ADN vs BSN: Which Nursing Degree Is Best for Your Career Path?

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• With a pro­ject­ed short­age of 63,000 nurs­es by 2030, both ADN and BSN degrees lead to RN licen­sure, but the BSN offers stronger long-term career mobil­i­ty and lead­er­ship opportunities.
• ADN pro­grams pro­vide a faster and more afford­able entry into nurs­ing, while BSN pro­grams deliv­er broad­er train­ing in lead­er­ship, research, and com­mu­ni­ty health.
• Although ADN and BSN grad­u­ates both qual­i­fy for the NCLEX-RN, employ­ers increas­ing­ly pre­fer BSN-pre­pared nurs­es, espe­cial­ly in Mag­net hos­pi­tals and advanced-care settings.
• Future health­care com­plex­i­ty and nation­al ini­tia­tives like “80% BSN by 2030” are dri­ving grow­ing demand for BSN-edu­cat­ed nurs­es, mak­ing the degree more advan­ta­geous for job secu­ri­ty and advancement.

The pro­ject­ed deficit of reg­is­tered nurs­es is 63,000 by 2030, and 42 states will face short­ages by 2035 (HRSA). The pro­ject­ed growth rate for nurs­es is 5% or about 189,100 openings/year (BLS, 2024–2034). Indeed, the short­age fuels the grow­ing demand for nurs­es with high­er education.

But in an ADN vs BSN com­par­i­son, which one is the best option? In fact, it’s the first major deci­sion you’ll make when decid­ing to become a nurse.

Both the ADN and BSN lead to a reg­is­tered nurse license. But you must con­sid­er the BSN vs ADN salary, time, and cost in your deci­sion. Their career poten­tial and long-term growth are also cru­cial considerations. 

Relat­ed:

• Advan­tages of Accel­er­at­ed Nurs­ing Degrees
• Top Schol­ar­ships for Nurs­ing Students
• Best Bachelor’s in Nursing
• Top Online BSN Programs

Overview of ADN vs. BSN Programs

Here’s what you need to know for an informed deci­sion in an ADN vs BSN comparison.

What Is an ADN?

The Asso­ciate Degree in Nurs­ing (ADN) has these major characteristics.

• It takes two years to com­plete stan­dard degree pro­grams. Accel­er­at­ed pro­grams are avail­able, with a time-to-com­ple­tion that ranges from 12 to 20 months.
• Usu­al­ly avail­able at com­mu­ni­ty col­leges. A few four-year uni­ver­si­ties offer it, too (e.g., Car­roll University).
• Enables stu­dents to gain essen­tial knowl­edge and skills to become licensed reg­is­tered nurses.

As such, the core focus among ADN pro­grams is on:

• Tech­ni­cal nurs­ing skills (e.g., med­ica­tion administration)
• Foun­da­tion clin­i­cal prac­tice (e.g., basic patient care and safety)

Grad­u­ates of ADN pro­grams enjoy many advan­tages, including:

• Faster entry into the workforce
• Low­er tuition costs

The typ­i­cal course top­ics include anato­my, phar­ma­col­o­gy, and patient care.

What Is a BSN?

The Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Nurs­ing (BSN) degree is avail­able in four-year uni­ver­si­ties. Its typ­i­cal char­ac­ter­is­tics include:

• Four-year time-to-com­ple­tion for stan­dard programs.
• Has a broad­er cur­ricu­lum than the ADN. The cours­es include lead­er­ship, research, com­mu­ni­ty health, and infor­mat­ics, among others.
• Pre­pares stu­dents for lead­er­ship roles, spe­cial­iza­tions, and com­plex nurs­ing roles.

The BSN nurse require­ments dif­fer depend­ing on the BSN path­way. There are three major path­ways, as follows:

• Tra­di­tion­al BSN pro­grams for first-time col­lege stu­dents (4 years)
• Accel­er­at­ed BSN pro­grams for those with a bachelor’s degree in anoth­er field (11–18 months)
• RN-to-BSN pro­grams for ADN-pre­pared nurs­es (12–24 months)

So, is an ADN or BSN bet­ter for nurs­ing career? It depends on your cur­rent edu­ca­tion lev­el and goals. 

