Registered Nursing - A Job With More Bang For Your Educational Buck

If you're looking for a good-paying job and you'd like to start working quickly, you might want to consider registered nursing.



In a 2006 article, CNN lists registered nursing as one of the ten best-paying jobs that can be obtained with an associate's degree. In the article, they note that a job requiring an Associate's Degree often pays better than many jobs requiring bachelor's degrees. They quote an average annual salary of around $52,000 for registered nurses, which is a job that can be obtained with a two year Associate's Degree from an accredited nursing program.



Your state board of nursing will have a list of accredited nursing programs in your area or all throughout the state.



There are also four year bachelor's of science in nursing programs available, but those do not necessarily come with higher pay. Either way, with an ADN or a BSN degree, once you take and pass the NCLEX-RN exam, you are a registered nurse.



Some hospitals, doctor's offices, clinics, etc. pay more for nurses with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, and some don't. The pay is generally not going to be drastically higher.



Another advantage of getting an Associate's Degree in Nursing first is that once you get that degree, you can take an ADN to BSN course either at an online nursing school or at a local college, and you can do it part-time while you are working. Odds are good that your employer will pay for some or all of your education in exchange for an agreement to remain working with that employer for a specified amount of time.



If you want to move into a manager's position as a nurse, you will almost certainly need to get a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Nursing, but again, that can be obtained after you have gotten your ADN degree and your job with that nice paycheck rolling in every week.