
Tennessee’s registered nurses (RNs) often enter the profession by completing an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN). After several years, ADN-educated nurses frequently wish to complete their baccalaureate education by earning a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree. RN-to-BSN programs enable these existing nurses to advance their education, often without leaving the workforce.
Overview of RN-to-BSN education
RN-to-BSN programs provide an accelerated path to a baccalaureate degree by complementing students’ existing ADN knowledge. Curricula are tailored to enable innovative delivery models, including part-time, evening, weekend, and online classes. One critical incentive for nurses to enroll is the accelerating marketplace shift towards BSN education. By earning a bachelor’s degree, RNs position themselves well for senior nursing and management positions.
BSN-educated nurses enjoy enhanced career prospects with Tennessee’s major nursing employers, including large healthcare networks like the Department of Veterans Affairs and Tenet Health. Nursing outplacement firms like MedPro Staffing also place a heavy premium on baccalaureate education. While the state’s 57,760 RNs earn a median annual salary of $56,000, nurses with a bachelor’s degree can earn top-quartile pay of $66,000 or more per year. A BSN degree also paves the way for later graduate study in specialized fields like family practice nursing, nursing midwifery, and nursing anesthesia.
As a starting point for Tennessee’s ADN-educated nurses to advance their careers, we have profiled below several of the state’s top RN-to-BSN programs.