As of 2011, about 49% of the nurses working in Indiana had at least a BSN according to a report released by the Indiana Center for Nursing in 2013. Research has shown that nurses with BSNs are able to provide a higher level of care, prompting the Indiana Board of Nursing to set a goal of having 80% of its RNs educated at the BSN level or higher by 2020.
RNs who have a BSN receive higher salaries for their expertise, and as of 2013, some of Indiana’s clinical institutions required that its ADN-educated staff RNs work towards a BSN. This trend has caused a strong interest in RN to BSN programs in Indiana, and enrollment in these types of programs has increased by 22% between 2009 and 2011.
The need for RNs is growing in Indiana, and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development predicts a 22.1% increase in the number of RNs between 2008 and 2018. To meet the goal of having 80% of Indiana’s nurses educated with a BSN or higher, the state will need to see about 62,119 RNs educated at the BSN level.
Analysis of ADN and BSN Salaries in Key Regions of Indiana
Many of the job postings for nurses in Indiana require that applicants complete a BSN program within several years of being hired. The average salaries for RNs with a BSN in Indiana were 86% higher than that for ADN prepared RNs in 2013 according to the state’s Department of Workforce Development:
- ADN – $41,205
- BSN – $76,690
The salaries of BSN prepared nurses varied as much as 30.8% between Indiana’s major metropolitan areas. The average salary was the highest in Michigan City:
Salaries for BSN-Educated RNs Throughout Indiana
The US Department of Labor provides additional information on the salaries of BSN nurses throughout key regions of Indiana in 2013: