Salary: Do Registered Nurses with a Bachelor’s Degree Get Paid More Than ADN RNs?
We’ve already tackled the issue of whether it’s better to have a BSN than a RN, and we have shown that as far as quality of care and employment opportunities are concerned, a BSN provides a great advantage. But what about salaries? Do BSN RNs make more money than ADN RNs? What is the salary difference between these two nursing paths? It turns out there is indeed a difference – as salaries tend to go up when the educational level goes up.
This affirmation is corroborated by the 2020 Medscape survey which also found that nurses’ earnings jump predictably with each step higher in education. Registered Nurses with an ADN qualification make around $76,000 annually. RNs who have their Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing Degree earn on average $80,000. This means the RN versus BSN salary difference is around $4,000 yearly.
The years of experience you have can also impact your earnings significantly. Early-career nurses – nurses with less than 5 years of experience – had reported earnings of around $68,000 while RNs with 10 or more years of experience make a median wage of $80,000.
What Is the Average BSN Nurse Salary by State?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the average salary for a Registered Nurse is $77,460. While the BLS does not differentiate between RN and BSN salaries, it is well known that the more advanced one’s education is, the higher the salaries they can secure. Following this train of thought, BSN nurses’ salaries are higher than their ADN counterparts’.
And that logic stands its ground. The average salary for BSN nurses in the United States is $79,623. The difference between RN and BSN salaries is higher than $2,000. This figure is very close to the one illustrated in the 2020 Medscape LPN/RN Compensation Report. Medscape surveys Registered Nurses annually about their earnings and satisfaction with their chosen profession. In 2020, the findings pinpointed that the average salary for BSN Nurses was around $80,000.
Still, a BSN Nurse’s earning potential can differ considerably based on where they practice. That’s why we used ZipRecruiter data to look at BSN salary trends in every state. This way you can easily figure out how much you can make in accordance with your location. Below you will find a list of all the 50 states and their corresponding wages for BSN nurses. We have also included the average RN salary (ADN salaries included), as reported by ZipRecruiter (for consistency purposes). Thus, you can see your earning potential with and without a BSN, making it easier to compare the financial benefits of each academic path.
State
Average BSN Salary
Average Hourly BSN Salary
Average RN Salary*
Average Hourly RN Salary*
Alabama
$69,016
$33.18
$56,502
$27.16
Alaska
$73,176
$35.18
$72,501
$34.86
Arizona
$73,256
$35.22
$59,974
$28.83
Arkansas
$63,981
$30.76
$61,910
$29.76
California
$83,471
$40.13
$65,327
$31.41
Colorado
$68,123
$32.75
$65,726
$31.60
Connecticut
$74,978
$36.05
$76,662
$36.86
Delaware
$67,994
$32.69
$65,124
$31.31
Florida
$66,604
$32.02
$54,530
$26.22
Georgia
$70,668
$33.97
$57,855
$27.81
Hawaii
$76,879
$36.96
$76,812
$36.93
Idaho
$78,592
$37.78
$61,250
$29.45
Illinois
$63,634
$30.59
$61,576
$29.60
Indiana
$72,786
$34.99
$59,589
$28.65
Iowa
$68,102
$32.74
$57,406
$27.60
Kansas
$68,489
$32.93
$69,138
$33.24
Kentucky
$69,767
$33.54
$67,804
$32.60
Louisiana
$69,294
$33.31
$58,155
$27.96
Maine
$77,249
$37.14
$60,800
$29.23
Maryland
$72,753
$34.98
$69,629
$33.48
Massachusetts
$79,179
$38.07
$77,258
$37.14
Michigan
$63,925
$30.73
$61,631
$29.63
Minnesota
$71,452
$34.35
$59,965
$28.83
Mississippi
$64,166
$30.85
$64,810
$31.16
Missouri
$62,562
$30.08
$60,099
$28.89
Montana
$74,017
$35.59
$60,597
$29.13
Nebraska
$71,585
$34.42
$68,359
$32.86
Nevada
$72,601
$34.90
$71,929
$34.58
New Hampshire
$84,739
$40.74
$68,683
$33.02
New Jersey
$73,703
$35.43
$61,132
$29.39
New Mexico
$67,721
$32.56
$56,445
$27.14
New York
$87,488
$42.06
$71,117
$34.19
North Carolina
$58,250
$28.00
$56,025
$26.94
North Dakota
$72,671
$34.94
$72,741
$34.97
Ohio
$70,923
$34.10
$59,407
$28.56
Oklahoma
$66,532
$31.99
$63,534
$30.55
Oregon
$69,488
$33.41
$69,790
$33.55
Pennsylvania
$75,659
$36.37
$61,516
$29.57
Rhode Island
$73,736
$35.45
$74,057
$35.60
South Carolina
$68,357
$32.86
$65,746
$31.61
South Dakota
$70,549
$33.92
$70,616
$33.95
Tennessee
$71,443
$34.35
$59,840
$28.77
Texas
$76,258
$36.66
$59,200
$28.46
Utah
$69,916
$33.61
$58,749
$28.24
Vermont
$80,022
$38.47
$64,638
$31.08
Virginia
$70,647
$33.96
$67,462
$32.43
Washington
$93,772
$45.08
$72,374
$34.80
West Virginia
$76,026
$36.55
$61,814
$29.72
Wisconsin
$71,264
$34.26
$59,425
$28.57
Wyoming
$78,178
$37.59
$63,730
$30.64
Top Paying States for BSN Nurses
For BSN Nurses, Washington tops the list of highest paying states, offering its BSN RNs salaries up to $93,770. Closely following are New York, New Hampshire, California, and Vermont. In New York, the BSN RN salary is around $87,500, while in New Hampshire, Nurses with a Bachelor’s Degree earn wages of approximately $84,750. In California, in addition to all the sunshine, BSN-trained RNs earn $83,471 annually. And Vermont comes in fifth among the states where nurses are compensated best. Here, the average BSN pay evens out to a little over $80,000, which is more than $3,000 above the national mean wage for RNs.
Not all states are equal and not all salaries fit in the same bracket. In North Carolina, Missouri, and Illinois, BSN graduates earn slightly lower wages. In NC the median income for RNs is $58,250, while in the other two states, nurses with advanced degrees can expect paychecks of around $63,562 and $63,634 respectively.
What are the highest paid BSN Nurses?
While the average salary for BSN Nurses is $79,623, there are some nursing specialties accessible with a Bachelor’s Degree that offer significantly higher salaries.
When it comes to BSN salaries, Informatics Nurses top our list. For their crucial role in healthcare, they earn wages that can surpass $102,000. Their role revolves around technology, so it’s a great career opportunity for aspiring nurses who don’t want to give up on their passion for computers. Nurse Informaticists bridge the gap between the nursing workforce and the IT staff in an effort to improve the quality of healthcare and reduce costs.
ICU Nurses also earn reasonably high salaries for a BSN specialty. Their line of work is inextricably linked to the Intensive Care Unit, where the patients are in extremely critical conditions, either ventilated, intubated, or in need of life-saving medication. Their wages add up to $101,374, significantly higher than the average BSN salary.
Among BSN-trained professionals, Travel Nurses have a high earning potential, as well. They can generally choose the location where they want to practice, and they do so based on need, preference, and earning potential, which can be as high as $99,200.
Operating Room Registered Nurses work with patients right before they undergo surgery and, when necessary, they help the surgeon during medical procedures, ensuring the OR environment is as secure and sterile as possible. The BSN salary of OR RNs is, on average, $89,325.
Oncology Nurses have a very specialized role – they treat and care for patients who are diagnosed with cancer. It’s a sensitive area of practice but also a quite lucrative one. Oncology Registered Nurses get paid around $87,340 yearly.
Become a BSN Registered Nurse at Nightingale College by enrolling in our online RN-to-BSN and unlock your high earning potential.
Are You Ready to Increase Your Earnings With a BSN Degree?
BSN Nurses are instrumental in the healthcare industry. Their expertise, care, and skills help save lives on a daily basis. There’s also incredibly high demand for them as the nursing shortage continues to cripple the nation. BSN Registered Nurses earn rather higher salaries compared to their non-BSN counterparts, and more and more employers are showing a preference for BSN graduates.
Taking all this into consideration, it’s well worth it to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. Of course, everyone has their own timeline. For some, pursuing a BSN degree is more manageable. Others would find the need to start working as soon as possible more pressing, so they might choose the ADN path. Regardless of when (and if) you choose to pursue a more advanced degree, one thing is crystal clear: a BSN will surely put you on the path to a high-paying nursing career. Are you ready to earn more money with your degree?
Enroll in Nightingale College’s BSN Program and see for yourself the huge impact obtaining this degree can have on your earning potential.
Are you a Registered Nurse who’s ready for new challenges and higher financial rewards? Our RN-to-BSN is just what you need. Let this degree open more doors for you.
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted how nursing education and admissions are done. With brick-and-mortar schools and universities closed, the focus has shifted towards online RN programs.
Even though online nursing programs have been around for quite a long time, becoming a Registered Nurse, or advancing your nursing education online is not only possible but recommended right now. The main challenge is to offer relevant and safe clinical experiences and schools all over the country manage to successfully provide those with the use of simulations, telehealth, and even virtual reality.
As far as Nightingale College is concerned, our extensive experience in teaching online nursing programs helped us tremendously, while other schools were just switching to virtual didactic instruction. We’ve worked even harder on perfecting our online curricula and methods of teaching and we strive to offer meaningful learning experiences for our learners.
This is why today we want to share everything you need to know about going to school for nursing online, from what it takes to become a registered nurse online to how these programs work and what makes online learning worthy of your time and consideration.
Can You Get a Nursing Degree or Become a Nurse Fully Online?
Yes, you can earn a nursing degree online, whether to become a nurse or to advance your RN education, but you will still need to do a few on-ground courses. When choosing an online program, pay attention to how it works, because no good online nursing program is ever fully online – good programs are actually hybrid. Especially for students who want to become nurses and need to get their ADN first, most online programs still require in-person learning and clinical labs, even though most of the didactic instruction happens online.
The reasoning is because there are many skills that can only be learned by caring for patients through hands-on experience. While online courses can deliver the concepts of nursing, they are lacking the sights, sounds, and immersive experience of being in a hospital or other health care facility.
We highly advise that learners who need the flexibility of an online program choose a hybrid program, and not a fully online alternative. If you don’t have the time in your life right now to complete at least a few on-ground courses, take some time to prioritize, and see what else in your life can wait. Don’t let an inadequate program jeopardize your chances at a successful career.
Most online nursing programs you will encounter are geared towards RNs who already obtained a license after passing the NCLEX-RN exam and have either graduated with a Nursing Diploma or an Associate Degree in Nursing.
Another thing you should consider when starting your nursing education online is the level of experience the school has with online learning. While the pandemic pressured many schools into readjusting their programs to make them online-friendly, switching from in-classroom to virtual teaching is not always an easy transition. That’s why enrolling in an online RN program from an experienced school is a safer decision.
At Nightingale College, we have been offering nursing programs specially devised for online study for years, and each semester we continue to improve our own curriculum. In virtual teaching, just like in life, practice makes perfect, and we had time to practice long before the pandemic disrupted universities and other academic institutions.
Let’s take a look at how you can obtain different nursing degrees and see how each of them works in regards to online study:
Becoming an RN Through Online ADN Programs
Online ADN programs can more accurately be regarded as hybrid programs. They offer online didactic instruction, which means you can complete most of your coursework in an online environment. Still, because it’s practically impossible to become a competent nurse without real, in-person clinical experience, you will have to undergo on-site experiential learning in a medical facility.
State nursing boards require a fixed number of in-person clinical hours in order to become an RN, which may vary from one state to another. Hands-on learning prepares you for the actual life of a nurse, which implies working with real patients, real equipment. Plus, it helps you build a deep foundation with future patients and have a better understanding of clinical experience.
Most ADN programs include nursing classes like Pharmacology, Advanced Issues in Cognition, and Gerontological Nursing that can be taken online. These classes have no hands-on skills associated with them, so offering them in a virtual environment doesn’t reduce the quality of learning.
At the same time, classes like Concepts of Nursing in Acute Care, Entry into Professional Nursing Practice, and Concepts of Nursing – Health Promotion give the best result if offered on-ground. Nursing students, especially those at the beginning of their nursing career, must learn the skills they will need to be confident, competent, and compassionate RNs and there’s no better way to do that than to directly interact with patients in healthcare facilities and to experience first-hand the real life of a nurse.
If you have the dream to become a nurse, but don’t know where to start, feel free to call Nightingale’s admissions office at 801-689-2160 or set up a Discover Interview with Admissions.
Getting Your BSN Degree through Online RN-to-BSN Programs
Registered nurses who already hold an ADN can pursue a fully online BSN degree by enrolling in an RN-to-BSN program. These are accelerated bridge programs that are aimed specifically at working professionals who want to advance their studies, further their nursing expertise and, as a result, improve the future of the healthcare industry. RN-to-BSN programs allow learners to earn course credit based on their experience as an RN, hence nurses who already work in the field can complete the degree fairly quickly.
Nightingale’s RN-to-BSN program offers 100% online didactic instruction and is a great option for RNs who want to pursue a BSN without sacrificing their job.
