Differences Between an RN vs BSN Degree Program

RN vs. BSN: What’s The Difference?

Have you considered becoming a registered nurse but are unsure whether to pursue an RN or BSN degree? With overlapping roles and responsibilities, RNs and BSN-prepared nurses share much in common. However, key distinctions exist between these two popular nursing education paths.

This guide compares RN and BSN degrees across multiple factors:

• Education and coursework
• Career advancement potential
• Specialization options
• Salary and compensation

Read on for an in-depth breakdown of how RN vs BSN degrees stack up. By understanding the core contrasts, you’ll be equipped to select the ideal nursing credential to match your career aspirations.

Defining RN and BSN

RN: A Registered Nurse has passed the National Council Licensure Examination and obtained licensure required to practice nursing. The minimum education requirement is an associate degree or diploma. RNs provide direct patient care services like administering medications, monitoring vitals, and coordinating care with doctors.

BSN: A Bachelor of Science in Nursing builds on RN fundamentals with advanced coursework. BSN nurses gain a stronger foundation in specialty areas like leadership, evidence-based practice, and community health. Many organizations covet BSN qualifications when staffing various nursing roles.

RN vs. BSN Salary Comparisons

Experience	RN Average Salary	BSN Average Salary
Entry-level	$51,000	$55,000
1-4 years	$60,000	$67,000
5-9 years	$74,000	$79,000
10-19 years	$89,000	$99,500
20+ years	$108,500	$119,000

BSNs nearly always earn higher salaries than RNs at equivalent experience levels working in the same settings. This earning potential encourages many nurses to pursue BSN programs.

Key Differences Between an RN and BSN Degrees

Education and Coursework

While RNs and BSNs take similar introductory courses, differences emerge in their advanced curriculum:

RN Courses	BSN Courses
Fundamentals of Nursing	Leadership & Innovation in Nursing Practice
Adult Health Nursing	Evidence-Based Nursing Research
Mental Health Nursing	Transcultural Nursing
Maternal & Child Nursing	Population Health & Epidemiology
Medical-Surgical Nursing	Health Policy & Ethics
Pediatric Nursing	Informatics & Technology

Additionally, BSN programs include up to twice as many clinical placement hours to strengthen direct care competencies.

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Pathways to Earning a BSN Degree

If you’re working towards a BSN credential, you’ll need to complete certain steps – whether as a new nursing student or a current RN upskilling to the bachelor’s level. Requirements differ depending on your starting point.

Earning a BSN Without an RN

For those entering nursing education for the first time, key milestones include:

• Obtaining college-preparatory high school requirements
• Applying to and getting accepted into an accredited BSN program
• Seeking financial assistance if eligible and needed
• Completing program coursework over 4 years
• Sitting for the NCLEX national exam post-graduation
• Getting licensed as an RN within your state

This pathway allows going straight through from foundational learning to a BSN degree on initial entry into the nursing profession.

Earning a BSN as a Current RN

For existing RNs with associate or diploma credentials, the process involves:

• Holding a current RN license without encumbrances
• Enrolling in an accredited RN-to-BSN degree completion program
• Transferring qualifying credits from prior nursing education
• Graduating upon fulfilling new BSN curriculum requirements

RN-to-BSN programs build efficiently on existing fundamentals knowledge. They equip current nurses with expanded BSN-level competencies.

Career Advancement and Growth for Registered Nurses

What nursing positions are attainable for RNs versus BSN-holders?

While associate and diploma RN programs offer the shortest route to becoming a registered nurse, they limit long-term career options due to the reduced educational foundation.

BSN nurses open doors to far greater advancement opportunities including:

• Nursing Specialties: High-demand specializations like emergency nursing often require a BSN credential.
• Advanced Practice Roles: Nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist routes call for a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing.
• Leadership Positions: Management roles like Nurse Manager tend to mandate the BSN qualification.
• Graduate Degrees: Master’s programs, including nursing graduate degrees, list BSN programs as a prerequisite for admission.

