The steps to becoming an RN requires education, practice, and the wealth increases as the hard work an individual goes through is seen. There are many levels of nursing and there is always a higher level to achieve. As you overcome these obstacles the salary for a nurse increases. These are many types of nursing degrees with the education needed and the expected salary as your expand your education opportunities. One of the earliest forms of nursing education is a diploma program of study. This program is usually clinical based education and associated with a hospital, and varies in length from 2-3 years. These types of programs are hard to find anymore only 1 is located in the state of Texas now. The expected salary is starting $38,000 year. An Associate’s Degree in Nursing is the most common basic program in the United States. These programs are obtained from a university or community colleges and are usually 2 years in length. The salary range is $62,000-$70,000 starting a year. A Baccalaureate Degree in nursing takes about 4 years of course study. The salary for a BSN would be between about $75,000-$80,000 a year. The difference between a diploma program and associates program of study is that when in school a BSN takes leadership courses (Claywell 81). A Master’s Degree in Nursing is 5-7 years. A nurse with an MSN can be found in such fields as higher education, administration, nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, and midwife. If the nurse specializes in Education the salary would be around $75,000 a year, a CRNA would make $100,000, midwife would make $97,000 a year, and a Nurse Practitioner $91,000.
A Doctoral Degree prepares a nurse to become researchers, teachers, and clinicians who improve the art