Most often it is not much of a difference, if at all; pay is most often related to the position held than your degree. Nursing with A.A.S. degrees may or may not be eligible for some admistrative positions reserved for the B.S.N. but these aren't *always* prime or desirable opportunites.
The way I think of it is this: it takes considerably less time and money to get an A.A.S. degree, and you will get to graduate, take the boards & are a bona fide RN. Ideally, you find work at a hospital, stay for the designated amount of time, then take a bridge course to earn your BSN....AND your employer will often foot most, if not all, of the tuition bill! You will also continue working as an RN while you are continuing your education.
In this scenario, who really ends up with more money in their pocket in the end? The community college student who paid $15,000 over two years for an A.A.S. and had their employer pay for the BSN bridge, or the BSN student who just shelled out $88,000 over four years to make $2-4/hr more than their A.A.S. colleague? I don't know what state you are in, but that's reality here in NJ, I didn't just make these numbers up randomly.
Whatever degree puts "RN" after your name the fastest and cheapest is always the way to go. Of course, I encourage you to not stop there if humanly possible, but unless you have money to burn, why not let your employer help?
Copyright © 2026 eLLeNow.com All Rights Reserved.
