The Average Salary With a Bachelor's in Nursing

A BSN teaches nurses to employ critical thinking skills in their profession. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a degree for professional nurses, such as registered nurses, who want to improve their nursing skills and broaden their nursing practice. It is available as a four-y ear program in many colleges, universities and professional nursing schools. A BSN can improve salaries because it opens the holder to added responsibility and more types of nursing jobs. Jobs The primary factor in deciding salaries for BSNs is the job title, since that dictates actual duties and responsibilities. For example, professional nurses, who commonly pursue this degree to improve their careers, make a median $56,234 per year. Directors of nursing, who are in charge of an entire department of subordinate health care professionals, earn the highest salaries at $78,347 annually. An RN in an operating room makes $66,063. This is higher than a standard RN, because those in operating rooms have the added responsibility of caring for surgical patients who may be in critical health situations. This is according to PayScale as of January 2011. Experience Salaries increase with experience as BSNs develop more skill and understanding of their jobs and a wider reputation among other health care professionals. New employees make a median $48,884 per year, while those with one to four years of work earn $55,732. At five to nine years of experience, they earn $64,071, and at 10 to 19 years, they get $67,689. At 20 or more years of experience, they top out at $72,182. Employers The type of employer affects salaries with those in the federal government receiving the highest wages at $66,593 per year, followed by those in hospitals at $66,249 annually. At the opposite end of the scale are schools and school districts that pay $46,467 and medical franchises that offer $53,513. Those who are self-employed receive $65,000, while those working for nonprofit organizations get $64,868. Certifications Certifications can enhance salaries because they are documentation that the holder can perform specific tasks at industry-accepted standards. The most valuable of these is the Certified Nurse, Operating Room, which signifies skill in helping surgeons with life-or-death operations. This knowledge pays a median $79,218 per year. Advanced Cardiac License Support enables BSNs to handle the special needs of heart patients in critical conditions. This skill garners $63,217 yearly. Even basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which can save the lives of patients in heart attacks, is a credential that earns $59,402 annually. http://world-edu.info/average-salary-for-bsn-degree/