Pathways to Earning a BSN Degree

If you’re working towards a BSN credential, you’ll need to complete certain steps – whether as a new nursing student or a current RN upskilling to the bachelor’s level. Requirements differ depending on your starting point.

Earning a BSN as a New Nursing Student

For those entering nursing education for the first time, key milestones include:

• Obtaining college-preparatory high school requirements
• Applying to and getting accepted into an accredited BSN program
• Seeking financial assistance if eligible and needed
• Completing program coursework over 4 years
• Sitting for the NCLEX national exam post-graduation
• Getting licensed as an RN within your state

This pathway allows going straight through from foundational learning to a BSN degree on initial entry into the nursing profession.

Earning a BSN as a Current RN

For existing RNs with associate or diploma credentials, the process involves:

• Holding a current RN license without encumbrances
• Enrolling in an accredited RN-to-BSN degree completion program
• Transferring qualifying credits from prior nursing education
• Graduating upon fulfilling new BSN curriculum requirements

RN-to-BSN programs build efficiently on existing fundamentals knowledge. They equip current nurses with expanded BSN-level competencies.

Pursuing Specializations as a BSN Nurse

Besides influencing career advancement potential, RN vs BSN degrees also shape access to specialization opportunities.

While RNs can specialize through on-the-job training or short certification programs, certain nursing specializations now require or prefer BSN-prepared applicants.

Once you have earned your BSN credential and become a registered nurse, new opportunities open up to pursue nursing specializations. These allow you to focus your career within specific areas of interest while commanding higher salaries.

Emergency and Trauma Care

Emergency nursing often directly requires a BSN background today. Responsibilities can include:

• Triaging patients in ER or urgent care settings
• Coordinating with trauma teams during mass casualty events
• Providing therapies to stabilize patient conditions

Oncology and Cancer Care

Cancer treatment nursing leverages strong assessment and care management skills from BSN programs. Duties may involve:

• Educating patients on treatment plans
• Administering radiation, chemotherapy, and related therapies
• Monitoring patient responses to cancer interventions

Pediatric Care

BSN nurses gain advanced preparation for meeting both medical and emotional needs of pediatric cases through their coursework. Their role can encompass:

• Conducting developmental assessments
• Educating families on child healthcare needs
• Providing injury/illness treatments tailored to kids

Cardiac Care

BSN nurses can specialize in caring for patients with various heart conditions through roles like:

• Monitoring telemetry to detect abnormal heart rhythms
• Providing education on managing chronic diseases like congestive heart failure
• Assisting with cardiac medical procedures

Perioperative Nursing

Operating room nursing leverages BSN skills such as:

• Coordinating care as lead nurse during surgeries
• Ensuring sterile protocols before and after procedures
• Managing pain, vitals during anesthesia

Critical Care

ICU nurses rely on BSN assessment, care planning, and technology skills through:

• Managing ventilators, intravenous medications, other interventions
• Closely tracking unstable vital signs
• Communicating with families on patient status

Infection Control

BSN nurses often oversee protocols to reduce healthcare-associated infections like:

• Surveillance and reporting of infection rates
• Educating staff on hand hygiene and protective equipment
• Advising on isolation procedures

Informatics

Nursing IT specialization applies BSN coursework through roles like:

• Optimizing electronic documentation systems
• Championing new clinical decision support tools
• Standardizing data formats and terminology

Forensics

BSN nurses use their investigative lens in forensic nursing by:

• Documenting signs of trauma/assault for legal proceedings
• Testifying as expert witnesses in court cases
• Caring for incarcerated patients

Community Health

Public and home health nursing leverages BSN population health knowledge through:

• Conducting community needs assessments
• Implementing health screening/education programs
• Helping vulnerable populations access care

Case Management

BSN care coordination capabilities help case managers:

• Coordinate care plans across multiple providers
• Manage complex patients post-discharge
• Improve outcomes and reduce readmissions

Nursing Leadership

Nurse managers and executives apply BSN coursework through:

• Developing patient care protocols and models
• Writing health policies and governing legislative issues
• Overseeing hospital nursing units or departments

Nursing Education

Faculty roles teaching future nurses rely on deep BSN understanding:

• Develop nursing curriculum and lesson plans
• Teach specialty nursing skills and theory
• Serve as mentors assessing student competencies

In weighing specialization options, BSN nurses should consider their interests together with demand outlooks. This allows matching personal passions with high-growth career routes.

Nurse executives strongly encourage BSN degree-holders to pursue specializations to address complex healthcare challenges. Specialist nurses deliver tremendous value in roles focused on care coordination, transitional care, and more.

In general, the widened knowledge foundation from BSN programs offers greater flexibility to segue into high-demand nursing specialization paths.

RN and BSN Salary Differences

Besides impacting career mobility, do RN vs BSN degrees influence earning potential?

Short answer: Yes, strongly.

While beginning RN and BSN nurses may start with similar salaries in the $60,000 range, differences in lifetime earning potential grow over long-term careers.

For example:

• RN pay tends to plateau earlier with less room for salary growth
• BSN nurses reach higher maximum salaries averaging around $20,000 above RN peak earnings
• By retirement age, RN lifetime earnings often total under $2 million while BSN nurses surpass $2.5 million

Driving these divides, BSN-prepared nurses qualify for more:

• High-paying specialties requiring bachelor’s degrees
• Advancement opportunities reaching executive levels
• Leadership roles with elevated salaries

In essence, both pathways offer financial security. However, those prioritizing income maximization strongly benefit from investing in a BSN degree.

Should You Earn an RN or BSN Degree?

With a comprehensive perspective on differences between RN and BSN programs, which degree is the better fit based on your career aspirations?

Considerations for RN Degree

Pursuing a diploma or Associate Degree in Nursing makes sense if:

• You want to minimize costs and time investments
• You aim to enter direct patient care nursing rapidly
• You plan for an RN role without seeking specialization or leadership

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Considerations for RN Degree (cont.)

In essence, associate and diploma RN programs offer the fastest, cheapest path to becoming a registered nurse. Keep in mind that comes with tradeoffs in growth potential.

Considerations for BSN Degree

Earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing is advisable if:

• You envision pursuing specialties like emergency or cancer nursing
• You hope to progress into leadership or advanced practice eventually
• Higher lifetime earning potential is one of your priorities

BSN programs demand greater investments of time and money. However, the return manifests through increased advancement opportunities, salary growth, and career flexibility.

RN to BSN Programs

For nurses who have already earned RN credentials through diploma or ADN programs, pursuing RN to BSN pathways offer an attractive upskilling route.

Over 700 RN to BSN programs now exist, whether through online, in-person, or hybrid delivery formats. Typical RN to BSN curriculum includes:

• Community health
• Healthcare policy
• Evidence-based practice
• Advanced health assessment
• Leadership foundations
• Nursing informatics

Most RN to BSN programs range from 1-2 years in duration. Credits from prior RN coursework transfer over to account for existing fundamentals competencies.

Should every RN return for BSN education? Not necessarily. Those content in generalist registered nurse roles may decide against further schooling. However, the value remains high for nurses seeking to expand responsibilities, salary potential, and career mobility.

Best Ranked RN to BSN Programs in Your State

Elevate your nursing career with our curated list of the best RN to BSN programs in each state. Transitioning from a Registered Nurse (RN) to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) opens doors to broader career prospects and deeper clinical knowledge. Our guide spotlights premier programs close to you, paving a well-marked path towards achieving your enhanced nursing ambitions.

See our ranking methodology for RN-to-BSN degree programs.

RN vs BSN Conclusion and Summary

In comparing RN vs BSN programs, what are the central considerations?

While RNs and BSN-prepared nurses share licensure to practice direct patient care, key differences emerge:

• Education: BSN coursework expands knowledge across research, leadership, community health nursing and more high-level topics.
• Career Advancement: Specializations, leadership roles, and graduate programs widely favor BSN degree-holders
• Earning Potential: Long-term salary growth opens greater doors for those holding bachelor’s in nursing credentials.

Deciding between pursuing an RN or BSN depends chiefly on personal career goals. If aiming to enter registered nursing roles rapidly, shorter RN diploma or ADN programs offer that route.

However, the BSN unlocks far wider possibilities for career development, specialization, leadership, and lifetime earnings. All nurses consider upskilling eventually, whether through RN to BSN bridges or even further graduate education.

With this thorough perspective across dimensions of contrast, you now have the understanding to determine which nursing education journey aligns best.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary difference between an ADN degree and a BSN degree? The primary difference is that a BSN is a 4-year bachelor’s degree, while an ADN is typically a 2-year associate’s degree. BSN programs expand on the ADN curriculum with coursework in areas like research, leadership, and community health nursing.

What additional career opportunities may be available for BSN graduates compared to nurses with an ADN? BSN graduates may qualify for more advanced specialty roles, leadership and management positions, graduate degree programs, and teaching jobs compared to ADN nurses.

Why do some healthcare facilities show a strong preference for hiring BSN nurses? Organizations such as the Institute of Medicine have advocated for 80% of the nursing workforce to hold bachelor’s degrees by 2020. Given research linking BSN preparation to better patient outcomes, over 450 hospitals now require or prefer BSN qualifications when hiring.

How much work experience is required before enrolling in an RN-to-BSN program? RN-to-BSN programs are designed for licensed RNs, so typically 1-2 years of clinical experience is required or recommended prior to starting the BSN coursework. Programs allow working nurses to upskill.

What is the median salary difference between RNs and BSN nurses? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for RNs is $75,330 versus $88,350 for nurses with a BSN. This earnings gap tends to widen further with years of experience.

Why should current RNs consider returning to school for a bachelor’s in nursing?
Earning a BSN allows RNs expanded career advancement opportunities leading to specializations, leadership roles, graduate study eligibility, and higher lifetime earnings. Investing in additional education provides a real return for ambitious nurses.

FAQ: Differences Between an RN and BSN

Here is an FAQ using more of the provided nursing education terms:

What are the main nursing programs to become an RN?

The quickest entry-level nursing programs to gain RN licensure are 2-3 year Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs and diploma programs. These provide the minimum schooling required before taking the NCLEX-RN exam to become a registered nurse.

What is the difference between an ADN degree and a BSN?

An ADN takes 2-3 years and prepares graduates for direct nursing care roles. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a 4-year program that opens up greater career advancement options in areas like public health, administration, research, consulting, teaching, or in the military medical service.

Why should current RNs consider pursuing a BSN degree?

Furthering education with an RN to BSN program helps nursing professionals expand responsibilities, assume leadership positions, specialize in fields like oncology or geriatrics, qualify for higher salaries, and meet increasing industry expectations for BSN degree-holders.

What options exist for working RNs to complete their BSN?

Many schools facilitate RN to BSN bridges by offering flexible online BSN programs, night/weekend course scheduling, and accelerated degree timelines that allow completing a BSN in as little as 12-18 months by maximizing transferable existing credits.

What additional opportunities come with earning an MSN after a BSN?

After gaining work experience following a BSN, nurses can undertake a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) then pursue roles as a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified midwife, nurse anesthetist, or nursing educator/lecturer shaping the next generation.

Further Reading and Resources

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN): Provides additional data and research around BSN program impacts on patient outcomes
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing: Outlines RN licensure requirements and processes for transitioning RN to BSN
• American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Offers certification and resources for those pursuing nursing specializations
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Review RN and BSN nursing salary info and job outlook projections
• American Nurses Association: Access publications around nursing scope and standards of practice for RNs vs advanced degrees
• Emerging Healthcare Leader Scholarship: Scholarship resource for nurses advancing education from RN to BSN and beyond

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