Depending on the school, traditional BSN programs, as well as accelerated BSN programs, can offer the option for online study. However, bear in mind that while you will be able to complete most of your coursework online, for BSN programs, such as the one offered by Nightingale College, there’s also the Supervised On-ground Field Experience (SOFE) factor, so you will have to gain clinical experience by working in hospitals or other medical institutions.
3. Getting a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) Online
You do have the option of pursuing an online MSN degree, should you decide you want to advance your education even further and join the ranks of the highest trained nursing professionals. Some of the programs are fully online, while others combine theory-based education online with clinical training at approved medical settings.
Nightingale College offers a 100% online instruction MSNEd program which is designed for BSN-prepared nurses who wish to play an important part in educating future generations of nurses by becoming a Nurse Educator.
Thinking about becoming a Nurse Educator? Enroll in our MSNEd online program and help educate future generations of nurses.
How Do Online Nursing Programs Work?
Thanks to online nursing programs, aspiring nurses can pursue a career as a Registered Nurse or advance their education safely and effectively even in the uncertain times we are living at the moment.
From paperless admissions to video interviews all the way to completing prerequisites, learning class materials, taking exams – all of that virtually – online nursing programs are specially designed for the convenience and security of learners. Because of the pandemic, many online nursing programs have also replaced on-ground clinicals with simulations, virtual reality, and telehealth.
Before enrolling, it helps to have a very clear picture of what online nursing school is like, from start to finish:
Admissions
Admissions for online programs aren’t very different from on-campus ones, although they do happen entirely in virtual environments. Schools can individualize their admission process but generally, it goes along the same lines: you find a program that interests you, apply, submit a personal essay, and other required documents such as transcripts, recommendation letters, different certificates, like CPR training (if available). In some cases, an interview with an admissions advisor might follow.
Some schools will also have entrance exams so, be sure to research carefully every requirement of the admissions process beforehand.
During the pandemic, lots of universities have moved (or are considering moving) towards cloud-based processes in admissions. That ensures that applications, the processing of recommendation letters, the reviewing of transcripts will continue uninterrupted, even from remote environments.
This is great news for prospective students who are considering applying to online programs in the midst of these tumultuous times. The interaction with applicants during the whole admissions process is efficient and continuous, which ensures that prospective students don’t lose interest in the program.
Prerequisites
Completing some prerequisite courses is a requirement for most nursing programs, online and otherwise. For enrollment in an ADN program, you can expect the prerequisites to include English, Math, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, developmental psychology. For a BSN program, you might also have to pass prerequisites on statistics, microbiology, biology, chemistry, and others.
The required prerequisites can slightly differ from school to school, so it’s best to check with the institution you wish to attend what classes to focus your attention on. The courses may also vary based on the specialty of your degree.
Homework & Course Schedule
When it comes to online nursing programs, you’re entirely responsible for how you choose to manage your time, place of study, and schedule. One problem online learners face is procrastination, so now is a great time to work on your planning and organization skills. Otherwise, doing your homework and following course materials will prove more difficult.
A good tip is to take the time to review the syllabus. This will help you understand the class format, the requirements, and also the expectations you have to meet. Thus, it will be easier to devise a schedule that works for you and no assignment will find you unprepared.
Exams
In online nursing programs, traditional exams are usually substituted by written work, in which you have to demonstrate how well you understood the provided materials. But don’t get too excited yet. Exams are still mandatory and extremely serious. Under different circumstances, in many classes, they may need to be taken at an approved testing center, but considering the pandemic, most schools have forgone this requirement.
Lab Clinicals
Depending on the program and college, even in online nursing programs, you have to take part in clinicals, which give you the opportunity to acquire essential hands-on experience from a medical facility.
You should perceive clinicals as intense working sessions where you learn to tackle real-life responsibilities in the workplace. It will help you gain experience in the field and ensure that you are ready to work in a healthcare facility.
Unlike other online nursing programs that require most learners to make the clinical arrangements themselves, the clinical hours in the BSN and RN-to-BSN programs required by Nightingale are dedicated to the Community Health and Capstone Projects. Both of these can be completed in the learner’s own community and local facilities.
However, during these trying times and because our main priority is the safety, health, and wellbeing of our students and communities, Nightingale College is no longer engaging in on-ground experiential learning activities. Instead, we have shifted our focus to online synchronous simulations.
Curriculum
If you’re thinking of pursuing an online nursing program, you should know they cover the same topics as the campus-based courses.
You will learn nursing fundamentals, theories, and health care ethics as well as management-related disciplines. The curriculum also includes post-licensure coursework that focuses on community nursing, leadership, policy, ethics, critical care, gerontology, health promotion, disease prevention, and informatics among other key nursing concepts.
See all the courses that Nightingale offers via online didactic instruction here.
Graduation & Diploma
If you are enrolled in an ADN online program or a traditional BSN, once you complete the educational and clinical requirements of the chosen program, you must pursue licensure in order to become a Registered Nurse. To do that, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), a comprehensive, all-encompassing exam, that allows you to practice as an RN.
How Long Do Online Nursing Programs Take?
On average, earning your Associate’s Degree in Nursing takes up to two years. Depending on your previous educational background, getting your BSN degree online can take anywhere from 12 months to four years, while online MSN degrees usually take around 2 years to complete.
When it comes to online learning you can also opt for an accelerated program, which lets you earn your degree faster. Granted, this type of program is more challenging, but if you are looking for the fastest route towards your degree, this may be a worthy option to consider. Also, if you already have a Bachelor’s Degree in an unrelated field and wish to switch to nursing, that might also shorten the duration of your studies.
The Nightingale College online nursing programs are specifically designed to be completed in a fairly short amount of time, while also holding onto the highest standards of nursing education. Generally, this is how long it takes to complete each online program at our college:
Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing: A fully online RN-to-BSN bridge fast track program can be completed in as few as 12 months at Nightingale College, while a blended-distance BSN can take around 32 months. Both programs develop skills, reasoning, and attributes of successful, compassionate, professional registered nurses.
Master’s of Science in Nursing: The 100% online MSNEd program offered by Nightingale College takes as few as 20 months to complete. It’s designed for learners who already hold a BSN and it prepares students to practice in diverse settings, form hospitals and schools, to industry and businesses.
Since there is no classroom where the lecture is held, learners don’t pay classroom costs typically associated with brick and mortar held classes. All the resources are updated online and uploaded on the learner portal, where you can log in and out whenever you want. Thus, online nursing programs are more cost-friendly and this is another reason many people choose to go online.
For instance, the cost of a traditional, on campus BSN-program ranges between $32,000 to $100,000 yearly. At the same time, tuition for the Nightingale College blended BSN program is $590 per semester credit, with 120 semester credits required for the conferral of the BSN degree.
Nightingale also has a cost-friendly RN-to-BSN program, where you can take online nursing classes and pursue quality clinical hours for $400 per semester credit. At a total cost of around $53,000, our online RN-to-BSN program is more accessible than other programs, which can cost anywhere from $25,000 to $80,000.
Online Nursing Programs vs On-Campus Classroom
As far as the quality of studies goes, there are no differences between online and brick-and-mortar schools. Both require commitment and passion and both advance your skills, knowledge, and experience. But there are a few notable differences between online programs and on-campus classrooms. Let’s explore some of these differences:
Format
The main difference between online courses and traditional ones is that the former are hosted on a website and you will interact with your lecturers and fellow learners through an online portal. This is the place where professors give their lectures, assignments, and comments for students to access and review.
It can take a little time to get familiar with the portal and to learn how to use it so give yourself some time before the first class to learn the online system’s functions and features. Also, make sure you check it often for updates about your lectures and news from your instructor.
Interaction with teachers and fellow colleagues
For online nursing programs, there will be little face-to-face interaction. So you should consider this aspect before enrolling and figure out if the lack of visual contact bothers you or it’s just the learning style you need.
Although there is definitely less interaction in virtual environments, you will be able to access and review lectures, assignments, and comments at your own convenience. Thus, you can return to the information as often as you need to ensure the best results.
Studying at your own pace
One of the major benefits of online nursing programs is that they allow you to study at your own pace. You’re not restricted by structured, rigid schedules that are typically associated with brick-and-mortar institutions.
Flexibility
When you take up an online nursing program, you are free to organize your own learning around other fixed commitments you may have. This way, you’ll be able to continue your daily work as well as look after your family life and social commitments. The ability to study remotely makes it easier to obtain a nursing qualification.
Hence, because of their flexibility, online nursing programs tend to be better for registered nurses, as RNs now have the possibility to prepare for management and administrative roles from the comfort of their homes by taking an RN-to-BSN online program.
Accessibility
You can log on to your course anytime, from any location, even if it’s evening, lunch break or weekend. Regardless of where you live, you will be able to find a school that caters to your area. This makes nursing education accessible to more people than ever before.
Technology
The use of computer technology plays a huge part in online nursing programs and will equip you with valuable skills that you can apply later on. The ability to use computers effectively is also looked upon favorably by employers, giving you an edge compared to other candidates.
So, taking everything into account, are online nursing programs good compared to in-classroom programs?
In the end, it comes down to your preferences, learning style and personal requirements. What you get out of an online nursing program really depends on your objectives. If you’re not familiar with online education, it can seem confusing, but if you are an independent, responsible learner, the virtual format shouldn’t pose any problem.
Taking an online program also shows dedication, self-discipline, and a desire to work and improve, which are transferable skills employers look for.
So, online nursing programs are definitely good and they are especially useful for nurses who juggle studies, a full time job and a personal life. The fact that they provide a safe learning environment makes them the best – if not the only – option to become a nurse or advance your studies during this pandemic.
Don’t get fooled by the idea that online courses are easier, thinking you can trick the system and get your degree even if you don’t study that hard. It’s not the case here.
Truth be told, online nursing courses can even turn out to be harder if you’re not used to planning your own schedule and managing your time efficiently. You will have homework, required reading, deadlines, projects and face the same expectations you’d have to meet in a traditional class.
Keep in mind that online nursing programs have required clinical hours which you have to pass in order to get your degree. That’s your chance to put into practice all the things you learned online and also a turning point in your online nursing degree.
Some regulatory bodies have changed the percentage of required direct patient care due to the Coronavirus outbreak. For example, in California, direct patient care requirements have dropped from 75% to 50% for students in obstetrics, pediatrics and psychiatric classes. Also, the California State Board of Nursing allowed for up to 50% of clinical practice to happen virtually through simulation or lab training.
Still, the importance of direct clinical experience cannot be understated. Just ask yourself, do you really want to be a nurse without ever being truly taught how to start an IV?
Are Online Nursing Programs Accredited?
There are many high-quality online nursing degrees available for a range of specialties and degree levels, from associate to doctoral degrees. Before enrollment, make sure that the online degree you choose is offered by a reputable institution.
Although many are, there is no guarantee that all online degrees are accredited. Therefore, do your research and check if your online nursing program is accredited by a national association – either the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
Since the accreditation procedure follows the same standards to review and qualify all academic institutions, you can be sure that, in terms of the quality of education, online and offline programs will offer you the same level of preparation.
Our accreditation proves our commitment to upholding the highest educational standards, hence, our programs train great nursing professionals while also being recognized and respected among potential employers.
Are Online Nursing Programs Credible to Employers?
Employers do not discriminate against RNs who hold online nursing degrees, as long as these degrees come from reputable, accredited institutions. So, if the online program you choose to enroll in is a serious program, employers will consider you a viable candidate for a job.
Please be advised that if you do decide to complete a program that has no on-ground requirements, or that is not accredited, you may have a difficult time passing the NCLEX, and job opportunities may be less readily available to you.
Like in any field, health care employers want to hire individuals who are experienced in their fields. These on-ground classes in the nursing curriculum can count for some of that experience, and some of these classes can even be held in health care facilities. What better way to prove to an employer that you are a good employee than doing rotations in their facility for a few months – proving yourself a hard worker as part of your learning.
Remember: Many employers will refuse to recognize degrees from colleges that aren’t accredited. If you’re thinking of attending an unaccredited program with no on-ground requirements, think about what options may or may not be available to you after graduation.
Enroll in an Online Nursing Program and Take the Next Step in Your Nursing Career
Even before the pandemic, online nursing programs have been appreciated because of their multiple benefits, from the flexibility they offer to the professionalism with which (most) programs are conducted. However, during the past few months, the importance of online nursing schools has skyrocketed.
In the midst of this dreadful pandemic, the world recognizes the fundamental role nurses play in the healthcare system. We recognize, more stringently than ever, that we need nurses. Highly-trained, compassionate, dedicated nurses who will fight on the frontlines with an abiding passion for helping others.
And online nursing programs allow aspiring nurses to start their careers, or to advance it if they’re already working professionals.
Online nursing education is truly demanding and requires rigor and commitment, as well as a willingness from both learners and teachers to embrace modern technology at an academic level. But if you stick with it, it will prepare you for a successful career in nursing. You’ll be better equipped to fight on the frontlines of any local or global medical threat, proving, again and again, how important nurses truly are in the healthcare system.
If you’re already a nurse and are prepared to move fast between the ranks, have more responsibilities, and earn more, enroll in our RN-to-BSN program.
Future generations of nurses need to know they have someone to count on. Enroll in our online MSNEd program and become the nurse educator that will shape the future of nursing.
Being successful in the health care industry means committing to constantly learn and improve your skills and education. A nursing career is full of stepping stones and the key is to find out which steps are better choices for your career.
