Aspiring nurses and nursing professionals alike in Oklahoma are popularizing the trend of earning a BSN degree. Along with enhancing quality patient care, BSN nurses are awarded the added benefit of receiving substantially higher salaries compared to nurses holding an associate’s degree.
Right now, nurse advocacy groups like the Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center and the Oklahoma Action Coalition are partnering with local employers including OU Medical Center, Mercy Health Center, and INTEGRIS Hospital Systems to encourage staff nurses with associate’s degrees to return to school and earn their BSN.
As the nursing community continues to realize the correlation between BSN degrees and bigger paychecks, thousands of nursing students are flocking to Oklahoma’s nursing schools.
Comparing Nursing Salaries Based on Education Level
The American Association of Colleges of Nurses states that employers covet BSN nurses because they excel in areas like critical thinking, case management, leadership, and health promotion. They also have more clinical experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings. As a result, BSN-educated nurses are offered higher salaries than their less educated colleagues.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2013, ADN nurses working in Oklahoma earned an average annual salary of $47,400 and an average hourly wage of $22.78. By contrast, BSN nurses received nearly $20,000 more per year, earning a generous average annual salary of $67,500 and an average hourly wage of 32.43 in that same year.
In 2013, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported there were 2,334 students enrolled in bachelor’s-level nursing programs across Oklahoma. In that same year, the state also saw 1,247 nursing students graduate from baccalaureate and graduate-level nursing programs.
Licensed nurses and aspiring nurses interested in earning top pay in their field should consider enrolling in one of Oklahoma’s twenty-eight BSN programs that are endorsed by the state’s Board of Nursing. Six of these are RN-BSN bridge programs are solely designed for students that are already registered nurses.
Regional Pay Averages for BSN Nurses in Oklahoma
BSN nurses in Oklahoma are paid within the 75th and 90th salary percentile for their occupation, which is a major incentive for nurses to earn this prestigious degree.
In 2013, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics provided the data in the table found below to show differences between BSN nurses working in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas of Oklahoma: