Advantages of an Associate Degree for Nurses

An associate degree can set you apart from other nurses who do not have the formal education and background you have. When employers can be picky about whom they hire, they often will take the best they can get. Your associate degree can give you this edge, while still being a quick and inexpensive route to becoming a nurse.

Quick Path

An associate degree in nursing qualifies graduates to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses and become a registered nurse. This is the same exam and credential that graduates from bachelor-level programs expect. Only an associate degree can be completed in as little as four semesters or two years. This program is a quick way to enter the nursing profession with a degree. Associate-degree nursing students tend to delve right into nursing curriculum and are spared the two years of liberal arts coursework their bachelor-level counterparts require. The associate degree is helpful when there is a shortage of qualified nurses.

Save Money

Earning an associate degree means saving money. Since the duration of the program is much shorter than a bachelor's degree program, you can save up to two years of tuition, room and board. Often the tuition itself is less expensive at schools that offer two-year degrees, than those offering four-year degrees. In addition to paying less for school, you enter the job market earlier and begin making a real salary up to two years earlier than someone obtaining a bachelor's degree. However, the Huffington Post reported in 2013 that first-year bachelor's degree nurses in Virgina earned $48,959, versus $45,342 for associate degree nurses. So an associate degree may mean less money over a lifetime. Additionally, magnet hospitals -- those recognized for high-quality nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, require nurse managers and leaders, who may earn more, to have a bachelor's degree.

Nursing Preparation

The associate degree in nursing teaches students the knowledge and skills they need to be a nurse. The curriculum includes knowledge, ethics and clinical skills required in nursing. Courses generally include a combination of anatomy and physiology, microbiology, math, English, psychology, pharmacology and various nursing practice specialties. More people with associate degrees took the NCLEX-RN in 2012 than those with bachelor's degrees, yet the overall pass rate was about the same for both degrees. This indicates that the associate degree adequately prepares entry-level nurses.

Step Closer to BSN

Once you have an associate degree in nursing, you are that much closer to a bachelor's degree in nursing. You can take advantage of an associate to bachelor's degree or RN to bachelor's of science in nursing fast track programs. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommends that nurses earn a bachelor's degree. Penn State is transitioning its associate degree program to a bachelor's degree program effective spring 2015 -- they cite the future direction of the nursing profession and the employment outlook as the reasons.