Nurses with a BSN are better equipped to provide high quality care for their patients as the field of nursing becomes increasingly complex. They are also more highly compensated for their increased level of skill. Salaries for nurses with a BSN are uniformly higher than earnings for ADN-educated RNs.
In 2010, the Institute for Medicine called for 80% of the country’s nurses to hold bachelor’s degrees or higher by 2020. Alaska is well positioned to meet this goal. In fact, according to a 2008 survey conducted by the Alaska Board of Nursing, 43.6% of Alaska’s nurses had a BSN compared to just 31.5% that had an ADN as their highest degree.
As of 2013, there were 220 nursing students in Alaska enrolled in BSN programs according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Salary Analysis for BSN Prepared RNs in Alaska
Alaska’s RNs are relatively well paid. Those in the upper income bracket made 15% more on average than their colleagues in the rest of the country as of 2013. Those with a BSN earn the highest salaries among RNs, with the exception of those with graduate degrees and advanced practice licenses.
The US Department of Labor provides the salaries for high-earning BSN-educated RNs in Alaska as of 2013:
The field of nursing is growing rapidly in Alaska. The state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development considers the field to have a very high number of openings and expects strong growth for years to come. In fact, it predicts a growth rate of 20% in the number of jobs for RNs between 2010 and 2020.
BSN Salaries in Alaska’s Major Regions
Additional detail on the salaries of high-earning RNs throughout Alaska is shown the table below: