Associate degrees in nursing have made a recent rapid growth in the nursing field, but what do you do when you decide you want to further your nursing degree? Registered Nurses usually decide to go back to school because they want to become nursing leaders, or they desire advancement their career. Nurses that are already licensed as a Registered Nurse can enroll into a RN to BSN (bachelor in science and nursing) program. If you are a registered nurse, and want to get a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, using a RN to BSN online program could fit your hectic schedule perfectly!
What Job Opportunities are Available for RN’s with a BSN?
Nurses who further their education and return to obtain their BSN in nursing are eligible for better job opportunities such as, assistant nursing directors, head nurse, director of operations, and even vice president. BSN Registered nurses are also able to receive jobs in consulting, research, and teaching. They qualify for management level positions, such as managers of home health care clinics, or become managers of insurance companies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
What Schooling is Required for an ADN-RN to BSN?
You can most definitely, go back to your local university and complete the schooling required to bridge your ADN to a BSN, however, online programs are so much more flexible and not to mention a lot quicker, and some would even say easier. It is definitely easier to go back part to full time, depending on your schedule. Registered ADN nurses prefer online programs because they can still work full time while taking online classes at home. Of course even with online BSN programs clinical training hours are still required to graduate.
The online programs typically take 12-18 months. Nurses who choose to take on a heavier school work load can most certainly graduate in 12 months. The non-clinical courses are of course taken online, and the clinicals are usually available to complete a hospital or medical facility near your home.
What Courses can you Expect to Take While Obtaining your RN to BSN?
The hard part is getting all of your pre-requisites is out of the way, and now you get to take the more interesting courses such as community health and population, nursing leadership and management, nursing research, law and ethics, health law, population focused nursing, and evidence based practice.
What can you Expect to Pay to Obtain your RN to BSN?
The costs for the BSN program vary depending on where you attend your schooling. For a public university the costs for the RN to BSN program averages to about $12,000, which may seem like a lot of money, however for a with 4 year BSN degree the cost are double that amount. For online training the cost is a little higher because it is a private university program, you can expect to pay around $13,000-$15,000. However, most online schools include text books in their pricing, and you will also be saving on the daily commute in gas.
What it the Average Salary of a BSN RN?
If you should choose to advance your nursing degree to a BSN, your annual salary will of course improve as well. BSN nurses with less than one year of experience on average make an annual salary of around $50,000. Those with one to four years of experience earn around $54,000. BSN RN’s with five to nine years of experience can expect to make about $59,000 and with 10 to 19 years of experience can make an annual salary is about $63,000. BSN nurses with more than 20 years of experience can expect to earn an average of $67,000. However, RN’s that are in management level positions typically make $70,000 to $80,000 or more depending on their years of experience they have.
With such a short amount of schooling, it’s no wonder that ADN nurses decide to go back for their BSN. With a BSN in nursing you can obtain the knowledge and leadership skills necessary to advance in the nursing industry!
