Many nursing students are choosing to earn a BSN because of the higher earning opportunities that this path to RN licensure affords. In addition, many employers in California are now requiring that new staff RN positions go to job candidates that hold a BSN.
New RN graduates in California reported the lack of a BSN as the third most common reason for not being hired, according to the results of a survey published in the January 2015 newsletter of the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care.
Grand Canyon University
B.S. in Nursing (Registered Nurse - R.N to B.S.N.)
Purdue University Global
Online RN-to-BSN
SNHU
B.S. in Nursing (RN to BSN) and an Accelerated RN to MSN
Walden University
Online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN)
Capella University
Online RN-to-BSN
Liberty University
Bachelor of Science in Nursing for the Registered Nurse
While some students opt to obtain a BSN as their initial degree, many licensed nurses enroll in RN to BSN or LVN to BSN programs so they can improve their salaries and job prospects. In 2013, there were some 15,606 students enrolled in BSN programs in California according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
There has been a movement in California to streamline the RN to BSN process so that nurses can more quickly obtain their BSN degree and take advantage of enhanced job opportunities. Characteristically ahead of the curve, the California Collaborative Model of Nursing Education was enacted in 2008 to improve the efficiency of the RN-BSN process, even before the Institute of Medicine report came out that called for 80% of the country’s RNs to hold BSNs by 2020.
Level of Nursing Education Determines Salary Levels in California
In 2013, the median salary for BSN-educated RNs in California was 82.8% higher than that of licensed vocational nurses that same year. According to the US Department of Labor, the median income among California’s LVNs was $51,600 versus $94,300 for BSN-educated RNs.
Further, RNs with an ADN earned an average of $76,731 yearly ($36.89 an hour) in 2014 according to the California Employment Development Department, nearly $18,000 less than their BSN-educated coworkers.
California’s BSN–educated RNs are the most highly paid in the nation. Data from the US Department of Labor reveals salaries for the highest earning BSNs in the 90th and 75th percentiles in 2013:
90th Percentile
75th Percentile
Annual Salary
$141030
$117910
BSN-Prepared RN Salaries in Key Regions of California
Though BSN-educated RNs are the highest earning in the nation, on average, salaries among BSNs in within California still vary widely based on location. The US Department of Labor provides an analysis of BSN salaries for a number of different areas of the state (2013):
Area name
Employment
Hourly 75th percentile wage
Hourly 90th percentile wage
Annual 75th percentile wage
Annual 90th percentile wage
Bakersfield-Delano CA
4210
44.79
51.62
93160
107380
Chico CA
2390
44.88
53.99
93350
112300
El Centro CA
820
41.87
49.18
87090
102300
Fresno CA
5340
43.50
58.72
90480
122140
Hanford-Corcoran CA
1250
49.18
53.02
102300
110290
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale CA Metropolitan Division
69610
52.62
58.41
109450
121500
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA
88120
52.29
58.33
108760
121320
Merced CA
790
39.32
46.83
81790
97410
Modesto CA
3670
59.93
69.64
124660
144860
Napa CA
1660
56.03
64.29
116540
133720
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward CA Metropolitan Division
20070
69.38
77.17
144300
160520
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA
3730
42.33
46.91
88040
97560
Redding CA
1550
41.66
45.53
86660
94710
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA
23610
49.82
56.99
103620
118540
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville CA
16060
65.27
72.35
135760
150490
Salinas CA
2360
55.29
63.05
115000
131150
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA
23670
47.46
55.50
98720
115450
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA
34710
69.65
77.37
144880
160940
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City CA Metropolitan Division
14630
69.97
77.63
145540
161470
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA
14230
69.55
76.51
144670
159140
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA
1160
49.19
54.58
102310
113530
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine CA Metropolitan Division
18510
50.59
58.01
105220
120660
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta CA
3010
45.51
53.08
94670
110420
Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA
1380
57.26
67.84
119110
141100
Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA
3580
61.78
69.41
128510
144370
Stockton CA
3570
52.17
56.74
108510
118030
Vallejo-Fairfield CA
3230
69.64
80.71
144850
167870
Visalia-Porterville CA
1830
41.40
45.81
86110
95290
Yuba City CA
680
36.95
45.82
76860
95300
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
770
54.22
58.52
112780
121730
Eastern Sierra Region of California nonmetropolitan area
230
42.89
48.34
89210
100540
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
1800
38.69
45.58
80480
94810
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
270
48.96
56.68
101830
117900
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
1140
51.76
56.32
107660
117140
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