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If you have a passion for health and serving your community, a career as a nurse may be perfect for you!
The demand for educated and qualified nurses is at an all-time high across the country. As our population grows, and individuals live longer and face new and diverse ailments, the need for specialized care increases.
If you have considered this field, you may be overwhelmed by all the options! The nursing field is designed to encourage on-going growth and professional development. While you can enter the field with an associate degree, a more advanced degree can maximize your career and salary potential. Bridge programs allow you to move from one degree level to the next – and even skip degree levels – at a very fast pace.
Read on to learn more about your options as you consider a degree in nursing or even getting your nursing degree online.
Associate Degree in Nursing
Earning an Associate in Nursing is often the first step in becoming a nurse. It provides the foundation and can lead to a number of career opportunities.
There are four associate degree options available in this field, including:
- Associate of Nursing (AN)
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
- Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN)
- Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (AASN)
The difference between these is minor, and they can each put you on the fast track to a career in the healthcare industry.
How long will it take?
The number of credit hours you need to earn your associate degree in nursing will depend on the school and program you pursue, but generally it is between 60 and 72 hours. If you attend as a full-time student, it will take about 2 years to complete these hours.
What will it involve?
Your program will include general education (English, math, history, etc.) and nursing courses. In your first year, you will learn the fundamentals of nursing. In your second year you will focus heavily on the necessary skills, and will have opportunities to put your skills to the test in a clinic setting.
Can I earn this degree online?
For the most part, yes. You can complete the bulk of your coursework online, but you will need to complete your clinical rotations in person.
If you are enrolled online at a school in your area, you will need to report to campus or a nearby hospital to complete your in-person training. If you are enrolled online at a school that is farther away, you will complete your rotations somewhere local to you and your school will help you coordinate that.
What kind of job could I get?
Once you have completed this program, you can take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN or NCLEX-RN) to become either a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a registered nurse (RN). This will open up a lot of doors! As an LPN or RN, you could work in a physician’s office, hospital, psychiatric facility, nursing home, school or even in a private residence, for example.
Why would I choose this over a BSN?
If you don’t have the time or money to spend on a bachelor’s degree, or if you need to get into the workforce quickly, an associate degree may be the best option for you. This is the fastest way to enter the nursing field and can lead to a variety of valuable positions.
The degree certainly doesn’t have to be the end of your educational pursuits. Many people who earn their associate degree later pursue a more advanced degree (a bachelor’s, master’s or even higher), often through bridge programs, which are discussed in-depth below.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
Earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing will provide you with more comprehensive understanding of the field, and will better equip you to oversee fellow nurses in the workplace.
You will be able to secure a position with greater responsibility and a higher pay grade than if you held an associate degree.
How long will it take?
Depending on the school and program you choose, you will need to complete between 120 and 128 credit hours to earn a bachelor’s in nursing. As a full-time student, this typically takes about 4 years.
Keep in mind, this is a rigorous and demanding program. If you have a family or job, it will take you longer to complete.
What will it involve?
Your program will include general education (English, math, history, etc.) and nursing courses. Most programs are designed to teach general nursing and in-depth nursing theory, but some programs will allow students to specialize in a particular area. For example, you might specialize in neonatal care, psychiatric care, or even management.
Can I earn this degree online?
Your general education courses as well as many of your nursing courses can be completed entirely online, but you will need to complete an in-person clinical rotation. Clinical rotation hours may be from 400 to 900 hours of practice at a local healthcare facility, such as a hospital.
If your online courses are through a local college or university, you will complete your in-person training on campus or at the school’s hospital. If your online courses are through a school that is far away, the school will help coordinate your training with a school or hospital in your area.
What kind of job could I get?
Once you have completed this program, you can take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to become a registered nurse (RN). Students who have earned associate degrees can also take this test and become RNs, but it’s important to understand that many hospitals and other employers prefer (or only hire) nurses with bachelor’s degrees. You will be able to apply for a broader range of positions because of your more advanced degree.
Master in Nursing (MSN)
Once are an established nurse, you may wish to advance your career. A Master in Nursing can open many new doors.
What are the prerequisites?
There is no hard-and-fast rule about what is required to enter a Master in Nursing program. However, it is common for schools to require the following:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Registered Nursing License (RN)
- Minimum GPA and GRE scores
- Clinical experience
The scores and experiences necessary will vary by program (and some may not even have those requirements), so be sure to look around as you begin to consider and evaluate schools.
How long will it take?
The duration may vary by school and/or program, and depends on your prior educational and professional experience.
If you are able to attend full-time, it will likely take you 1 to 2 years to earn this advanced degree. As a part-time student, the program could take as long as 4 years.
What will it involve?
Master’s in nursing programs are divided between general nursing courses and courses related to your chosen concentration. You will cover advanced topics such as resource management, ethics, pharmacology, and acute and chronic illnesses.
Can I earn this degree online?
Because so many nurses who are pursuing this degree are already busy working in the field, many schools offer the program online.
In fact, it is probably one of the most common online degrees offered!
What kind of job could I get?
With a master’s degree in nursing you could become a nurse anesthetist helping surgeons, a family practitioner, a nurse-midwife or a critical care nurse, for example. Or you could work in a leadership or administrative role, as a nurse administrator, research nurse or nurse consultant.
Doctorate in Nursing
If you are already a seasoned nurse and want to advance or alter your professional path, you may wish to pursue a doctorate. This is the highest level of education available in the field.
There are two distinct doctorate paths:
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) – professional degree for someone who wishes to advance his or her clinical skills in a specific area of nursing or in a leadership role
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – research degree for someone who wishes to pursue a position in an academic or research setting
Both are equally prestigious, but provide different training for vastly different career paths.
What are the prerequisites?
Most programs will require you to be a registered nurse and hold a master’s degree. However, there are programs designed to accept students who hold a bachelor’s degree, and those programs will typically take longer to complete.
How long will it take?
Doctorate programs programs typically take 3 to 6 years to complete. If you come into the program with a bachelor’s degree, you can expect the program will take longer to complete.
What will it involve?
For a DNP, you will focus on leadership, evidence-based practice decisions and advanced specialty care. Your classes will cover statistics, diagnosis, management, budget planning, policy and more. Teaching will be an optional component, but you will be required to complete up to 1000 clinical hours.
The PhD program, on the other hand, will study illness trajectories and care systems. Classes will cover advanced theory, research methodology, data analysis and more. Teaching will be required but there is no clinical requirement. You will write a senior thesis.
Can I earn this degree online?
DNP programs are commonly available online, and they are geared toward those currently working in the field.
The nursing PhD programs are less often available online.
What kind of job could I get?
DNPs are often employed in leadership positions, sometimes serving in roles previously held by physicians. Also, while nurses with a master’s degree can currently serve as nurse-midwives, nurse aestheticians, nurse practitioners, or clinical nurse specialists, it is believed that eventually these positions will require a DNP.
With a PhD in nursing, you could work in an academic position or management role conducting research. These positions are generally on a tenure-track.
Nursing Bridge Programs
Bridge programs are unique to the nursing field, and allow practicing nurses who hold associate or bachelor’s degrees to “bridge”ť to the next degree level in less time than a traditional college program would require.
In order to speed up the process, bridge programs leverage a student’s educational and professional experience. For example, while traditional nursing degree programs require students to complete many hours of clinical and lab work, oftentimes a bridge program will count your previous professional experience in place of some or all of those clinical hours. The goal of a bridge program is to advance quickly without repeating what you already know.
Because they are designed for full-time working nurses, most bridge programs are available online. The schedule is flexible, so as to work around irregular nursing hours.
Take a look at three of the most common bridge programs below to see how you can quickly transition into a higher paying position and/or into a specialized area of nursing.
RN/LPN to BSN (ADN-to-BSN)
If you are a practicing LPN or RN but do not yet hold a bachelor’s degree, this bridge program can help you earn your next degree quickly and can open the door to many more job prospects.
As a full-time student, the RN-to-BSN program typically takes about 1.5 to 2 years to complete. Those with significant professional experience may be able to test out of some classes and finish the program at an even faster rate.
RN to MSN (ADN-to-MSN or BSN-to-MSN)
The most popular option is the RN-to-MSN bridge program. This program is available to registered nurses who hold either an associate degree (ADN) or a bachelor’s degree (BSN, or a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field).
The length of the program will depend on your previous education experience. An ADN-to-MSN program will generally take about 3 years to complete. A BSN-to-MSN bridge program will take at least 4 years of full-time study. This is why many students who plan to eventually continue their nursing education opt for their associate degree, rather than continue on to a bachelor’s degree.
Both pathways to the MSN typically allow students to choose a specialization.
BSN to DNP
Through this bridge program, students who hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing can earn both a master’s and a doctorate at the same time. This means you will have obtained the highest level of education in the field, thus maximizing your career and salary potential exponentially!
This program will typically take 3 to 4 years on a full-time basis. Some part-time students take as long as 6 years to complete the program.
Conclusion
There are many options to consider as you prepare for a future in nursing.
Consider the time and money you have to invest now, and know that this is a field that is ever-evolving. Whatever path you choose, a bridge program can help you advance your career and open new doors.
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