What Is The Difference Between RN and BSN?

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• An RN (Reg­is­tered Nurse) is a licensed pro­fes­sion­al who has com­plet­ed an accred­it­ed nurs­ing pro­gram and passed the NCLEX-RN exam, while a BSN (Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Nurs­ing) is an aca­d­e­m­ic degree that can lead to becom­ing an RN.
• Obtain­ing a BSN pro­vides nurs­es with advanced edu­ca­tion in lead­er­ship, crit­i­cal think­ing, and pub­lic health, which can lead to broad­er career oppor­tu­ni­ties and high­er earn­ing potential.
• Many health­care employ­ers pre­fer or require a BSN for cer­tain nurs­ing posi­tions, and some states are con­sid­er­ing leg­is­la­tion to make a BSN the min­i­mum edu­ca­tion­al require­ment for RNs.

The dif­fer­ence between an RN and a BSN is that an RN is a cer­ti­fied nurse and a BSN is a nurs­ing degree. RN stands for Reg­is­tered Nurse, which means that a prac­tic­ing nurse has been cer­ti­fied by grad­u­at­ing from a nurs­ing pro­gram and has met the require­ments out­lined by their local med­ical licens­ing body, which includes pass­ing the NCLEX-RN exam in the Unit­ed States and Canada. 

BSN stands for Bachelor’s of Sci­ence in Nurs­ing, which requires the com­ple­tion of 120 col­le­giate cred­it hours. Many RNs have grad­u­at­ed from a BSN pro­gram, though nurs­es can also become qual­i­fied after earn­ing their Associate’s degree in nurs­ing (ASN), or a nurs­ing diplo­ma pro­gram. It is gen­er­al­ly rec­om­mend­ed that RNs go on to com­plete their BSN, and there are many online RN-BSN degree pro­grams that pro­vide max­i­mum con­ve­nience for RNs to com­plete their degree. 

Con­sid­er the advan­tages of enrolling in an online RN-BSN program:

• A focused cur­ricu­lum will give stu­dents a greater under­stand­ing of med­ical prac­tices in the field of nursing
• The BSN will qual­i­fy grad­u­ates for posi­tions with more respon­si­bil­i­ty and high­er salary
• The online for­mat allows for sched­ule flex­i­bil­i­ty for RNs to work night­time or irreg­u­lar shifts

For­tu­nate­ly, there are many great options for online RN-BSN degree pro­grams. For ref­er­ence to some of the top RN-BSN pro­grams, check out our list of the Best Online Bach­e­lors of Nurs­ing Pro­grams. Let’s take a clos­er look at a cou­ple of the top options for an online RN-BSN degree that made our ranking.

Relat­ed:

• Best Bach­e­lor’s in Nursing
• Top Online BSN Programs
• Fastest Online RN to BSN Programs
• Most Afford­able Bach­e­lor’s in Nursing

When eval­u­at­ing top nurs­ing pro­grams, it’s essen­tial to dis­tin­guish between Asso­ciate Degree in Nurs­ing (ADN) pro­grams, which pre­pare stu­dents to become Reg­is­tered Nurs­es (RNs), and Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Nurs­ing (BSN) pro­grams, which offer a more exten­sive education.

Top 3 ADN Programs:

• San­ta Bar­bara City Col­lege (SBCC): SBC­C’s ADN pro­gram is renowned for its com­pre­hen­sive cur­ricu­lum and high NCLEX-RN pass rates, pro­vid­ing stu­dents with a sol­id foun­da­tion for nurs­ing practice.
• Iowa West­ern Com­mu­ni­ty Col­lege (IWCC): IWCC offers a well-regard­ed ADN pro­gram empha­siz­ing hands-on clin­i­cal expe­ri­ence, prepar­ing grad­u­ates for diverse health­care settings.
• Wake Tech­ni­cal Com­mu­ni­ty Col­lege (Wake Tech): Wake Tech’s ADN pro­gram is known for its rig­or­ous course­work and strong fac­ul­ty sup­port, lead­ing to suc­cess­ful grad­u­ate outcomes.

Top 3 BSN Programs:

• Duke Uni­ver­si­ty: Duke’s BSN pro­gram is con­sis­tent­ly ranked among the top in the nation, offer­ing state-of-the-art facil­i­ties and a com­mit­ment to nurs­ing excellence.
• Uni­ver­si­ty of Penn­syl­va­nia: The BSN pro­gram at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Penn­syl­va­nia com­bines a robust nurs­ing cur­ricu­lum with inter­dis­ci­pli­nary oppor­tu­ni­ties, prepar­ing stu­dents for lead­er­ship roles in healthcare.
• Emory Uni­ver­si­ty: Emory’s BSN pro­gram is rec­og­nized for its empha­sis on clin­i­cal expe­ri­ence and research, fos­ter­ing a com­pre­hen­sive nurs­ing education. 

Relat­ed:

• Vet­er­an to BSN: Accel­er­at­ed Nurs­ing Edu­ca­tion for Mil­i­tary Veterans
• Tran­si­tion­ing to Nurse Prac­ti­tion­er from Accel­er­at­ed BSN
• Tips for Suc­cess in Accel­er­at­ed Degree Pro­grams for Adult Learners

The earn­ing poten­tial for nurs­es with an Asso­ciate of Sci­ence in Nurs­ing (ASN) ver­sus a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Nurs­ing (BSN) varies based on expe­ri­ence, loca­tion, and work­place. Here’s a gen­er­al comparison:

1. ASN (Asso­ciate of Sci­ence in Nursing)
   • Aver­age Salary: $60,000 — $70,000 per year
   • Com­mon Posi­tions: Reg­is­tered Nurse (RN) in entry-lev­el roles at hos­pi­tals, long-term care facil­i­ties, or clinics.
   • Career Lim­i­ta­tions: ASN hold­ers may have few­er oppor­tu­ni­ties for advance­ment and lead­er­ship roles com­pared to BSN graduates.
2. BSN (Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Nursing)
   • Aver­age Salary: $75,000 — $90,000 per year
   • Com­mon Posi­tions: Reg­is­tered Nurse (RN), Pub­lic Health Nurse, or roles in research, edu­ca­tion, and management.
   • Career Advan­tages: A BSN often leads to high­er-pay­ing posi­tions and is a pre­ferred qual­i­fi­ca­tion for many hos­pi­tals and health­care orga­ni­za­tions. It may also be required for spe­cial­ized roles or advanced prac­tice nursing.

Key Dif­fer­ence: BSN hold­ers typ­i­cal­ly earn $5,000 to $20,000 more annu­al­ly than ASN hold­ers due to their advanced edu­ca­tion and qual­i­fi­ca­tions. BSNs also have more oppor­tu­ni­ties for career growth and lead­er­ship positions.