Cost, Duration, and Outcomes Comparison Table

You can use the table below to decide which of these two degrees is best for your nurs­ing career. 

Licensure and Accreditation

In an ADN vs BSN com­par­i­son, licen­sure and accred­i­ta­tion are the main similarities.

RN Licensure Requirements

Both ADN and BSN grad­u­ates qual­i­fy for the NCLEX-RN exam. The NCLEX-RN exam is the nation­al exam required for reg­is­tered nurse licen­sure. So, whether you have an ADN or BSN degree, you’ll qual­i­fy for entry-lev­el RN roles.

Here’s where the com­mon ques­tion comes into play. In an RN with ADN vs RN with BSN com­par­i­son, what’s the dif­fer­ence after licen­sure? The dif­fer­ence lies in the long-term career and income potential.

RNs with BSN degrees are usu­al­ly giv­en pref­er­ence for lead­er­ship or advanced roles. These include case man­agers, charge nurs­es, and pub­lic health nurses.

Of course, RNs with ADNs can still pur­sue these career oppor­tu­ni­ties. But they may have to pur­sue more advanced edu­ca­tion and gain more expe­ri­ence to compete.

Accreditation Matters

The rule is sim­ple: no region­al and pro­gram­mat­ic accred­i­ta­tion means no eli­gi­bil­i­ty to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam. Also, no accred­i­ta­tion, no access to fed­er­al finan­cial aid.

The aver­age aid for under­grad­u­ate stu­dents is $16,810 (FTE, Col­lege Board 2024–2025). Indeed, fed­er­al finan­cial aid can result in sig­nif­i­cant sav­ings on your nurs­ing education.

Check for both these types of accreditation:

• Region­al accred­i­ta­tion applies to the entire col­lege. Accred­i­ta­tion agen­cies include HLC, SACSCOC, and NECHE.
• Pro­gram­mat­ic accred­i­ta­tion applies specif­i­cal­ly to nurs­ing pro­grams. Look for the ACEN or CCNE accreditation.

See our guide to accred­it­ed online nurs­ing programs.

Clinical Training Differences

Yet anoth­er major dif­fer­ence between ADN and BSN is their clin­i­cal train­ing. ADN pro­grams focus on hos­pi­tal-based set­tings so that stu­dents can gain:

• Direct patient care skills
• Tech­ni­cal nurs­ing competencies
• Bed­side procedures

BSN pro­grams expand on core hos­pi­tal train­ing and clin­i­cal expe­ri­ences. Stu­dents gain more advanced skills in lead­er­ship, research, and com­mu­ni­ty health, too. As a result, grad­u­ates can engage in evi­dence-based prac­tice and tack­le super­vi­so­ry roles.

Career Advancement: Bedside Nursing vs. Leadership Roles

Your choice between an ADN and BSN degree can influ­ence your career trajectory.

ADN Career Paths: Strong Start, Limited Ceiling

Nurs­es with an ADN often start in bed­side or hos­pi­tal RN roles. Their work expe­ri­ence focus­es more on direct patient care, includ­ing wound care.

Aside from hos­pi­tals, nurs­es with an ADN can also work in:

• Com­mu­ni­ty clinics
• Home health
• Long-term care facilities

Indeed, you’ll have a strong start with an ADN. If you com­bine it with faster work­force entry, an ADN is a good choice.

But you’ll also find a lim­it­ed ceil­ing (i.e., lim­i­ta­tions for career advance­ment). Many employ­ers require or pre­fer BSN-equipped nurs­es for lead­er­ship or spe­cial­ized roles.

BSN Career Paths: Broader Horizons

So, why get a BSN in nurs­ing? First, you’ll have more access to lead­er­ship and spe­cial­ized roles, including:

• Nurse edu­ca­tor
• Charge nurse
• Case man­ag­er
• Pub­lic health nurse
• Infor­mat­ics nurse

Sec­ond, a BSN degree is often required for advanced degrees like MSN, NP, and DNP. If you only have an ADN, you’re well-advised to com­plete an RN-to-BSN pro­gram first.

