BSN to MSN: How Completing Your RN-BSN Opens the Door to Advanced Practice
| 9 Min Read
Registered nurses reach a familiar crossroads. An associate degree provides a nursing license. But it rarely opens doors to leadership, teaching or advanced practice roles.
A bachelor’s degree changes that path. It also shortens the road to a master’s degree in nursing.
Many nurses researching the BSN to MSN pathway assume it means starting over. In reality, the first step is often a manageable bridge program. It is not a second four-year degree.
New Mexico Highlands University’s online RN-BSN program is built for working RNs. It gives them that next credential without pausing their careers.
This article breaks down how the associate-to-bachelor’s decision shapes your options. It covers what the online RN-BSN experience looks like. It also shows how finishing it prepares you for graduate study. Finally, it compares what nurses can expect to earn at each stage, from associate degree through advanced practice.
ADN vs. BSN: Why Your Undergraduate Nursing Degree Sets the Foundation
Every RN starts somewhere. For many, that starting point is an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) earned at a community college. An ADN meets the minimum coursework for RN licensure. It also gets nurses into the workforce faster, at a lower upfront cost.
The ADN vs. BSN decision becomes more pressing as the profession shifts. The National Academy of Medicine’s Future of Nursing 2020–2030 report set a clear target. It called for at least 80% of the nursing workforce to hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
The current workforce falls short of that mark. Baccalaureate-level education sits at roughly 69% to 73%, depending on the source. Hospitals are actively working to close that gap.
That gap shows up in hiring practices. Hospitals pursuing Magnet recognition, a credential tied to nursing excellence, must show progress toward an 80% BSN-prepared staff. That requirement comes from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Many non-Magnet hospitals have adopted similar preferences on their own.
That trend plays out in New Mexico specifically. Several major health systems in the state are Magnet-designated or working toward that status. Even non-Magnet hospitals in Albuquerque and Santa Fe now expect a BSN from new graduate hires.
Rural and critical access facilities tend to stay more flexible. Still, the statewide trend favors bachelor’s-prepared nurses.
A BSN broadens your clinical scope beyond what an ADN to BSN transition alone provides. The coursework adds training in leadership, population health and community-based care. It builds on the bedside skills an ADN program already covers.
A BSN also satisfies the entry requirement for nearly every graduate nursing program. An ADN alone does not.
If your goal is to stop at RN licensure, an ADN can still be the right call. But if you see yourself moving into management, education or advanced practice, the BSN keeps those paths open.
How NMHU’s Online RN-BSN Program Builds Your Bridge to Graduate Study
New Mexico Highlands University’s Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)-accredited RN-BSN online program is built for nurses who already work full time. The program awards up to 95 transfer credits for an associate degree and active RN license. Students then focus on 32 credit hours of core nursing coursework. They do not have to repeat general education they have already completed.
That structure lets students complete the RN to BSN online in as little as 14 months. Most classes run in eight-week terms, faster than a traditional 16-week semester. Coursework covers evidence-based health assessment, professional nursing advancement, cultural competencies and community health nursing. These courses build the analytical and leadership skills graduate programs expect from incoming students.
Program outcomes go beyond clinical knowledge. Students build skills in quality improvement and collaboration across care teams. They also learn to use healthcare technology to manage patient information, a skill hospital administrators increasingly expect from bachelor’s-prepared staff.
Students also graduate with stronger communication and writing skills. They gain a working understanding of how to lead care teams across specialties. Both skills carry directly into graduate coursework and clinical leadership roles.
Because the curriculum is fully online, working nurses can keep their clinical schedules intact. They finish coursework around shifts instead of stepping away from work.
The practical result is a BSN that positions graduates for immediate application to a master’s program. Faculty advising is built into the program too. Students weighing an eventual MSN track have someone to consult before they finish their bachelor’s coursework.
What Does the BSN-to-MSN Pathway Actually Involve?
A BSN-to-MSN pathway is a graduate nursing track built for RNs who already hold a bachelor’s degree. It lets them move directly into advanced coursework. Rather than repeating undergraduate material, these BSN-to-MSN programs start with foundational graduate courses. Topics include research, pathophysiology and evidence-based practice.
From there, students move into a specialty track, such as nurse education, nursing administration or a nurse practitioner concentration. Each track leads toward a different kind of advanced role.
Most BSN-to-MSN programs take about two to three years to complete. The exact timeline depends on the specialty and whether a student attends full or part time. Nurse practitioner tracks typically require more clinical practicum hours than administration or education tracks. That can extend the schedule slightly.
Accelerated BSN-to-MSN options exist at some schools for nurses who can commit to a heavier course load. The tradeoff is a more demanding pace.
Nurses who complete their RN-BSN with a solid GPA and current licensure are typically well positioned to apply right away.
For NMHU graduates, the RN-BSN program is the stated prerequisite for the university’s online MSN-FNP program. That program prepares nurses for licensure and national board certification as family nurse practitioners. This direct connection is part of why the RN-BSN works less like a finish line and more like an on-ramp to graduate nursing.
Notably, NMHU’s MSN-FNP does not require GRE or GMAT scores for admission. That removes a common barrier for working nurses returning to school. Completing an RN-to-BSN-to-MSN pathway through the same institution also keeps transcripts and requirement tracking in one place. That can simplify the transition, compared with applying to an unrelated graduate school.
Choosing a specialty is one of the more consequential decisions in the BSN-to-MSN process. Nurse practitioner tracks lead to direct patient care with prescriptive authority in most states. Education and administration tracks lead toward faculty positions or unit leadership roles instead. Reviewing job postings in your target specialty before committing to a track can clarify which option fits you best.
What Can You Do With an MSN in Nursing?
An MSN degree qualifies you for roles a BSN alone cannot reach. These include advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) positions, nurse education and nursing administration. Family nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives all require a graduate degree. Demand for these roles is climbing fast across both rural and urban health systems.
Employment for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners combined is projected to grow 35% from 2024 to 2034. That figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). About 32,700 new advanced practice registered nurses will be needed each year to keep pace.
That growth rate is far faster than the outlook for registered nursing overall. RN employment is expected to rise just 5% over the same decade, adding about 166,100 jobs nationwide.
A family nurse practitioner (FNP) track, like the one NMHU offers after its RN-BSN, prepares graduates to assess, diagnose and treat patients across the lifespan. In many states, this role also comes with the authority to prescribe medication. Nurse practitioners frequently fill primary care gaps in rural and underserved communities. Physician shortages tend to run deeper there than in metropolitan areas.
New Mexico has more federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas per capita than most of the country. This is especially true in rural and frontier counties.
Facilities in these areas often recruit FNP graduates directly. Some even offer loan repayment or sign-on incentives to nurses willing to serve underserved communities.
Beyond direct patient care, an MSN degree also opens paths into nursing informatics and curriculum development for future nurse educators. Nurses drawn to teaching, systems-level improvement or population health often find these non-clinical specialties just as rewarding as bedside advanced practice. Many of these roles also carry more predictable schedules than shift-based clinical work.
Comparing the Career and Salary Payoff at Each Degree Level
Salary is rarely the only reason nurses advance their education. Still, it is a meaningful part of the decision. Nurses with an Associate Degree in Nursing report an average base salary of about $82,000 a year.
Nurses with a BSN report making roughly $101,000, according to Payscale. That gap reflects the added scope of practice a BSN supports, along with the wider range of roles it qualifies nurses for.
Moving from a BSN to an MSN adds another jump. Nurse practitioners and other advanced practice roles carry a median annual wage of $132,050. That is well above what most bedside RN positions pay.
The MSN vs. BSN comparison ultimately depends on your career goals as much as the numbers. A BSN alone supports a stable, well-paying nursing career, with room to grow into charge and supervisory roles. An MSN adds a ceiling few other nursing credentials can match. That might mean prescribing authority as a nurse practitioner, a faculty position or a director-level role overseeing an entire unit.
Tuition is part of the calculation too. NMHU’s online RN-BSN costs $325 per credit hour, for a total of $10,400 across the 32-credit core curriculum. That is a modest investment relative to the salary increase a BSN typically unlocks. Weighing tuition against projected earnings at each degree level can clarify how quickly it pays off.
Start your path toward advanced practice nursing with New Mexico Highlands University’s online RN-BSN program, built for working RNs ready to move forward.
About NMHU’s Online RN-BSN Program
New Mexico Highlands University’s online RN-BSN program helps working registered nurses earn a CCNE-accredited bachelor’s degree in as little as 14 months. Eligible students receive up to 95 transfer credits for their associate degree and RN license, reducing both the time and cost of completing a bachelor’s degree. The 32-credit core curriculum runs through flexible eight-week terms built around a working nurse’s schedule, with coursework in evidence-based practice, community health and professional nursing leadership.
Graduates leave the program ready for leadership roles and BSN-preferred hiring at Magnet and non-Magnet facilities alike. They are also positioned for further graduate study, including NMHU’s own online MSN-FNP program. Learn more about New Mexico Highlands University’s online RN-BSN program.