This is why both beginner and experienced nurses are looking for a way to advance in their careers and find out the degree that would get them the jobs they desire. For many, this means a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). Others might think that a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is the best option. The decision is personal and depends on your individual circumstances, so there is a number of factors and circumstances that need to be taken into account. Continue reading to find out which degree path might be the right route depending on your background and circumstances.
The COVID-19 outbreak that is shaking the world to its core is putting enormous pressure on the healthcare workforce. As a result, nurses have to work longer shifts in increasingly understaffed hospitals, and their emotional wellbeing is daily put to the test due to the overall anxiety and suffering that they encounter. All these factors are bound to overwhelm and stress out nurses to the point in which they experience burnout.
If you find yourself in a similar position – if the long hours, the understaffing, the constant stress that comes with being an RN in the time of a pandemic have taken their toll – you could opt for a career change and find a nursing job that allows for better work-life balance, is less stressful, more flexible, and on top of everything else, gives you the possibility to work from home.
Lucky for you, there are plenty of career opportunities that will tick all the boxes from the above. With these at-home jobs, you’ll never sacrifice the fulfillment that nursing brings. Win-win. Find out what nursing careers can be done remotely and how to ensure you qualify for them.
Nursing Careers That Can Be Done Remotely
Do you want to take a break from the constant anxiety of the ER or do you want to reinvent your career entirely? These jobs might be exactly what you were looking for.
Telehealth Nurse
The concept of telehealth nursing is rather straightforward: patients who aren’t feeling well want a professional opinion prior to going to a hospital, so nurses are there to answer their health-related questions over the phone and help guide them further.
Telehealth nurses have a broad range of responsibilities: sometimes they might help worried new parents who call because their child is displaying sickness symptoms, other times they assist with ambulance dispatch in life-threatening situations. Telehealth nurses can also guide patients to the Emergency Department, clarify appropriate treatment options, educate callers about self-help at home, and assist with appointment scheduling. What makes telehealth nurses particularly important to the healthcare ecosystem is the fact that they can be reached over the phone during almost any time interval (around the clock and even during weekends). Also, this job brings a unique opportunity to assist with patient retention and decrease on-call hours for healthcare providers.
In order to be a telehealth nurse there is a specific set of skills you must master. Critical thinking will allow you to sort objectively through a rampant quantity of information. Knowing when to ask for additional information about bruises, rashes or any other symptoms the caller might be worried about will lead to better, faster decision making and improved suggestions on your side.
Being a good listener and a visual thinker is also helpful. This way nurses will be able to paint a mental picture based on the caller’s concerns and will be able to provide better care.
Undoubtedly, listening and communication skills are essential since the very premise of the job relies on talking to patients over the phone and making prompt decisions. In-depth clinical knowledge, refined technical skills, and the ability to navigate computer-generated guidelines are paramount for telehealth nurses in order to be able to reach a final clinical decision and prioritize care.
Telehealth nursing is a job that doesn’t require the nurses’ physical presence on the clinical site, so it can be easily done from a home environment. It also allows for more flexibility in work hours and it is less stressful than a typical RN job.
Prospective telehealth nurses must first earn an ADN or BSN degree (preferred). At least two years of hands-on clinical experience is mandatory before you can actually opt for a career in this field.
Case Management Nurse
From tackling tasks such as assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating patient care, a case management nurse’s main umbrella task is to coordinate treatment plans for their patients. They also coordinate funding and make sure resources are used appropriately in the process of treating a patient. Excellent communication skills, being thoroughly organized, and creative are important abilities for aspiring case managers.
As a case management nurse, you can expect to work with patients who are moving from or to assisted living facilities or nursing homes; you can also work with accident victims or people who struggle with substance abuse and/or mental health problems. This job will simply provide care in hospitals and communities, as well as work closely with social workers to ensure services for patients who need long term care or home care.
Indeed, case management is a largely collaborative field and parts of the job do require the nurse to work with physicians, nurses, social workers, and other medical and non-medical professionals. However, skilled and experienced nurses who are very familiar with the healthcare industry can easily do most of their work over the phone or via email, so they enjoy the privilege of working from home.
To become a case manager nurse you must be at the very least a registered nurse. Hence holding an ADN or a BSN degree in nursing is a prerequisite. Lately, more healthcare facilities also make it a requirement that their case management nurses hold an MSN degree.
Nurse Educator
Nurse education is not your typical work-from-home position, however, it is a rather versatile field that can adjust based on necessity. For example, in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak, with schools and universities closed nationwide, educational institutions are turning their focus to online teaching. And nursing educators are no exception. Instructors have the possibility to move their classes to the digital realm and keep on offering high-quality education.
Nurse educators ensure the quality of the nursing workforce by teaching and training future generations of nurses and guiding them on a path of professionalism, compassion, and excellent patient care. Their main tasks include everything from developing curriculum to advising, evaluating, and teaching students.
Both educators who work at online colleges and those who offer on-site education, even some private companies offer their instructors the possibility of working from home. With access to technology and a strong internet connection, nurse educators can easily practice their job from their home office and still get the fulfillment of shaping the future of nursing.
In order to become a nurse educator you must undergo a lengthier educational path, as earning a Master’s Degree in Nursing (MSN) is mandatory if you wish to pursue an academic career. Having an MSN will allow you to work in most educational environments, however, if you want to teach nursing at higher university levels you might need to consider getting a doctoral degree.
Are you also interested in the legal field in addition to nursing? If so, a perfect job for you could be legal nurse consulting. Legal nurse consultants work closely with law professionals and assist them in a variety of circumstances, such as malpractice cases, insurance fraud cases, personal injury cares, worker’s compensation, and even criminal cases.
You might be asked to evaluate health care and medical insurance claims, conduct medical research, and use your knowledge of both the legal and nursing fields to make recommendations and select medical expert witnesses. You might have to manage and interpret medical records and conduct certain medical exams for clients. By bringing to the table clinical experience and thorough medical education, you will serve as a bridge between the medical and legal fields.
Significant parts of the job can be done via phone, so from that perspective, legal consulting is a flexible field. Normally, a BSN degree is required for a job as a legal nurse consultant, although some employers ask for MSN degrees. Several years of clinical practice are also expected.
Nursing Informatics
IT jobs normally allow the employees to work from home and nursing informatics also fits the pattern. However, before you can start working remotely you are required to gain experience by working in an office, so that the transition to working from home is smoother.
Nurses who find dealing with patients stressful and dealing with computers a lot more stress-free couldn’t have asked for a better position. As a nurse informaticist, your main goal will be to improve patient outcomes by maintaining and developing medical data and systems. You will be the bridge between IT professionals and nurses, and a big part of your job is going to be incorporating analytics to impact patients in the long term. This role requires high levels of technical skill, but, ultimately, your efforts will help improve the quality, as well as the speed of care.
Generally, a BSN will land you a career in nursing informatics.
Insurance Claim Nurse
Insurance companies often employ specialists who are responsible for reviewing medical insurance claims and making decisions regarding the coverage (and amount thereof) of certain procedures. The duties of an insurance claim investigator vary from processing routine claims to investigating pending claims and resolving discrepancies.
Companies usually search for nurses to fill the medical insurance claim positions because their background in working within the healthcare system helps them make informed, thorough decisions that are in the best interest of all the parties involved: patients, medical providers, and insurance companies.
Since much of the work of an insurance claim nurse is done via the phone they can typically work remotely. The job is rather flexible and stress-free, so it’s a great option if you’re contemplating a career shift.
If an insurance claim is something you might consider doing you need an ADN or BSN degree under your belt.
Freelance Nurse Writers
If you enjoy writing and nursing equally – why not combine the two? Medical writing is surely demanding, hence an extensive and thorough knowledge of the field, including medical terminology and procedures is of utmost importance.
But knowledge has to come hand in hand with strong writing skills. As a freelance nurse writer, you could write anything from promotional materials, journal articles, press releases, and online news stories. In doing so, you must make sure to bridge the gap between the intricate medical field and the general public, so your writing has to be accessible and easy to understand while still being informative and accurate. Some of the topics you might be asked to cover include (but are not limited to) theories of nursing, nursing ethics, nurse prescribing, inter-professional health, and nursing research.
The job is very flexible and can be done basically anywhere. You just have to make sure you have access to the internet and word processing software. Experienced medical writers are important to the success of any medical website, the facility of drug manufacturers, hence, the demand for them is not going anywhere any time soon.
While a BSN degree is solid ground for a career as a freelance nurse writer, advancing your studies further by getting an MSN will help you become a better professional and will, assuredly, make you particularly sought after in your field.
Healthcare Recruiter
Healthcare recruiters help an institution pick the right candidates from a large pool of applicants. Because the nursing field is so specific and it requires such a high level of expertise, it is only natural that the best-suited people for overseeing the recruitment process are nurses. RNs have a deep understanding of the nursing field so they can, therefore, easily pick the best-qualified candidates from a crowd.
As a healthcare recruiter, your job will consist mainly of reviewing CVs and resumes and then interviewing over the phone the candidates who seem most qualified on paper. Some of the main skills for a healthcare recruiter (aside from in-depth knowledge of the field) are persuasiveness, great communication skills and some degree of administrative abilities (since they have to email candidates, post jobs, check background and references, etc.)
Part of the job can definitely be done from home, but most likely you won’t be able to work remotely 100% of the time. Still, it’s less stressful than the alternative RN career and it’s definitely more flexible.
How to Secure a Work-from-Home Nursing Job?
The nursing field is increasingly shaped by an accentuated need for BSN Educated nurses. In 2010 the Institute of Medicine asked for an increase in the number of BSN-prepared nurses in the workforce to 80% in 2020. Heeding the call to action, the percentage of registered nurses who hold a Bachelor of Science degree is at an all-time high (although not nearly yet at 80%) with 56% of nurses holding a BSN in 2017, compared to 49% in 2010. Hence, the nursing field is getting more competitive as more nurses choose to advance their education.
The best way to be competitive in the field and stay ahead of the game is by getting a BSN degree, or, should you want a more advanced nursing career, an MSN degree.
BSN educated nurses have a significantly larger pool of career options to choose from. Also, with higher education come better benefits: the possibility of pursuing more advanced roles, increased pay, more flexible work hours, a better work-life balance, and even the prospect of working-from-home.
What’s the Solution? Online Learning
With the growing need for BSN educated nurses, you might find yourself wondering what is the best way to obtain your Bachelor’s degree. One option, particularly adapted to today’s time and age, is online learning.
Online or distance learning options are:
More flexible and career friendly (you can still learn while working full time)
Not limited by geographic boundaries
A way to learn real-world experiences with the help of technology.
Becoming a nurse requires a hands-on clinical experience. However, there are plenty of accredited programs that combine online nursing core courses and interactive training with on-ground learning at local medical institutions. Normally known as blended distance programs, they prepare aspiring nurses by intertwining online didactic instruction with local experiential learning.
If you are interested in pursuing an online BSN degree, these are your best options:
Blended-distance BSN programs. They are great if you have no prior nursing experience. You will engage in online coursework which is combined with learning activities close to home or in your community. This type of program takes as few as 32 months to complete. However, you also have the option of studying at an accelerated pace and completing the program faster.
Online RN-to-BSN programs. This is a program dedicated to RNs who are already working in the field. It takes up to 12 months to graduate, but you can also opt for an online RN-to-BSN program with an accelerated timeline, which can be completed in just 8 months.
Keep in mind that getting your BSN fully online is not possible as most online programs have an offline component that requires you to complete a lab in order to get hands-on experience.
The Nightingale blended distance BSN programs allow you to pursue a fast-tracked degree with a structured yet flexible schedule while also providing the hands-on job experience adopted to modern healthcare settings.
Getting a BSN degree will definitely make a difference in your career. Avoid the burnout, but keep the meaningfulness and fulfillment of the job. Enroll in a BSN program today!
Getting your Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing is an important step for your nursing career. You know by now that nurses with BSN degrees enjoy more job opportunities, better compensation, and more benefits that range from more choice over the work environment to the possibility of pursuing less stressful nursing careers.
But there’s still one question remaining on the table that leaves you wondering: How long does it actually take to become a BSN trained nurse? Especially if you have to juggle work and family, it’s vital to take into consideration how much time you actually have available for your studies and how much time you’re willing to put into getting your degree.
Truth is the amount of time it will take you to get your BSN may differ from one person to another, depending on each individual situation. However, the good news is that not only is pursuing a BSN worth it, it may also take less time than you thought it would.
Enroll Now
In this article, we will explore the 3 different routes you can take in order to become an accredited BSN nurse and how long each BSN program will take.
How Long Does It Take to Become a BSN-prepared Nurse?
Getting your BSN and becoming a BSN prepared nurse can take anywhere from 12 months to four years.
Before you actually choose a bachelor program, you must first determine where precisely you are in your nursing career. Are you fresh out of high school thinking about becoming a registered nurse or are you already working as an RN based on previous ADN training? Did you pursue a different educational track before realizing that nursing is actually your calling? You also need to establish your personal preferences – can you manage a fast-paced program? Do you need a flexible schedule? Will you do well in an online class environment?
Answering these questions truthfully is of utmost importance because they will help you decide your next course of action and how long it will actually take to complete your BSN education.
Based on Previous Education, How Long Will It Take to Get Your BSN?
Depending on your education level, there are three different case scenarios for the amount of time you would have to invest into earning your Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing.
1. Up to 12 months to Get from ADN to BSN: Enroll in an RN to BSN Bridge Fast Track Program
If you’re a registered nurse looking to advance your career and education, your best choice to get your BSN is through a bridge fast track program.
How long does it take to go from ADN to BSN?
If you have completed your Associate’s Degree and are currently a practicing registered nurse and you want to advance your studies, your best option is to enroll in an online RN-to-BSN program. This program is specially designed for working professionals who want to elevate healthcare and it is meant to bridge the gap between your knowledge as an ADN nurse and the BSN requirements. This kind of bridge program allows learners to earn course credit based on their experience as an RN. Therefore, as a working RN, you can earn your Bachelor’s Degree in nursing fairly quickly.
The program can be completed in as few as 12 months or 3 semesters if you have not completed your General Education requirements. However, if you have completed all the GE requirements prior to enrollment, the RN-to-BSN Program can be completed in as little time as 8 months or 2 semesters.
A total of 120-semester credits are required for the conferral of the BSN degree. However, students who are already registered nurses will have completed part of these credits during their associate degree.
The Nightingale College’s RN-to-BSN program consists of 24 semesters credits of upper-division nursing coursework and 48-semester credits of general education (GE). The coursework concentrates on key nursing concepts such as community nursing, leadership, policy, ethics, health promotion, and informatics.
While maintaining rigorous academic standards, the RN-to-BSN program is designed for full-pledged nurses who have to juggle their job responsibilities, studies, and personal lives. Hence, most RN-to-BSN programs are 100% online and, therefore, career friendly.
RN-to-BSN Courses Breakdown
As mentioned above, a total of 120-semester credits are required for graduation.
The RN-to-BSN program curriculum includes post-licensure coursework that focuses on community nursing, leadership, policy, ethics, critical care, gerontology, health promotion, disease prevention, and informatics among other key nursing concepts.
The main RN-to-BSN courses that will help you become the best professional you could be are:
General Education Courses – you will complete all necessary GE courses including English, Maths, Psychology, and others.
Specialized Nursing Courses – you will get to study specialized nursing subjects such as psychiatry, gerontology or critical care so that you can figure out which specialty is best for you.
Critical Thinking and Decision Making – you will get better and learn to integrate ethical, political, legal, cultural and other considerations in your decision-making process.
Ethics and Policy – you will focus on ethical issues related to nursing to ensure a foundation of knowledge which is invaluable, especially once you access leadership positions.
Research – you will learn how scientific nursing knowledge is gained and will acquire the means to take action against the prevalent health issues in a community.
Technology – in a field with ever-changing technologies, you’ll need to have an updated knowledge of computer science and technology to stay current in the workplace.
2. Up to 19 months For Non-nursing Majors: Enroll in a Direct Entry BSN Accelerated Program
If you’re considering a career change towards nursing even though initially you pursued a Bachelor’s degree in a different, unrelated field – good news is you can do it, BSN degrees are not reserved only for RNs. Your best choice is to enroll in a direct entry accelerated BSN program – as long as you already have a completed Bachelor’s degree.
How Long Does an Accelerated BSN Program Take?
Depending on the program you choose, completing an accelerated BSN Program can take between 12 to 19 months (although some can even be 2 years). During this time students will focus intensively on nursing coursework, with particular attention drawn to science-based courses, such as anatomy and physiology, microbiology and chemistry. Since they already completed some of the required courses (i.e. liberal arts classes) while obtaining their first degree, learners won’t have to undergo these again. Admission requirements for accelerated BSN programs are generally high – a minimum of a 3.0 GPA is required and potential learners have to undergo a thorough pre-screening process.
This kind of accelerated program is intense and can be rather challenging, with lots of material to be studied in a fairly short amount of time. In addition to the in-depth academic side, accelerated programs also include hands-on clinical experience in hospitals or other medical institutions.
Most accelerated BSN programs are available in on-campus settings, although, lately, more and more online options are becoming available. Because of the rigorous nature of the program, most students choose not to work during the duration of their studies (but that, of course, is up to each individual.)
3. Up to 32 months for Undergraduates: Enroll in a Direct Entry to BSN Program
If you decided you wanted to become a nurse, but you have no prior degree or ADN studies, the best course of action is to enroll in a traditional BSN program. The most popular route for admission to a BSN program is via direct entry from high school.
How long does it take to pursue a Traditional BSN program?
Generally, completing a traditionalBSN Program takes around 32 months or 8 semesters, if the required General Education (GE) courses have not been completed.
In addition to all ADN classes, this program also includes BSN level classes, which will help you take your skills to the next level. You will need to accumulate a total of 120-semester credits, after which you will be required to take the licensing exam.
As a learner in the BSN Program, you will learn disease management, treatment, and prevention as well as the promotion of health from the standpoint of nursing. The curriculum, which is specifically constructed to promote career mobility in nursing, includes both liberal arts courses (which fulfill general education requirements), as well as advanced nursing classes, which will grant you with the advanced set of skills that will prepare you for a successful nursing career.
By enrolling in the traditional BSN program, graduates will have a full understanding of nursing core concepts that go beyond what was taught in the ADN Program.
Online students have more control over how soon they graduate with a BSN. There are numerous online accelerated programs that allow them to complete their studies in a shorter amount of time. However, these accelerated programs are definitely more challenging, so you must ensure you are willing to put more time and effort into it.
The Advantages of Earning a BSN Degree
Besides the many benefits it brings to patients and health centers, the BSN degree also presents a number of advantages for nurses themselves. Among these, some of the most noteworthy are:
Numerous studies prove that BSN prepared nurses are linked to better patient outcomes, fewer medical errors and lower mortality rates.
BSN nurses have more job opportunities. According to a 2019 AACN survey, 43.2% of hospitals and other healthcare settings are requiring new hires to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, while 82.1% of employers are expressing a strong preference for BSN program graduates.
Earning your BSN might become a requirement at one point in your career. New York State has recognized the significance of baccalaureate preparation for RNs, hence, in 2017, the state passed a“BSN-in-10” law requiring RNs to obtain their BSN within 10 years of licensure. In addition, many other states are considering similar measures, especially as they fall in line with the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations of increasing the percentage of the nursing workforce who hold Bachelor’s degrees to 80% by 2020.
Nurses who hold a BSN degree have higher salaries. Advancing your education is normally followed by an increase in compensation. That is also true in the case of nurses. According to Payscale BSN RN’s earn an average salary of around $83,000. That’s $14,000 more than the mean salary of an ADN RN with the same experience, who only makes about approximately $ 69,000 per year. It’s worth mentioning that per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage of RN’s (which can be both ADN and BSN nurses) was $77,460 in 2019.
Why Choose Nightingale College’s BSN and RN-to-BSN Programs?
Nightingale College offers two programs for aspiring nurses:
Our fast track RN to BSN program is the best option for RNs who already completed an ADN program and are working as a Registered Nurse. At Nightingale College, we created an online RN-to-BSN program that provides registered nurses with the opportunity of earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing in as few as 12 months, or even 8 months if you have completed all GE requirements. Nightingale College’s RN-to-BSN Program has 3 start dates per year that enroll in the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters. Through this program, learners can take advantage of a 100% online curriculum. The online nature of the coursework allows them to fulfill their degree at their own pace, while also keeping a job and juggling family responsibilities.
Nightingale’s BSN program is designed for learners at the very beginning of their nursing career who have no prior clinical experience, but it also grants advanced placement for qualified LPNs. The blended-distance format of our BSN program allows learners to engage in online didactic instruction with on-ground experiential learning, which during quarantine has also moved to an online environment. Our BSN program can be completed in as few as 32 months.
Nightingale College takes the responsibility of preparing the future generations of nurses up to the highest standards extremely seriously. Our BSN Program curriculum plan meets the requirements of the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) standards, and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The success rates are also a good indicator of how strong the program is. Our first BSN graduate cohort had an NCLEX-RN® first time pass rate of 100%.
Find out everything you need to know about the two different types of institutional accreditation: national and regional, as well as other things you have to consider when selecting the right college or university.
At Nightingale College, you have no waitlist and you are able to learn through online modules for lectures accessible on any computer, tablet, or mobile phone. This means you don’t have to travel to a location for your classes as an on-campus program would require from you. It also means you can study at your own pace, and therefore, you have more control over how long it will take you to graduate.
Ultimately, how long it takes to get a BSN degree is up to you. But it is certainly worth it putting in the effort and taking the time to advance your education. If you’re a dedicated, passionate learner you will discover that getting your BSN may take even less time than you thought!
If you’re already working as a Registered Nurse, you might wonder if getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing is worth it, because let’s face it, earning a BSN is a significant investment of time and money.
However, there are two main reasons why earning a BSN is the best next step for your nursing career. Firstly, there are many benefits that come with being a BSN trained nurse. Secondly, soon enough, becoming a BSN might not be a choice, but a requirement, as for almost a decade, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has been advocating for an 80% BSN educated nursing workforce by 2020.
Enroll Now
In this piece we’ll explore more thoroughly the advantages of a BSN, the skills you’ll advance should you decide to pursue this degree and why hospitals lean towards hiring BSN trained nurses. Read on to find out the answers to any BSN related questions you might encounter. By the end, you should have a comprehensive understanding on the importance of a BSN, so you’ll be better equipped to decide if pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in nursing aligns with your career goals and aspirations.
With the nursing landscape changing so quickly and medical facilities looking for more BSN-prepared nurses, it has become imperative to remain on top of the game if you want to pursue this competitive path or advance your nursing career as an RN.
From mastering your skills and providing the best patient care to gaining in-depth knowledge and experience needed for more complex and better-paying roles, it is natural to look for the fastest and easiest way to get your bachelor’s degree.
With the growing number of online study options, what is the best choice for your career in nursing? Can you get your BSN degree online? Or is it better to stick to the traditional way of learning at a brick-and-mortar learning facility?
Enroll Now
This guide explores the options you have, from online, on-campus and blended BSN programs and who are they the best fit for. We’ll talk about the advantages of each delivery model and hope this will come in handy for all those pondering over which educational path to follow.
Why Choose a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing?
One of the main reasons so many nurses opt for a BSN degree is because it is expected that the BSN to become a mandatory qualification in the field, even for entry-level RN positions.
At the same time, the Institute of Medicine called for increasing the number of BSN-prepared nurses in the workforce to 80% by 2020. This is why getting this bachelor’s degree is an ideal path for any future nurse professional.
But there are many more advantages to earning a BSN. Given the in-depth training and extensive set of skills developed, you can improve patient care in complex health care settings as well as have a higher salary, qualify for specific RN positions like flight nursing, plus take up leadership roles in management, administration or education.
To get your BSN, there are basically three situations you might find yourself in – and for each, recommended programs.
Getting a BSN without RN Licensure? An on Campus Bsn Program Will Be Best
A traditional campus-based program is best suited for learners starting their nursing training from scratch.
This is because they will have to dedicate all their study time to academic coursework and learning clinical skills in more interactive settings than online programs require. Learners are continuously guided by professors and become an active part of student communities.
Usually, on-campus BSN is the ideal option for aspiring nurses who don’t have to divide time with other important responsibilities such as work or family.
Making a Career Change Towards Nursing? An Accelerated BSN Program Is the Most Popular Choice
Transitioning from a non-nursing field can be difficult, but it has its advantages.
There may be skills, work experience and knowledge you gained that are valuable in your nursing program, not to mention you’d already be familiar with academic studies and its requirements.
An online accelerated or a blended distance program are the best choices if you hold a bachelor’s degree and they allow you to make time for work as well, if you have a job. You can complete a blended distance BSN program in an accelerated timeline if you hold a certain number of transfer credits.
RN Looking to Climb up Your Nursing Career? An Online RN-to-BSN program
This high-intensity program takes one to two years to complete and is dedicated to those who are already RNs and want to further their education and raise their chances of landing a better-paid job or having a specialized role in health care.
As you can see, only an aspiring nurse should go for an on-campus program education that takes them through all phases of the classic college experience: a lot of academic study, in-class interactive experiences with other learners, adapting to the community and working their life around the BSN program.
If you’re already working as an RN, or making a career change towards nursing, both online and on-campus are options you can take and get to the same results.
Of course, online or distance learning options are more flexible and career-friendly, since you don’t have to be online at the same time as other learners, and you’re not limited by geographic boundaries.
Moreover, such programs allow you to juggle work or family time and learn real-world experiences with the help of technology – which reflects today’s world.
Who Should Choose an Online or Hybrid BSN Program?
First, you must know that getting your BSN fully online is not possible – most online programs have an offline component that requires you to complete a lab in order to get the much-needed experience.
There are several types of learners who may find these online or blended-distance nursing programs ideal, mainly because of the flexible schedule the programs offer:
Working professionals: In order to manage your work-life balance the smart way, the blended-distance format BSN program offers you a convenient and flexible schedule that you can organize around your job.
Parents: You can be both a parent and a BSN learner at the same time, thanks to the flexibility the program offers. This means you can manage your own time and at your own pace. You can read more about being a busy parent and a nursing student.
Learners who don’t have access to on-campus facilities in their area: If you want to get your bachelor’s degree, you can pursue online classes and get your hands-on training locally, in your community.
Working RNs: If you are a nurse professional looking to further your education the fastest way without sacrificing your knowledge or taking any time off from work, an online RN-to-BSN program is the best alternative.
People with a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field: You can pursue a blended-distance BSN program if you have no prior nursing experience, but have a degree in another field.