Salary and Advancement Comparison

Note, too, that reg­is­tered nurs­es earned $93,600/year in medi­an wages (BLS, May 2024).

Real-World Example

You’ll find many real-life sto­ries of nurs­es achiev­ing more career suc­cess with a BSN degree. For exam­ple, Maria tran­si­tioned from bed­side care to a nurse man­ag­er role. Today, she over­sees 25 staff nurses.

Future Trends: Why BSN-Prepared Nurses Are in Higher Demand

Of course, earn­ing a BSN degree has its chal­lenges. You’ll spend a longer time on your stud­ies and spend more dol­lars. There’s also the more inten­sive course­work and clinicals.

But if you con­sid­er these future trends, you’ll agree that earn­ing a BSN degree will work in your favor. 

Magnet Hospitals & Employer Preferences

Did you know that over 80% of Mag­net-des­ig­nat­ed hos­pi­tals pre­fer BSN-pre­pared nurs­es? Accord­ing to the Amer­i­can Asso­ci­a­tion of Col­leges of Nurs­ing (AACN), stud­ies have shown an improved qual­i­ty of care as a result of high­er BSN staffing levels.

Fed­er­al and state ini­tia­tives are also encour­ag­ing BSN-lev­el edu­ca­tion. A prime exam­ple is the 80% BSN by 2030 goal. In it, health­care sys­tems are encour­aged to increase their BSN-qual­i­fied hiring.

Changing Patient Complexity & Technology

Health­care sys­tems and ser­vices are becom­ing more com­plex, espe­cial­ly with tech­nol­o­gy. As such, nurs­es must have stronger crit­i­cal think­ing, research, and data lit­er­a­cy skills.

BSN pro­grams must keep up with the increas­ing com­plex­i­ties. Their stu­dents must gain the skills to deal with tech-cen­tric tools like:

• Tele­health
• Elec­tron­ic health records
• Infor­mat­ics

Long-Term Job Security

Employ­ers see BSN edu­ca­tion as a sig­nal of lead­er­ship and spe­cial­iza­tion poten­tial. BSN-edu­cat­ed nurs­es are also seen as more pre­pared for future roles.

If you’re a work­ing nurse now, you can tap into the BSN poten­tial, too. You should explore the grow­ing num­ber of RN-to-BSN pro­grams. These pro­grams make career advance­ment eas­i­er for ADN-edu­cat­ed nurses.

Today, there are 777 RN-to-BSN pro­grams (AACN). Of these pro­grams, there are more than 600 ADN to BSN pro­grams online.

How to Choose Between an ADN and BSN

Mak­ing the right choice is a must, main­ly because of the dif­fer­ences in their cost, time, and out­comes. Still, it’s worth empha­siz­ing that both degrees are sol­id options. Nurs­ing, after all, is a reward­ing pro­fes­sion regard­less of your start.

With that said, here are steps you can take to make an informed choice.

• Ask your­self rel­e­vant questions:
  • How quick­ly do you need to start work­ing? Go for an ADN if you want faster work­force entry.
  • What’s your long-term career goal (clin­i­cal vs. lead­er­ship)? Choose a BSN if you want lead­er­ship roles.
  • Do you plan to pur­sue grad­u­ate nurs­ing edu­ca­tion? Go for a BSN if you want to earn an MSN, NP, or DNP.
• Con­sid­er the ADN vs BSN pros and cons. Be sure to con­sid­er them in the con­text of your cur­rent edu­ca­tion, expe­ri­ence, and budget.

You should also con­sid­er a hybrid path for max­i­mum impact. Start with an ADN, become an RN, and gain rel­e­vant work expe­ri­ence. Then, bridge your edu­ca­tion with an online RN-to-BSN degree.

Conclusion

In a nurs­ing degree com­par­i­son, both the ADN and BSN paths can lead to ful­fill­ing careers. But the BSN pro­vides more career flex­i­bil­i­ty, advance­ment poten­tial, and job security.

So, are you ready to take the next step in nurs­ing? You should explore accred­it­ed online BSN or RN-to-BSN pro­grams to advance your future.