Nursing Industry Trends and their Impact on the Starting and Average Nursing Salary
The current potential for advancement in the nursing industry is very promising for a registered nurse. Nursing is the largest single profession in the health care industry today. The saturation of nurses, however, has not had a negative effect on the demand in recent years.
This provides many nurses with an incentive to differentiate themselves from their colleagues to advance within the nursing industry. Drexel Online has put together the following information regarding the nursing industry and specifically how advanced nursing degrees can impact nurses, and (RN) registered nurses salary figures.
- There are over 2.5 million Registered Nurses
- The demand for nurses is increasing for those with higher certification levels
- The diversity of employers keeps demand high
- Examples of nursing employers outside of hospitals:
- Private practices
- Clinics
- Short stay surgery centers
- Schools
- Rehab facilities
- Home care settings
Impact of Advanced Degrees on Nurses' Salary
As is the case in most industries, in the nursing field, with each higher level of education a nurse attains, more opportunities for a higher salary and greater responsibility typically become available. Thus, nurses seeking salary increases, more recognition, and more specialized work, many nurses turn to online RN to BSN programs. By giving nurses a diverse education on various topics relevant to nursing, the RN to BSN program opens the possibility for advancement or specialization, which ultimately leads to increases in (RN) registered nurse salaries. The main advantage is that the online nursing program allows for studying remotely, therefore the nurse does not have to miss any time from his or her current position.
The education that registered nurses obtain in RN to BSN programs, paired with the hands-on experience that most RN’s bring from their current positions allows for an increase in the nurses’ salaries, the opportunity to distinguish themselves from other nurses, and the ability to readily assume specialized positions.
RN’s with a BSN earn salary increases and work in a wide variety of positions including:
- Head nurses
- Department chiefs
- Administrative manager
- Nurse anesthetist
- Clinical nurse manager
- Nurse practitioner
2007 Median Nurse Salary by City - Degree: Bachelor of Science, Nursing (BSN) (United States)
Registered Nurse Salary Increases through RN to BSN Degrees
Many RN’s seek out an RN to BSN degree in hopes of a salary increase, and rightfully so, because obtaining an RN to BSN degree is one of the most practical steps to creating upward mobility and increases in salary within the nursing field. For most employers, proving that a nurse can complete a rigorous program such as an RN to BSN not only shows that he or she is capable of learning valuable industry information over a relatively short period of time, but also that the candidate is able to sustain a substantial workload simultaneously. This is reassurance for many health care providers that a nurse is capable of higher level managerial positions, or other more specialized aspects of the nursing field.
- When evaluating the factors that have the greatest impact on nurse salaries, we found the following were most influential:
- Geography
- Experience
- Education
- Title
- Employers reward nurses with salary increases when they obtain additional training/education because demand for these nurses is higher
It is very typical to find higher starting and average nursing salaries in major metropolitan areas. While there is some deviation between the salaries of the highest paid RN’s and the highest paid RN’s with a BSN, much like most other professions, salaries tend to follow the cost of living for those areas.
2007 Median Nurse Salary by Years Experience - Degree: Bachelor of Science, Nursing (BSN) (United States)
/Salary/by_Years_Experience.jpg "Median Salary by Years Experience - Degree: Bachelor of Science, Nursing (BSN) (United States)")
While experience also plays a role, showing that increases in nursing salaries directly correlate to years of experience, there seems to be an approximate increase in a nurse’s salary of about 6 thousand dollars per year from an RN to a BSN.
Online Nursing Degrees at Drexel University Online
The Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions is recognized for its roots that date back over 130 years from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania and the Hahnemann Hospital Training School for Nurses from which it was initially formed. This longstanding relationship with the health care industry distinguishes Drexel as a leader in the field of nursing education.
While Drexel University has long offered bachelor's degrees and master's degrees in nursing, the online nursing degree program has also become well established. In 1997, the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions assumed a position at the forefront of the nursing education industry, offering a variety of degrees in nursing at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels through their eLearning program. According to U.S.News & World Report, Drexel University is among the 10 largest online graduate nursing programs offered in the nation, with more than 1,500 students enrolled per year.
The online nursing degree program offered at the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions was developed with the working professional in mind. By making accommodations for the busy schedule of an RN to BSN student and allowing them to study remotely at their own pace, and maintain current positions in the health care industry. This all helps to further enrich the learning experience gained through Drexel, while permitting the student to retain their existing professional relationships.