If you find yourself in one of these scenarios above, then consider choosing an online or a blended-distance BSN program that suits your needs and career goals. Keep in mind that a BSN degree program is intense and you must meet all the deadlines it requires while having a very disciplined schedule.
If you want to have face-to-face time with instructors and the campus environment, an on-campus program may be the right choice for you.
Although nursing is a profession that requires hands-on experience, there are more and more accredited programs that offer online nursing core courses, interactive training, use of relevant technology, and on-ground learning at local clinics or hospitals.
These programs are generally classified as blended distance, but it’s best to keep in mind that this still implies a minimum level of on-ground activity (for practical experience).
Unlike traditional on-campus programs, blended-distance programs offer an intense, but much more flexible didactic coursework, as well as interactive modules and experiential learning activities close to home or in your community.
We, at Nightingale, created blended distance BSN programs that take the best of both worlds: you can follow a fast-track degree that offers a disciplined, but flexible schedule to study in the evenings or on weekends, and also hands-on job experience adapted to modern healthcare settings.
What Are the Differences Between Online, Blended and On-Campus BSN Programs?
Investing in your education means exploring all the advantages and differences between potential programs and decide which one suits your study time, needs and career goals best.
Let’s take a more in-depth look into the BSN programs and the online versus on-campus debate. Here are the most common questions nurses have when deciding between online and on-campus:
1. Coursework Quality: Are There Differences Between What Online BSN program Teach You vs On-Campus Programs?
The coursework is not different from one another, given the fact that all BSN-prepared nurses need the same set of advanced skills, knowledge and experiential learning activities, no matter their chosen educational path.
There are no significant differences between online and on-campus coursework when it comes to pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. BSN programs offer a broader, more well-rounded sense of nursing through well-thought courses and practical experiences, going deeper into concepts learned in an ADN program while learning new ones that focus on diverse roles in modern healthcare.
For both types of programs, you will take various courses in different fields that will also offer increased knowledge required for leadership and management positions.
Employers and hospitals do not discriminate towards getting your BSN online or on-campus – your skills and knowledge are all that matters.
Although there are specific guidelines regarding the nursing program curriculum from school to school, here are some of the main subjects of the BSN program curriculum, regardless of whether they are taken online or at a traditional brick-and-mortar learning facility:
Adult, Pediatric, and Geriatric Nursing
Anatomy
Basic Pharmacology
Chemistry
Emergency Care
Microbiology
Nursing Assessment
Nursing Research
Nursing Theory
Nutrition and Diet
Physiology
Psychology
Public health
Statistics
At Nightingale, during a blended-distance format BSN Program or a fully online RN-to-BSN Program, you also gain:
A deeper understanding of public health, social sciences, management and communication courses;
Leadership training that helps you to land administrative, research or teaching positions, if you are interested in them;
Advanced understanding of nursing theory and nursing informatics to know how to use new technology at your job; and
Valuable insights for a better understanding of complex issues affecting both patients and the healthcare environment.
One of the most important aspects of the curriculum is that you also gain applicable and valuable decision-making, leadership and critical thinking skills necessary to advance to management or leadership positions in today’s challenging and ever-changing medical environment.
2. Time to Get Your Degree: How Long Does It Take to Get a BSN Online versus On-Campus?
On average, you can complete a BSN program in four years, while an online RN-to-BSN program takes up to two years to complete (full-time enrollment). Usually, the length of a bachelor’s program does not differ whether it’s online, a blended-distance or on-campus.
One important difference here, though, is that an online (including hybrid) nursing program allows you to finish it more quickly than a traditional one, if you are willing to put extra effort and time in your studies.
If you enroll in the blended distance BSN program, you can apply for advanced placement to transfer your credits, and complete it on an accelerated timeline.
Here are the main options available if you’re considering earning a BSN online:
The blended-distance BSN Program at Nightingale College is a great option for people with no prior experience. Although most of pre-licensure BSN programs are on campus, Nightingale’s BSN Program is a hybrid. Its blended-distance format allows you to engage in online didactic instruction with on-ground experiential learning at local facilities in your community. You can graduate in as few as 32 months or 8 semesters.
A blended-distance BSN Program with an accelerated timeline at Nightingale College is dedicated to learners who hold transfer credits for advanced placement and are able to study at an accelerated pace. This option is also available to LPN and METC graduates.
An online RN-to-BSN program is dedicated to RNs who want to advance their skills to a BSN level without taking time off from other responsibilities. At Nightingale, the RN-to-BSN Program is dedicated to working RNs. The time needed to graduate is 12 months or 3 semesters, if the required prerequisite courses have not been completed.
An online RN-to-BSN program with an accelerated timeline at Nightingale Collegeis alsodedicated to working RNs who meet all GE requirements and, thus, are enrolled through advanced placement and can juggle both their job and studying time. If that’s the case, you can complete it in just 8 months or 2 semesters.
For working RNs interested in getting a BSN degree, Nightingale College offers the RN-to-BSN Program that has 3 start dates per year for enrollment: the Spring, Summer and Fall semesters.
3. Costs: Are Online BSN More Affordable Than On-Campus Programs?
When it comes to a post-secondary degree, affordable tuition is the most important decision-making aspect for a prospective learner, for obvious reasons. Colleges are expensive in general and you have to make sure your budget is well invested.
Of course, costs vary from school to school, and you need to evaluate all the criteria for each educational path in order to decide. But overall, online nursing programs are indeed more affordable, besides being more accessible and flexible than on-campus programs. These are important reasons many people choose to go online and get the best of their nursing careers.
Let’s take, for example, the most common fees and expenses for a prospecting learner: tuition fees, transportation, housing, food:
Tuition fees are more expensive in a traditional program because they usually include more fees (for campus security, course materials, recreation, sports, student organizations). Studying for online and hybrid BSN programs from the comfort of your home means you don’t have to pay for electricity fees or classroom costs. You may pay for technology used and for personal Internet connection.
Transportation: there are no transportation costs (bus tickets, fuel, parking) to and from college, during an online BSN program.
Housing and food: learners who live on campus may have to pay for housing and meal plans. Of course, online nursing learners usually pay for their housing and food, but these are not additional expenses.
Nightingale also offers you acost-friendly RN-to-BSN Program that requires $400 per semester credit, an application fee of $150 (which includes all digital textbooks) and various financial solutions.
4. Experience: Will You Get to Interact with Your Peers the Same Way in an Online vs On-campus Program?
Of course, another factor to consider is the experiences you get to enjoy and learn from, during the BSN program. Here are some differences between the online and traditional college experience when it comes to earning your bachelor’s degree in nursing:
Intense training for modern healthcare: Due to the growing demand for BSN-prepared nurses and rigorous academic standards, online and blended-distance programs focus on the same valuable classes and interactive modules and experiential learning as classic programs, that will teach you how to act and make the right decisions in challenging settings. Like any good accredited on-campus program, an accredited online or hybrid nursing BSN focuses on providing applicable and relevant coursework needed for career mobility and the chance to be a leader, without deviating from academic standards.
Interaction with professors: during an on-campus program, you will be under the professors’ constant attention and guidance, since you’ll physically participate in their classes, which can help you especially if you prefer visual contact. In comparison, there will be little face-to-face interaction with an online or hybrid BSN program. However, the online environment allows you to access and review their lectures, assignments, and comments and you can ask them questions anytime you need.
Interaction with colleagues: On-campus learners have constant peer interaction and participate in various activities in their community or student clubs, which is great for the classic on-campus experience, especially for fresh learners; but hybrid programs also offer valuable time learning and working alongside other learners during their clinical hours settings, which may prove great for networking, communication and project management skills. Fortunately, many online programs offer alternatives for connecting with other learners or professionals close to you.
Flexible schedule with asynchronous classes: If you are looking for a quicker, fast track BSN, an online or a blended-distance program helps you complete coursework at your own pace and on your schedule, depending on job or parenting responsibilities. Just keep in mind it demands hard work and strong discipline. In comparison, on-campus programs imply a fixed study schedule that must be followed accordingly by all learners taking the same classes.
So, What is Better for You: Online BSN or an On-Campus Program?
The answer to this question is entirely up to you. No matter what program you choose, you will still get the best skills and competencies to advance an amazing and passionate career in nursing.
All that matters when choosing the best option for you is how fast you want to advance to a more secure, better paid and maybe a more rewarding role in healthcare. It also matters how much time, effort and commitment you can put into completing a BSN degree that will make a difference in your career.
At Nightingale’s College, you have no waitlist and you are able to learn through online modules for lectures accessible on any computer, tablet, or mobile phone. This means you don’t have to travel to a location for your classes as an on-campus program would require from you.
There are plenty of reasons why you should consider a BSN degree to advance your career as a registered nurse.
This degree has already become the preferred level of education for many nursing job opportunities. It qualifies you for more secure and better-paying job opportunities and also helps you pursue your passion through various leadership roles, for example in administration or management.
Enroll Now
But making the leap to a BSN-prepared nurse requires a lot of research before choosing the right educational route.
This is why we created a hands-on, comprehensive guide for those who want to advance their education to the BSN level, whether that’s through a pre-licensure BSN program or an RN-to-BSN program for already licensed nurses.
If you’re genuinely interested in getting a BSN to become a full-fledged nurse in this ever-changing ecosystem, here are a few important things to consider first, alongside plenty of extra resources to get you started: Read more
As a fully fledged RN, you probably know by now how to successfully juggle your job, your shifts and time spent with your family and kids. But what if you want more from your nursing career? How can you take the next step in advancing your career without sacrificing your personal life, your family time or your work?
With the new legislature pushing for BSN-educated nurses and with hospitals’ plans to increase the BSN workforce by 80% by 2020, the pressure and the necessity of stepping up from your ADN knowledge are on – and so are the opportunities. In an ever-changing nursing job market that urgently needs professionals, you can get a better career mobility, an impactful role in advanced health care and a higher income, nonetheless, with a BSN degree.
Nursing may seem a pretty linear career: you study pretty hard, you practice as much as you can and then you get a challenging, but rewarding job in a hospital. Is it linear, though?
There are so many different types of nurses that the term itself can become confusing for anyone interested in this career. From LPN (licensed practical nurse) to NP (nurse practitioner) and RN (registered nurse), there are many roles to choose from.
If you’ve already decided to pursue a nursing career, you probably stumbled upon the RN vs BSN debate many times in your research. A Registered nurse (RN) and a Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN) are two different key concepts in the nursing educational and professional fields – but how are they different, in fact?
The decisions you make when you are starting or furthering your nursing career can be heavily influenced by how much you can potentially earn. Figuring out how much you can make as a nurse is important for planning your education, as well as deciding in which state you will practice.
Searching for nursing job salaries by state can get tedious very quickly, so we at Nightingale College created a list with all the pay information about the average nurse salary per state, for you to access in one place.
In this article, you will find out the average nursing pay scale, how much you can make per month and per hour as a nurse, the salary differences between Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses, RNs with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Registered Nurses with a Master’s of Science in Nursing.
While knowing your earning potential is incredibly important when choosing a career, it’s just as useful to know how your paycheck will hold up in terms of where you live. That’s why your nursing salary adjusted to the cost of living is a criteria you also need to consider. We want you to have all the facts, which is why we included in our guide the adjusted salaries, so that you realistically know how much money you will earn when you factor in the cost of living in your state.
The Average Nursing Salaries in the US
Salary is one of the biggest concerns most working professionals have prior to embarking on a specific job journey. It can also be the defining factor when determining if additional education or a career switch is the right decision. Let’s look at average nursing salaries across the U.S.
Below you will find an interactive map that shows you an overview of annual nursing salaries throughout the United States. We have included salaries for LPNs, Registered Nurses, BSN RNs, as well as the salaries for some of the most sought-after MSN nursing roles.
Use the drop-down menu to select the average salary for each of the nursing roles we mentioned. You can also select the option to view the nursing wages adjusted for the local cost of living.
Next, let us discuss different levels of nursing and their corresponding salary expectations. As a general rule, the more you advance your education, the higher your income potential will be. Here are some of the most common nursing levels and the national average salaries for each of them:
Nursing Role
2020 Hourly wage
2020 Annual wage
Licensed Practical Nurses
$23.75
$49,409
Registered Nurses
$35.97
$74,811
Nurse Educator
N/A
$78,758
Nurse Midwives
$52.11
$108,395
Nurse Practitioners
$53.92
$112,159
Nurse Anesthetists
$89.59
$186,351
Nurses can make anywhere from close to $50,000 per year to six figures. Let’s see how each of these nursing jobs gets paid by state, at a local level.
RN SALARY BY STATE: How Much Does a Registered Nurse Make in the United States?
As of 2023, The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that between May 2021 and May 2022, RNs brought in a mean salary of $89,010 per year – a 7.5% increase compared to the previous year.
There are some projected employment figures that are favorable to highly trained nurses. Reports predict a rise of 6% in the employment of nurses, equaling an extra 195,400 job openings for Registered Nurses each year, on average, over the decade.
The highest and best-paying state to work as a Registered Nurse in 2023 is California, with an average annual RN salary of $133,340, followed by Hawaii with $113,220 per year, Oregon with $106,610 per year, Massachusetts with $104,150 annually, and Alaska with $103,310. Washington, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, and Connecticut also make the list of the highest paying states for RNs. In Washington, Registered Nurses make on average $10,1670; in NY, they earn $100,130. In New Jersey, the mean salary for RNs is $96,670. In Nevada and Connecticut nurses also bring home wages above the national average: $96,310 and $94,260, respectively.
In 2022, South Dakota was the lowest paying state for nurses, with an average RN salary of $64,500. Arkansas and Alabama are also on the lower paying side of the spectrum. Here, Registered Nurses have an average annual income of $66,530 and $66,910.
If you didn’t find your state among the highest nor the lowest-paying states in the nursing field, don’t worry. Below you can find detailed information about the Registered Nurse Salary in each state:
Alabama
The average RN salary in Alabama (AL) is $66,910 which is well below the national average. The monthly salary is $5,576, equaling an average of $32.17 hourly wage.
Alaska
The average Registered Nurse salary in Alaska (AK) is $103,310 which is well above the national average. The monthly salary is $8,609 or an average of $49.67 per hour.
Arizona
The average Registered Nurse salary in Arizona (AZ) is $86,740 which is slightly below the national average. The monthly salary is $7,228 or an average of $41.70 hourly wage.
Arkansas
The average Registered Nurse salary in Arkansas (AR) is $66,530 which is below the national average. The monthly salary is $5,544 or an average of $31.98 per hour.
California
The average Registered Nurse salary in California (CA) is $133,340 which is well above the national average. The monthly salary is $11,112 or an average of $64.10 per hour.
Colorado
The average Registered Nurse salary in Colorado (CO) is $86,590 which is below the national average for RNs – $89,010. The monthly salary here is $7,216 and it breaks down as an average of $41.63 hourly wage.
Connecticut
The average Registered Nurse salary in Connecticut is $94,260 which is above the national average for Registered Nurses. The monthly salary is $7,855 and it breaks down as an average of $45.32 per hour.
Delaware
The average, or mean, Registered Nurse salary in Delaware is $85,020. The monthly salary is $7,085 and it breaks down as an average of $40.88 per hour.
District of Columbia
The average annual salary for RNs in the District of Columbia (DC) is $98,230, which breaks down to a $8,186 monthly salary or $47.23 per hour.
For BSN-trained nurses, the salary is $105,980 per year or $50.95 per hour.
Florida
The average Registered Nurse salary in Florida (FL) is $79,910 which is below the national average for RNs. The monthly salary is $6,659 and it breaks down as an average of $38.42 per hour.
Georgia
The average Registered Nurse salary in Georgia (GA) is $85,180 which is below the national average for RN’s, $89,010. The monthly salary is $7,098 and it breaks down as an average of $40.95 per hour.
Hawaii
The average Registered Nurse salary in Hawaii (HI) is $113,220 which is well above the national average. The monthly salary is $9,435 and it breaks down as an average of $54.43 per hour.
Idaho
The average Registered Nurse salary in Idaho (ID) is $78,610 which is below the national average for RN’s. The monthly salary is $6,551 and it breaks down as an average of $37.79 per hour.
Illinois
The average Registered Nurse salary in Illinois (IL) is $82,220 which is below the national average figure for RNs, $89,010 The monthly salary is $6,852 and it breaks down as an average of $39.53 per hour.
Indiana
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Indiana (IN) is $75,580which is almost $13,430 below the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states, $89,010. The monthly salary is $6,298 and it breaks down as an average of $36.34 per hour.
Iowa
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Iowa (IA) is $69,370, which is below the national average. The monthly salary is $5,781 and it breaks down as an average of $33.35 per hour.
Kansas
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Kansas (KA) is $71,990, which is well below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states, $89,010. The monthly salary is $5,999 and it breaks down as an average of $34.61 per hour.
Kentucky
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Kentucky (KY) is $77,620, which is below the national average for RN’s. The monthly salary is $6,468 and it breaks down as an average of $37.32 per hour.
Louisiana
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Louisiana (LA) is $75,920 which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states, $89,010. The monthly salary is $6,327 and it breaks down as an average of $36.50 per hour.
Maine
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Maine (ME) is $77,410, which is below the national average for RNs. The monthly salary is $6,451 and it breaks down as an average of $37.22 per hour.
Maryland
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Maryland (MA) is $87,990, which is only slightly below the national average for RNs. The monthly salary is $7,333 and it breaks down as an average of $42.30 per hour.
Massachusetts
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Massachusetts (MA) is $104,150, which is above the national average for RNs. The monthly salary is $8,679 and it breaks down as an average of $50.07 per hour.
Michigan
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Michigan (MI) is $80,660, which is below the national average for RNs. The monthly salary is $6,722 and it breaks down as an average of $38.78 per hour.
Minnesota
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Minnesota (MN) is $88,860, which is slightly above the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states, $89,010. The monthly salary is $7,405 and it breaks down as an average of $42.72 per hour.
Mississippi
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Mississippi (MS) is $67,930, which is more than $21,000 below the national average for RNss, $89,010. The monthly salary is $5,661 and it breaks down as an average of $32.66 per hour.
Missouri
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Missouri (MO) is $71,860, which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $5,988 and it breaks down as an average of $34.55 per hour.
Montana
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Montana (MT) is $78,350, which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states, $89,010. The monthly salary is $6,529 and it breaks down as an average of $37.67 per hour.
Nebraska
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Nebraska (NE) is $73,510 which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $6,126 and it breaks down as an average of $35.34 per hour.
Nevada
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Nevada (NV) is $96,310, which is above the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states, $89,010. The monthly salary is $8,026 and it breaks down as an average of $46.30 per hour.
New Hampshire
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in New Hampshire (NH) is $83,420, which is below the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states, $89,010. The monthly salary is $6,952 and it breaks down as an average of $40.11 per hour.
New Jersey
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in New Jersey (NJ) is $96,670, which is above the national average. The monthly salary is $8,056 and it breaks down as an average of $46.48 per hour.
New Mexico
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in New Mexico (NM) is $85,580, which is below the national average. The monthly salary is $7,132 and it breaks down as an average of $41.15 per hour.
New York
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in New York (NY) is $100,130, which is above the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states, $89,010. The monthly salary is $8,344 and it breaks down as an average of $48.14 per hour.
North Carolina
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in North Carolina (NC) is $77,420, which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $6,452 and it breaks down as an average of $37.22 per hour.
North Dakota
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in North Dakota (ND) is $75,000, which is below the national average. The monthly salary is $6,250 and it breaks down as an average of $36.06 per hour.
Ohio
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Ohio (OH) is $78,450, which is below the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states, $89,010. The monthly salary is $6,538 and it breaks down as an average of $37.72 per hour.
Oklahoma
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Oklahoma (OK) is $76,920, which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $6,410 and it breaks down as an average of $36.98 per hour.
Oregon
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Oregon (OR) is $106,610, which is above the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states – $89,010. The monthly salary is $8,884 and it breaks down as an average of $51.26 per hour.
Pennsylvania
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Pennsylvania (PA) is $80,630, which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $6,719 and it breaks down as an average of $38.76 per hour.
Rhode Island
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Rhode Island is $88,250, which is above the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states – $89,010. The monthly salary is $7,354 and it breaks down as an average of $42.43 per hour.
South Carolina
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in South Carolina (SC) is $74,330, which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $6,194 and it breaks down as an average of $35.74 per hour.
South Dakota
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in South Dakota (SD) is $64,500, which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $5,375 and it breaks down as an average of $31.01 per hour.
Tennessee
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Tennessee (TN) is $72,480, which is below the national average for RNss viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $6,040 and it breaks down as an average of $34.85 per hour.
Texas
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Texas (TX) is $84,320, which is below the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states – $89,010. The monthly salary is $7,027 and it breaks down as an average of $40.54 per hour.
Utah
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Utah (UT) is $76,400, which is well below the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states – $89,010. The monthly salary is $6,367 and it breaks down as an average of $36.73 per hour.
Vermont
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Vermont (VT) is $79,990, which is below the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $6,666 and it breaks down as an average of $38.46 per hour.
Virginia
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Virginia (VA) is $81,860, which is below the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states – $89,010. The monthly salary is $6,822 and it breaks down as an average of $39.36 per hour.
Washington
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Washington (WA) is $101,670, which is above the national average for RNs viewed across all the U.S. The monthly salary is $8,473 and it breaks down as an average of $48.88 per hour.
West Virginia
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in West Virginia (WV) is $72,230, which is below the national average for RNs viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $6,019 and it breaks down as an average of $34.73 per hour.
Wisconsin
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Wisconsin (WI) is $81,000, which is below the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states. The monthly salary is $6,750 and it breaks down as an average of $38.94 per hour.
Wyoming
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Wyoming (WY) is $81,010, which is below the national average for RN’s viewed across all U.S. states, $82,750. The monthly salary is $6,751 and it breaks down as an average of $38.95 per hour.
BSN SALARY BY STATE: What Is the Average Salary of a BSN Prepared Nurse?
Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide specific information about the salaries of BSN-educated nurses, as the BSN Nursing portal points out, BSN-educated nurses are the top 25% earners in the field. Therefore, the data showing the 75th percentile salary range is a good indicator of the average annual salary of BSN nurses.
According to 2022 BLS 75th percentile wage estimates, the average salary of BSN nurses is $101,100. This breaks down to an average of $48.60 per hour. This puts the difference between RN salaries and BSN salaries at around $12,090. The more you learn, the more you earn.
In addition to enjoying higher salaries, BSN RNs also have tremendous job prospects. Over 80% of employers in the healthcare industry have a strong preference for hiring BSN trained nurses, while over 41% already require that their new hires have a BSN degree under their belt. BSN Nurses are typically associated with better patient outcomes and fewer medical mistakes, so the need for them will only increase over the decade.
Highest & Lowest Paying States for BSN RNs
BSN prepared nurses will earn the highest wages in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Alaska, and Oregon. In California, Register Nurses who have a Bachelor’s Degree can expect to make up to $161,780. Hawaii is second in the list of top-paying states for BSN Nurses, with salaries of around $136,070. Next in line is Massachusetts, where BSN RNs earn $129,610. In Alaska, the earnings round up to $120,110, followed by Oregon – $120,060.
Among the states where BSNs will earn the lowest salaries are South Dakota, Alabama, and Arkansas. In South Dakota, the income of a Nurse with a Bachelor’s Degree will be around $74,670. In Alabama, BSN RNs make $75,650 yearly, while in Arkansas, the paycheck stands at an average of $76,850.
Registered Nurses and BSN Registered Nurses: Salaries Side by Side
The salary data was gathered from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics. We used the Cost of Living Index as identified by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center to find the adjusted salaries to the cost of living in each state. Below, you will find the average annual and hourly salaries for Registered Nurses and BSN Registered Nurses in all 50 states, as well as the salaries adjusted for the cost of living in each state in an easy-to-search table format:
Abbr.
State
Avg RN Salary
Avg RN Salary (Adjusted)
Avg BSN Salary (75th %ile)
Avg BSN Salary (75th %ile) (Adjusted)
AL
Alabama
$60,230
$67,827
$68,960
$77,658
AK
Alaska
$95,270
$75,432
$110,890
$87,799
AZ
Arizona
$80,380
$78,496
$92,920
$90,742
AR
Arkansas
$63,640
$71,425
$73,630
$82,637
CA
California
$120,560
$86,796
$147,830
$106,429
CO
Colorado
$77,860
$73,871
$90,410
$85,778
CT
Connecticut
$84,850
$69,379
$99,040
$80,981
DE
Delaware
$74,330
$68,824
$84,070
$77,843
DC
District of Columbia
$90,050
$57,540
$105,180
$67,208
FL
Florida
$69,510
$68,822
$79,630
$78,842
GA
Georgia
$71,510
$79,989
$82,500
$92,282
HI
Hawaii
$104,830
$54,204
$124,880
$64,571
ID
Idaho
$71,640
$75,570
$81,450
$85,918
IL
Illinois
$74,560
$78,155
$86,280
$90,440
IN
Indiana
$67,490
$74,165
$77,470
$85,132
IA
Iowa
$62,570
$68,683
$69,960
$76,795
KS
Kansas
$64,200
$73,708
$74,220
$85,212
KY
Kentucky
$64,730
$68,935
$74,890
$79,755
LA
Louisiana
$68,010
$72,816
$78,020
$83,533
ME
Maine
$71,040
$60,979
$80,970
$69,502
MD
Maryland
$81,590
$65,012
$94,760
$75,506
MA
Massachusetts
$96,250
$72,642
$117,310
$88,536
MI
Michigan
$73,980
$80,941
$84,010
$91,915
MN
Minnesota
$80,960
$80,000
$95,310
$94,180
MS
Mississippi
$61,250
$73,529
$71,190
$85,462
MO
Missouri
$65,900
$73,141
$78,290
$86,892
MT
Montana
$70,530
$70,319
$80,510
$80,269
NE
Nebraska
$69,480
$73,994
$79,330
$84,483
NV
Nevada
$89,750
$83,025
$104,560
$96,725
NH
New Hampshire
$75,970
$69,379
$88,170
$80,521
NJ
New Jersey
$85,720
$74,216
$99,080
$85,784
NM
New Mexico
$75,700
$83,370
$85,070
$93,689
NY
New York
$89,760
$61,522
$106,330
$72,879
NC
North Carolina
$68,950
$71,451
$79,770
$82,663
ND
North Dakota
$69,630
$71,342
$79,200
$81,148
OH
Ohio
$69,750
$75,815
$79,230
$86,120
OK
Oklahoma
$66,600
$75,169
$77,060
$86,975
OR
Oregon
$96,230
$72,957
$110,220
$83,563
PA
Pennsylvania
$74,170
$72,010
$84,240
$81,786
RI
Rhode Island
$82,790
$69,455
$96,300
$80,789
SC
South Carolina
$67,140
$69,647
$77,630
$80,529
SD
South Dakota
$60,960
$61,576
$70,020
$70,727
TN
Tennessee
$64,120
$71,563
$74,330
$82,958
TX
Texas
$76,800
$82,937
$89,080
$96,199
UT
Utah
$70,370
$71,369
$79,470
$80,598
VT
Vermont
$72,140
$61,764
$83,410
$71,413
VA
Virginia
$74,380
$73,425
$86,750
$85,637
WA
Washington
$91,310
$81,020
$107,740
$95,599
WV
West Virginia
$65,130
$70,108
$76,210
$82,034
WI
Wisconsin
$74,760
$77,072
$84,280
$86,887
WY
Wyoming
$72,600
$76,021
$81,790
$85,644
MSN SALARY BY STATE: What Is the Average Salary of an MSN Prepared Nurse?
The average salaries, as well as job outlook for MSN Nurses, vary greatly among specialties. Below, we will give a closer look at some of the most sought-after MSN jobs.
Average Salary & Projected Growth
The national average salary for Nurse Educators is $84,180. Nursing Instructors are in particularly high demand. The nursing faculty shortage is one of the leading causes of the countrywide nursing shortage, making the job outlook for Nurse Educators all the more promising.
Nurse Practitioners are some of the highest-paid MSN Nurses. On average, NPs earn around $124,680 annually. Nurse Practitioners are easily the nursing specialty with the best career outlook. The NP employment rate is expected to grow by 52% by 2030, creating more than 114,900 jobs.
Nurse Midwives make an average yearly salary of $122,450. That breaks down to $58.87 per hour. They also have great job prospects. BLS projections indicate that the job outlook for midwifery will grow 11% throughout the decade.
Nurse Anesthetists are by far the best paid Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. On a national level, Nurse Anesthetists earn an average of $205,770 annually. Also, they have excellent job prospects. BLS estimates indicate that there will be around 5,600 job openings on average for Nurse Anesthetists every year, over the decade.
Highest & Lowest Paying States for MSN RNs
Nurse Educators have the highest annual mean wages in Massachusetts, Nevada, California, and New York. In Massachusetts, Nursing Instructors make $106,690. Nevada offers salaries of around $105,610, fairly close to California’s wages for Nurse Educators – $104,150. Among the states where Nurse Educators make the least money are Arkansas – $60,890; Wyoming – $63,550, and Oklahoma – $63,640.
Nurse Practitioners have the best chance of making the most money in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Nevada. The highest annual mean wage is offered by the Golden State – $158,130. In New Jersey, Nurse Practitioners make around $143,250, followed by Massachusetts – $138,700. The lowest salaries for Nurse Practitioners will be encountered in Tennessee, Alabama, and West Virginia. On average, in Tennessee, NPs earn $99,330; in Alabama – $106,610 and in West Virginia, the mean wages are $106,790.
The best states to work as a Nurse Midwife in, from a financial standpoint, are California, West Virginia, Hawaii, Massachusets, and Oregon. In California, Nurse Midwives earn on average $169,530 annually. West Virginia is second among the top paying states for NMs – $165,780. In Hawaii, your earning potential in this role is also way above average – $156,020. On the other side of the coin, Idaho, South Carolina, and Texas offer the lowest salaries for Nurse Midwives. In Idaho, you can expect to earn on average $59,080, in South Carolina, $88,680 and in Texas, $93,280.
The top-paying states for Nurse Anesthetists are California, Connecticut, New York, Illinois, and Kentucky. In California, as a Nurse Anesthetist your earning potential is as high as $246,510 yearly. Connecticut is not too far behind. Here, NAs can make up to $240,580. In New York, the average salaries for Nurse Anesthetists are $238,710. Oklahoma, Kansas, and Tennessee are on the other end of the list, offering the lowest salaries for NAs. In Oklahoma, the average salary is $168,470, while in Kansas and Tennessee, the wages for Nurse Anesthetists are slightly higher: $169,410 and $174,170, respectively.
Below, you can find the salaries for all these MSN jobs across the U.S.:
Abbr.
State
Avg MSN - Nurse Educator Salary
Avg MSN - Nurse Midwife Salary
Avg MSN - Nurse Practitioner Salary
Avg MSN - Nurse Anesthetist Salary
AL
Alabama
$71,950
$99,790
$170,560
AK
Alaska
$86,970
$93,080
$110,270
AZ
Arizona
$73,210
$121,530
$117,480
$173,460
AR
Arkansas
$60,790
$106,210
$167,030
CA
California
$106,420
$159,590
$145,970
$205,360
CO
Colorado
$87,580
$106,280
$109,760
$175,760
CT
Connecticut
$96,620
$104,200
$116,780
$217,360
DE
Delaware
$96,090
$112,230
DC
District of Columbia
$111,940
$85,740
$116,150
FL
Florida
$116,650
$67,530
$101,060
$176,760
GA
Georgia
$72,090
$92,840
$106,220
$179,630
HI
Hawaii
$76,540
$118,780
$201,930
ID
Idaho
$81,050
$72,150
$113,890
$156,250
IL
Illinois
$74,870
$109,310
$112,060
$194,950
IN
Indiana
$91,310
$112,510
$109,940
$169,620
IA
Iowa
$77,170
$102,830
$107,910
$198,480
KS
Kansas
$69,550
$104,530
$167,700
KY
Kentucky
$70,320
$102,460
$163,700
LA
Louisiana
$71,050
$111,880
$161,310
ME
Maine
$70,350
$119,030
$111,580
$198,940
MD
Maryland
$94,080
$107,670
$115,240
$182,780
MA
Massachusetts
$106,950
$113,910
$126,050
$195,900
MI
Michigan
$83,020
$103,870
$109,150
$199,870
MN
Minnesota
$72,590
$123,600
$118,900
$216,050
MS
Mississippi
$72,840
$127,960
$109,550
$174,540
MO
Missouri
$68,420
$113,320
$106,870
$189,610
MT
Montana
$76,520
$114,370
$216,420
NE
Nebraska
$72,570
$107,330
$176,880
NV
Nevada
$82,560
$119,890
$223,680
NH
New Hampshire
$72,690
$115,760
$112,460
$197,570
NJ
New Jersey
$91,400
$117,070
$130,890
$207,500
NM
New Mexico
$75,790
$105,980
$117,050
$164,980
NY
New York
$98,850
$125,780
$126,440
$217,050
NC
North Carolina
$73,320
$102,020
$108,370
$192,830
ND
North Dakota
$74,280
$111,070
$192,050
OH
Ohio
$73,220
$105,960
$105,630
$190,120
OK
Oklahoma
$63,690
$112,750
$179,410
OR
Oregon
$80,610
$105,600
$118,600
$236,540
PA
Pennsylvania
$78,360
$103,230
$111,560
$185,090
RI
Rhode Island
$87,700
$107,510
$117,300
SC
South Carolina
$77,650
$101,190
$185,850
SD
South Dakota
$69,880
$103,080
$190,660
TN
Tennessee
$73,750
$93,690
$99,370
$171,020
TX
Texas
$65,970
$109,510
$116,700
$180,380
UT
Utah
$81,640
$133,680
$113,550
$127,130
VT
Vermont
$71,370
$97,240
$108,280
$189,780
VA
Virginia
$73,060
$109,660
$179,180
WA
Washington
$86,850
$112,310
$126,480
$197,740
WV
West Virginia
$61,140
$123,450
$105,220
$187,430
WI
Wisconsin
$83,520
$110,380
$113,030
$231,520
WY
Wyoming
$67,620
$118,810
$231,250
LPN SALARY BY STATE: What Is the Average Salary of a Licensed Practical Nurse?
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for Licenced Practical Nurses (called in some states Licensed Vocational Nurses) is $55,860. Employment of LPNs is also expected to grow steadily throughout the decade. BLS projections indicate a 9% growth from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Learn more about LPN salaries in the United States.
Highest & Lowest Paying States for LPNs
The states with the highest salaries for Licensed practical nurses are Washington ($69,950), California ($69,930), and Massachusetts ($68,170). LPNs also earn above the national average salaries in Rhode Island and Alaska. In Rhode Island, LPN wages are around $66,770, and in Alaska, Licensed Practical Nurses earn a similar salary ($66,710). On the other side of the spectrum are Mississippi ($45,020), Alabama ($45,260), and West Virginia ($45,530).
In the table below, you can explore the hourly and annual wages for Licensed Practical Nurses across the country. You will also find the salaries adjusted to the cost of living in each of the states:
Nursing Salary Factors that Influence a Nurse’s Pay
It’s no surprise that nurses’ salaries depend on a variety of factors. Supply and demand influences and other popular factors listed below explain the variations in pay:
Location – The state where a nurse works has a big impact on their income. Dense metropolitan areas will always offer better pay compared to rural environments, even if the demand is high.
Career specialization – Nurses who work in a specialized field of nursing can earn significantly more. Specialized fields usually welcome Registered Nurses that already hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree or an MSN.
Read more about the best nursing certifications – a great way to pursue specialization in the nursing field.
Experience and work hours – Nobody can underestimate the power of acquired years of valuable experience, which is why senior nurses make more than those just entering the workforce.
One rule of thumb that generally applies to nursing salaries is that the more you learn, the more you earn. So, every step you take on the educational ladder will propel you toward higher wages. You probably noticed this trajectory even through this article. LPNs make on average $55,860; RNs earn up to $89,010, while RNs that have a Bachelor’s Degree have average salaries of $101,100. By climbing even higher on the academic ladder and pursuing an MSN you unlock your potential to earn APRN level salaries that range from $124,680 (Nurse Practitioners) to $205,770 (Nurse Anesthetists).
However, keep in mind that these factors are always intertwined and you need to consider them all when trying to determine your earning potential.
Enroll in Nightingale College’s RN-to-BSN Programand take your career – and your paycheck – one step forward!
The Best Paying Nursing Jobs Specialties in the US
As we’ve mentioned, salaries depend largely on geography, employer, experience, and other aspects. But there are some nursing specialties that are generally recognized as some of the best paying in the industry. Here are some of them:
Nurse Anesthetist
Nobody should be surprised by Nurse Anesthetists being at the top of the list as long as high salaries for RNs go. Their main task is prescribing and administering anesthesia to patients during medical procedures, but they also provide pain management and oversee patient recovery. And big responsibilities come with big paychecks. Nurse Anesthetists take home annually $205,770, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Geriatric Nurse Practitioner
Geriatric NPs focus on older patients who require specialized care. Usually, they work in private practices, hospitals or treatment centers. As Advanced Practice Nurses, they also enjoy more independence, are able to prescribe drugs, order diagnostics tests and develop and implement treatment plans for patients. Geriatric Nurse Practitioners earn about $127,587 per year.
Cardiac Nurse Practitioner
Cardiac Nurse Practitioners also make the list of high-paying nursing jobs. Their yearly wages are around $160,983. Their job description revolves around treating patients who suffer from diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and circulatory system.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Mental health practitioners have a very delicate job that integrates both psychology and psychiatry knowledge. Their work implies treating patients diagnosed with mental illnesses, and in order to do that they work side by side with psychiatrists and other physicians. Their salary is in the ballpark of $129,942.
Nurse Manager
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers, Nurse Managers included, earn a mean salary of $101,255, making this administrative role one of the best paying in the nursing field.
On average, Orthopedic Nurse Practitioners earn around $114,496 annually. Among their duties are conducting physical exams, taking patient’s history, analyzing test results, and prescribing treatments and medication.
Pain Management Nurse
A relatively new field, Pain Management Nursing has risen to the top of the highest paying in the nursing field. Pain Management Nurses earn about $135,111 a year. They care for patients who suffer from chronic, crippling pain. Pain Management Nurses are indispensable in helping patients alleviate or manage their pain.
Nurse Midwife
Nurse midwifery is a top choice for RNs with a high interest in women’s reproductive health and childbirth. It’s also a great option for Nurses who want to earn well while doing something they love. As it is an advanced nursing specialty, the earnings fall in line. Certified Nurse Midwives enjoy an average salary of $122,450.
For nurses who are also passionate about technology, this might be the perfect career track, especially since Nurse Informaticians earn about $97,795 a year. In this role, you will bridge the worlds of nursing and IT.
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Clinical Nurse Specialists tend to work in specialized units or clinics, and more often than not they also specialize in particular areas of medicine. CNSs are viewed as experts in their field, and as such, their salaries are also reasonably high: $118,947.
Registered Nurses with a BSN degree and an MSN degree will be in high demand in the next decade. And not only is demand growing – so are salaries. Of course, alongside the salary, there are many other things to consider when picking a career. The location, the job benefits, the schedule, the cost of living in the area – these are just a few of the characteristics you have to take into account when pursuing a nursing job. Keep them in mind while planning your career path and you will get the most personal and professional satisfaction out of your career as a Registered Nurse.
Do you want to broaden your horizon, your education and most importantly, your salary? Enroll in Nightingale College’s BSN program and take your career to the next level!
Already a working professional? Get ahead of the game by pursuing a fully online RN-to-BSN degree.
Whether you want to enroll in a BSN program to start your nursing career or you want to advance in your career by enlisting in a bridge RN-to-BSN program, you have to be very considerate when selecting the nursing school you will apply to.
This choice may prove difficult for those who are at the starting point of their nursing journey – fresh high school graduates or people who are looking to make a career change. But even if you are a practicing RN who wants to return to school and increase her career advancement chances by getting a BSN degree, you may still encounter some difficulties while looking for colleges.
Enroll Now
Because we know how intimidating the process of selecting a nursing university can be, we wrote this article to help you know what to look for when choosing your nursing school.
Does It Matter Which Nursing School You Attend?
Choosing a nursing university to apply to is the first and most important aspect of getting a BSN degree. This decision should not be taken lightly because poor nursing education could impact your whole career in the long term.
The main characteristics of the university you choose should be the quality of the programs it offers and the ability of the academic staff to provide learners with a curriculum that will advance their knowledge. Additionally, the education that the nursing institution provides should be in line with the learner’s nursing career goals.
For nurses exploring advancement programs, Nightingale College’s RN-to-BSN Program curriculum is specially designed to promote career mobility in nursing, so each graduate will be able to meet the demands for professional nurses.
These are the most important aspects you should pay attention to in the process of selecting a nursing university:
Accreditation: A Key Indicator of a Nursing School’s Quality Standards
Accreditation is a quality assurance process in which the services of a higher learning institution are evaluated by an external body.
Accreditation is one of the best indicators of a school’s reputation or lack thereof. Moreover, if a nursing school has accreditation it means that it has to comply with the accreditor’s standards each year, in order to maintain the accreditation.
Nightingale College is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Schools (ABHES), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a private, non-profit, independent accrediting agency.
Also, the BSN Program at Nightingale College meets the requirements of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Proximity: Study at a Local or National College?
The proximity of the nursing college you choose to attend should also weigh in on your decision making. However, whether the college is local or national shouldn’t be a decisive factor. What matters most is the quality of the programs it offers.
Even if national colleges are better known, they can be more disadvantageous in terms of location and accessibility. For most RNs, commuting to university is a hassle because they have a busy lifestyle. They work full time as registered nurses and most of them have family duties as well. This is why they may prefer attending a local college or a college that offers online nursing programs. If this is the case for you, make sure you check as many universities as possible and select the one with programs that best suit your needs.
However, there is a middle ground. Many nursing schools offer online BSN programs, which can solve the commuting to classes issue.
Nightingale College offers its learners an accredited RN-to-BSN Program, with a fully online didactic instruction that will provide learners with skills in key areas such as d critical care, gerontology and disease prevention. Also, the College offers a pre-licensure BSN Program for those looking to start out in a career in nursing but haven’t had any nursing education.
Experiential Learning Activities: A Must-Have for Any Nursing Program
Nursing is a hands-on occupation so, besides a solid knowledge foundation, it requires experiential learning and interaction with patients. Since it is usually the first step towards becoming a nurse, each BSN program must have an experiential learning component. Which is why you must be very wary of fully online programs because they cannot offer you the whole learning experience.
The BSN Program at Nightingale College has an integrated experiential learning component and each BSN learner has the opportunity to complete all their experiential learning activities in a Dedicated Distance Cohort (DDC) Area.
When it comes to bridge programs such as RN-to-BSN, the situation is a bit different, because learners are practicing RNs who already have a hands-on experience. The RN-to-BSN Program at Nightingale doesn’t have experiential contact hours assigned, however, learners will be required to complete community and employer-based learning projects. This way the College is encouraging its learners to fulfill a leadership role and work alongside their employer to find solutions to facility-wide problems.
Does the Reputation of the Nursing School You Attend Matter?
The nursing school you attend can be a factor that impacts your career track. This decision should be an informed one nonetheless, not only for the sake of employment but also for the type of nurse you want to be. The education you receive in nursing school will be the foundation of your career – if the foundation is poorly built, the whole thing could collapse.
Follow the next steps in order to make sure you choose the right school:
Try to avoid small schools that pop up overnight. Their main goal is attracting learners for the sake of profit. These kinds of universities see learners as money pots and don’t care as much about their achievements or future careers.
Choose a well-established, accredited institution. They usually comply with high standards and will be able to prepare you for advanced nursing practice. This could prove tricky because even though an institution is well-regarded, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all its programs are quality.
Look into all the curriculums. It is important to see what didactic courses and what experiential learning options the school offers. Pay attention to the prerequisites for each course because they can be an indicator of course quality and difficulty. Prerequisites ensure that all participants understand the basic concepts they have to work with during class.
Check the statistics report for each school. The two most important success rates are the NCLEX-RN® pass rate and the employment rate. These will show you how many of the school’s graduates passed the national licensure exam and how many of them got employed after graduation. Nightingale College has a 78.95% NCLEX-RN® Overall Pass Rate and a 73.99% Employment Rate for the years 2017 and 2018.
Read alumni opinions or reviews. People that graduated from a certain school can provide you with valuable insights.
Check the job placement programs they have for graduates. Some nursing schools help their new graduates enter the labor market through specially designed job placement programs. Schedule time to meet with the school’s career services department to learn about the options available to graduates.
Think of the next steps you want to take in your career. Consider if choosing a certain university can affect your career path in one way or another.
Do Hospitals Care Where Nurses Get Their BSN Degrees from?
The main aspect that employers care about is whether the nursing school you went to is accredited or not. There are some hospitals that might indeed have some preferences in regards to where their nurses got their degrees from. These kinds of health care facilities typically have a few universities that they trust to provide them with nurses with high-quality skills. Other than that, hospitals seem to be more interested in the type of degree you earned, rather than the college you got it from.
Because patient care standards are increasing, the demand for qualified medical personnel is higher than ever. The BSN in 10 law requires that by 2020, 80% of registered nurses nationwide have a BSN degree. Hospitals that want to acquire Magnet status require better prepared medical staff to ensure quality and safety standards. One of the key requirements for achieving this status is the high education level (BSN degree level) of the nursing personnel. Because of this law, the demands for hiring nurses have increased, and hospitals are taking into account their skills and as well as their training, with much emphasis on BSN degrees.
Choose Wisely: The Nursing School You Decide on Will Shape Your Nursing Skills
Earning a BSN is an excellent way for nurses to broaden their career options. Whatever nursing university you decide to opt for, keep in mind that by becoming an alumnus there you are investing them with the power to shape your skills as a future nurse. Do not take this decision lightly as your education as a nurse is the foundation on which you will build your whole career. Do your research thoroughly and make sure you make an informed decision.
Today, the majority of the interprofessional medical team, from social workers and pharmacists to physical therapists, already have a minimum bachelor education. So having more and more BSN-prepared nurses is only a natural progression within the field. This does not mean that ADN nurses are not competent. It only means that the needed attributes and skill sets are expanding in order to catch up with an ever-changing climate. Read more
The differences between RNs with an ADN degree and RNs with a BSN degree have been the subject of an ongoing debate that has lasted for years. Putting aside the extra cost and time it takes to finish a bachelor’s program, with the clear benefits that the degree offers such as higher nursing positions and better pay, choosing the right nursing qualifications has been a matter of choice.
However, things are changing, with new legislature pushing for BSN-educated nurses.
Enroll Now
Owning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree has unquestionable advantages, although, at the moment, not all registered nurses have obtained their qualifications through a BSN. Nurses who finish an associate’s degree program and have passed the licensure exam can practice their dream job in healthcare facilities, but all signs indicate that this is a temporary situation.
Choosing a career in nursing is not an easy decision. No big career decision in life comes without a bit of research about the opportunities that a certain job might provide.
Globally, 75% of people put job security above all else when choosing a new position, according to studies. This makes job security as important, or even more important in some cases, than salary or benefits.
Most professions require constant learning for people to advance in their careers, and nursing is no exception. It is safe to say that while nursing schools prepare students for real world situations, they do not teach everything. In this day and age, the medical and healthcare industries are constantly evolving due to technology and research.
Fortunately, the digital age provides convenient options for nurses looking to pursue further education. With a variety of online programs from various colleges, universities, and even online businesses available, nurses may improve their quality of care and patient outcomes, which could lead to career advancement. Have a look at some of the essential nursing skills you can learn online below.
Communication Skills
Nurses who aspire to be leaders someday should be able to communicate effectively. As a nurse, it is the nature of your job to interact with different kinds of people, from your patients and their families to other healthcare professionals. It’s important then to identify various communication strategies that will improve your quality of care.
Although written a few years back, Kourkouta and Papathanasiou’s advice on Communication in Nursing Practice still very much applies. Published on Materia Socio Medica in 2014, the duo wrote, “The best expertise training and continuing education of nurses in matters relating to the proper technique of communication will enable them to respond adequately and humanely to the expectations of patients.”
There are various online learning resources nurses can access to hone their communication skills. Some courses are short, free, and efficient, which may be most convenient for nurses with busy schedules. For example, EdX.org has several free communication courses that nurses can learn from, such as Communicating Effectively: How to Inspire and Convince and Communication Skills for Bridging Divides. Although these courses are aimed at professionals in general, nurses can still apply these lessons to everyday scenarios.
Critical Thinking
Many nursing errors are caused by a lack of critical thinking. This refers to the ability to identify a problem and determine the best or most effective solution. It is a skill that is important in times of emergencies, which healthcare personnel often face. Malaysian researchers recently found a link between nurses’ critical thinking skills and decision-making, which proves that critical thinking does influence patient outcomes. Therefore, continuously developing this skill falls under a nurse’s duty to provide quality care.
Fortunately, it is a transferable skill that can be taught through effective mentorship and peer-to-peer support. Many online portals offer this subject as well, whether it is through online CE programs or medical forums. Nurses can also opt to review case studies online and put their thinking skills to the test. Nurse.com’s Improved Critical Thinking and Clinical Reasoning course is one example. The program lets nurses review results from key studies and examine strategies enumerated in the course. This online course is accredited and provides continuing education for the healthcare team.
RN-to-BSN
The nursing field offers a wide range of careers. There are various paths licensed nurses can take, whether they are just starting their practice or are in the middle of their nursing career. Registered nurses (RNs) having first finished Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs or nursing diplomas at community college usually look to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) when they are ready to take on greater responsibilities and broader roles in healthcare. There are many career options you can consider once you have your BSN, as was noted previously on Nightingale College’s Alternative Nursing Careers Beyond Bedside Care blog post. Moreover, thanks to modern technology, nurses can now obtain their BSN degrees through more convenient means. Virtual learning environments may prove to be a more flexible and convenient option for registered nurses, as they can study for a degree and practice their profession at the same time. They can also earn their BSNs much faster than conventional methods, since RN to BSN programs usually last for just three semesters.
If you are looking to hone certain skills that may be useful to your services, or study to advance your nursing career, rest assured there are online courses that can suit your needs.
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) is a gateway into a professional registered nurse (or RN) career and a great solution to take the next step in your career if you are an RN without a BSN degree.
Although some of you already work as RNs without having this degree, deciding to get it would lead to more career opportunities and higher pay. Moreover, according toRN.com, The American Association of Colleges of Nursing predict that, in the near future, hospitals hoping to earn Magnet status will need to increase their BSN workforce to 80%.
Enroll Now
So if you’d like to start preparing for the next phase of your BSN-prepared career, this guide covers all the steps you need to know about the application and enrollment process, and how to get the esteemed BSN degree.
A BSN is a Bachelor Degree in Nursing that prepares you for a career as a registered nurse (RN), but also qualifies you for a series of responsibilities and roles that a regular RN is not qualified to do.
There are two types of BSN program:
the full-time BSN program, dedicated to students who don’t have any prior experience
the bridge RN to BSN program, a shorter program dedicated to nurses who already have their RN license.
Whether you’re already a registered nurse (RN) or you plan on becoming one, getting a BSN degree can open up plenty of nursing career opportunities that go beyond patient health care and can lead to new administration and leadership positions.
Enroll Now
Nursing is a truly competitive field and only having an ADN degree doesn’t elevate the profession enough. A BSN degree is now preferred. If you’re looking to further your education and want the best and fastest way to get a BSN degree, here is our complete BSN guide.
Here you will find all the information you need to know about what you can do with a BSN degree, how to prepare for it, and the various career paths it opens.
Keep reading and discover why the BSN degree is important, what the requirements are, and what it can do for your nursing career.
Should a highly-experienced nurse return to school for a BSN?
You’ve been out of school for 20 years. You’re older than most other RNs, more experienced, and you love your job. Should you go back for a BSN? Is it even worth it at this point? What more is there to learn?
Many experienced RNs are feeling pressure from their employers to return for their BSN, even though the employer has no complaints about their job performance. This can be frustrating for RNs who want to continue working and don’t want to have to deal with the hassle of going back to school. Let us ease your mind.
Are you a registered nurse who wants to get better and advance your career? As nursing is a competitive field, basic certifications alone don’t really elevate your professional profile anymore.
If you’ve already mastered your domain, moving forward in your nursing journey is the natural next step and a way to improve your daily processes.
To move up the career ladder, look to further your training and enhance your critical reasoning skills. Education is key, and you should consider it alongside practical experience and networking. There are various ways to achieve that promotion or advance your already acquired nursing skills, and we’re going to lay some of the paths you can follow.
quality of care and patient outcomes, which could lead to career advancement. Have a look at some of the essential nursing skills you can learn online below.
There are many career options you can consider once you have your 